Amazon continues to fiddle with its streaming, and now it has presented a brand new subscription for those who want to treat themselves a little extra, and maximize what the service (Prime) has to offer. The new package is called Prime Video Ultra and works as an add-on for users who want to avoid advertising and at the same time gain access to more functions.
This will be launched in the US from April 10th and will replace the previous ad-free add-on service, while raising the price from $2.99 a month to $4.99.
However, Prime Video Ultra means more than just a name change. The biggest change is that 4K resolution will be exclusive to Ultra subscribers, so if you’re a Prime subscriber today, you’ll have to settle for standard 1080p resolution going forward.
In addition to the higher resolution, Prime Video Ultra will have support for up to five streams at the same time, the ability to download up to 100 titles to watch offline as well as improved sound and image with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision.
All this means in practice is that Amazon is now more clearly dividing its streaming into different tiers, just as its competitors already do. The basic version of Prime – which is included with a regular Amazon membership – will continue to work, but with more restrictions.
According to Amazon themselves, it is about balancing the increased costs and being able to focus even more on exclusive content, as well as technical improvements. So if you want the best of Prime, then just open up your wallet even more.
