# Kindle Fire and movies



## Seaduster (Oct 12, 2011)

I have a very extensive movie library (DVDs) and wonder if I will be able to move them to the Kindle Fire.  I travel a lot and would like to use the movies in my collection.  Can I upload the movies to my PC and transfer them to the Kindle Fire via the USB?  If so, what software would you recommend.  Thank you for your kind responses.


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## jbcohen (Jul 29, 2011)

I would imagine that the Fire will have a list of formats that it can understand and you will be able to connect the optional usb cable to the PC and the fire and transfer the files that way.  I am considering one however I would like to see them before I plunk any dollars down.


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## fuschiahedgehog (Feb 23, 2010)

the fire only has 8GB onboard storage and no SD/MicroSD slots... they really want you to use their content OTA.


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## Hoosiermama (Dec 28, 2009)

Another question, can I download movies to the Fire to play while I'm out and away from wifi? Sometimes 2 1/2 year olds need entertainment when we're out!


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## kisala9906 (Sep 4, 2011)

Hoosiermama said:


> Another question, can I download movies to the Fire to play while I'm out and away from wifi? Sometimes 2 1/2 year olds need entertainment when we're out!


Doubt that can be answered until it is released.


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## Hoosiermama (Dec 28, 2009)

> Doubt that can be answered until it is released.


I kind of thought that...and I hope it's not a dealbreaker for me. Guess I'll find out in about a month!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

jbcohen said:


> I would imagine that the Fire will have a list of formats that it can understand and you will be able to connect the optional usb cable to the PC and the fire and transfer the files that way. I am considering one however I would like to see them before I plunk any dollars down.


There's already a list on the Technical Details page:



> Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)), DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, non-DRM AAC, MP3, MIDI, OGG, WAV, MP4, VP8.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Hoosiermama said:


> Another question, can I download movies to the Fire to play while I'm out and away from wifi? Sometimes 2 1/2 year olds need entertainment when we're out!


Yes. Again, from the Technical details page:


> Up to 8 hours of continuous reading or 7.5 hours of video playback, with wireless off. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as web browsing and downloading content.


and



> 8GB internal. That's enough for 80 apps, plus 10 movies or 800 songs or 6,000 books.


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## Alice Coyl (Mar 29, 2011)

You will have to convert your DVD's to an acceptable format with a third party software. All DVD movies have copy protection built in which protects from illegal copying. Some classic movies do not have that protection built in but any DVD issued in the past few years does. The producers of DVD's do not want you to be able to back up your DVD's in any form.


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## Hoosiermama (Dec 28, 2009)

Thanks, Ann! I missed that in the technical specs!


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## RedTash (Aug 14, 2011)

Since Amazon Prime has a video service rivaling Netflix, I'm sure that's where they hope you'll be doing your video viewing.  And it comes w/ a year's free Prime, correct?


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## krm0789 (Dec 21, 2010)

RedTash said:


> Since Amazon Prime has a video service rivaling Netflix, I'm sure that's where they hope you'll be doing your video viewing. And it comes w/ a year's free Prime, correct?


A month


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## mom2karen (Aug 15, 2009)

_8GB internal. That's enough for 80 apps, plus 10 movies or 800 songs or 6,000 books.
_
I'm suspicious about this storage estimate based on dd's 8gb i-touch. She has about 80 apps, 1 movie, 5 albums and is 3/4 full. I can't see fitting 9 more movies even if I took off all the music.


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## Brem (Jun 29, 2011)

I know you can watch movies with Amazon Prime, not sure on how it'll work without WiFi because there's no 3G. I doubt 8GB will be enough storage for movies. Well Amazon does have cloud storage, but then you'd need wifi for it to work. So I don't know.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

It is not really clear how this 8 gig memory will provide the throughput of multiple media-content when one is out-and-about......no wifi - no streaming.

time will tell.
But I am still getting mine because I like trying out new things.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

According to the Technical Details section of the Fire page at Amazon:



> 8GB internal (approximately 6GB available for user content). That's enough for 80 apps, plus 10 movies or 800 songs or 6,000 books.


and



> Up to 8 hours of continuous reading or 7.5 hours of video playback, with wireless off. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as web browsing and downloading content.


