Amazon takes on Apple TV with new $99 fireTV streaming & gaming set-top box

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  • Reply 81 of 193
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    ireland wrote: »
    If it doesn't work well that's fair enough, but you haven't tried it. Also, when in your living room you're always guaranteed to be in your own house, and manual search is there if you want it. I think this voice remote search, if it works well (certainly no guarantees at this point) is a very good idea. I'd definitely use voice search if Apple TV had it. I use Siri on my iPhone the whole time in my house to do Google searches, and I can tell you after owning Apple TVs for a few years now that search is pretty slow to enter with that on-TV one letter at a time keypad.

    There are voice commands with Siri and Google Now that are much easier and faster than their typed counterparts. For instance, "Remind me to pick up my dry cleaning at 5pm" or "Set alarm for 5am tomorrow morning." I hope that Amazon has at least made picking a movie or show as easy without needing to use a remote to drill into vary part of the UI. "Find me the Princess Bride" or "Locate the newest episode of The Black List." If that works well then would want for being able to use voice commands to request jumping to a chapter, time, or even scrubbing at various rates.
  • Reply 82 of 193
    Your move, Apple.

    How many times in the past two years has Cook said, "We've got amazing new products in the pipeline..."?

    Definitely a bunch of market-appeasing, gasbag bromides at this point. They sound no different than any other vaporware-producing has-been.

    You'd know about gasbagging with the same tired comment about Cook. You technobabies are worse than my 2 year old with your "gimme now" mentality.
  • Reply 83 of 193
    maestro64maestro64 Posts: 5,043member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post

     

     

    If it doesn't work well that's fair enough, but you haven't tried it. Also, when in your living room you're always guaranteed to be in your own house, and manual search is there if you want it. I think this voice remote search, if it works well (certainly no guarantees at this point) is a very good idea. I'd definitely use voice search if Apple TV had it. I use Siri on my iPhone the whole time in my house to do Google searches, and I can tell you after owning Apple TVs for a few years now that search is pretty slow to enter with that on-TV one letter at a time keypad.


    I have used them and when you live in a house with other people trying to talk and have a conversation and a dog barking and tying to use a voice search and command feature it is not perfected. Plus, and I have point this out before, it becomes socially unacceptable to talk to your electronics. It is no different than people walking around talking on a bluetooth headset, people look at your funny and at time they have no idea if you're speaking to them or someone else. Bluetooth headsets were all the rage at one time, but what happen to them. gone by the socially unacceptable waste side, only those fail to understand this are still using them in public.

     

    I also played with this feature on DirecTV on iphone and android phones, you can now control your DirecTV with an app by talking to your phone and telling it what you want and such, I can so the same thing with a dumb remote fast quicker and it work every time. These are neat geeky thing to do, but in the generally world they do not work well.

  • Reply 84 of 193
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    You'd know about gasbagging with the same tired comment about Cook. You technobabies are worse than my 2 year old with your "gimme now" mentality.
    exactly. I'd say 99.9% of the population is getting on with their lives, not fretting over whether Apple missed the boat because a competitor released something first.
  • Reply 85 of 193
    dick applebaumdick applebaum Posts: 12,527member
    Ya' know ...

    There is this shadow app out there named Popcorn-Time:

    [QUOTE]The Popcorn Time interface presents thumbnails and film titles in a manner very similar to Netflix. They can be searched, or browsed by genres and categories. When a user clicks one of the titles, the film is streamed via the bittorrent protocol. As with other BitTorrent clients, Popcorn Time seeds the torrent to others in the bittorrent swarm.

    The legality of Popcorn Time is unclear; its website claimed that the software "might" be illegal depending on local laws, and its developers said that "Popcorn Time as a project is legal. We checked. Four Times.[/QUOTE]

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn_Time


    If this could somehow be transformed into a legitimate streaming service through the likes of AppleTV it would be amazing.

    I haven't watched a full movie, but the UI is great and the video looks fantastic on a 27" iMac. The latest movie releases are available through Popcorn-Time before DVD or RedBox, etc.

    I [I]feel[/I] there is something here that could force the hand of content-providers to embrace a solution similar to the music industry (iTunes) or see their sales nosedive.
  • Reply 86 of 193
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    Ya' know ...

    There is this shadow app out there named Popcorn-Time:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn_Time


    If this could somehow be transformed into a legitimate streaming service through the likes of AppleTV it would be amazing.

