This app is great for watching many videos available on PBS. It allows me and family to watch all kinds of great PBS content on demand and when I want to. It's part of how the internet is changing the way we watch TV. That is exactly why I downloaded it and exactly why I like to use it. To add to that, it seems to be rather resistant to crashing or freezing.
The kindle version lives up to expectations but the fire stick version has some serious problems. Many of the videos you see while browsing the with the Kindle version as well as looking at the PBS videos web site don't show up on the fire stick app. An excellent example is Rick Steve's Europe and Nature. A work around is to browse on a kindle or a web browser and add these shows to your watch list (you need a free PBS account). Sadly this work around is disappointing because some things that will show up on a watch list in the web browser and kindle app, won't show up in the fire stick app watch list. Some examples of this are the following Nature shows :American Eagle, Hummingbirds: Magic in the Air, Christmas in Yellowstone, Bears of the Last Frontier: The Road North, Bears of the Last Frontier: City of Bears, Bears of the Last Frontier: Arctic Wanderers, The White Lions, Kangaroo Mob, Cracking the Koala Code, and Magic of the Snowy Owl. Another work around is to mirror a kindle onto the TV but then your Kindle is tied up and mirroring can be unreliable. A problem report was submitted to PBS about 5 days ago and no useful reply has been received.
I like it but I'm bothered that videos available in a web browser on on the Kindle PBS app are not available on this app. This is a major disappointment especially when I was hoping to use it to help an elderly non technically inclined relative use it to watch PBS content.
I'd give it 3 1/2 stars because I think it's better than okay and it's worth downloading review but can have some serious annoyances. I suppose one could counter that it's free but also represents my tax dollars at work so we still paid for it.
Sold by:Amazon.com Services LLC
This app needs permission to access:
- Access coarse (e.g., Cell-ID, Wi-Fi) location
- Access fine (e.g., GPS) location
By placing your order, you agree to our Terms of Use
Latest updates
What's new in version 5.8.11- - "Auto-Play Next Video" feature improvements
- - Better discoverability of local content under "My Station"
- - Sign in and profile improvements
- - Bug fixes
Product Details
Release Date: 2012
Date first listed on Amazon: October 19, 2012
Developed By: Public Broadcasting Service
ASIN: B008Z2NVGK
Customer reviews:
80,759 customer ratings
80,759 customer ratings
Product features
- Stream PBS shows on demand
- Watch Live TV from your local PBS station
- Catch up on the latest releases
- Get access to an extended library of content with PBS Passport
- Explore a rich and varied selection of new shows and videos from the PBS archives
- Enjoy specially curated playlists, digital shorts, extended interviews, extras, and more
- Create a custom watchlist for easy viewing later
- Connect with your local PBS station
Product description
PBS Video features thousands of full-length episodes, Live TV from your local PBS station, award-winning documentaries, and iconic series from PBS and member stations. Stream popular PBS shows anytime, anywhere!
Catch up on your favorite shows or discover new episodes from Masterpiece, Ken Burns, NOVA, Nature, PBS NewsHour, Frontline, Antiques Roadshow, Finding Your Roots, American Experience, American Masters, Independent Lens, POV, Great Performances, and so much more. New videos are added daily.
PBS VIDEO FEATURES:
- Stream PBS shows on demand
- Watch your local PBS station’s livestream
- Catch up on the latest releases
- Explore a rich and varied selection of new shows and videos from the PBS archives
- Enjoy specially curated playlists, digital shorts, extended interviews, extras, and more
- Create a custom watchlist for easy viewing later
- Connect with your local PBS station
- Access an expanded library of acclaimed PBS programming
WHAT IS PBS PASSPORT?
Passport is an added benefit of station membership. By donating to your local PBS station you can:
- Get extended access to past and current seasons of popular shows, like Downton Abbey and All Creatures Great and Small.
- Binge watch new series and your favorite PBS programs, like Finding Your Roots.
- Stream early releases and special collections, like Ken Burns films.
EXPLORE A VARIETY OF SHOWS AND GENRES:
Enjoy the best of entertainment - drama, documentaries, biographies, history, performing arts, broadway specials, concerts, food and cooking, home improvement, how to, indie films, science, nature, news, public affairs, and more.
- Get swept away with dramas like All Creatures Great and Small, Miss Scarlet and the Duke, Poldark, Vienna Blood, Grantchester, Sanditon, World on Fire, Baptiste, Call the Midwife, Jamestown, and more.
- Enjoy foreign-language dramas like Professor T, Line of Separation, and Thou Shalt Not Kill.
- Thought-provoking news and public affairs programs from PBS NewsHour, Frontline, Amanpour and Company, Firing Line, and Washington Week.
- Discover new perspectives with America’s home for award-winning films and documentaries from Ken Burns, Independent Lens, POV, Reel South, and the PBS Short Film Festival.