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## stevene9 (Nov 9, 2008)

I have digitized my large movie & TV collection (from DVDs and video tapes) to 11 terabytes of mp4. They play flawlessly on my Ipad and since that format is compatible with Fire, I have no doubt it will play just fine on that too. As to the memory limitation, I refer you to my thread on the GoFlex 500 G "wireless" drive.  You could have 500 G of movies, or as much as you want if you get multiple drives.


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## krm0789 (Dec 21, 2010)

stevene9 said:


> I have digitized my large movie & TV collection (from DVDs and video tapes) to 11 terabytes of mp4. They play flawlessly on my Ipad and since that format is compatible with Fire, I have no doubt it will play just fine on that too. As to the memory limitation, I refer you to my thread on the GoFlex 500 G "wireless" drive. You could have 500 G of movies, or as much as you want if you get multiple drives.


Did you order a Fire? I'm curious as to whether or not the drive works with the Fire (as I thought I'd read somewhere that they're 'more' compatible with ipads). If you do get a Fire and find that it works, I'll be making an investment


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## stevene9 (Nov 9, 2008)

krm0789 said:


> Did you order a Fire? I'm curious as to whether or not the drive works with the Fire (as I thought I'd read somewhere that they're 'more' compatible with ipads). If you do get a Fire and find that it works, I'll be making an investment


Yes I ordered a Fire. While it is very easy with my Ipad because they made a specific app for it, it will run on any Android device through the web browser. I also think it is likely that they will make an app for the Fire too, but I have no doubt that it will run on Fire. When I get mine, I will report in to this group as the good soldier that I am.


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## Tip10 (Apr 16, 2009)

Waaaaayyyyyy back when smart phones were in their infancy we had to convert DVD's to various different formats for use on them (3gp for example?).

There used to be a website (I think it was something on the order of Doom9.org or Doom9.net or something similar -- I cannot look here at work) that used to have a mess of OPEN SOURCE tools available to convert standard DVDs into various different formats.  As I recall it also contained a mess tools for backing up/editing/converting DVD's and such. THIS SITE was NOT a pirate site but was dedicated to FAIR USE backing up of DVDs you already own.  

The interesting part of it all was there were some editors they had that allowed you to strip out such things as foreign language versions, commentary versions and whatnot which would produce files much MUCH smaller than just converting the existing DVD's.

Not sure if they still exist -- been a while since I looked but with the advent of the Fire and the rest of the Android Tablets it might be something worthwhile if you have a large DVD collection you wish to place on the devices.  Most DVD's now days contain a mess of stuff that takes up a lot of room that's not necessary (i.e. foreign language versions, commentary versions, subtitles, multiple angle shots, "extra" features, etc.)


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

Tip10 said:


> THIS SITE was NOT a pirate site but was dedicated to FAIR USE backing up of DVDs you already own.


An ironic oxymoron, this. 

Fair Use as statutorily defined does not include making a backup copy of digital content, nor does the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

As ripping and copying any commercial DVD requires defeating DRM, further discussion on how to do it is disallowed and enforced by The Powers. Additionally, discussion of the ethics, etc. of DRM annoys the denizens.


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## Tip10 (Apr 16, 2009)

1. The ability to create copies of the media you've purchased for personal use is a long-accepted facet of the fair-use doctrine in U.S. copyright law.

2. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act states that it's illegal to break the CSS copy-protection mechanism employed by *most* commercial DVD movies, not that it is illegal to make the copies as per number 1.

3. Not *ALL* commercial DVDs contain DRM -- you might be surprised at how many do not.

4. There is not and never was any mention of breaking DRM (which most definitely is a violation of DMCA) in order to produce any copies. Nor was there any mention of any software that would break DRM.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

1. No, making back-ups, copies of CDs for the car, etc. is not legal, although this is a common misnomer. It is also illegal when a high school girls makes a mix CD of her most meaningful emo music for her boyfriend so that he will "understand." Merely because the use seems "fair" does not make it 'Fair Use" as statutorily defined. Even the Audio Home Recording Act does not allow for such copies.

