I don't think anyone here hating on this has actually used a FireTV. I've owned every generation of Apple TV, had HTPC, Xbox, and more just looking for the perfect streaming box. AFTV isn't perfect (nothing is) but it's damn good.
It absolutely blows the 2nd and 3rd gen ATV out of the water with speed and capability. The interface can be a bit clunky, but the recent section at the top is all we use so it doesn't matter. The netflix browsing interface on appletv I like better, but the playback interface on the AFTV more than makes up for it, and crushes the ATV.
The ease of side loading apps onto the AFTV without a jailbreak is amazing. I've got XBMC on there, working perfectly to stream all the media from my NAS or the internet, and Netflix/Prime/etc. While admittedly I haven't used the voice search all that much, it's really cool to be able to just say "Jeff Bridges" and be able to instantly view any of his work. It would be even better if IMDB was tied in somehow.
I have all kinds of Apple devices, and with the open nature of the AFTV, you can even airplay/mirror to it using a $2 app called Air Buddy that runs at boot in the background. It also lets you cast using the netflix app on iOS, which is an incredible remote interface. I just ordered the stick for my bedroom, as the full aftv is in my den. Trust me, you will not be disappointed with this device if you give it a week or two to get used to, unless you're just hating on it for not being apple.
I think the issue with these devices for me is the content. I really haven't looked at roku v hulu v fire v AppleTV v comcast v dish because there really isn't anything compelling on any of them I must have access to. My AppleTV suffices for the occasional movie. The tech here isn't particularly important to me.
As long as I have access to Netflix, this is workable. I can find content on a computer and save it to my profile, so its no problem to look up those movies later, no matter how awful the UI is on whatever streaming device. It also helps that Netflix gives my kids their own (shared) profiles.
Quote:
Originally Posted by eightzero
Give me an HDMI dongle that allows me to buy access to ESPN for say...oh... $2 for the day, and I'd buy it.
Streamed ESPN is probably the holy grail. The thing is, ESPN gets on the order of $3-$4 dollars/month for their basic channels (ESPN and ESPN2) from the cable/satellite companies for every single subscriber, regardless of whether subscribers want it or watch it. If ESPN were to offer ala carte subscriptions, the cable and satellite companies would drop ESPN in a heartbeat, and that's where ESPN gets the majority of the revenue they use to pay for the high-dollar sports content deals from the leagues.
This doesn't displace Chromecast functionally. Who knows what the market will bring, but the Chromecast wins because there's no remote. Just cast from a device and get on with it.
Give me an HDMI dongle that allows me to buy access to ESPN for say...oh... $2 for the day, and I'd buy it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rob53
$2/day for any single channel (I know ESPN has a ton of specialized channels) is too much for me but I do like the idea of unhooking channels from cable/satellite and letting people pay for what they want without having to also have a cable/satellite subscription.
Yeah, I don't know much about HBO GO, but their subscription doesn't require the cable company. An on-demand subscription version of ESPN would cut the cable.
Won't work for me since I route everything through my sound system. Plugging directly into the TV means I can only use the TV speakers not my surround sound system. Plus it's from Amazon and all it would be good for is ordering garbage from them.
My TV (Sharp Aquos, about 4 years old) has a Digital Optical Output. Unless you're using an old HeathKit/Motorola TV, it should have something similar.
Won't work for me since I route everything through my sound system. Plugging directly into the TV means I can only use the TV speakers not my surround sound system. Plus it's from Amazon and all it would be good for is ordering garbage from them.
you should have an audio-out from your TV set to an input on your receiver. this way when you watch plain-old TV, or anything signal originating from the TV such as this, you get it thru your system.
This is awesome. $20 for a powerful media streamer. I have an AppleTV but do most of my streaming via Amazon Instant or Amazon Rental. Wish AppleTV would allow an Amazon app.
You're putting the TV as the main input and controlling device while I'm putting it as a dumb display. My inputs come from a variety of sources so I keep my sources at the beginning of the system and use the TV as an output device along with my speakers. As for my TV, it's a mistake purchase from Samsung (47") that I won't make twice (it goes black at least once a day for a few seconds, past warranty but not that old). I'm also old school, buying my first large component stereo system back in 1976.
no, it doesnt involve putting the TV as the main input. my receiver outputs its video signal to the TV similar to a monitor. but, most any modern tv should have an audio-out (optical in my case) which is used when youre source material is originating from the TV -- such as an over-the-air tuner broadcast, or something plugged into like this.
