You are a happy PlayStation 4 owner and you are having a lot of fun with the titles available on the famous Sony home console. At the same time you are also a big fan of movies and TV series and, therefore, you would like to take advantage of the PS4 to also enjoy all the content available on the various streaming platforms, primarily Amazon Prime Video , which you are watching with some interest. Well, if that’s the case, know you’ve come to the right place.
In fact, in this tutorial I will explain in detail how to watch Amazon Prime Video on PS4 . In case you were wondering, I will address all the classic questions that are usually asked by those who want to take advantage of this service on the console and I will guide you step by step in solving the possible problems that can prevent starting, installing or using the app in question.
Obviously there will also be a way to talk about the Prime Video offer. In short, I will essentially examine the subject at 360 degrees. I would say, therefore, to put the gossip aside and go straight to the point. All you have to do is get comfortable and follow the quick instructions below. Having said that, there is nothing left for me to do, except wish you good reading and good viewing!
Index
- Preliminary information
- How to download Amazon Prime Video on PS4
- How to watch Amazon Prime Video on PS4
Preliminary information
Before going into the details of the procedure on how to see Amazon Prime Video on PS4 , I think it may interest you to know more about this possibility.
Well, Prime Video is a streaming service from Amazon . It is accessible from various platforms: from computers to mobile devices, to consoles (like your PlayStation 4). One of its greatest strengths is the fact that it is included in Amazon Prime : just to be clear, I am referring to that subscription that allows you to obtain various benefits, including free shipping in one day on many products.
Amazon Prime costs 36 euros per year or 4.99 euros per month . Prime Student is also available for university students , which instead costs 16 euros per year . In the case of the standard subscription there is a free 30-day trial , while for Prime Student the free period extends to 3 months . For more details, I recommend that you check out my tutorial on how to sign up for Amazon Prime .
That said, I’d say analyze the Amazon Prime Video catalog a bit . The latter includes highly successful films and TV series, but many believe that one of its greatest strengths is its Amazon Original productions . In fact, similar to what happens on Netflix , the platform of the e-commerce giant also offers original content that is truly noteworthy.
To give you some concrete examples, there is the funny The Grand Tour , a TV series starring Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May (or the historical hosts of Top Gear). Another content that should not be underestimated is the superhero series The Boys . Another appreciated aspect is the customization carried out from country to country : for example, in Italy we have original series such as Celebrity Hunted: Caccia all’uomo and documentaries such as Chiara Ferragni – Unposted .
Speaking of bandwidth requirements , you need to know that a 900 Kbits / sec connection is enough to watch videos in standard definition , while for high definition content you need a connection of at least 3.5 Mbits / sec . If, on the other hand, you want to aim for the maximum, that is to 4K / Ultra HD , you need a connection of at least 15 Mbits / sec .
If you have no idea how good your network is, I recommend that you take a look at my tutorial on how to check your connection speed . If you find that you have a slow network, I invite you to consult my guide on how to improve the connection on PS4 : it might come in handy.
For the rest, to take advantage of Amazon Prime Video on PS4 it is necessary to enable HDCP , a system for managing digital rights that is usually required by the Sony console in order to correctly start the streaming services applications. Generally, this option is already enabled by default, but some users disable it to operate non-HDCP compatible devices (for example, some capture cards cannot “capture” the video stream with HDCP enabled).
Well, if you have disabled HDCP, you will need to enable it by going to Settings> System and checking the Enable HDCP box . If you need more details on this system, I recommend that you consult Sony’s official guidelines .
How to download Amazon Prime Video on PS4
After explaining the offer and the requirements to access Amazon Prime Video from PS4, I would say that you are almost ready to proceed with the installation of the official app of the service on PlayStation 4. I say almost because before downloading the application you have to configure how you have to the console.
In addition to activating HDCP as explained above, you must make sure that the PS4 is connected to the Internet and has an associated PSN account , since to proceed you must log in to the PlayStation Store , the official Sony digital store from which all games and applications are downloaded. You do not need, however, the PlayStation Plus subscription (that concerns online multiplayer).
To proceed and connect the PS4 to the Internet , go to the toolbar at the top of the PS4 main menu and press the X button on the controller on the Settings icon (the briefcase). Then, go to Network> Configure Internet connection and choose from the options Use Wi-Fi (to connect to a wireless network, by entering the access key) or Use a network cable (LAN) (to connect to the Internet via cable ).
The system will perform a check of the Internet connection and, if everything has been done correctly, you should be able to go to the Settings> Account Management path and press the X button of the pad on the Login to PlayStation Network item , in order to log in to your PSN profile, or to create a new profile by clicking on New PlayStation Network user? Create an account and follow the on-screen directions.
These are relatively simple steps to complete, but if you have any doubts or need to be guided step by step, I invite you to check out my tutorial on how to access PlayStation Network .
Once logged into the PSN, return to the main console menu and press the X button on the controller on the PlayStation Store icon (the shopping bag). Press, therefore, on the Search item at the top and type “amazon prime video” . At this point, move to the right and select the application box (where there is the service logo on a white background).
Then, you just have to press the Download button and the system will automatically download and install the Amazon Prime Video app on the PS4.
Obviously, everything is free: do not be scared if you receive an e-mail message that notifies you of the “purchase” of the application: the amount that you will be “charged” will be 0 euro.
How to watch Amazon Prime Video on PS4
Once the application is installed, it is finally time to use it. Well, the first thing you need to know is that the PlayStation 4 handles multimedia apps differently from the others.
In fact, if you have gone to the main console menu, you will have already noticed that there is no icon related to Amazon Prime Video. Don’t worry: just press the X button on the pad above the TV and video box and select Amazon Prime Video from the apps at the top.
Amazon Prime Video will welcome you by asking you to log in with your Amazon account or register. Continue, therefore, by logging in , entering the email address and password of your profile. If, on the other hand, you don’t have an Amazon account with an active Prime subscription, I suggest you take a look at my tutorial on how to get Amazon Prime for free (via trial period).
Once you log into Prime Video from your PlayStation 4, you will immediately notice that the app interface is very similar to that found on other platforms, especially as regards Smart TVs. You can scroll the home with the directional arrows of the pad and access the page of a certain content with the X button . At the top there are all the relevant tabs , including the Search function (through which you can find any film, TV series or documentary) and the categories available.
Going down, however, there are lines dedicated to various types of content, from the most recent to Amazon Originals . Starting any content, the convenient Prime Video player will appear on the screen . It allows you to go back 10 seconds , go forward (done via the analogs), pause the content, scroll through the appropriate bar, choose the language of the audio and subtitles and get more information on the actors present in a certain scene via the X-Ray functionality. This is a very interesting peculiar feature, since it allows you to deepen the content you are watching.
In case you have children and do not want to show them unsuitable content for minors, I recommend that you set the Parental Control from the Settings menu , as the PlayStation 4 filter does not work within the Prime Video app. Another thing I want to clarify is the fact that the PS4 version of the app does not allow you to download content for offline viewing .
For the rest, a very interesting possibility, available from the beginning of 2020, is to buy and rent content through the Prime Video Store . In this case, you don’t even need to set up a payment method tied to your PSN account, as your Amazon profile is used to pay. For more details on this feature, I recommend you check out my guide on how to pay on Amazon .
Perfect, now you know the main possibilities related to the streaming service of Jeff Bezos’ company. In case you want to deepen the subject , I suggest you consult my tutorial on how Amazon Prime Video works in Italy .
In case you have second thoughts and no longer want to pay the subscription, what you need to do is cancel it by following my guide on how to deactivate Amazon Prime .
