Watching television has changed beyond all recognition from the days when I was young. To be fair, I was young quite a long time ago. There weren't dinosaurs around but I definitely met a few Neanderthols in the nightclubs back then.
I remember watching the launch of Channel 4- the first film I watched on launch day was P'tang Yang Kipperbang. I recall thinking this was a significant development and wondered how many other new channels would follow.
I also remember being approached by BSkyB just before they launched with a view to having an interview for a job on their news team. I scoffed at the idea that anyone would pay so much for satellite TV and stuck with print journalism. I know, I know.....
I never guessed that by the time I had my own children there would be a plethora of viewing options available including the ability to watch on a telephone I could carry around, Star Trek style tablets, games consoles, super slim devices holding thousands of books and huge flat screen televisions.
Recently I tried out Amazon Prime Instant Video. Available free to anyone with Amazon Prime membership (which is awesome - many items with free one day delivery!) or as a standalone service at just £5.99 a month, Prime Instant Video offers a huge choice-15,000 movie and TV titles.
Imagine! unlimited streaming of dramas, tv series, comedy, horror, children's films and programmes... you name it they have it. And although I have preciously used a different streaming service I was interested to notice Amazon Prime Instant Video has titles they don't - my husband was delighted to realise he could watch episode after episode of his favourite, The Walking Dead.
Grumpy has watched Ice Age Continental Drift on a loop and my daughter has very much enjoyed Sherlock Holmes - both exclusive to Amazon Prime Instant Video.
The biggest bonus has been the convenience- something Amazon is quite good at generally.(hands up anyone who like me has been saved by next day delivery for a forgotten birthday present or last minute school fancy dress costume!)
As a busy large family our time together is precious. One of our favourite things to do when we are together is enjoy a naughty treat of some form of takeaway in front of the TV. It doesn't happen very
often and previously we have wasted half our evening trying to find something to watch on satellite TV that isn't halfway through, not starting for another hour or unsuitable for all of us to enjoy.
But now thanks to Amazon - we simply pick a genre (comedy usually) and after a brief show of hands (No Grumpy, we don't want to watch Continental Drift again!) settle down to watch a streamed video which we can obviously even pause for drink top-ups, toilet breaks and the inevitable ring of the phone or doorbell!
Here's what Amazon says about the service:
Amazon Instant Video is the place to watch anything you want, anytime you want it. We've got the newest movie releases, must-see TV shows, all-time classics, and so much more - loads of it available in High Definition too.
You can stream instantly on your Kindle Fire HD, iPad, iPhone, Android Phone, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii, Wii U; on hundreds of TVs, set-top boxes and Blu-ray players from LG, Sony and Samsung; and - of course - on the Web via your PC, laptop or Mac.
All of your videos are stored in Your Video Library, so you can pick up where you left off on any device.
Fabulous! The service is also available on the just released Amazon Fire mobile phone (which I am very excited about!) Available only on the O2 network the phone will include a FREE year of Prime and Prime instant Video for a limited period so sign up fast - it's free on some tariffs and a very competitive £399.99 on PAYG - much cheaper than many other smart phones!
And I've even watched films at a friends house using the app on my smart phone and a "mirroring" app which beamed Men In Black 3 from my phone to her TV.
It's funny to think that my children take it for granted that they can watch what they want to at their convenience - we've come such a long way in the past 30 years I wonder what developments we will see in the next few decades....
Disclaimer: I was given a free trial period of Amazon Prime Instant Video for the purposes of this honest review. Views and opinions remain my own.
I remember watching the launch of Channel 4- the first film I watched on launch day was P'tang Yang Kipperbang. I recall thinking this was a significant development and wondered how many other new channels would follow.
I also remember being approached by BSkyB just before they launched with a view to having an interview for a job on their news team. I scoffed at the idea that anyone would pay so much for satellite TV and stuck with print journalism. I know, I know.....
I never guessed that by the time I had my own children there would be a plethora of viewing options available including the ability to watch on a telephone I could carry around, Star Trek style tablets, games consoles, super slim devices holding thousands of books and huge flat screen televisions.Recently I tried out Amazon Prime Instant Video. Available free to anyone with Amazon Prime membership (which is awesome - many items with free one day delivery!) or as a standalone service at just £5.99 a month, Prime Instant Video offers a huge choice-15,000 movie and TV titles.
Imagine! unlimited streaming of dramas, tv series, comedy, horror, children's films and programmes... you name it they have it. And although I have preciously used a different streaming service I was interested to notice Amazon Prime Instant Video has titles they don't - my husband was delighted to realise he could watch episode after episode of his favourite, The Walking Dead.
Grumpy has watched Ice Age Continental Drift on a loop and my daughter has very much enjoyed Sherlock Holmes - both exclusive to Amazon Prime Instant Video.
The biggest bonus has been the convenience- something Amazon is quite good at generally.(hands up anyone who like me has been saved by next day delivery for a forgotten birthday present or last minute school fancy dress costume!)
As a busy large family our time together is precious. One of our favourite things to do when we are together is enjoy a naughty treat of some form of takeaway in front of the TV. It doesn't happen very
often and previously we have wasted half our evening trying to find something to watch on satellite TV that isn't halfway through, not starting for another hour or unsuitable for all of us to enjoy.
But now thanks to Amazon - we simply pick a genre (comedy usually) and after a brief show of hands (No Grumpy, we don't want to watch Continental Drift again!) settle down to watch a streamed video which we can obviously even pause for drink top-ups, toilet breaks and the inevitable ring of the phone or doorbell!Here's what Amazon says about the service:
Amazon Instant Video is the place to watch anything you want, anytime you want it. We've got the newest movie releases, must-see TV shows, all-time classics, and so much more - loads of it available in High Definition too.
You can stream instantly on your Kindle Fire HD, iPad, iPhone, Android Phone, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii, Wii U; on hundreds of TVs, set-top boxes and Blu-ray players from LG, Sony and Samsung; and - of course - on the Web via your PC, laptop or Mac.
All of your videos are stored in Your Video Library, so you can pick up where you left off on any device.
Fabulous! The service is also available on the just released Amazon Fire mobile phone (which I am very excited about!) Available only on the O2 network the phone will include a FREE year of Prime and Prime instant Video for a limited period so sign up fast - it's free on some tariffs and a very competitive £399.99 on PAYG - much cheaper than many other smart phones!
And I've even watched films at a friends house using the app on my smart phone and a "mirroring" app which beamed Men In Black 3 from my phone to her TV.
It's funny to think that my children take it for granted that they can watch what they want to at their convenience - we've come such a long way in the past 30 years I wonder what developments we will see in the next few decades....
Disclaimer: I was given a free trial period of Amazon Prime Instant Video for the purposes of this honest review. Views and opinions remain my own.