It's strange that Chromecast is their target, considering Chromecasts best feature is it can mirror similarly (although inferior) to Airplay.
This Fire Stick doesn't. In fact, it more closely resembles the Apple TV and its own Fire Box than it does the Chromecast- outside of design.
Amazon is run by morons.
I won't dispute the "morons" comment, but it evidently does mirroring just fine, although support for iOS devices appear to be limited to apps that share:
Mirror your tablet or phone on your HDTV
Use your iOS or Android device to fling music and movies to your HDTV—and control playback—from apps like YouTube and Spotify. Or, share movies, TV shows, music, and photos from your compatible tablet or phone with everyone in your living room using display mirroring. What you see on your Fire OS or Android device is exactly what you’ll see on your big screen.
Second Screen, enhanced with X-Ray
Click the “fling” icon on your Fire tablet to send video and audio to your big screen, leaving you free to use your tablet for other tasks. When you’re done watching, simply bring everything back to your tablet with a touch.
Use your Second-Screen-enabled tablet to learn more about TV shows and movies playing on Fire TV Stick with X-Ray, powered by IMDb. Dive deep in-scene to explore characters, trivia, music, and more.
After months of waiting for an new apple TV (we are an apple household), I finally ended up buying an Amz Fire TV box a couple of months ago, and I'm really happy with it. The main advantage it had over other similar devices is that it has support for XBMC without having to jailbreak it (being an android box). XBMC is the media center software I use on all my TVs.
With the ability to run XBMC on the same box/device as what I use to stream netflix, I get the best of both worlds.
It sounds like this dongle will also allow you to run XBMC. If that's the case, I can replace the laptop I have connected to my main tv and use this $20 device as the netflix/XBMC/WatchDisney/WatchESPN device.
Apple needs to update the apple TV and provide easier local support for your movie library (support playing .iso files). (or let me install XBMC without having to jailbreak it).
Comments
It absolutely blows the 2nd and 3rd gen ATV out of the water with speed and capability. The interface can be a bit clunky, but the recent section at the top is all we use so it doesn't matter. The netflix browsing interface on appletv I like better, but the playback interface on the AFTV more than makes up for it, and crushes the ATV.
The ease of side loading apps onto the AFTV without a jailbreak is amazing. I've got XBMC on there, working perfectly to stream all the media from my NAS or the internet, and Netflix/Prime/etc.
While admittedly I haven't used the voice search all that much, it's really cool to be able to just say "Jeff Bridges" and be able to instantly view any of his work. It would be even better if IMDB was tied in somehow.
I have all kinds of Apple devices, and with the open nature of the AFTV, you can even airplay/mirror to it using a $2 app called Air Buddy that runs at boot in the background. It also lets you cast using the netflix app on iOS, which is an incredible remote interface. I just ordered the stick for my bedroom, as the full aftv is in my den. Trust me, you will not be disappointed with this device if you give it a week or two to get used to, unless you're just hating on it for not being apple.
Quote:
I think the issue with these devices for me is the content. I really haven't looked at roku v hulu v fire v AppleTV v comcast v dish because there really isn't anything compelling on any of them I must have access to. My AppleTV suffices for the occasional movie. The tech here isn't particularly important to me.
As long as I have access to Netflix, this is workable. I can find content on a computer and save it to my profile, so its no problem to look up those movies later, no matter how awful the UI is on whatever streaming device. It also helps that Netflix gives my kids their own (shared) profiles.
Quote:
Give me an HDMI dongle that allows me to buy access to ESPN for say...oh... $2 for the day, and I'd buy it.
Streamed ESPN is probably the holy grail. The thing is, ESPN gets on the order of $3-$4 dollars/month for their basic channels (ESPN and ESPN2) from the cable/satellite companies for every single subscriber, regardless of whether subscribers want it or watch it. If ESPN were to offer ala carte subscriptions, the cable and satellite companies would drop ESPN in a heartbeat, and that's where ESPN gets the majority of the revenue they use to pay for the high-dollar sports content deals from the leagues.
