'What is the X-Ray feature on Amazon Prime Video?': How to find and view bonus material about TV shows and movies

Advertisement
'What is the X-Ray feature on Amazon Prime Video?': How to find and view bonus material about TV shows and movies
The X-Ray feature on Amazon Prime Video shows bonus content on a movie or TV show.Shutterstock
  • X-Ray is an exclusive feature on Amazon Prime Video that displays bonus material about a show or movie, similar to the bonus features on a DVD.
  • X-Ray can show you information about the actors in a scene, the musical soundtrack, trivia, and more.
  • To activate X-Ray, you generally only need to click or tap within a video that's currently playing.
Advertisement

Amazon Prime Video's X-Ray feature is, at least for now, not available on any other video streaming service. X-Ray works like the bonus features you find on a DVD or Blu-ray. With just a few clicks or taps, you can get additional information about many of the TV shows and movies on Prime Video.

When you activate X-Ray, Prime displays an overlay on top of your show, offering additional information.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

Amazon Prime Video ($8.99 a month at Amazon)

Roku (from $49.99 at Roku)

There are several kinds of information X-Ray can show

  • Cast and characters. This is the most common X-Ray feature. In any given scene, it will display the names of the actors and the characters they are playing. Because it only displays information about people who are in that scene, it makes it easy to learn about actors and recall the names of the characters they are playing.
  • Music. X-Ray displays information about the music in the scene.
  • Trivia. For some shows, X-Ray inserts trivia at specific points in the show.
  • Bonus content. Some shows have scene commentary from the director, cast or crew, much like commentary tracks on DVD.

'What is the X-Ray feature on Amazon Prime Video?': How to find and view bonus material about TV shows and movies
You can see X-Ray information about the cast of a show or movie.Dave Johnson/Business Insider

How to use X-Ray on Prime Video

No matter what device you are using to watch Prime Video, X-Ray is always just a click or tap away:

Complimentary Tech Event
Transform talent with learning that works
Capability development is critical for businesses who want to push the envelope of innovation.Discover how business leaders are strategizing around building talent capabilities and empowering employee transformation.Know More
  • Web browser. Use your mouse to click in the video. You should see the on-screen controls. In the upper left, click "X-Ray." It'll disappear after a few moments, so to see X-Ray information again, just move the mouse.

'What is the X-Ray feature on Amazon Prime Video?': How to find and view bonus material about TV shows and movies
You can turn on X-Ray by clicking the option in a web browser.Dave Johnson/Business Insider

  • Mobile device. Tap the screen. The X-Ray information will appear automatically, but fade after a few moments. Tap again to refresh it.
  • Smart TV or streaming media device. Use the controller to activate X-Ray. On a Roku player, for example, press any of the directional buttons to display the on-screen controls, and X-Ray information will appear as well.

You probably noticed that in addition to the information that's relevant to the current scene, X-Ray also has an option to "See all." If you choose this, the video will pause and you'll see all the X-Ray information available for your show. It has the ability to jump directly to specific scenes, see the full cast list, musical selections, bonus material, and more.

Advertisement

'What is the X-Ray feature on Amazon Prime Video?': How to find and view bonus material about TV shows and movies
You can see all the information that X-Ray has about a show at once.Dave Johnson/Business Insider

Related coverage from Tech Reference:

{{}}