Amazon Firestick

[rk911]

We have two, small, older, digital 'dumb' TVs that I'd like to replace with with Smart TVs but due space limitations I cannot find two small enough to fit the available spaces...one is a surface mount on a hutch, the other is built into a wall that cannot be expanded. After a bit of research I think the Amazon Firestick will meet our needs. but I have no experience or knowledge with that device. Both TVs in question have available HDMI ports with nearby ethernet connections. Ethernet is my preference and I know I'll need an adapter for the Firestick to use that. Before I buy does anyone in the group have experience with the Firestick? If so I'd like to hear about your experience.

 

[Jerry1]

Firestick did not work with my previous cable company so I went with Roku. They’re all pretty much the same. Do you plan to use it with your cable company’s app? I was using Spectrum at the time and they didn’t support the Firestick.

 

[bloom2708]

I agree with going with a new version Roku stick. The FireStick from Amazon are a bit tired. They need a refresh and a speed boost.

If you have Wi-Fi, don't bother with ethernet. Wi-Fi is plenty fast enough to watch most anything unless you have slow internet 25mb or less.

Roku has channels. Pluto TV is free. Tubi is free. You can use any of your paid servies. Netflix, HBO Max, Peacock, Disney bundles, etc etc.

 

[FD1000]

I dislike small TVs. Our kitchen TV is 42". The others from 60 to 75.
There is no reason to own small TV. Change where it stands.
Ethernet= another NO.
But a network and connect each TV with Amazon stick or Roku. The speed on Ethernet is limited. I used to get 30 Mbps and now I get 180 to 210 around the house including the basement and second floor.
I have owned the Amazon fire for years now because they were less than half.
I bought the one you can talk to, it is great.

 

[Al18]

Depends what you want to watch. If you just want to watch and record other the air TV, get a good antenna, a

SiliconDust HDHomeRun Flex Quatro 4 x ATSC Tuners - HDFX-4US ($150) and a USB 3 hard drive to record the shows. To access the shows, you can use an AppleTV, or an iPad, or one of the many smart sticks.​

 

[easysurfer]

If I could do it all again, I'd probably get a Roku stick. I think the user interface is friendlier.

During the last (or was it the one before) Amazon Prime days, I bought a new Firestick. Didn't realize that an ethernet adapter wasn't part of the stick. Ended up getting the adaptor to connect via ethernet. Firestick works.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Had a Firestick, didn't like it and sold it on Facebook Marketplace. Got a Roku and love it.

Firestick's user interface was too busy and confusing with lots of ads. Roku is simple, much less ads.

 

[RunningBum]

I have Firesticks on my TV and they work well. Older ones are slow, but the newer 4K ones are quick. I agree the ads are annoying. On the home screen they show your apps but also show a bunch of "suggested" movies/shows, some of which are annoying just to look at all the time.

I think one of the benefits of a Firestick/cube is that you can talk to it like Alexa but I've never tried that, and don't really care to.

Maybe get one each of a Firestick and Roku and see what you like better. I'm deep down the Firestick path and like having the same interface on all TVs but concede that Roku may be better by the sounds of it. Maybe I should get a Roku and if I like it, use it on the 2 TVs I use most. Hmm.

 

[rk911]

Firestick did not work with my previous cable company so I went with Roku. They’re all pretty much the same. Do you plan to use it with your cable company’s app? I was using Spectrum at the time and they didn’t support the Firestick.

I was planning to use it with the Firestick app. With the FS plugged into an HDMI port I should be able to select it via 'Input' options just like I would select the roof antenna or BlueRay player. Should that work?

 

[rk911]

I dislike small TVs. Our kitchen TV is 42". The others from 60 to 75.
There is no reason to own small TV. Change where it stands.
Ethernet= another NO.
But a network and connect each TV with Amazon stick or Roku. The speed on Ethernet is limited. I used to get 30 Mbps and now I get 180 to 210 around the house including the basement and second floor.
I have owned the Amazon fire for years now because they were less than half.
I bought the one you can talk to, it is great.

We have big-screenTVs in our family rooms but no space for larger TVs in fhe two rooms I specified. We have our other smart TVs connected to our etheenet and we get excellent streaming speeds.

 

[Jerry1]

I was planning to use it with the Firestick app. With the FS plugged into an HDMI port I should be able to select it via 'Input' options just like I would select the roof antenna or BlueRay player. Should that work?

Yes, that's how they all work.

To be clear - my cable company (Charter) had an app that I could use to get all of my cable channels. That was great because I did not need to run a cable to each tv. Their app didn't work with the Firestick. I just wanted you to understand that if you have a streaming app that you really like, make sure it works with the Firestick. Almost all of them will.

 

[rk911]

Depends what you want to watch. If you just want to watch and record other the air TV, get a good antenna, a

SiliconDust HDHomeRun Flex Quatro 4 x ATSC Tuners - HDFX-4US ($150) and a USB 3 hard drive to record the shows. To access the shows, you can use an AppleTV, or an iPad, or one of the many smart sticks.​

We can record any cable channel including our local OTA feeds from any TV using our whole-house Xfinity DVR. We have Xfi cable + several streaming services. Just want to bring these two TVs into the current world.

 

[rk911]

If I could do it all again, I'd probably get a Roku stick. I think the user interface is friendlier.

