Amazon begins streaming original shows in HDR to Prime Instant Video subscribers on select Samsung TVs; more content and support for other devices coming soon
James Risley / GeekWire :
Context & Ripple Effects
In April, Amazon said it would stream movies and shows in vivid HDR later this year (the HDR streaming pledge); this delivery on select Samsung TVs makes it the first major streaming catalog to ship the format to consumers. The choice of partner follows a familiar pattern: Sony put its PlayStation Now game-streaming service on select Samsung smart TVs just two weeks earlier, making Samsung's set lineup the recurring launch pad for new streaming formats.
First-order effects
- Prime Instant Video subscribers owning one of the select Samsung sets get Amazon's original shows in higher dynamic range immediately, while everyone else on other devices waits for the promised expansion.
- Samsung gains a short-lived exclusive selling point for those TV models at retail, since its hardware is currently the only way to watch Amazon's HDR originals.
Second-order effects
- Rival platforms face pressure to match the format: YouTube followed within about eighteen months by adding HDR support for compatible devices (YouTube's HDR rollout), and Amazon itself extended the format to a much wider audience when its app reached Apple TV with 4K HDR support (in 100+ countries in late 2017).
- TV makers competing with Samsung must either court equivalent streaming exclusives or risk their flagship panels being undersold by content that can't display what the screens can show.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, picture-quality formats like HDR stop being niche spec sheets and become negotiated distribution features, with streamers and device makers pairing up to launch them exclusively before broadening support.
- The exclusivity window also reinforces the value of owned original content: Amazon could only justify a device-specific rollout because it controlled shows no rival service carries.
The trend: Premium streaming features are being rolled out through exclusive device partnerships first, turning TV makers into launch partners for format wars rather than passive conduits.