"Fair Use" (17 U.S.C. § 107) is instead interposed as a defense to infringement by a defendant against a claim of copyright infringement. The defendant has both the burden of proof and burden of persuasion of establishing his infringement was Fair Use, such as limited to a small portion for the purpose of literary criticism.

2. No, and perhaps counter-intuitively, the DMCA does _not_ provide that the breaking DRM is illegal. It does however proscribe the distribution of software that does so. That is, much of the software distributed by doom9.org is expressly illegal. Transcoders and the like are legal.

3. True, not all commercial DVDs contain DRM. You got me.  I should have typed "the great majority" or the like. There are also region codes and other protections to limit unauthorized playback.

4. There was no _explicit_ description of breaking DRM in your post. However the "_OPEN SOURCE tools available to convert standard DVDs into various different formats_" you reference necessarily break DRM in the process. This is the primary purpose of the software, the exchange of encryption keys, and discussions on doom9.org.

NB: Hacker sites are a poor source for information on intellectual property law.


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## Tip10 (Apr 16, 2009)

Elk said:


> 1. No, making back-ups, copies of CDs for the car, etc. is not legal, although this is a common misnomer. It is also illegal when a high school girls makes a mix CD of her most meaningful emo music for her boyfriend so that he will "understand." Merely because the use seems "fair" does not make it 'Fair Use" as statutorily defined. Even the Audio Home Recording Act does not allow for such copies.
> 
> "Fair Use" (17 U.S.C. § 107) is instead interposed as a defense to infringement by a defendant against a claim of copyright infringement. The defendant has both the burden of proof and burden of persuasion of establishing his infringement was Fair Use, such as limited to a small portion for the purpose of literary criticism.


I agree with you that the making of an archival copy is not statutorily granted, however, the right to make archival copies of computer programs IS a statutory right expressly granted by Congress and the courts have been receptive to the making of archival copies of electronic media. 
And you are correct -- the Audio Home Recording Act does not grant such archival rights but the case law there supports the ripping of the electronic media into other formats for personal, noncommercial use.

BTW, your "example" is not what's being discussed here -- bringing it up serves no purpose.



Elk said:


> 2. No, and perhaps counter-intuitively, the DMCA does _not_ provide that the breaking DRM is illegal. It does however proscribe the distribution of software that does so. That is, much of the software distributed by doom9.org is expressly illegal. Transcoders and the like are legal.


I'll agree with you here as well, the act of breaking DRM may or may not actually be illegal, the distribution of the software has been held to be via case law (the 321 Studio and RealNetworks cases).

Now, I'm sure much has changed but as I recall the software I used that was obtained from the referenced organization in the past did not circumvent DRM -- it'd fail if DRM was present. Could be that it was simply a case of the software not being up to date with the DRM, the software purposely not circumventing DRM or plain and simple user error on my part (probably the most likely cause). Not sure if the first two are still the case -- third one, most assuredly is.



Elk said:


> 3. True, not all commercial DVDs contain DRM. You got me.  I should have typed "the great majority" or the like. There are also region codes and other protections to limit unauthorized playback.
> 
> 4. There was no _explicit_ description of breaking DRM in your post. However the "_OPEN SOURCE tools available to convert standard DVDs into various different formats_" you reference necessarily break DRM in the process. This is the primary purpose of the software, the exchange of encryption keys, and discussions on doom9.org.


Actually, in light of 3 above then 4 above is simply not true. Use of the software does not "necessarily break DRM" if DRM is not present. You imply intent where none was implied. Copy machines are certainly capable of facilitating copyright infringement, but I'm sure Xerox would take a dim view of stating that their "primary purpose" was to do so. IMHO you are likely to be much closer to the truth than I am but capability does not necessarily elicit culpability. But then again its been a few years since I've been on that site......

