# Let's Talk About the Fire TV!



## Broadus

According to the Los Angeles Times: http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-amazon-april-2-event-video-streaming-20140327,0,3937503.story#axzz2xCK6jewK


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## 31842

JUST when I bought a Roku 3 last week!  Isn't that they way things go?


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## Broadus

KateDanley said:


> JUST when I bought a Roku 3 last week! Isn't that they way things go?


 

My wife and I bought a 51" plasma about six weeks ago and are looking to drop our small Dish package and get over-the-air television broadcast and streaming. The rumored Amazon streaming device is the only thing that has held up my ordering a Roku 3. We may still get the Roku 3 or the new Roku Streaming Stick (http://www.amazon.com/Roku-3500R-Streaming-Stick-HDMI/dp/B00INNP5VU/ref=cm_rdp_product) that started shipping today, depending upon what this Amazon device is like.

Do you have a window to return the Roku?


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## Sandpiper

So I'm definitely interested.  Kind of a tech question as I'm not much tech at all.  I guess my flat screen TV is a little older.  Has only two HDMI ports / hook-ups in the back.  I have DVD player and TiVo plugged into those already.  This Amazon streaming device or Roku also needs HDMI.  Place where I bought my TV said you can plug and unplug devices from HDMI with no problem.  That wouldn't effect any software set-up done with device(s)?  Just plug and unplug from HDMI as needed.


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## Broadus

Sandpiper said:


> So I'm definitely interested. Kind of a tech question as I'm not much tech at all. I guess my flat screen TV is a little older. Has only two HDMI ports / hook-ups in the back. I have DVD player and TiVo plugged into those already. This Amazon streaming device or Roku also needs HDMI. Place where I bought my TV said you can plug and unplug devices from HDMI with no problem. That wouldn't effect any software set-up done with device(s)? Just plug and unplug from HDMI as needed.


You can plug and unplug the devices, but I think your best bet is to buy an HDMI switch box (http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/59478/hdmi-switch) that you can plug more than one device into and then plug the HDMI switch box's cable into one of the TV's HDMI ports.

Our TV is a relatively inexpensive Samsung plasma with only 2 HDMI ports, so I'll probably end up doing the same.


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## Sandpiper

Thanks.    Expect I will do that.


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## balaspa

Interesting, but our DVD player is already a streaming device and that includes Amazon Prime stuff...


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## luvmy4brats

Sandpiper said:


> So I'm definitely interested. Kind of a tech question as I'm not much tech at all. I guess my flat screen TV is a little older. Has only two HDMI ports / hook-ups in the back. I have DVD player and TiVo plugged into those already. This Amazon streaming device or Roku also needs HDMI. Place where I bought my TV said you can plug and unplug devices from HDMI with no problem. That wouldn't effect any software set-up done with device(s)? Just plug and unplug from HDMI as needed.


I have an hdmi switch box on two of our tvs and it works great.


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## Sandpiper

My TiVo streams also, but not Amazon Prime videos.  Streams regular Amazon videos (paid), but not free Prime.  Does stream Netflix.  Not many other choices.  I'm wondering how other streaming devices work.  TiVo takes time (I want it NOW) to connect and I find working the streaming picture a little difficult with my TiVo remote.


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## Broadus

The Roku 3 is reputed to be pretty fast. The other Rokus, including the new and highly-regarded Streaming Stick, are somewhat slower. Again, this is just what I understand from reading what others have experienced. If the rumored new Amazon streaming device is less than what I hope (many are saying it won't be able to stream YouTube, a deal breaker for me), I plan to buy a Roku 3 for the living room TV and a Steaming Stick for the small TV in the kitchen.


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## jlee745

http://phandroid.com/2014/03/27/amazon-video-event/


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## Eltanin Publishing

I've already got a Roku for streaming Prime content, so some sort of streaming device won't interest me.


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## booklover888

Yes, I am waiting for this, I am strongly tempted to order the new Roku stick, but not until I see if Amazon is ready to tempt me with something else. Or I could use my 2012 Fire HD with my HDMI cable on my TV. I'll try that out first. But looking forward to seeing what Amazon has on tap.

(My kids took my HD Roku and my HD cable box to their room, so I have a nice HD TV with a basic cable box LOL. Not that I watch much).

Well darn, now the Roku stick has a 6/8 day shipping delay. I went ahead and got my order in, if the Amazon product is better, I can cancel the Roku order. I wanted it by this weekend, darn it.


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## Marie Long

Maybe the new Paperwhite?


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## jlee745

http://time.com/41449/amazon-denies-rumor-of-free-streaming-service-so-whats-it-really-doing-next-week/


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## history_lover

Marie Long said:


> Maybe the new Paperwhite?


It says "Please join us for an update on our video business" so it's unlikely to be about a new PW.


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## Leslie

So the press event is in 15 minutes. Are there any sites that will be live blogging to let us know what is going on?

L


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## Broadus

Leslie said:


> So the press event is in 15 minutes. Are there any sites that will be live blogging to let us know what is going on?
> 
> L


CNET is carrying it: http://www.cnet.com/news/amazon-event-in-nyc-join-us-wednesday-at-8-a-m-pt-live-blog/. This evidently is streaming the event.

Gigaom is live blogging it: http://gigaom.com/2014/04/02/live-blog-amazons-video-event-in-new-york/.


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## Marie Long

Bumping this. It's starting in 5 minutes as of my post.

You can watch here: http://new.livestream.com/cnet/amazonmicrosoft


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## Eltanin Publishing

I'm not impressed. Other than voice search and surround sound output, I don't see how this device is any better than Roku, and it seems like it's worse than Roku in that it likely has fewer channels. Does seem better for games - looks like many games you can play on kindle fire, you'll be able to play on your tv if you buy the special controller.


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## Leslie

I missed the live blogging (got busy with work, what a concept!) but now I am reading about the Kindle Fire TV on the Amazon home page:

Fire TV is a tiny box that plugs into your HDTV. It's the easiest way to enjoy Netflix, Prime Instant Video, Hulu Plus, WatchESPN, low-cost video rentals, and more. With instant access to over 200,000 TV episodes and movies, plus all your favorite subscriptions and streaming services, you can watch what you want, when you want. If you're a Prime member, you get unlimited access to thousands of popular movies and TV shows, including exclusives like Downton Abbey, The Americans, Alpha House, and Under the Dome.

