Every time I lie in bed watching the latest episode of Pluribus, I can't help but feel sorry for my TV. After all, the big screen is so much better than a phone for watching movies or TV shows. Considering my poor network, I tried to download Amazon Prime Video titles to PC first, and then transfer downloaded movies from Amazon Prime to my TV. But things are not as easy as I thought.
If you ever have the same idea as me, I guess this guide can help you a lot with this, since I collected and tested the major ways for transferring Prime Video downloads. Let's roll.
Is Transferring Officially Supported by Prime Video?
Nope. In fact, someone had tried to move the downloaded Prime titles years ago. But there is no luck after all, the local downloads are all encrypted. As the user in the picture complained, due to the Prime Video download limits, you can only watch it where you downloaded it, with the official Prime Video app only, no MLC or PotPlayer. Even if you open the folder, faced with the encrypted video file names, you still can't find the specific downloaded video files.
- The three quality tiers of “Good / Better / Best” do not have fixed bitrates, but rather a dynamic range;
- The system automatically adjusts based on content type (animation, action movie, dark scenes, etc.) and device resolution (such as iPhone screen size);
- Therefore, for the same quality tier, the file size of different videos may fluctuate by ±15%.
How to Get Transferrable Movies from Amazon Prime?
Since there is no official way to transfer downloaded Prime Video movies, I found a third-party tool that can help me with this. Considering the risks to my devices, my Amazon Prime account, my privacy, and so on, I scanned it to make sure it's malware-free and observed how other users use it for days to see if I will get in to trouble by using this. Here is what I noted.
Tool Required: StreamFab Amazon Downloader
This tool, called StreamFab Amazon Downloader, sure helps me convert Prime Video titles to MP4. I enjoyed All Her Fault and The Chair Company on my LG by transferring them from my PC to the TV. I also tested all its other features to see how much offline viewing flexibility it can afford me.
- Download purchases/rentals/membership Prime Video titles.
- Support up to 1080p video resolution and EAC3 5.1 or AAC 2.0 audio quality
- Codecs options available with H.264 or H.265
- Common format output like MP4/MKV format
- Automatically download new Prime Video episodes at a set time
- Add multiple episodes or movies to the task queue with one click
How to Operate Even If You Are A Newbie
After bingeing on TV, I think I should make a guide to help those who want to watch Prime Video offline on TV instead of mobile and finally fail when trying to transfer. And here it is.
Start by signing in to the Amazon Prime website using your subscription account. Next, choose whichever movie or TV episode you want, and then go ahead to download it.
When the video starts, a pop-up appears. Just adjust the settings if you want, and then tap “Download Now.” The download should begin.
As for safety, it's not malware, no phishing links, no scam ads, no hijacks or mining scripts at all. I ran it on a virtual Windows 10, and everything looks fine. That said, it doesn't harm your device, and for your account, the tip I learned from the pros is that do it low-key. You should never download hundreds of Prime Video titles in one day. I mean, that's too suspicious, and I believe you have never seen someone watch 100 movies or episodes in 8 hours. Instead, downloading fewer titles daily and separating the download tasks into months is good for your account.
How to Transfer Downloaded Movies from Amazon Prime to Other Devices?
Now that you have the transferable Prime Video files, how to move them to your other devices? Here are the 3 most common transferring methods.
- PC to PC/Mobile: USB drive/external hard drive copy is the simplest and most stable way.
- PC to TV: HDMI direct connection: the strongest compatibility, suitable for temporary playback.
- PC to TV: Use SMB sharing, no need to plug and unplug, suitable for lightweight video playback.
1. PC to PC/Mobile/TV
- Required tools: USB flash drives, portable hard drives, SD card(if you insist)
- Large files like a long movie, no need for the internet, simple operation
As far as I know, most multimedia devices have good support for MP4 and MKV. If you find that your TV can't recognise the video files, use HandBrake on your computer to convert the video to MP4 (H.264 + AAC) format first. This is the most universal format. In addition, it is recommended to use the exFAT format for your USB drive, as it has strong compatibility.
- Insert the USB drive/external hard drive into the Windows 11 laptop.
- Copy the video files (such as MP4, MKV, etc.) to the USB drive/external hard drive.
- Safely eject the USB drive/external hard drive and plug it into the USB port on the device.
- Browse and play the video files.
*For TVs, press the "Input" or "Home" button on the remote control, and select the "USB Device" or "Media Player" option.
