Amazon Streaming TV Box Release Date Set For 2014, But Can It Beat Hulu And Netflix?

The Amazon streaming TV box set is set to have a release date in March of 2014, but how will it hold up against competitors like Hulu, Netflix, or even Redbox?

In a related report by The Inquisitr, the Amazon sales tax debate may end up reaching the Supreme Court in the end.

For the most part, Roku and Apple TV are the biggest competitors that would compete with the Amazon set top box. After all, if you own either a Xbox One or PS4 you can just download the Amazon app and start streaming to your heart’s content.

The best part is that you simply have to purchase an Amazon Prime annual subscription, which also gives shipping benefits and free monthly Kindle books. It’s also a little cheaper than Netflix, costing $79 versus a higher cost of $95.88. But if you’re enjoying the original content of Netflix then that’s not much of a price to pay. Still, reviews state that while Amazon streaming services tend to match Netflix for a lot of content, it still doesn’t provide the newest of the new on a consistent basis, whereas Hulu Plus provides some TV shows within a day of release (never mind the huge anime list, if that’s your thing).

One review comparing the options sums it up this way:

“There are no two ways about it: At present, Netflix provides superior streaming video service across the board. While you can get a number of shows on Amazon Prime Instant Video that you can’t get elsewhere, the service’s bare-bones presentation and limited app support make it tougher to recommend.”

Still, if you’re already an Amazon Prime member for other reasons, and you don’t have any of the other services, then the Amazon streaming TV box is probably a good option.

But if you’re a gamer then some of the rumors may perk your interest:

“Re/Code also says that the Amazon gadget will run Android, albeit a forked version of the same, similar to the OS that powers Amazon’s Kindle Fire line of tablets. The report doesn’t offer any information about whether Amazon’s set-top box will also be a games machine, but we’ve heard from sources close to the matter previously that it will indeed feature game support, and based on what I’ve heard recently from industry sources, that’s likely still the case despite the missed holiday shopping season window.”