    I haven't watched a full movie, but the UI is great and the video looks fantastic on a 27" iMac. The latest movie releases are available through Popcorn-Time before DVD or RedBox, etc.

    I feel there is something here that could force the hand of content-providers to embrace a solution similar to the music industry (iTunes) or see their sales nosedive.

    Dick, the original developers killed off "Popcorn Time" just a week or two after it came out, apparently in fear of a lawsuit. You can still get to a resurrected version by going thru one of the torrent sites to according to reports.
    http://venturebeat.com/2014/03/15/movie-streaming-app-popcorn-time-is-coming-back-from-the-dead-thanks-to-a-torrent-site/
  • Reply 87 of 193
    pazuzupazuzu Posts: 1,728member

    Ok then it direct streams porn. No airplay or other hocus pocus required.
  • Reply 88 of 193
    macapfelmacapfel Posts: 575member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by macinthe408 View Post



    Your move, Apple.



    How many times in the past two years has Cook said, "We've got amazing new products in the pipeline..."?

     

    And Apple delivered during this time. Whether you judge them amazing or not is up to you. For example I find Touch ID quite impressive. Just about half a year ago.

  • Reply 89 of 193
    pazuzupazuzu Posts: 1,728member
    You'd know about gasbagging with the same tired comment about Cook. You technobabies are worse than my 2 year old with your "gimme now" mentality.
    Cook didn't blow the Apple TV, Jobs did by calling it a "hobby" and not putting resources towards it and spinning it beyond the grave with his claim of having cracked TV.
  • Reply 90 of 193
    andysolandysol Posts: 2,506member
    Quote:



    Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum View Post



    Ya' know ...



    There is this shadow app out there named Popcorn-Time:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn_Time





    If this could somehow be transformed into a legitimate streaming service through the likes of AppleTV it would be amazing.



    I haven't watched a full movie, but the UI is great and the video looks fantastic on a 27" iMac. The latest movie releases are available through Popcorn-Time before DVD or RedBox, etc.



    I feel there is something here that could force the hand of content-providers to embrace a solution similar to the music industry (iTunes) or see their sales nosedive.

    Ya- pretty solid app- read about it a few weeks ago.  Obviously, illegally torrenting- but the app itself just provides a gateway- not any actual illegal activity.

    I assume by "legitimate" you mean the studios developing an app to get "in-theatre" movies to your TV to stream?

     

    The studios aren't hurting regarding ticket sales in theatres- almost identical the last 4-5 years and pretty close +/- 10% over the last 20 years.

     

    Outside of being a way to stream torrented (illegal) movies instead of downloading them- I don't see anything groundbreaking there from a legal standpoint.  Illegally though- it's groundbreaking. :smokey:

  • Reply 91 of 193
    slicksimslicksim Posts: 52member
    ireland wrote: »
    If it doesn't work well that's fair enough, but you haven't tried it. Also, when in your living room you're always guaranteed to be in your own house, and manual search is there if you want it. I think this voice remote search, if it works well (certainly no guarantees at this point) is a very good idea. I'd definitely use voice search if Apple TV had it. I use Siri on my iPhone the whole time in my house to do Google searches, and I can tell you after owning Apple TVs for a few years now that search is pretty slow to enter with that on-TV one letter at a time keypad.
    Also Siri has an advantage over ATV search by having intelligence, making a calculated guess what your typed nonsense is trying to ask. Very high levels of simplicity for the end user has to be the key. This year I have had a load of people over to stay and have been shocked at how easily stumped people have been because my TV gets it's signal through a decoder, one step of extra complication over their TV at home and they are stumped.
  • Reply 92 of 193
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    solipsismx wrote: »
    This is a common trope. Someone does something feeble but because Apple isn't doing it Apple is weak and pathetic. Apple was wrong not to release a phone with a keyboard. Apple was wrong not support Flash Lite. Apple was wrong not to make a tablet that ran Mac OS X. Apple was wrong to support USB.