Fire TV has voice search that actually works. The old way of searching with a TV remote—scrolling and clicking one letter at a time on an alphabet grid—is painful. With Fire TV you simply speak the title, actor, or genre into the remote and you're done.

Fire TV may be tiny on the outside, but it has huge hardware specs on the inside. It has a powerful quad-core processor, dedicated GPU, 2 GB of memory, and dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi. With a fast, fluid interface, high definition 1080p video, and Dolby Digital Plus surround sound, Fire TV looks—and sounds—amazing. We also added an exclusive new feature called ASAP that predicts what movies and TV episodes you'll want to watch and gets them ready to stream instantly. No one likes waiting for videos to buffer.

As a bonus, we also added games. With Fire TV you can play blockbuster titles like Minecraft, The Walking Dead, Monsters University, the Amazon exclusive Sev Zero, plus great free games. There are over a hundred titles to explore, with thousands more coming soon. These games are a great value—the average price of paid games is only $1.85.


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## B. Justin Shier

Only $100 for a quad core shoe box!?  I'm in for one. I was recently specing out an HTPC build with a similar feature set. It would have cost me $350, and this thingy already has an Android OS, native Plex support, optical out, and a USB port. If I don't like the Amazon interface, I'll just flash it and install XBMC. This one is a win, win, win.

B.


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## LaraAmber

I looked at the specs for the Amazon Fire TV and it's missing two things that would likely make it an auto purchase for me.  (It would need one or the other if not both.)

1. A BluRay player.  If I bought this it would likely be for a second TV in our house (which we don't currently have).  So I would need to hook two things up to it: a BluRay player and the Prime box.  Considering that many BluRay players include the Amazon and Netflix apps, I'd be more likely to buy a BluRay player.  

2. Hard drive space for downloading.  One of the nice things about my Kindle Fire is the ability to download Prime titles to watch later.  The box would need to have the same ability.  In our household our son will watch the same title 5 times in a week or we will have two people already chewing up the bandwidth, so opening up a third one would really diminish the picture quality/have buffering issues.  Skipping this by downloading Downton Abbey when everyone is asleep and then watching it later would really have my attention.


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## dordale

I'll stick with my Roku 3--one thing I really like about the Roku that the new Amazon device doesn't have is an earphone connector built in to the remote.  Frequently, I want to relax and watch something on TV and my hubby is busy doing something else and doesn't want to be bothered with the TV, so the earphone connector is the perfect solution.  Also works well when I'm running around the kitchen washing dishes while still paying a little attention to something on TV--don't have to raise the volume in order to hear the TV over the running water.


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## luvmy4brats

LaraAmber said:


> I looked at the specs for the Amazon Fire TV and it's missing two things that would likely make it an auto purchase for me. (It would need one or the other if not both.)
> 
> 1. A BluRay player. If I bought this it would likely be for a second TV in our house (which we don't currently have). So I would need to hook two things up to it: a BluRay player and the Prime box. Considering that many BluRay players include the Amazon and Netflix apps, I'd be more likely to buy a BluRay player.
> 
> 2. Hard drive space for downloading. One of the nice things about my Kindle Fire is the ability to download Prime titles to watch later. The box would need to have the same ability. In our household our son will watch the same title 5 times in a week or we will have two people already chewing up the bandwidth, so opening up a third one would really diminish the picture quality/have buffering issues. Skipping this by downloading Downton Abbey when everyone is asleep and then watching it later would really have my attention.


Well, it does have the ability for you to fling content from your Fire to your tv, so you can download something to your Fire and then watch it on your TV. Just a thought.


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## bordercollielady

I love the Gary Busey ad, but my Roku works just fine, thank you!


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## Sandpiper

LaraAmber said:


> 1. A BluRay player. If I bought this it would likely be for a second TV in our house (which we don't currently have). So I would need to hook two things up to it: a BluRay player and the Prime box. Considering that many BluRay players include the Amazon and Netflix apps, I'd be more likely to buy a BluRay player.


Make sure it plays Amazon PRIME Instant videos. I've got a TiVo that streams . . . but doesn't stream FREE Amazon Prime Instant. Only streams paid Amazon videos.


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## Ann in Arlington

I like my TiVo. It records things I like on broadcast TV.  We RARELY have any interest in watching 'internet only' content.  If we see a movie we like showing on broadcast, we'll sometimes record it.  Very occasionally we'll rent something from Amazon and watch it.  But, really, we're not TV/Movie people.  So this isn't a product I have any interest in at all.


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## HappyGuy

I don't understand. Is this going to let us subscribe to and watch current TV shows? Or is it just Prime-in-a-box? If the Fire HDX can stream to a TV, why would one want to spend another $100 to do the same thing? What's it all about, Alfie?


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## Betsy the Quilter

What if you don't have a Fire, Alfie?    This is competing against Roku and Apple TV.  And no, not live TV (although I think Showtime lets one watch live Showtime TV if subscribed).

Betsy


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## HappyGuy

OK, so if I have a Blu-Ray that lets me get to Amazon Prime TV and Movies I don't really need the new and improved give-us-$100 device?


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## HappyGuy

Not to hijack the thread, but, did anyone stay on (on cNet) to see the Nokia/MS portion of the broadcast? It was a pitch to developers for Win 8.1 apps. Kinda interesting.


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## Broadus

HappyGuy said:


> OK, so if I have a Blu-Ray that lets me get to Amazon Prime TV and Movies I don't really need the new and improved give-us-$100 device?


If your Blu-Ray does what you want, then I see no real reason to spend $100 for the Fire TV.

I don't have a streaming device, so the Fire TV looks interesting. Still, I'm not yet convinced that I would rather have it than a Roku 3. I would love to see what additional "channels" Fire TV will get. As of now, PBS and the Wall Street Journal Live are not there.


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## Betsy the Quilter

Yeah, no HBO2GO, which is a deal breaker for me, though with a Roku, and a Netgear Push2TV device and a Logitech device, I don't really have a need for yet another streaming device. 

