I think they have their own player.

I can't remember how I did it when I tested Amazon Prime. I think I used the app on my iPad and then wirelessly told the iPad to play on my TV. Been a while so I'm not sure that's right.

It's a relatively new Samsung, but wifi isn't built in. Requires a separate adapter. I can play most other video using just the Apple HDMI adapter, but Amazon instant video won't work, even with the Amazon app.

I have the Roku 3, which connects to the Internet either by wi-fi or with an Ethernet cable and to the TV with an HDMI cable.

But I don't really need Apple TV. The spare iPhone has worked fine for Netflix and Hulu and downloaded movies. Now I need to buy a $99 Apple device -- probably from Amazon -- to play AmazonPrime content I already paid $99 for?

Here's the difference:

1. Roku offers more channels, although a good half of them are fundie channels or deservedly obscure movies that are in the public domain. I use it for Netflix, Hulu Plus, MHz Worldview (European dramas broadcast every night), and Acorn TV (TV programs from English-speaking countries other than the U.S., including many that are not found anywhere else), and occasionally for catching up on missed PBS programs. It plays Amazon Prime, too, but I truly have not found anything on Amazon Prime that isn't available on one of my other options.

2. I use Apple TV mainly for watching my iTunes purchases on the big screen. Otherwise, I prefer the Roku, especially since the model I have allows an Ethernet connection, which I find to be more stable than a wi-fi connection.

My TV is right next to the house cable input, so ethernet is readily available. It's worth a shot. One thing to add, though: I've found a lot of movies on Amazon that aren't available on Netflix. Hulu we only used for our trial period, and found no use for it. Amazon requires I install a plug-in, which makes no difference...I can't even watch the movies on my Mac. Only on my iPhone or iPad, which then won't transfer to the TV using the Apple HDMI adapter. It just kind of seems to be a waste of the money for Amazon Prime if I can only watch movies on my phone.

the entire Criterion Collection of classic and foreign films, which I'd otherwise be buying at $39 each, and foreign TV that isn't available elsewhere, including series from Korea, Japan, Scandinavia, France, Canada, and Latin America.

I just keep them powered so as to not run the battery down as I do it...

they have their Fire Stick on sale for $19 until Wednesday morning 9AM EST.

Not promised until late December, but I am looking forward to it.