I agree that in most cases there is no statutorial rights for duplicating copyrighted material (sans the archival copying of computer programs) and that the courts, via case law, have not been receptive to applying blanket provisions to cover such acts. The courts, however, have ruled, at least in some cases, that copying for personal, noncommercial use was consistent with the Audio Home Recording Act's main purpose of facilitating personal use, and that ripping into other formats was as well.



Elk said:


> NB: Hacker sites are a poor source for information on intellectual property law.


I agree, which is why I don't use them.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Calling a moratorium on discussion of what constitutes fair use/hacking/pirating.  It's been discussed ad nauseum elsewhere on the board and does not need to be rehashed here. 

The question was whether a DVD library can be moved to the Fire.  I think that question has been answered as well:  it depends on file types and whether they can be converted to something compatible.

Of course, it also depends on whether there is copy protection. . . .and, as a reminder: KindleBoards does not condone the removal of copy protection for any reason and does not allow discussion of how to do so nor links to how to sites.

If/When the OP comes back and has further questions we can go from there. . . .


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

Ann in Arlington said:


> It's been discussed ad nauseum elsewhere on the board and does not need to be rehashed here.


Golly gee, Ann, if we are going to preclude topics that have been previously discussed ad nauseum 90% of the board will disappear!!!! 

(Tip10, I tried to find some brief easily, digestible articles on IP law to assist you. To my surprise, Wikipedia's articles on Fair Use and the DCMA are decent. Hopefully they will clear things up a bit. It's a complex area. Best wishes.)


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## mom2karen (Aug 15, 2009)

I'm interested in what Tip10 posted....  Are there any software programs that will help you remove non-movie content (trailers, other languages, director comentary...) to make files smaller on movies with no DRM protection?


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

There are a number of programs that provide the ability to copy only the main title.  

However, almost all commercial DVDs are protected by a DRM scheme called CSS (Content Scramble System).


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## dihao (Oct 7, 2011)

andorid market has video player application，it may work


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## Joe Chiappetta (May 20, 2010)

The fact that this device doesn't have free 3G will be a major buzz-kill for the masses who assume it will have free 3G like many other Kindles.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I disagree.

I think the people who are likely to try this are not necessarily the same people who already have Kindles.  They're not mutually exclusive sets of people, of course, be neither are they 100% congruent. . . .mostly I think it will appeal to a lot of folks who've wanted an iPad or some other tablet but found the price above their limit.  Many won't already be Kindle customers so won't have any knowledge of the "free" 3G that many Kindle owners enjoy. Some, no doubt, will assume 3G. . .but if so will also likely assume a contract. . . and will ultimately be o.k. with WiFi only or decide to wait.


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## Shastastan (Oct 28, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> I disagree.
> 
> I think the people who are likely to try this are not necessarily the same people who already have Kindles. They're not mutually exclusive sets of people, of course, be neither are they 100% congruent. . . .mostly I think it will appeal to a lot of folks who've wanted an iPad or some other tablet but found the price above their limit. Many won't already be Kindle customers so won't have any knowledge of the "free" 3G that many Kindle owners enjoy. Some, no doubt, will assume 3G. . .but if so will also likely assume a contract. . . and will ultimately be o.k. with WiFi only or decide to wait.


We have pretty much decided to get a Fire even though Kim Komando likes the ipad2 over the Fire. Kim does admit that the Fire is directed at entertainment and that Amazon's new browser and Cloud features are good. She too comments on lack of 3G but 3G isn't standard on ipad is it? We actually like the smaller screen for traveling. We will just have to put some movies on before we leave. We don't watch movies very much so we will be taking our K2s. which have 3G. I think quite a few Kindle owners will get Fires for it's features, price, and size. FWIW


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

Ann in Arlington said:


> I disagree.
> 
> I think the people who are likely to try this are not necessarily the same people who already have Kindles. They're not mutually exclusive sets of people, of course, be neither are they 100% congruent. . . .mostly I think it will appeal to a lot of folks who've wanted an iPad or some other tablet but found the price above their limit. Many won't already be Kindle customers so won't have any knowledge of the "free" 3G that many Kindle owners enjoy. Some, no doubt, will assume 3G. . .but if so will also likely assume a contract. . . and will ultimately be o.k. with WiFi only or decide to wait.