Betsy


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## Broadus

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Yeah, no HBO2GO, which is a deal breaker for me, though with a Roku, and a Netgear Push2TV device and a Logitech device, I don't really have a need for yet another streaming device.
> 
> Betsy


I want to see some reviews comparing Roku 3 and Fire TV. Right now, the difference in channel offerings makes Roku more attractive to me. As far as specs go, Fire TV looks great, though I don't know how well that translates into real world experience.


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## VondaZ

I ordered one. I don't really need one but I am interested in playing with it hands on. We have two older Roku devices, but the device I use most often is a Blue-Ray player. But it suffers from the problems they mentioned in the press conference - it is difficult to find what I am looking for unless it is in my watch list already and it is really slow in loading a video. Really slow. I am curious to see how the voice search works and how well the ASAP works, but mainly I want to see if the interface is smoother. And my Roku players (and maybe the Blue Ray player as well), make me enter in a pin number I can never remember if I want to order a movie directly from the device. I am hoping that Amazon won't do that, since it comes preregistered.

I am hoping that the FF and RW functions will also work better. Right now, if I rewind to hear something I missed, I can't tell what point I rewind to and then it takes forever to buffer again to that point - when I often find I either went way to far or didn't go back far enough. I am hoping the faster hardware makes a significant improvement in that performance. But they didn't advertise that at the press conference, so I am not necessarily expecting it.

Someday, it would be nice to cancel my cable and go Internet only, but so far, none of the devices I have would make that transition smooth enough. I would like to see what Amazon does with it. 

Plus, now I can move my Blue Ray player into the basement and stream to the TV down there while I am in my sewing room. So even if it isn't much of an improvement, at least we have another streaming device.


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## Sandpiper

VondaZ said:


> I ordered one. I don't really need one but I am interested in playing with it hands on. We have two older Roku devices, but the device I use most often is a Blue-Ray player. But it suffers from the problems they mentioned in the press conference - it is difficult to find what I am looking for unless it is in my watch list already and it is really slow in loading a video. Really slow. I am curious to see how the voice search works and how well the ASAP works, but mainly I want to see if the interface is smoother. And my Roku players (and maybe the Blue Ray player as well), make me enter in a pin number I can never remember if I want to order a movie directly from the device. I am hoping that Amazon won't do that, since it comes preregistered.
> 
> I am hoping that the FF and RW functions will also work better. Right now, if I rewind to hear something I missed, I can't tell what point I rewind to and then it takes forever to buffer again to that point - when I often find I either went way to far or didn't go back far enough. I am hoping the faster hardware makes a significant improvement in that performance. But they didn't advertise that at the press conference, so I am not necessarily expecting it.


Those are my problems with streaming via my TiVo -- and the fact that I can't stream Amazon PRIME Instant videos. I want to be able to "operate" streamed videos much more like recorded TV programs on my TiVo. I am interested in the Fire TV. Waiting to see reviews about it though.


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## Speaker-To-Animals

If anyone gets one of these in their home, I'd be interested in hearing if it works with a universal remote. I'm not ready to jump off the Roku bandwagon yet, but it's an interesting device and we might be looking for a second STB soon. The remote is bluetooth though and if we can't control it with our Harmony, it's a deal killer.


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## QuantumIguana

I'm still using a 1st generation Roku from 2008. It's pretty slow and clunky, I'm tempted to replace it. The voice search is a nice feature, but the Roku has more channels. I like that there are a large number of private channels for the Roku, I couldn't see if the Amazon box supports private channels. At least on the 1st generation Roku, the search is rather primitive. If I am searching for an episode of Nova, I only get 10 hits, and I can't even see the full title. I'd like to see if the Amazon box's search is better. To be fair, I'd also have to see how the search feature is on the current Roku box. Roku has put out a good product and has years of experience in this market, so I'll wait to see how Roku will respond.


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## Shastastan

There's a long thread on the Amazon Discussions Board about Roku.  Apparently it works for some, but not others.  It didn't work with Amazon Instant Video for me and I ended up buying a Sony Blu Ray dvd player since I don't have a smart tv.  The UI on the Sony is not the best though so I ordered the Amazon Fire TV box.  I have a Chromecast that I never used because it didn't add Amazon Instant TV as one rumor said it would.  Since it's by Google, I shouldn't be surprised.  I'm hoping that Amazon will give good support to its new product and keep it updated.


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## Speaker-To-Animals

I'm confused by anyone who couldn't make a Roku work for them. I haven't had a single problem and we've gone from a "netflix player" to a 2nd gen LT to a current gen Roku 3.


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## Betsy the Quilter

Everyone is different; everyone has different networks and different TVs that they hook it up to.  My original Roku has been mostly trouble free, but it's lost the network a couple of times and I've had to restart from scratch hooking it up.  (And this happened the first time when it was still fairly new.)

Betsy


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## Tia K

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Everyone is different; everyone has different networks
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and different TVs that they hook it up to. My original Roku has been mostly trouble free, but it's lost the network a couple of times and I've had to restart from scratch hooking it up. (And this happened the first time when it was still fairly new.)
> 
> Betsy


i'd like to see a Roku review if that's possible here, would be nice. looks nice


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## Toby

Do you have to have a smart TV - have internet - in order for the Amazon TV or Roku or any others to work?


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## Ann in Arlington

I have basically zero interest in this product.


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## mooshie78

Toby said:


> Do you have to have a smart TV - have internet - in order for the Amazon TV or Roku or any others to work?


You have to have internet of course, but any TV will work.

A smart TV usually already has Netflix, Amazon and other apps built into it meaning you wouldn't need a Roku or Amazon TV at all.

No interest in Amazon TV personally. Like others, I have a ton of gadgets already that have all the streaming apps between my Bluray player, a Roku, Playstation 3 and 4, iPhone, iPad etc., and I'm not interested in mobile games on the TV 

However, it does look like a pretty slick gadget for people who still need a streaming box and/or want to play mobile games on the TV.


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## QuantumIguana

Toby said:


> Do you have to have a smart TV - have internet - in order for the Amazon TV or Roku or any others to work?


No, you don't. In fact, if you have an internet-enabled TV, you probably don't need one of these set-top boxes - the functionality is built in.


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## YorkieMom

QuantumIguana said:


> No, you don't. In fact, if you have an internet-enabled TV, you probably don't need one of these set-top boxes - the functionality is built in.


