Is your Prime video of low quality or looks pixelated and glitchy? Does it affect multiple devices, such as TVs, Xboxes, PlayStation 4, Firesticks, etc.?
The first thing you have to know is that you are not alone, as a number of users have reported low pixelated quality on Prime Video on multiple devices, whereas other streaming applications such as Disney+, Hulu, and Netflix work fine but upon streaming Prime Video the picture quality becomes blurry, glitchy, and pixelated.
In fact, I did have this issue recently, although my internet speed and bandwidth were perfectly fine, and all other apps were streaming fine, it was Amazon Prime Video that was having problems and I was struggling to fix it.
In an attempt to find the solution to this weird issue, I checked numerous support forums, official support sites, and social media sites.
Here I will explain what causes pixelated picture quality on Prime Video and how you can resolve it at home by following a few simple steps.
Table of Contents
What causes Prime Video Pixelated Low Quality?
First, before jumping directly to the troubleshooting, I suggest you understand how Prime Video picture quality is determined, what factors affect it, and other things you need to know.
In streaming services like Prime Video, Adaptive Bitrate Streaming is used to provide video streaming in a more efficient manner. This is why you notice low-quality, blurry, pixelated images and after a few seconds, the quality improves automatically.
Video is encoded into multiple bit rates and displayed in an optimal manner through software and server-side optimization.
In spite of the fact that this technology is quite good, it also has issues and sometimes glitches that affect the quality of the video.
You might notice pixelation or poor video quality while streaming on Amazon Prime Video for the following reasons:
- Low bandwidth.
- Less internet speed.
- Outdated software.
- Intermittent wifi connection.
- Prime Video server issue.
- Temporary glitches.
Amazon Prime Video picture quality is affected by all the reasons above.
As a result, all devices running the Prime Video app are subject to this issue, whether they are Smart TVs, desktops, smartphones, PS4, and Xboxes.
On Amazon Prime Video, most of the time the issue arises when streaming content in 4K. The video is usually reduced to a lower resolution as a result.
Now that we know what causes this problem, let’s look at how it can be resolved.
Below I have included all the methods in an appropriate way, and you should go through them one by one in order to identify what the cause of your problem was and to get it fixed in a timely manner.
How To Fix Pixelated Prime Video?
There can be a number of reasons for this issue, but most of the time it arises from low bandwidth or slow internet, along with a glitch in adaptive streaming software which can also cause the problem.
When Prime Video shows pixelated or low-quality pictures, you have to optimize your WiFi internet connection and update the application after uninstalling it.
In the sections below you will find the various methods you need to follow one by one to fix your Prime Video Application’s Video quality issue no matter where you are facing it whether it is on your Smart TV, desktop, mobile, or other devices.
- Check If Prime Video Server is Down
- Reboot the Device and Router
- Optimize Wifi Router
- Reinstall the Prime Video Application
- Reset or Update Your Device
Check If Prime Video Server is Down
It is very important to make sure that Amazon Prime Video’s server is operating before you attempt to troubleshoot the Pixelated video issue.
If the server is down, then these types of issues can easily occur and you can easily check this by navigating to various down detector websites, such as downdetector.com.
Reboot the Device and Router
As soon as the adaptive streaming software faces a glitch, the picture quality on prime video becomes pixelated and looks like blurry low quality like 160p, 240p, or 360p. In that case, power cycling your device and WiFi router will clear any glitches and fix the video quality issue.
Importantly, you don’t have to simply reboot the devices, rather, you have to unplug them from the main power outlet and re-plug them after 2-4 minutes.
The issue won’t be resolved by doing a normal reboot since it will not clear any temporary stored or glitched settings.
Optimize Wifi Router
The bandwidth of your router connection determines how quickly you can download and upload streaming data, and it can also cause pixelated videos on Prime Video.
Upon powering up your router, you can adjust the 2.4 GHz bandwidth settings to 20/40 and apply them from the router’s admin page.
It’s quite simple and by setting the 2.4 GHz wifi bandwidth to 20/40, the router will provide more speed across multiple connected devices, and the Pixelated video issue will be solved.
Reinstall the Prime Video Application
Performing a reinstallation of the Prime Video application is the second last option that you have.
My fixes do not include the manual update step since doing an uninstall and reinstallation not only updates the application but also deletes any data stored on the device that may be causing the problem.
It is, therefore, necessary that first, you uninstall the Prime Video application from the device on which you are experiencing this issue, and reinstall it.
Essentially, this will clear any temporary or outdated data stored on your device and Prime Video application, as well as install the most recent version of Prime Video.
Reset or Update Your Device
If you’ve tried all the steps but still have glitchy or pixelated video quality on your Prime Video application, you will need to reset your device to its factory settings as well as update the operating system if one is available.
Since the adaptive streaming software that runs on the Prime Video application works based on your device’s compatibility, this step is necessary. On devices with outdated software or ones that have corrupted or partially downloaded updates, the Prime Video application will have pixelated picture quality.
Conclusion
Imagine wanting to stream your favorite show after a long work day or needing to complete a half-completed favorite series on weekends, but things don’t turn out as you expected, and your Prime Video quality becomes very glitchy, and pixelated spoiling the viewing experience.
As I and numerous other users have experienced this problem, the good news is that it can be easily resolved by following a few steps.
Hopefully, the above guide has helped you resolve the issue on your Prime Video, and to wrap things up, the pixelated Prime Video issue is caused by low bandwidth, slow internet connection, and a glitch in the device or adaptive streaming software.
Here’s what you can do in order to get that rectified:
- Check Prime Video server status.
- Reboot the device and Prime Video application.
- Optimize your wifi router.
- Reinstall the Prime Video app.
- Hard reset the device.
Was this post helpful?
Kazhiko Kuro is the Founder of StreamingStash.com. Over a span of 8+ years, He has tested, researched, and written hundreds of articles and guides on how to fix common issues with TVs, streaming media players, streaming services, and related devices. See our Editorial Guidelines and Content Integrity.