Heck, there are still folks who are surprised that Kindle has free 3G - they assume there's a contract and/or a charge.


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## TLM (Apr 8, 2010)

I wish everything had free 3G, alas only a Kindle does.  One of the reasons I don't have an i-Pad.  I already pay for 3G on 3 phones and wireless for the house I AM NOT PAYING FOR MORE INTERNET ACCESS.  Wireless isn't available everywhere, i.e. my workplace or my car while traveling.  I'll just keep using my phone 3G.  The Fire is inexpensive enough that I don't mind getting one even if it is only wi-fi.

I have 2 movies that I purchased with digital copies for downloading.  I am anxious to see if they can be downloaded to the Fire.  Or if I can stream movies to my Droid when I have the free trial of Prime.  Hummmm.  That could be useful for the 1/2 grown rug rats.


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

TLM said:


> Or if I can stream movies to my Droid when I have the free trial of Prime. Hummmm. That could be useful for the 1/2 grown rug rats.


I've not been able to stream to my HTC Thunderbolt (an Android device)  Definitely wish I could.
I get this message for any movie or TV show accessed from the Amazon site: "This mobile application does not currently support digital downloads. Add this item to your Wish List & you can view .. it from your computer."


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## TLM (Apr 8, 2010)

CegAbq said:


> I've not been able to stream to my HTC Thunderbolt (an Android device)  Definitely wish I could.
> I get this message for any movie or TV show accessed from the Amazon site: "This mobile application does not currently support digital downloads. Add this item to your Wish List & you can view .. it from your computer."


I bet this will change soon. Co-workers stream movies and TV from their Netflix and HBO on Demand to their iPhones at work. (and then wonder why management get in a tizzy about personal phones at work).


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

On the Amazon home page this morning:



> We have more good news for Amazon Prime members - Prime Instant Video is growing again. We've now licensed TV programs from PBS including day-after broadcast shows like Frontline and NOVA, more than 1,000 episodes of shows like Masterpiece, Antiques Roadshow, and popular Ken Burns documentaries The Civil War, Baseball, Jazz, and, for a limited time, the first episode of Prohibition. PBS joins recently announced FOX television shows 24, Arrested Development, The X-Files, Ally McBeal, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The Wonder Years.
> 
> Coming soon, we'll be adding Malcolm in the Middle, King of the Hill, and episodes from Julia Child's classic cooking series, The French Chef. We continue to add new Prime Instant Video titles to our catalog at no additional cost. Prime membership remains $79 a year.


Betsy


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## Shastastan (Oct 28, 2009)

I guess I'm still a little confused.  We have a Roku and can stream movies from Amazon as Prime members.  Is there a concern that this cannot be done with the Fire ?  We are seriously considering getting one.  Thanks for any info.


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

Shastastan said:


> I guess I'm still a little confused. We have a Roku and can stream movies from Amazon as Prime members. Is there a concern that this cannot be done with the Fire ? We are seriously considering getting one. Thanks for any info.


A Roku is one of the devices specifically authorized by Amazon to stream their videos. Our mobile devices (smartphones & non-Amazon tablets) are not.
*The Fire will most definitely allow you *to stream or download Amazon Instant Videos.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Streaming, yes...  Downloading seems questionable for now based on what I could find on the website yesterday.  If you can find something, let me know, I was having difficulty...

Betsy


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Streaming, yes... Downloading seems questionable for now based on what I could find on the website yesterday. If you can find something, let me know, I was having difficulty...
> 
> Betsy


The Fire's promo page says:
"Over 100,000 movies and TV shows, including thousands of new releases and your favorite TV shows, are available to stream *or download*, purchase or rent - all just one tap away."