Unless you have a Samsung Smart TV made before 2013, They are not compatable to stream from Amazon( according to their compatability page). And,of course mine is not.


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## Broadus

Here are a couple of reviews, this one from Tom's Guide (http://www.tomsguide.com/us/amazon-fire-tv,review-2103.html and a second from ReadWrite (http://readwrite.com/2014/04/04/amazon-fire-tv-review-hands-on-impressions#awesm=~oAtR92vntRqchQ.

I'm looking to drop our Dish subscription, so the Fire TV's lack of channels or viewing apps is a real negative compared to Roku's.


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## Sean Sweeney

Let me know when Amazon gets into ABC, NBC, CBS, NESN, HBO, etc.... then I may consider getting it.


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## QuantumIguana

YorkieMom said:


> Unless you have a Samsung Smart TV made before 2013, They are not compatable to stream from Amazon( according to their compatability page). And,of course mine is not.


That is one of the downsides of embedding applications into the TV. They tend not to get updated, but with a set-top box, you can always get a box.


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## VondaZ

I received mine today and got it hooked up and so far it addresses all of the issues I had with our older Roku's and my BluRay player.

1. Voice search worked. I had been watching The Hour, the sequel. Said that into the microphone and it instantly found it. I selected it and it knew what episode I was on and went right to it. I easily added it to my watchlist (was surprised it wasn't there already).

2. ASAP worked in this case. I started playing and it started right away. I tried a few shows that I have never watched before and they came up really quickly as well. Just a second or two of the spinner and the show started right away. Much faster than I am used to.

3. FF and RW are very fluid and no buffering issues. Pressing the fast forward button once skips ahead 10 seconds. Rewind goes backward 10 seconds. Press and hold to start a continuous ff or rw. Do it again to change speeds. You see a little box with a still picture of the point it is at as it FF or RW. Press the play button and it immediately picks up at that point - no buffering, no waiting. Much better than my older devices.

4. No PIN numbers unless you opt for enabling parental controls during setup. Yes!

5. It has closed caption for Amazon Prime videos. I have never been able to use closed caption with prime videos on my other devices. It is probably a user issue there - I don't know if it was because Amazon didn't support it or the devices didn't support it or I just could never figure out how to turn it on or the things I was watching at the time didn't have CC. I found it instantly on this device for the show I selected and wasn't even looking for it. So if it was always present before, it was harder to find at the least.

So far, I am very happy with it. I am not sure how well it works with non-Amazon content as I don't subscribe to other services at this time. I tried using Crackle, which is free. It worked fine, but I couldn't voice search Crackle's content - if I tried, it took me out of Crackle and found the program on Amazon instead.

I have to use it a while to really get a feel for the new interface and all, but what I did was very smooth and intuitive and it gave me everything I wanted in a new box. I don't have Roku3, so that may be just as good or better, but this is way better than my BluRay and my older Roku's.


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## Shastastan

Kat S said:


> I'm confused by anyone who couldn't make a Roku work for them. I haven't had a single problem and we've gone from a "netflix player" to a 2nd gen LT to a current gen Roku 3.


The Roku worked with Hulu, Netflix, etc.. It would also work with Amazon Instant Video but would stop working half way through a movie. This made it useless for us. YMMV.


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## balaspa

I just don't see this replacing cable for us. We can get Prime via our DVD player these days - why spend $100 for this? I'd rather get Chromecast, I think. However, if people like it, who am I to judge? I'm just cranky today.


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## Sandpiper

I was looking at reviews and comments on Amazon's page for this.  Someone commented that voice search works for Amazon videos only -- no other video suppliers.


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## B. Justin Shier

A teardown for those interested.

http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Amazon%20Fire%20TV%20Teardown/23856

I'm hearing mixed things about Plex support. If I can't push my own H.264 media onto this thang, it's on its way back to Henderson, NV. Le early adopter gitters....

B.


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## Broadus

CNET's review sounds a lot like others I've read: http://www.cnet.com/products/amazon-fire-tv/.


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## Toby

Thanks everyone for your responses!   I have a regular LG TV. I have never tried the Roku or the Apple, but I have read that many people do use & like them. It will be interesting to see what the responses will be for Amazon's. The speaking part does sound great.


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## Leslie

I bought a Fire TV and it arrived yesterday. Now, realize, we don't have a Roku or Apple TV, nor do we have cable. My husband bought a Chromecast gizmo at Christmas but that won't show Amazon streaming content and I watch a lot of movies and shows from Amazon, so the Chromecast was sort of useless to me. 

I hooked the Fire TV up, it downloaded software, and showed a "how to" video. Then I was up and running. It is amazingly easy to use--maybe similar devices are equally easy, but since I haven't used them, I don't have a comparison. The voice search seems to work very well. I logged in our Hulu Plus and Netfix accounts without any problem. Last night we watched the Daily Show (from Wednesday), bits and pieces of various movies, Julia Child making crepes, and an episode of Mission Impossible (the famous one where they melt all the gold in the vault and then paint the floor grey). If I paused one show to skip to another, when I came back, the first one resumed instantly at the right place.

It seems like a great little gadget--perfect for me. Like I said, I don't have anything else to compare. Roku owners might not see a need for this, which I can understand. But for the price and what it does, I am a happy customer.

L


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## Forster

w/o the hbo go channel it's worthless to me atm


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## MLPMom

We got ours as well today and so far are absolutely loving it. So easy to use my kids have been using it without us even showing them how first and have had no issues whatsoever with it (knock on wood!).


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## Toby

Glad to know that it's easy to set up & use. Thanks for letting us know how it worked out.


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## Vicki G.

Toby said:


> Thanks everyone for your responses!  I have a regular LG TV. I have never tried the Roku or the Apple, but I have read that many people do use & like them. It will be interesting to see what the responses will be for Amazon's. The speaking part does sound great.


Chiming in, I have had a Roku since I first discovered them back when one Netflix subscription got you both DVDs and streaming so that's been a while. I've never had any trouble with it. I've always said it was the best $99 I ever spent. Not sure what the earlier reference to "networks" meant. I have the Roku 2 and it works on wi-fi. The new Roku3 has the capability of being hard-wired.

