In terms of content it's hard to say which of Amazon Prime Instant Video and Netflix is more deserving of your streaming money. Amazon tends to have better films, while netflix still has the lead in original programming. But there's one area where Amazon currently has a distinct technical advantage.
Amazon Prime Instant Video lets you download films and television shows for offline playback, which is perfect for watching on a mobile device. Sometimes when you're travelling with your smartphone or tablet you won't always have access to the internet, such as on a flight, which is where offline playback can be a real lifesaver. Even if you do have a connection, the high data cost of streaming all that video may well put you off.
Unfortunately, not all of Amazon Prime Video's content is available for offline playback. Availability is down to content owners giving Amazon permission to let you download their films and television shows so you'll have to cross your fingers that the content you want is available.
Amazon Prime Video's offline playback only works with certain devices, namely Amazon's own Fire tablets and Fire phone, Android devices and iOS devices. You're not able to download content to a PC, laptop or even Amazon's own Fire TV boxes, which has both built-in storage as well as microSD card support.
While there's no easy way to find content specifically available for downloading, if you do come across something with the right permissions downloading is at least incredibly straightforward. A green 'Download' icon will appear and, provided you have a Wi-Fi connection, you'll be able to save a copy of the content to your device. After downloading, content will then appear in your Downloads list.
You can't keep your downloads forever, however. The amount of time you have to watch each download will be dependent on the content. Some will expire after a set period of time but you'll get a notification to let you know when your time is nearly up. The time-limited approach isn't drastically different to BBC iPlayer downloads. If you find your storage space is quickly being eaten up by Amazon Prime Videos, you can also manage your saved content from the Downloads list (press the top-left menu button) in order to free up space.
Aside from Amazon Prime Video, an Amazon Prime membership also gets you expedited delivery, Amazon Prime Music, Kindle Owner's Lending Library and early access to Lightning deals among other member benefits. It currently costs £79 a year and can be shared with other users as part of an Amazon Household.