Interesting that I used to be able to download my purchased content to my old Windows Mobile smartphone (I've got a couple of old episodes of Life) & watch content there, but cannot do so to my Android smartphones.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Yes, and that led me to believe that I could download Instant Videos at first; but I think that means you can download owned or rented content, not the Instant Videos. This is what it says about Instant Videos on the Promo Page:


> Amazon Prime members enjoy unlimited, instant streaming of over 10,000 popular movies and TV shows


and this on the Amazon Instant Video page:



> How can I download Amazon Instant Videos to my computer?
> At this time, Amazon Instant Videos can only be downloaded to a PC running the Unbox Video Player or TiVo DVR. After you purchase a video, click Download next to the Play button on the video player controls and choose a download location. You can also download videos you own at a later time from Your Video Library.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_3757_watchingpiv?nodeId=200572880&#watch
It is confusing...

Betsy


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Yes, and that led me to believe that I could download Instant Videos at first; but I think that means you can download owned or rented content, not the Instant Videos. This is what it says about Instant Videos on the Promo Page:
> and this on the Amazon Instant Video page:
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_3757_watchingpiv?nodeId=200572880&#watch
> It is confusing...
> ...


Oh, I see what you mean. So yeah, guess we'll have to wait for release.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Yes, and that led me to believe that I could download Instant Videos at first; but I think that means you can download owned or rented content, not the Instant Videos. This is what it says about Instant Videos on the Promo Page:
> and this on the Amazon Instant Video page:
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_3757_watchingpiv?nodeId=200572880&#watch
> It is confusing...
> ...


You don't download "instant" videos - those stream and are never really downloaded to your computer. I'm not sure about rented videos since we've never done that, but I think those are downloaded with an expiration date/time built-in, kind of like library books. So they're downloaded, but only available to watch on the device for a limited time. I think that's what all that means.... 

Ahhh, found this by looking on one of the movies that costs $2.00 if you don't have Prime: "Rental rights: 24 hour viewing period, watch online or download to one location."


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

More details on "Rentals":

"Rental Details
This is a 24-hour rental. You will have 30 days to complete watching this rental online or to download it. If you choose to watch this rental online, you can watch on a PC, Mac or compatible device. If you choose to download this rental, you can download it to one TiVo or one Windows PC and you will have 30 days from the date of purchase to begin watching your rental. Once you start to watch online or begin a download you cannot change your viewing choice. Rentals can't be transferred to a portable device or downloaded to a Mac."

So whether you'd be able to download the rental to the Fire when it comes out is still up in the air.  Since it says you can download to one TiVo or one Windows PC (not a portable device or Mac) it's questionable; then again it would seem they'd make the Fire compatible somehow with their rentals, and maybe that's one reason they wanted to really tweak Android.  But I guess we'll just have to wait and see...


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## R. K. Clark (Oct 6, 2011)

here's the important question:
Can I put in a word processor or use an online word processing program (like ZoHo.com)?


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

KayCi said:


> here's the important question:
> Can I put in a word processor or use an online word processing program (like ZoHo.com)?


Well, it's _an_ important question. 

If you go to the Amazon Appstore and search 'word processsor' you'll see that there are several 'suites' available.

But I would caution that, given it's only a 7" diagonal screen and you'd have to use the screen to 'type' on a touch keyboard, that doesn't leave much room for the page. I can't see it being hugely useful for long word-processing chores. But if you get something that can read files from your regular word processor, it might do well for editing, etc. on the go.

I have one of them on my Xoom and, even though it's got a larger screen, I really only use it to be able to display documents that I import and just want to have handy -- not for actually composing something.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

As Fire does not include a word processor, nor are any other native productivity apps, I expect support for such things to be modest at best.

I would not look to Fire for content creation.


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

Elk said:


> As Fire does not include a word processor, nor are any other native productivity apps, I expect support for such things to be modest at best.
> 
> I would not look to Fire for content creation.


The Amazon App store offers both the free version of Documents to Go (which lets you view Microsoft Office Suite docs) & a paid version (which lets you edit & compose documents).
So by using this app, you can view, edit, & compose a word processor document.