And of course, you must have an internet connection and a reasonably fast one or the streaming will be constantly pausing to buffer. As another poster said, I personally love the earphone remote feature. I live in an apartment and sometimes the music in movies is annoyingly loud. It's too loud, you turn the volume down and you can't hearing the speaking. So although I'm alone, I pull out the earbuds, plug them in which turns off the volume on the TV and the volume is controlled by up/down buttons on the remote. LOVE IT!!!!


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## Mandy

I am rather clueless with this streaming stuff, but I am interested in one of these devices. My main question is, when you use these devices to stream movies to your tv, do the movies pause and buffer? I have wireless internet, but I couldn't tell you what the speed is or anything. When we watch YouTube videos on the iPad, it's constantly buffering. Yet when the kids watched movies on their Kindles during a Prime trial, they'd buffer for the first couple of minutes and then seemed to play fine after.


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## Leslie

Mandy said:


> I am rather clueless with this streaming stuff, but I am interested in one of these devices. My main question is, when you use these devices to stream movies to your tv, do the movies pause and buffer? I have wireless internet, but I couldn't tell you what the speed is or anything. When we watch YouTube videos on the iPad, it's constantly buffering. Yet when the kids watched movies on their Kindles during a Prime trial, they'd buffer for the first couple of minutes and then seemed to play fine after.


I am also not an expert and my answer is based on 48 hours of using the Fire TV. As I said before, I've never had a Roku or Apple TV so this is my first experience.

The Fire TV hooked itself up with minimal intervention from me. It found our home wireless network (I needed to enter the password) and has worked flawlessly every since. No buffering or spinning wheels. I choose a show or movie and it just plays--no pauses. I control everything from the TV with the remote--no "flinging" or "slinging" from a computer, iPad or Android phone to get a picture on the screen.

The screen gives me choices: movies, TV, watchlist, games. Videos I have purchased through Amazon display as a choice. Because I have Prime, shows/movies display that I can watch immediately at no cost. I was able to connect my Netflix and Hulu accounts easily. The voice search works well in Amazon, not so well in other options, but then it displays a keyboard and I can type what I am searching for.

So far, this is working great for me.

L


----------



## Mandy

Leslie said:


> I am also not an expert and my answer is based on 48 hours of using the Fire TV. As I said before, I've never had a Roku or Apple TV so this is my first experience.
> 
> The Fire TV hooked itself up with minimal intervention from me. It found our home wireless network (I needed to enter the password) and has worked flawlessly every since. No buffering or spinning wheels. I choose a show or movie and it just plays--no pauses. I control everything from the TV with the remote--no "flinging" or "slinging" from a computer, iPad or Android phone to get a picture on the screen.
> 
> The screen gives me choices: movies, TV, watchlist, games. Videos I have purchased through Amazon display as a choice. Because I have Prime, shows/movies display that I can watch immediately at no cost. I was able to connect my Netflix and Hulu accounts easily. The voice search works well in Amazon, not so well in other options, but then it displays a keyboard and I can type what I am searching for.
> 
> So far, this is working great for me.
> 
> L


Thank you! I'm gonna be watching this closely over the next few days. My DirecTV bill keeps going up, and is currently about $94 a month even without any movie channels! It's getting ridiculous. One more question... When TV episodes air, how long is it before they typically become available through Netflix or any other streaming service?


----------



## QuantumIguana

Mandy said:


> Thank you! I'm gonna be watching this closely over the next few days. My DirecTV bill keeps going up, and is currently about $94 a month even without any movie channels! It's getting ridiculous. One more question... When TV episodes air, how long is it before they typically become available through Netflix or any other streaming service?


With Netflix it could be quite some time. They usually will put up an entire season a time, after the season has ended. Hulu Plus usually puts episodes up the next day.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

Vicki G. said:


> Not sure what the earlier reference to "networks" meant.


[quote author=Vicki G.]And of course, you must have an internet connection and a reasonably fast one or the streaming will be constantly pausing to buffer.
[/quote]

Hi, Vicki--

I think my comment about people having different networks and thus not all experiences will be the same is the one you are referring to? I meant, and didn't explain well, is what you explain in your second paragraph above. Not everyone has the same speed and reliability for their Internet connection and WiFi network, so even though a device might work great for one person, someone else might have problems. My Netgear PushTV works great here, didn't work very well at the condo we rented in San Diego--the WiFi network couldn't support it. And viewing directly on the Fire also ended up buffering a lot and sometimes failing. I might bring the Roku next year (or, if I pick up an Amazon Fire TV by then, the Fire TV) and see how it works by comparison.

Betsy


----------



## Vicki G.

Mandy said:


> Thank you! I'm gonna be watching this closely over the next few days. My DirecTV bill keeps going up, and is currently about $94 a month even without any movie channels! It's getting ridiculous. One more question... When TV episodes air, how long is it before they typically become available through Netflix or any other streaming service?


Mandy, I've done the same thing. Amazon has an article/ feature, not sure what you would call it about cutting the cord. I have an antenna on my TV for local shows. The main reason I ever had cable was for the DVR. There is a fairly new service called Aereo which is like a DVR except that it works over the internet and through your computer, no additional equipment required. It will also connect through Roku so you can watch TV shows on your big screen TV. Unfortunately, it is only in select large cities right now but if you are lucky enough to be in one, check it out. Aereo.com. My cable bill with internet was $139 for the very smallest cable package and internet. Now my internet bill is $65 and I pay $8 for Netflix (did that before) and $12 for Aereo (so I can record 2 shows at one time) and I have Amazon Prime. You can also go to the TV networks websites but most of them have a one week delay (used to be one DAY delay... sighh). And when you are really desperate to see a TV show that you missed, you can always buy them on Amazon for $1.99 an episode. Or check out Hulu Plus and see if they have what you're looking for. I think it is $8 a month too.

The other thing about buffering on devices. I was told (and it's true) that any device going through Wi-Fi will be slower than a direct hookup. Also that devices (tablets, etc.) are slower than a computer. So if you don't mind having cables running everywhere, the Roku3 would be faster than my Roku2, simple because it can be hard-wired.

Whew! That drained my brain of all my knowledge on the subject.