- Learn how history shapes our present with Antiques Roadshow, American Experience, American Masters, Origin of Everything, and Finding Your Roots, and more.
- Take a front-row seat with arts and performances from Great Performances, Live from Lincoln Center, Austin City Limits, Now Hear This, Sound Field, and more.
- Explore astonishing new worlds with science and nature programming from NOVA, Nature, Deep Look, Expedition, and more.
LEARN MORE:
- PBS Video: https://www.pbs.org/pbs-video-app/
- PBS Passport: https://pbs.org/getpassport
- PBS Support: https://help.pbs.org/
PBS offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new worlds through trusted, educational television and digital content. With PBS, viewers can experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; hear diverse viewpoints; and take front row seats to world-class drama and performances.
Catch up on your favorite shows or discover new episodes from Masterpiece, Ken Burns, NOVA, Nature, PBS NewsHour, Frontline, Antiques Roadshow, Finding Your Roots, American Experience, American Masters, Independent Lens, POV, Great Performances, and so much more. New videos are added daily.
PBS VIDEO FEATURES:
- Stream PBS shows on demand
- Watch your local PBS station’s livestream
- Catch up on the latest releases
- Explore a rich and varied selection of new shows and videos from the PBS archives
- Enjoy specially curated playlists, digital shorts, extended interviews, extras, and more
- Create a custom watchlist for easy viewing later
- Connect with your local PBS station
- Access an expanded library of acclaimed PBS programming
WHAT IS PBS PASSPORT?
Passport is an added benefit of station membership. By donating to your local PBS station you can:
- Get extended access to past and current seasons of popular shows, like Downton Abbey and All Creatures Great and Small.
- Binge watch new series and your favorite PBS programs, like Finding Your Roots.
- Stream early releases and special collections, like Ken Burns films.
EXPLORE A VARIETY OF SHOWS AND GENRES:
Enjoy the best of entertainment - drama, documentaries, biographies, history, performing arts, broadway specials, concerts, food and cooking, home improvement, how to, indie films, science, nature, news, public affairs, and more.
- Get swept away with dramas like All Creatures Great and Small, Miss Scarlet and the Duke, Poldark, Vienna Blood, Grantchester, Sanditon, World on Fire, Baptiste, Call the Midwife, Jamestown, and more.
- Enjoy foreign-language dramas like Professor T, Line of Separation, and Thou Shalt Not Kill.
- Thought-provoking news and public affairs programs from PBS NewsHour, Frontline, Amanpour and Company, Firing Line, and Washington Week.
- Discover new perspectives with America’s home for award-winning films and documentaries from Ken Burns, Independent Lens, POV, Reel South, and the PBS Short Film Festival.
- Learn how history shapes our present with Antiques Roadshow, American Experience, American Masters, Origin of Everything, and Finding Your Roots, and more.
- Take a front-row seat with arts and performances from Great Performances, Live from Lincoln Center, Austin City Limits, Now Hear This, Sound Field, and more.
- Explore astonishing new worlds with science and nature programming from NOVA, Nature, Deep Look, Expedition, and more.
LEARN MORE:
- PBS Video: https://www.pbs.org/pbs-video-app/
- PBS Passport: https://pbs.org/getpassport
- PBS Support: https://help.pbs.org/
PBS offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new worlds through trusted, educational television and digital content. With PBS, viewers can experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; hear diverse viewpoints; and take front row seats to world-class drama and performances.
Technical details
Size: 28.2MB
Version: 5.8.11
- Access coarse (e.g., Cell-ID, Wi-Fi) location
- Access fine (e.g., GPS) location
- Access information about networks
- Access information about Wi-Fi networks
- FOREGROUND_SERVICE
- Access the list of accounts in the Accounts Service
- Open network sockets
- Record audio
- Open windows using the type TYPE_SYSTEM_ALERT, shown on top of all other applications
- PowerManager WakeLocks to keep processor from sleeping or screen from dimming
- com.android.providers.tv.permission.READ_EPG_DATA
- com.android.providers.tv.permission.WRITE_EPG_DATA
- Receive message via Amazon Device
- com.google.android.gms.permission.AD_ID
Minimum Operating System: Android 5.1
Approximate Download Time: Less than 4 minutes
Televisión via satellite has become nothing more than a series of repeats and fund-raising. We find ourselves using Firestick more and more. The only continuing problem is a chronic loss of signal.
Images in this review
Top reviews from the United States
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It's great, but the videos availble through this app are less than those availble through the PBS web site or the Kindle app.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 7, 2015Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 27, 2022
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 24, 2013
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 18, 2022
Top reviews from other countries
Emiliano
Doesn't work in the UK
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 12, 2013
MQ
Won't work as it needs Adobe flash?!?!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 23, 2013Roro
Not full episodes commercials in between each appraisal
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on March 12, 2021mllvanisl
Free trial not working-watched one series, when I go back to watch another it says I need a passport
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on May 22, 2021