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## Shastastan (Oct 28, 2009)

Thanks for the info.  Looks like we'll be able to get movies from Amazon as Prime members.  A couple of times we have rented movies from Amazon streamed to our Roku.  We did not have to watch it right away as noted above.  It's still a lot cheaper than going to a movie theater.  We still do that too though for the big screen/sound experience.  I'm thinking that on a long flight it would be nice to be able to watch a movie on a Fire if the airlines ever get wifi and we're willing to pay for it.


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

Shastastan said:


> Thanks for the info. Looks like we'll be able to get movies from Amazon as Prime members. A couple of times we have rented movies from Amazon streamed to our Roku. We did not have to watch it right away as noted above. It's still a lot cheaper than going to a movie theater. We still do that too though for the big screen/sound experience. I'm thinking that on a long flight it would be nice to be able to watch a movie on a Fire if the airlines ever get wifi and we're willing to pay for it.


So far when we have traveled on a flight with wifi service, it has been so incredibly slooooooooooooowwww that even checking email has been incredibly laborious. Imagine essentially one wifi device trying to meet the demands of many passengers! Unless the airlines seriously upgrade their wifi capability, you won't be able to stream a movie; you'd need to explore whether you can download a rental for an adequate amount of time to watch without wifi connection.


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## Shastastan (Oct 28, 2009)

CegAbq said:


> So far when we have traveled on a flight with wifi service, it has been so incredibly slooooooooooooowwww that even checking email has been incredibly laborious. Imagine essentially one wifi device trying to meet the demands of many passengers! Unless the airlines seriously upgrade their wifi capability, you won't be able to stream a movie; you'd need to explore whether you can download a rental for an adequate amount of time to watch without wifi connection.


Thanks, Carol, that's valuable info to know. I think we'll put a few movies on before we leave.


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

I found some clarifying statements here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200572880

You cannot download any free Prime videos that are available for streaming; you can only watch them through streaming.
_At this time, Prime instant videos are only available for streaming and cannot be downloaded._

But I think that wewill be able to rent or buy an instant video to download to the Fire, since on the main product page, Amazon says:
_Over 100,000 movies and TV shows, including thousands of new releases and your favorite TV shows, are *available to* stream or *download, purchase or rent*_


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

Hoosiermama said:


> Another question, can I download movies to the Fire to play while I'm out and away from wifi? Sometimes 2 1/2 year olds need entertainment when we're out!


No. If you don't have wifi, your only option is to use a USB and sideload.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Just to clarify, you can download videos that you've rented or purchased.  From the user guide:

To rent or purchase a movie or TV show, from within the Video store either browse or enter  a title in the search bar. Upon purchase, tap Watch Now for instant playback, or tap Download to save the video to your device to watch later. Instant playback and downloading require a Wi-Fi connection, while downloaded videos can be watched offline. To watch a movie or TV show you've already purchased or rented, tap Library and select a title.

To find a Prime instant video, you can browse the Prime titles on the home page of the Video store, apply the Prime filter while browsing a video category, or search for videos that have a Prime logo. Although Prime instant videos cannot be downloaded, the same videos are generally available for rental and/or purchase and can then be downloaded for viewing offline. 


Betsy


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Thank you Betsy.
That seems quite clear.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

geoffthomas said:


> Thank you Betsy.
> That seems quite clear.


Plenty of time to read the user's guide while I wait... 

Betsy


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

Way more content for the Fire owners to buy/rent from Amazon - for all those times we won't have wifi access!
Amazon knows exactly how to drive content purchases even if it is taking a loss on the devices themselves!


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Hey this is great for Amazon.
I once said that if I could have a monopoly on staples, I would give away stainless steel staple guns.  What a great deal you use a staple and it cannot be used again.  The happier the customer is with how easy it is to staple his papers together, the more he uses. Get rich.

So now Amazon has all these songs, videos, books, maganzines, etc. to sell and they are sending out a slick device for consuming these things.  And ..... wait for it...... they are getting some money for the devices as well - almost getting what it is costing them.  Good Deal.

Just sayin.....