----------



## Chad Winters

I cut the cord 2 years ago and use Simple.tv as a DVR for over the air broadcast antenna channels. They have an app for Roku, but not sure if they will have one for Amazon's device.
www.simple.tv
Also Netflix and Amazon Instant


----------



## Vicki G.

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Hi, Vicki--
> 
> I think my comment about people having different networks and thus not all experiences will be the same is the one you are referring to? I meant, and didn't explain well, is what you explain in your second paragraph above. Not everyone has the same speed and reliability for their Internet connection and WiFi network, so even though a device might work great for one person, someone else might have problems. My Netgear PushTV works great here, didn't work very well at the condo we rented in San Diego--the WiFi network couldn't support it. And viewing directly on the Fire also ended up buffering a lot and sometimes failing. I might bring the Roku next year (or, if I pick up an Amazon Fire TV by then, the Fire TV) and see how it works by comparison.
> 
> Betsy


Betsy, Sorry about that. I was just a bit confused by the terminology. I think you are going to find that anything that works over the internet is dependent on the internet speed. I don't travel at all, a big old homebody, so whatever I wrote was aimed at providing service for a person's home. My devices are all wi-fi mainly because honestly, I refuse to pay for internet in more than 2 places. Next year when I retire, I'm getting rid of internet coverage on my iPhone, getting a flip phone for phone calls, use my iPad when I'm at home. Cheap me!! Homebody me!!


----------



## mooshie78

Yeah, the buffering/stuttering is all dependent on your internet speed.  Wifi shouldn't matter unless you're either (or both):

1.  Right on the cusp of not having fast enough broadband--generally you want around 3.0 mbps or up to be problem free--but the faster the better.
2.  Have the streaming device in a room too far from the router and it doesn't pick up the signal very strongly.  The weaker the signal the slower the speed.  

I have 25 mbps download speed with comcast.  I usually get 20-22 MBPS via wifi upstairs where the router is.  Downstairs it's much slower (5-15 mbps depending on room) in a couple rooms where the wifi signal is weak.  But still more than fast enough to stream on a laptop without buffering.

But if you have old DSL with like 1.5-3.0 mbps top speed, then you may have some wifi issues of signal isn't strong in the room you want to put the Fire TV or other gadget.


----------



## bordercollielady

Hah!  I know I said I wouldn't but I'm a technology junkie.    I decided to try the Fire TV too - and I had a gift card balance.  I moved my Roku to a second TV and put the new one on the TV I watch most of the time.  I like it.  Wish I could use the voice search for Netflix - but it works great for Amazon Instant  Video.  Very easy to use.    Didn't take long to set it up at all.


----------



## Vicki G.

bordercollielady said:


> Hah! I know I said I wouldn't but I'm a technology junkie. I decided to try the Fire TV too - and I had a gift card balance. I moved my Roku to a second TV and put the new one on the TV I watch most of the time. I like it. Wish I could use the voice search for Netflix - but it works great for Amazon Instant Video. Very easy to use. Didn't take long to set it up at all.


WOW! I wasn't expecting that one. I woulda thought the voice search would work for everything. Bummer.


----------



## Leslie

Vicki G. said:


> WOW! I wasn't expecting that one. I woulda thought the voice search would work for everything. Bummer.


From various reviews and reports that I have read, voice search may be coming to other applications. Right now it works for Amazon content, Hulu Plus, and Vevo.

L


----------



## bordercollielady

Leslie said:


> Right now it works for Amazon content, Hulu Plus, and Vevo.
> 
> L


I used to have Hulu Plus - but didn't use it enough - to justify keeping it after Amazon bumped up the price of Prime . Hoping that Netflix will support the voice searches someday!


----------



## larryb52

can we move this to another topic other than about kindle? this has nothing to do with a e reader or have we gotten that far off topic and no I don't watch TV so this topic is meaningless to me...sorry


----------



## Chad Winters

hmm interesting question, does the Fire TV belong in the Kindle Family?


----------



## larryb52

its a TV service so its not about a kindle a topic needs to be created and moved there. I think amazon should get back to fixing the PW2 update that still has not been fixed. They keep coming up with new ways to take money off people but their follow up has been lacking...


----------



## Shastastan

Re: Home Networks...."One size does not fit all"..  I live in a small town.  I realize that the big cities have far better internet bandwidth and speed than our town.  In fact, I cannot even use a dual band with router with our AT& T dsl service.  We are paying $55 a month for the best that At & T can do for us.  Cable is over twice that.  I'm sure that we will be one of the last to get upgraded in who know how many years from now.  We are able to stream via wifi though, with our Netgear combo modem router.  Fire TV produces a much better picture and speed than the internet via our blu ray player  So far, there has been no buffering problems.  I did get a message during the setup download of a software update saying that our internet speed is slower than usual.  That worried me, but all is working well so far.  We do turn off our other things using the wifi network when we watch a movie in hopes that will help with any buffering problems.  Fire TV is really fast compared to the blu ray player and the Roku (an older model) we had in the past.  Again, YMMV


----------



## HappyGuy

" We do turn off our other things using the wifi network when we watch a movie in hopes that will help with any buffering problems." You should try it with your other devices connected just to see if there is an impact.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

Actually, Larry has a good point....  I'm going to move it to Not Quite Kindle (that IS where we discuss TV most of the time, after all).  It's not about any kind of Kindle, nor is it a service that we'll access through our Fires.

Betsy


----------



## Leslie

Betsy moved and I merged the two threads we had on the Fire TV--neither one had a descriptive title so I changed that, too.

For the record, I am still very happy with my Fire TV. I like the Frequency app.

L


----------



## Atunah

I really want one. But I only have 2 TV's in the house and each has a Roku on it. One a Roku 3 and the other an older one. I also have a googleTV that is about kaputt. So if they can add an app for the FireTV like the silk browser or chrome, it would replace my beloved googleTV.

I also read somewhere that they are working on getting HBO GO on the FireTV and that it should be there soon. 

I would also use the gaming part of it. I don't have any of the playstation or Xbox gaming thingies. I got a wii a long time ago and I can't find any games for it anymore. I do not play brutal games or shoot em dead type. I like playing on bigger screens though, so this would be nice. With the controller.  

I am keeping my eye on it.


----------



## Mike D. aka jmiked

I'd be very interested in getting the new device. However, I've not seen any mention of  being able to get the Acorn TV channel with it, which is a deal-breaker. I didn't know anything about Acorn until I got my Roku 3, but now I watch more content from it than I do from any other streaming source.