2. PC to TV (All TVs Available)
- Required tools: an HDMI cable. The quality you should buy depends on the video quality
- No need to copy, play directly, supports all formats
If you’ve downloaded a two-hour movie with high video and audio quality as well as multiple audio tracks, transferring the video file via USB can be a bit slow. That’s why I prefer HDMI. It’s just so much simpler at this moment. Plug it in, hit play, and no fussing with file formats or those weird USB drive errors. Meanwhile, the picture and the sound don’t lose a thing.
- Connect the laptop and the TV with an HDMI cable.
- Switch the TV input source to the corresponding HDMI port.
- Windows 11 will automatically recognize the TV as a second display. Press Win + P to select "Second screen only" or "Duplicate" mode.
- Use a media player (such as VLC) on the computer to play the video directly; picture and sound will be synchronized to the TV.
3. PC to TV (Supported by Partial TVs)
- Required tools: a Windows 10/11 PC, a smart TV that supports SMB sharing
- Under the same WiFi, no cables required
What should you do if the video file is too large and you don't have an HDMI cable on hand? If you're like me and use the Windows operating system, you can try SMB. This method requires you to tinker with some settings on your computer, which might take more time, but at least it ensures you can eventually watch your favorite shows on the big TV. It's a matter of personal preference.
First, you need to set up a shared folder on your Windows 11 laptop. The specific steps are as follows:
- Create or select a folder and place the video files you want to play into it. Right-click the folder → select "Properties" → switch to the "Sharing" tab.
- Click "Advanced Sharing," check "Share this folder." Click "Permissions," add or ensure that Everyone has "Read" permission, and click "Apply" to save.
- (Recommended step) In "Network and Sharing Center" > "Advanced sharing settings": enable "Network discovery" and "File and printer sharing," then turn off "Password protected sharing" (so the TV can access without entering a username and password, which is more convenient in a home environment).
Now you need to obtain the local IP address of the computer. Press Win + R on your computer, type cmd, and press Enter. Type ipconfig and press Enter, find "IPv4 Address" (such as 192.168.1.15), and note it down.
Finally, you can access the shared folder on your TV by doing these:
- Turn on the TV, press the "Home" button on the remote control, and find and open the "Media Player" or "Photos & Videos" app (the name may vary depending on the specific model/region).
- In the "Media Player" interface, select "Connected Devices" or a similar option, and find "Network Share (SMB)" / "Windows Share" / "PC Share."
- Browse the list of devices that appears and find your Windows computer (it may show as the computer name or IP address).
- After entering, you can see the folders you have shared. Select the video file you want to play.
- Can't see the shared folder? Try manually entering the PC's IP address. Some models allow you to add a network location to the TV. Besides, some of your videos may not play, or may play but without sound, if it use a codec that isn't supported by your TV. There are solutions such as transcoding your video to another format(like I just said above, hell yeah MP4.)
Are All These Things Legal to Do?
According to StreamFab copyright and usage guidelines, it never bypasses content that the user has not purchased or authorized, and it is only used to archive content strictly for personal use, never for redistribution, public sharing, or commercial purposes. So, if you transfer downloaded movies from Amazon Prime to TV or PC, or anywhere else, just for personal offline viewing, you are good.
- Why? The cases before, like the Betamax case and the Cloud DVR case of Cartoon Network v. Cablevision, are saying the same thing that U.S. legal practice and industry standards recognize the concept of "place shifting," which means that users transfer acquired digital content to other devices or media for personal playback. Using StreamFab to save videos that users have already purchased or obtained access to as local files, including subsequently watching them offline on devices they own, is essentially "place shifting."
FAQs
Amazon usually makes it basically impossible to move downloaded videos to, say, a USB drive. Blame the DRM stuff. Still, there are these sketchy third-party apps out there that say you can grab videos as MP4s. Just, you know, be careful, and probably consult a lawyer or two first.
That must be using the official Prime Video app on your devices and only downloading content inside that app. Avoid sharing or transferring files outside of Amazon’s ecosystem may get you into account issues or violations of copyright law. Which means, transferring Amazon Prime movies between your own devices is acceptable.
Final Words
Transferring downloaded movies from Amazon Prime Video to your TV isn't officially supported, but it's possible, and it takes a bit of effort due to Amazon’s restrictions. Fortunately, tools like StreamFab Amazon Downloader make the process straightforward for personal, offline enjoyment. Just remember, though: don’t go wild. Download only what’s yours and stay on the right side of copyright.