During the last (or was it the one before) Amazon Prime days, I bought a new Firestick. Didn't realize that an ethernet adapter wasn't part of the stick. Ended up getting the adaptor to connect via ethernet. Firestick works.

Thanks..I'll take a look at the Roku.

 

[rk911]

I have Firesticks on my TV and they work well. Older ones are slow, but the newer 4K ones are quick. I agree the ads are annoying. On the home screen they show your apps but also show a bunch of "suggested" movies/shows, some of which are annoying just to look at all the time.

I think one of the benefits of a Firestick/cube is that you can talk to it like Alexa but I've never tried that, and don't really care to.

Maybe get one each of a Firestick and Roku and see what you like better. I'm deep down the Firestick path and like having the same interface on all TVs but concede that Roku may be better by the sounds of it. Maybe I should get a Roku and if I like it, use it on the 2 TVs I use most. Hmm.

I can see the value of the same tech on each set but several here have memtioned Roku and I will a absolutely look at that. Thanks to all.

 

[Jerry1]

Thanks..I'll take a look at the Roku.

Yeah, do some reading. I was reading this:

Xfinity Stream & Amazon Fire TV Stick | Xfinity Community Forum

Using Xfiinity Stream app with an Amazon Fire TV Stick and getting a location issue on some stations and a please connect to your in-home wifi (unknown SSID) on others. These messages are coming f...

forums.xfinity.com

and found this:

The 4K max fire stick works fine with Xfinity stream, 4K select not at all for me.

 

[pb4uski]

We have Fire sticks on all 6 TVs that we have. The thing I like about them is that they all have virtually the same remote and controls so they all work the same. We use Wi-Fi and it works fine. Definitely the way to go IMO. The rental house that we are visiting has Roku and I'm not a fan, but probably because I am so use to the Fire stick.

 

[rk911]

Yes, that's how they all work.

To be clear - my cable company (Charter) had an app that I could use to get all of my cable channels. That was great because I did not need to run a cable to each tv. Their app didn't work with the Firestick. I just wanted you to understand that if you have a streaming app that you really like, make sure it works with the Firestick. Almost all of them will.

Thanks, Jerry. To be clear we usually don't stream via the Xfimity cable connection. We use the 'Select Input' on our sets to choose the correct input (currently our OTA antenna on the two sets and our internet connection on the others). We've found that streaming via Xfi cable connection can be clunky. My plan is to select the Firestick or Roku device input and then select the streaming service on the FS or Roku app.

 

[rk911]

We have Fire sticks on all 6 TVs that we have. The thing I like about them is that they all have virtually the same remote and controls so they all work the same. We use Wi-Fi and it works fine. Definitely the way to go IMO. The rental house that we are visiting has Roku and I'm not a fan, but probably because I am so use to the Fire stick.

Is the difference between the FS and Roku just the interface on the app or are there actual system differences?

 

[Al18]

Rk911,
I recommend an AppleTV - far superior to any of the other devices mentioned

 

[rk911]

Rk911,
I recommend an AppleTV - far superior to any of the other devices mentioned

In what ways?

 

[Jerry1]

Rk911,
I recommend an AppleTV - far superior to any of the other devices mentioned

In what ways?

I can tell you why I don’t think Apple is the way to go. I have Apple and Roku. I like the Roku better. The remote is much more ergonomic. The Apple remote looks very cool, but all the swiping with my thumb is uncomfortable. Also the menu is not as clear as the Roku.

If you’re in the Apple ecosystem then it might have some advantages. Note, I am fully Apple (phone, computer, tablet, earbuds) and while some things connect better, I use my Roku over the Apple. Actually, I use my Samsung tv embedded smart system more than anything at this point. They have a good interface too but there’s a one thing it won’t do (Tablo) so I have the Roku plugged in for backup.

 

[zinger1457]

The sticks (Fire and Roku) that plug directly into your TV's HDMI port have built in wifi, not sure why one would need or want an ethernet adapter for it. You can get a bigger (Fire and Roku) cube type box that has an ethernet plug built in but you'll need a separate HDMI cable to plug into your TV.

 

[Al18]

There are 2 models of the AppleTV 4K. The $129 model has 64 GB and is WiFi only. The $149 model has 128 GB, Ethernet and WiFi. In addition to being able to stream all popular streaming channels, you can play hundreds of of games available on Apple Arcade, using an XBox or PlayStation wireless controllers, run Apple Fitness, access Apple Music, view your Apple Photos, run Apple FaceTime. More info here Apple TV 4K

 

[pb4uski]

Is the difference between the FS and Roku just the interface on the app or are there actual system differences?

Just interface to my knowledge.

 

[Jerry1]

There are 2 models of the AppleTV 4K. The $129 model has 64 GB and is WiFi only. The $149 model has 128 GB, Ethernet and WiFi. In addition to being able to stream all popular streaming channels, you can play hundreds of of games available on Apple Arcade, using an XBox or PlayStation wireless controllers, run Apple Fitness, access Apple Music, view your Apple Photos, run Apple FaceTime. More info here Apple TV 4K

All good things but given these two tvs seem to be ancillary sets for the OP, I doubt any of that will matter to him in making this decision. Personally, I have Apple TV hooked up to my main tv and I hardly ever use it. It used to be great for mirroring my phone to the tv but now, my Samsung tv does that just fine. The Samsung tv also has the Apple Music app (as does Roku), so I can listen to music on my tv without using Apple TV.