Mike


----------



## Chad Winters

hmm I never use Acorn, may have to try


----------



## Broadus

I'm still uncertain about it. I've no doubt that the Fire TV is a really fine device. Most of Roku's 1200 or whatever channels do not interest me, but several do that are not carried on the Fire TV. I realize that Amazon says there are more to come, but several on Roku that interest me (PBS and some of the news channels come to mind) are not on the Fire and it's hard to buy a device on a hope for what it may carry.

I've just ordered an outside antenna for local stations, and a streaming device will help make up for what we're losing by breaking up with Dish TV. Right now, I'm leaning towards Roku, but that could change.


----------



## Shastastan

The picture quality on Fire TV is really nice and an improvement over our blu ray player that we were streaming with.  For many of us content is just as important as the device quality though.  We are sort of betting on the future that Amazon will add a lot more.  They said music is coming and we already have some stored on the Cloud Drive.  The Fire tv is really fast on changing screens, downloads, etc..  Games is a plus, too since we gave our Wii to our grandkids.  It was interesting that Quell came up on the Fire TV menu since I had bought that app way back when Kindle Fire first came out.  Hope some of our other games will work with upgrades, too.


----------



## Leslie

This came through my inbox yesterday:

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr. 17, 2014-- (NASDAQ: AMZN)--Amazon today announced that Hulu Plus, Crackle, and SHOWTIME ANYTIME are joining VEVO in integrating their full catalogs into Fire TV's unified voice search.

"We're excited and energized by the momentum we're seeing with Fire TV," said Dave Limp, Vice President, Amazon Devices. "Customers are telling us they love it, developers are building for it, and we're working hard to expand existing features and build new ones. We're thrilled to have Hulu Plus, Crackle, and SHOWTIME integrating their full selection of movies and TV shows into Fire TV's unified voice search."

The reviews are in:

"Fire TV's impressive evolution of the TV-watching experience is a remote control that lets you quickly search a world of Internet video, game and app content with only your voice." - Wall Street Journal
"The responsiveness of the box, the voice search, and the no-wait streaming are the best you'll find out there." - GeekWire
"After playing with Amazon's smart interface, competitors are going to need to catch up." - USA Today
"What sets Fire TV furthest apart from competing devices is its voice search." - Associated Press
"Fire TV's quad-core processor makes for browsing at breakneck speeds. Load times? Haha, what load time?" - Gizmodo
"Amazon did a terrific job with the design of the Fire TV." - Mashable
"I can say this: gaming on the Fire TV is very real, and bears some serious watching." - CNet
"The impressive nature of the fluid control was most notable when typing in account information and passwords, and the nearly instantaneous loading of videos and movies from Amazon Prime and Instant Video." - Consumer Reports
"Voice search is never not amazing. You almost dare it to mess up, trying the most complicated names you can think of." - Gizmodo
"...it's easy to see why the Fire TV replaces the Roku 3 as my set top box recommendation." - The Verge
"Boot-up is a matter of seconds, and content starts playing from Amazon Instant Video within a scant moment of hitting the play button." - SlashGear
"Don't underestimate Amazon's inclusion of gaming on Fire TV. It's the real deal." - The Street
"The most exciting thing was watching it play a video. And that's not because is spit out beautiful 1080p content (which it did). It's because the device didn't even take a breath before launching into our selection. When Peter Larsen showed off how quickly its ASAP technology allowed the Fire TV to start playing a video on stage we were impressed but skeptical. After spending some time with the Fire TV we feel obligated to apologize for our skepticism." - Engadget
"The ASAP video feature really works." - TIME
"...it might be the best voice search utility I've ever used - even better than Google Now on Android." - The Verge
"I've owned high-end Rokus, a Samsung SmartTV, and an Apple TV and have never seen a media streaming player move so quickly." - TechCrunch

Here's what customers are saying:

"This box is a GAME CHANGER for on demand content! Amazon knocked it out of the park." -William H.
"Accurate voice search - This one surprised me, It actually worked" - Amadeus K.
"This thing is fast fast fast. Moving through the UI is instant, effortless, fluid, intuitive and pretty." - Chris T.
"The unit handles everything thrown at it and games like Asphalt aren't all that far off from console arcade style racers." - Mike
"Wow, I love this thing. Having used a few generations of Roku, 2 Apple TV's and other solutions...I was always left wanting. When I'd first heard rumors of Amazon doing a set top box I got excited, when I saw it was available for sale it took me all of 3 seconds to go 'yup I'm going to order and pay for local delivery'" - Ryan M.
As with all Amazon products, the team is already working hard to make Fire TV even better:

Voice search is expanding--Hulu Plus, Crackle, and SHOWTIME ANYTIME will be integrating voice search for their full catalogs starting this summer.
Selection keeps growing--There's a big pipeline of great developers working to make their services and games available for Fire TV. New selection is coming from developers like Telltale Games, Halfbrick, Pixowl, Disney Interactive, Minority Media, Paradox Interactive, Gaiam, AllRecipes, and Twitch.
New features are also already in the works for Fire TV, including:

New Prime browse will make it even easier to discover movies and TV shows that are included in Prime Instant Video.
Amazon FreeTime and Amazon MP3 integration coming as part of a free, over-the-air software update.
More Games coming soon. In addition to the over one hundred games available on Fire TV, you will be able to play touch-enabled games with the upcoming Fire TV app for your phone or tablet.


----------



## Leslie

For those who wanted HBO Go on the Fire TV--it will be coming, apparently.

HBO signs up for Amazon Prime, Fire TV
In a deal that's sure to sting Netflix, Amazon licenses HBO programs for its Prime Instant Video service exclusively -- but no "Game of Thrones" -- and says HBO Go app will be on its Fire TV media-streaming box later this year.

http://www.cnet.com/news/hbo-signs-up-for-amazon-prime-fire-tv/

L


----------



## mlewis78

I ordered the Fire TV yesterday and it has guaranteed delivery through 2-day prime on Tuesday.  However, they sent it through USPS and they usually deliver at night when I'm at work.  I'm home all day until 3pm and they usually deliver around 8pm.  Then I have to pick up from post office later on.  They shipped the device and the HDMI cable separately from different Amazon warehouses.