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## Shastastan (Oct 28, 2009)

geoffthomas said:


> Hey this is great for Amazon.
> I once said that if I could have a monopoly on staples, I would give away stainless steel staple guns. What a great deal you use a staple and it cannot be used again. The happier the customer is with how easy it is to staple his papers together, the more he uses. Get rich.
> 
> So now Amazon has all these songs, videos, books, maganzines, etc. to sell and they are sending out a slick device for consuming these things. And ..... wait for it...... they are getting some money for the devices as well - almost getting what it is costing them. Good Deal.
> ...


They must have learned the principle from the printer manufacturers


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Exactly.


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## Neon8 (Oct 19, 2011)

Has anyone been able to download  non amazon video that is on your cloud drive. I uploaded videos to my cloud drive thinking i could download to fire. I can check off a video and click download but nothing happens. Was able to download photos and of course music. Videos are all correct mp4 format.


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

Neon8 said:


> Has anyone been able to download non amazon video that is on your cloud drive. I uploaded videos to my cloud drive thinking i could download to fire. I can check off a video and click download but nothing happens. Was able to download photos and of course music. Videos are all correct mp4 format.


I'll definitely be watching responses to this question - esp. since you say they are in correct mp4 format. Have you tried side loading them from a hard drive source?

And this is probably pie in the sky, but given that our own KB has 2 threads on sources of free & bargain priced ebooks (and some other blogs also troll for these & post their finds), I wonder if there is any chance that we can find a way to hunt for bargain videos for download (hope hope hope)


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## jd78 (Dec 8, 2009)

Something tells me it will take a bit more than just being MP4 for the files to be recognized and play on the Fire. Hopefully the developers of Handbrake or like software get the details and add it to their conversion program.


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

While I am NOT ENDORSING IN ANY WAY & have not tried this out, another forum has this posting:
http://www.kindle-fireforum.com/forum/dvd-catalyst/263-how-dvd-mkv-avi-etc-kindle-fire.html


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

There's not a whole lot of information,,,but this from the Gallery seems to imply that they must be transferred via USB though other info does imply one can upload personal video to the Cloud:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200788890#gallery


> Gallery
> To start using the Gallery app, tap the Gallery app icon from the Apps screen, either from the Cloud or Device tab.
> 
> Once you've transferred content to your Kindle Fire or downloaded content using the Amazon Silk web browser, the content will be saved in your Gallery.
> ...


Betsy


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## monkeyluis (Oct 17, 2010)

I'm going to go back to the OP for a minute.  Yes you can put videos on it, just remember that you only have about 6.5 gigs after the OS is on there.

For MY DVDs that I PURCHASE I use handbrake so that I can easily put them on the iPad or Apple TV for the kids.  Works great, quick, simple, easy.  Check it out.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

monkeyluis said:


> I'm going to go back to the OP for a minute. Yes you can put videos on it, just remember that you only have about 6.5 gigs after the OS is on there.


This makes me chuckle. Our first computer we bought -- this was in the mid 80's -- had a whole 64K on the motherboard  and the hard drive (which was extra) had 20MB. We couldn't _imagine_ filling it up. Oh, and the computer weighed about 10 pounds with another 5 pounds for the monitor (which was fancy -- black and amber  ).

And NOW. . .we're lamenting that the less than a pound device in our hand only has 6.5 GIGAbytes of storage. 

But, back on topic. . . I d/l'd _Mr Magoo's Christmas Carol_. It didn't look half bad. . .especially considering that it wasn't digital to start with. I might have to get some good earphones though; the speakers aren't great. O.K. But not great. I guess I should pop into Accessories and see if anyone has any recommendations for something comfortable. . . .or I could ask my son. . he'll know.


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## Neon8 (Oct 19, 2011)

To me the whole point of having your own content in the amazon cloud is to able to access it from your Fire. This works for photos, music and documents so why not video. If would like to be able to download video, watch then delete from fire but be able to redownload at any time. This is whole purpose of cloud storage. I paid the $50 per year charge to upgrade to 50 gb of storage just so I could store videos. Hope amazon fixes this.


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## Neon8 (Oct 19, 2011)

I had tried to download a movie I had uploaded to the Amazon cloud without success . Nothing appeared to happen but the next day there it was in my gallery. So I guess it works


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