I like how it’s competing with Chromecast and not Apple TV.
It's strange that Chromecast is their target, considering Chromecasts best feature is it can mirror similarly (although inferior) to Airplay.
This Fire Stick doesn't. In fact, it more closely resembles the Apple TV and its own Fire Box than it does the Chromecast- outside of design.
Amazon is run by morons.
Amazon is run by morons.
Ars is saying that AMZN is sitting on US$83 million of unsold Fire Phone inventory. Morons indeed.
This doesn't displace Chromecast functionally. Who knows what the market will bring, but the Chromecast wins because there's no remote. Just cast from a device and get on with it.
Ars is saying that AMZN is sitting on US$83 million of unsold Fire Phone inventory. Morons indeed.
Fire sale? :P
Give me an HDMI dongle that allows me to buy access to ESPN for say...oh... $2 for the day, and I'd buy it.
$2/day for any single channel (I know ESPN has a ton of specialized channels) is too much for me but I do like the idea of unhooking channels from cable/satellite and letting people pay for what they want without having to also have a cable/satellite subscription.
Yeah, I don't know much about HBO GO, but their subscription doesn't require the cable company. An on-demand subscription version of ESPN would cut the cable.
No thanks. Apple TV does the trick and then some.
Won't work for me since I route everything through my sound system. Plugging directly into the TV means I can only use the TV speakers not my surround sound system. Plus it's from Amazon and all it would be good for is ordering garbage from them.
My TV (Sharp Aquos, about 4 years old) has a Digital Optical Output. Unless you're using an old HeathKit/Motorola TV, it should have something similar.
Won't work for me since I route everything through my sound system. Plugging directly into the TV means I can only use the TV speakers not my surround sound system. Plus it's from Amazon and all it would be good for is ordering garbage from them.
you should have an audio-out from your TV set to an input on your receiver. this way when you watch plain-old TV, or anything signal originating from the TV such as this, you get it thru your system.
You're putting the TV as the main input and controlling device while I'm putting it as a dumb display. My inputs come from a variety of sources so I keep my sources at the beginning of the system and use the TV as an output device along with my speakers. As for my TV, it's a mistake purchase from Samsung (47") that I won't make twice (it goes black at least once a day for a few seconds, past warranty but not that old). I'm also old school, buying my first large component stereo system back in 1976.
no, it doesnt involve putting the TV as the main input. my receiver outputs its video signal to the TV similar to a monitor. but, most any modern tv should have an audio-out (optical in my case) which is used when youre source material is originating from the TV -- such as an over-the-air tuner broadcast, or something plugged into like this.
Mirror your tablet or phone on your HDTV
Use your iOS or Android device to fling music and movies to your HDTV—and control playback—from apps like YouTube and Spotify. Or, share movies, TV shows, music, and photos from your compatible tablet or phone with everyone in your living room using display mirroring. What you see on your Fire OS or Android device is exactly what you’ll see on your big screen.
Second Screen, enhanced with X-Ray
Click the “fling” icon on your Fire tablet to send video and audio to your big screen, leaving you free to use your tablet for other tasks. When you’re done watching, simply bring everything back to your tablet with a touch.
Use your Second-Screen-enabled tablet to learn more about TV shows and movies playing on Fire TV Stick with X-Ray, powered by IMDb. Dive deep in-scene to explore characters, trivia, music, and more.
Not interested!
Even if it costs $9.99!
Next!
After months of waiting for an new apple TV (we are an apple household), I finally ended up buying an Amz Fire TV box a couple of months ago, and I'm really happy with it. The main advantage it had over other similar devices is that it has support for XBMC without having to jailbreak it (being an android box). XBMC is the media center software I use on all my TVs.
With the ability to run XBMC on the same box/device as what I use to stream netflix, I get the best of both worlds.
It sounds like this dongle will also allow you to run XBMC. If that's the case, I can replace the laptop I have connected to my main tv and use this $20 device as the netflix/XBMC/WatchDisney/WatchESPN device.
Apple needs to update the apple TV and provide easier local support for your movie library (support playing .iso files). (or let me install XBMC without having to jailbreak it).
I mean, for what it is, I don't think there's much to complain about here.
Landfill stuffing?