Amazon Prime Video dropped Dolby Vision and Atmos

Amazon Prime Video dropped Dolby Vision and Atmos unless the consumers pay extra

Amazon has confirmed a deliberate decision regarding changes to its Amazon Prime Video subscription service. The company has removed Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos surround sound capabilities from the standard subscription tier. Instead, these features are now exclusive to the ad-free subscription option, which costs an additional $2.99 per month. This move affects users with smart TVs from brands like Sony, LG, and Samsung, who were previously enjoying higher fidelity options. Amazon spokesperson Katie Barker clarified that Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos are only accessible on relevant titles for subscribers opting for the ad-free experience.

In light of this change, users may find it challenging to directly compare Amazon's pricing with other streaming services like Netflix. While Netflix has raised its prices to $22.99 per month for its 4K tier, Amazon Prime Video's pricing structure is more complex. Originally bundled with Amazon Prime, which offers benefits like free and fast shipping, the full Prime Video experience now requires an additional 18 percent fee for ad-free viewing and high fidelity audio. For standalone Prime Video subscribers, the increase is closer to 28 percent when factoring in the extra $2.99 per month for ad-free content. For those who don't mind advertisements, the $8.99-per-month subscription price for Prime Video remains competitive. It's a dollar less than Disney Plus with ads at $9.99 per month, although Netflix offers a lower-priced option with ads for its 1080p service at $6.99 per month.