Most subscribers to Amazon Prime were not exactly happy when the company announced they would be inserting ads into the movies and TV shows that were a part of the Prime Video service by default. That began happening in late January. At the time, Amazon didn't disclose there would be any more changes for people who had the ad-based plan.
As it turned out, the company did indeed remove a couple of features for ad-based Prime Video members. It no longer supports Dolby Vision HDR or Dolby Atmos for the shows and movies that support those video and audio standards. This was discovered by the Germany-based site 4Kfilme, and was confirmed by an Amazon spokesperson to The Verge.
Along with getting rid of the ads, Amazon Prime users can also regain Dolby Vision and Atmos support for those series and movies that use it by paying an extra $2.99 a month. The fact that Amazon did not disclose this small, but for some users important, change for ad-based Prime Video users is troubling, and it certainly makes one wonder if there's anything else they haven't revealed.
Even before this new reveal, some Amazon Prime Video subscribers decided to take the company to court about the change to an ad-based plan by default. The Hollywood Reporter states that a proposed class action lawsuit was filed late last week in California.
The lawsuit points out that people who had signed up for Amazon Prime via its annual subscription plan will now have to pay an extra fee to get rid of the ads. The lawsuit claims those annual subscribers will now have to pay extra for something they believed they had already paid for.
The proposed lawsuit claims Amazon was in breach of contract with Prime Video subscribers, and also claims it engaged in false advertising and unfair competition. The lawsuit will seek at least $5 million. So far, Amazon has yet to comment on the proposed lawsuit.
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