We decided to take a look at the best ways of bringing the art of cinematography back into the home.

Amazon seems to be a company with big aspirations. They’ve released the Kindle to great acclaim, the Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HDX were a hit with consumers, and they’re even talking of a new Amazon Fire smartphone, to be released sometime this year. That’s why it’s no surprise that their instant streaming service, Amazon Prime Instant Video, is pretty highly rated by users and critics alike.

LoveFilm began to look a bit dated against the modern backdrop of instant streaming; Netflix and Now TV seemed to have made the market for postal DVDs slightly obsolete, so LoveFilm was floundering fast in the wake of instant streaming. Amazon Prime Instant Video still has DVD rentals available through the post along with a good amount of content for instant streaming, giving it a nice balance for users with different preferences.

Don’t forget that some users previously liked the fact that they’d be ‘forced’ to watch a film that comes through the post, but may be more reluctant to instantly stream a film they know they can watch anytime.

Anyhow, back to the question at hand. Online shoppers might be aware of the Amazon Prime service, which offers free delivery or expedited delivery, available for a free trial and then £79 a year.  Amazon Prime participants are automatically entitled to Instant Video.

This puts it in line with rivals like Netflix, so how does Amazon Prime Instant Video compare in terms of service and usability, especially with the arrival of services like Blinkbox, Sky Go and Xbox Video.

The big drawback to Amazon Prime is that it doesn’t currently have a smartphone or Android option, but you can stream on an iPad, a Kindle Fire or any number of games consoles including: the Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, PS4, Wii and Wii U. Prime also has compatibility with some smart TVs; Netflix however has options galore, with Android, iOS, consoles, smart TVs and importantly smartphones (iPhone, Android, Windows).

To stream or not to stream – What the experts say:

• TV comparison review – Tech Radar, Guardian
• Mobile comparison review – Dialaphone, Digital Spy
• Console streaming review – Eurogamer

This is increasingly important as more people watch their favourite media on the move.  Downloading a TV series for a plane journey or train ride really devours what would have otherwise been an arduous journey. Some on the other hand simply use their smartphone as their main streaming device, tethering the phone to the TV.

Amazon Prime has a pay per view option, whereas Netflix is a flat monthly fee. If you don’t want a monthly fee at all, you might be best off looking towards Tesco’s Blinkbox.

Think what you like watching for your subscription and check out the respective libraries of each service. Some of you might like the latest blockbuster films, whereas others might like hit TV series’ such as Arrested Development, Game of Thrones, House of Cards and Breaking Bad. Then there’s the group who might like classic world cinema or obscure art house films. The Netflix library excels in most respects.

The choice as to which is the best streaming service is hugely subjective. With Amazon Prime you get expedited delivery, and access to the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library giving it a variety of competitive angles. So in conclusion, if Amazon Prime hasn’t surpassed its competitors in the instant streaming market, it’s certainly provided a credible option to a highly durable service.