Amazon - in its most recent upgrade to its Android and iOS video apps - has introduced a first for any video streaming service: the ability to download and watch a movie offline. This is widely seen as a huge advantage against Netflix, its closest rival.
Amazon has not released any press statement regarding the upgrade except for a page that details for its Prime subscribers the steps how to use the service. It is, however, a big deal for consumers. For instance, a user can download the entire season of "Orphan Black" on his or her device and watch it on a plane ride without access to the Internet.
It is not clear how Amazon was able to navigate the complex licensing and legal issues entailed in introducing offline playback. Netflix was reported to have vehemently refused to offer the same feature in the past.
"We have been asked the same question for several years and have always given the exact same answer," Cliff Edwards, a Netflix spokesperson, said in The Verge report.
Amazon subscribers, however, are not complaining, especially since the offline playback is merely an add-on service to the $100 Prime account that already comes with music, cloud storage and other perks, such as free shipping when shopping at Amazon.
The video catalog is also quite extensive. Aside from exclusive titles, it also has comprehensive HBO back catalog, noted Wired. To top it all, it will also include titles that will no longer be offered on Netflix such as "Star Trek: Into Darkness" and the "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire."
While Amazon has been plagued by reports of maintaining a bad place to work for its employees, it can never be accused of offering bad deals in technology.