    We waited decades for a proper tablet from Apple and it finally arrived it was considered a failure and yet soon after all those asshats were eating those words and yet years later the iPad is far and away the dominate tablet platform with a few low-lying copycat competitors eating up the low-end. There is something to say with building it right over building it first. Some people apparently never heard the story of the Three Little Pigs as children.
    Don't forget netbooks...I remember the 2008 Unibody Mac event and all the disappointment because Apple didn't announce a cheap notebook. The only reason I'm a bit antsy for an updated Apple TV is because I think the UI is horrible and does not fit in with the changes they made to iOS/iCloud/apple.com. It makes me wonder if Ive was pushing to own all design (hardware and software) or if Cook just made the decision to streamline after he decided Forstall needed to go (like he did with Angela Ahrendts giving her both online and retail). Updates to Apple software design seem to be disjointed. Whether you like Microsoft's new design language or not, at least it's consistent everywhere. With Apple you still see remnants of the Jobs/Forstall design language. I hope come WWDC that goes away.
  • Reply 93 of 193
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    eightzero wrote: »
    I have very modest needs on a TV. The real revolution will be in the content, just like Steve and the iPod and Itunes original concept. These boxes are all fine, and like buying any other apllicance, you simply buy one that fits your need and budget.

    You can already rent/buy TV shows and movies from iTunes, so what are you expecting to be different?
  • Reply 94 of 193
    Quote:


    new $99 fireTV streaming & gaming set-top box


     

    I defy you to show us a single instance of this device being used "on top of a set".

  • Reply 95 of 193
    mazda 3smazda 3s Posts: 1,613member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by MagMan1979 View Post

     

    God, that AI looks like a cross between Plex Home Theatre and Windows 8 Modern UI... I'll still take Plex or Apple TV over this thing any day. And knowing Amazon, the build quality will be shit.


     

    I'm not sure I follow... the Fire TV supports Plex, just like the Roku 3 and unlike the Apple TV. So if you want Plex, there ya go.

    Second, why does build quality matter? This isn't an iPhone or an iPad that you are going to fondle day in and day out. When I bought my Roku 3, I got some doubled-sided tape, slapped it to the back of my TV and I haven't touched it since then. That was year ago...

     

    Now if you're talking about the build quality of the remote, then I'd agree. 

  • Reply 96 of 193
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    Ya' know ...

    There is this shadow app out there named Popcorn-Time:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn_Time


    If this could somehow be transformed into a legitimate streaming service through the likes of AppleTV it would be amazing.

    I haven't watched a full movie, but the UI is great and the video looks fantastic on a 27" iMac. The latest movie releases are available through Popcorn-Time before DVD or RedBox, etc.

    I feel there is something here that could force the hand of content-providers to embrace a solution similar to the music industry (iTunes) or see their sales nosedive.

    Until there's a video equivalent of Napster there's going to be no need for content providers to play ball with anyone. They're making money not losing it like the music industry was.
  • Reply 97 of 193
    As an owner of the Apple TV and Ruko Box; the Fire TV give me nothing. The quad core and voice control is nothing but tech candy. The $99 price tag is also a red herring. You need a Prime Account ($99) to follow use the device.
  • Reply 98 of 193
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    I defy you to show us a single instance of this device being used "on top of a set".

    You'd be surprised to know how many CRT TVs are still out there. Somebody bought all those digital converter boxes the government was giving out vouchers for.
  • Reply 99 of 193
    john.bjohn.b Posts: 2,742member

    So I checked this out at Amazon.com and they have some nice features but they are definitely missing a few things:


    • No MLB options (in an April release!)

    • No streaming Disney Channel for my daughter

    • No Bluetooth 4.1

    • No 802.11ac (ATV also is missing this)

    • No gigabit Ethernet (ATV also is missing this)

    • No built-in power supply (wallwart power adapter)

    • No remote app or streaming from iPad/iPhone/iTunes (Kindle Fire only)

    • No GIF support for the lolcat crowd (not that I care one whit)

    • No profiles (coming soon)

     

    It looks like it might sit nicely underneath an ATV, though that processor they used will probably generate too much heat.

  • Reply 100 of 193
    eightzeroeightzero Posts: 3,056member
    dasanman69 wrote: »
    You can already rent/buy TV shows and movies from iTunes, so what are you expecting to be different?

    A fair question. Pay per event sports. I don't want an expensive package for the season, or "all the games." I would pay a couple of bucks to watch the occasional game. ESPN is the gorilla in the room.

    I'd like to get the new "Cosmos" on iTunes too. I have the original from iTunes, and interestingly, it is no longer available in the store.
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