----------



## Broadus

We ended up ordering a Roku 3 and like it fine. I'll keep my eye on the Amazon Fire and see how it progresses over the next iteration or two.


----------



## NogDog

Got mine today. Setup was a breeze, and the interface is much more responsive than via my networked disc player or TV. Haven't played with it enough yet to come to any overall conclusions, though.


----------



## mlewis78

I set mine up last night.  Like it so far but didn't watch anything, since I had some shows on my dvr that I wanted to catch up on.  Hardest thing was getting the HDMI plug into the TV, since it's on the back (even though I had the HDMI cable from my Kindle Fire HD in there and just had to pull that out first).


----------



## Leslie

I really like my Fire TV. I've been watching the Daily Show (one day late) and lots of movies.

L


----------



## mlewis78

Leslie said:


> I really like my Fire TV. I've been watching the Daily Show (one day late) and lots of movies.
> 
> L


Leslie, where would I find the Daily Show on my Fire TV? I've been recording it on dvr for years, but if there is a way to find it the next day (other than watching on my computer), I might do that instead.


----------



## Leslie

mlewis78 said:


> Leslie, where would I find the Daily Show on my Fire TV? I've been recording it on dvr for years, but if there is a way to find it the next day (other than watching on my computer), I might do that instead.


We watch it through HuluPlus, which requires a subscription. I believe it is $7.99/month. My son pays for it but you can have other people on the account, which is what we do.

L


----------



## *DrDLN* (dr.s.dhillon)

Leslie said:


> "I've owned high-end Rokus, a Samsung SmartTV, and an Apple TV and have never seen a media streaming player move so quickly." - TechCrunch


G

I don't watch much TV but LG SmartTV with their latest setup is very pleasant experience. I never liked Play Station and other stuff...


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Question about how the Fire TV works in our Fire Talk board: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,186299.msg2627626.html#msg2627626

Maybe one of you all who've gotten and used it can help this member?


----------



## geniebeanie

I am interested but can anyone tell me how to install it on my high definition TV. Thanks in advance.


----------



## mlewis78

geniebeanie said:


> I am interested but can anyone tell me how to install it on my high definition TV. Thanks in advance.


You plug the HDMI cable (sold separately) into the TV. On mine, the HDMI port is in the back of the TV. After you plug the power cord to a socket, you are ready to see the display on your TV. It will ask you to connect to your wi-fi network and put password in.


----------



## Sandpiper

I am definitely thinking about it. Not techie here. Sounds like various streaming devices stream / operate at different speeds? Doesn't only depend on your ISP? I stream on my TV via TiVo. For one thing, free Prime videos don't work on it. I think Amazon may not now allow and has not in the past allowed it because of their Fire TV. *I betcha.* Does anyone stream _Amazon Prime Instant Videos_ through a device other than Fire TV? Which one(s)?


----------



## Meemo

I stream Prime streaming videos through our Roku - that's actually why I got the first Roku. And we have a couple of smart TVs that stream Prime videos, although the interface is pretty rudimentary on those (can't see my watch list). I can also stream them on the iPad and throw them to the TV using Airplay and our Apple TV box. It's overkill now, but the Airplay thing wasn't around when we first got the Roku.


----------



## MichelleB675

I have a smart tv and a bluray that streams but both have issues (the tv crashes on Amazon videos that i have purchased but not on the Prime videos. it freezes on Hulu, and Netflix isn't the new version with multiple users, the bluray has clunky interface on Amazon and Netflix and never remembers my place if I have to stop Hulu) I love the way the apps worked on my Kindle Fire HDX, so I used some of my birthday money to order the Fire TV. It arrived today and was easy to set up. So far I love it. I just wish it had a Vudu app. I managed to sideload the app to my HDX, so maybe someday I'll attempt it on the Fire TV. But right now it's not that important, as the TV has Vudu and it has worked ok so far.


----------



## Sandpiper

Think I'm going to order a Fire TV today?  Any reason why I shouldn't?  Broadus sent me article with list of worst to best streaming devices.  My current, TiVo box, is one of the worst for streaming.  YEAH!  (But I think it's one of the best DVRs.)  Fire TV is one of top 3 -- Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku 3.  So Fire TV it is!


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

Yay, Sandpiper!  I think you'll like it...

Betsy


----------



## Broadus

Sandpiper said:


> Think I'm going to order a Fire TV today? Any reason why I shouldn't? Broadus sent me article with list of worst to best streaming devices. My current, TiVo box, is one of the worst for streaming. YEAH! (But I think it's one of the best DVRs.) Fire TV is one of top 3 -- Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku 3. So Fire TV it is!


We went with the Roku 3, but the Fire TV will only get better. I suspect you'll like it a lot.


----------



## Sandpiper

I'm mostly just interested in Amazon and Netflix videos -- and HBO if they have separate offering.  TiVo streaming interface is really bad.  I didn't order Fire TV yet.  I don't know why?


----------



## Leslie

Go ahead and buy it. I am very happy with my Fire TV--definitely worth the $99.

L


----------



## Broadus

Sandpiper said:


> I'm mostly just interested in Amazon and Netflix videos -- and HBO if they have separate offering. TiVo streaming interface is really bad. I didn't order Fire TV yet. I don't know why?


Order it and enjoy it. The Fire TV should be perfect for you. Also, a lot of HBO viewing is now on Amazon Prime. A separate HBO channel would probably entail your having to be a cable or satellite TV subscriber.


----------



## Sandpiper

I ordered -- Fire TV, HDMI cable, and Kinivo 5 HDMI port switch box.  Will be delivered Friday.  Probably all I need to do is pull HDMI cables outa here and stick 'em there?  In other words, connect switch box to my TV (only 2 HDMI ports) and then pull TiVo and DVD player HDMI cords from TV and plug them into switch box.  Plug Fire TV into HDMI switch box.  Plug switch box (?) and Fire TV into 'lectric.  And then it all works??  Two more remotes.  Hopefully won't need to use the HDMI switch box remote.  Should switch automatically.  Did say on that Amazon page the doesn't switch automatically with Apple TV.  

It'll be that simple?  I get sceered of technology and get easily frustrated.


----------



## Leslie

When I set mine up it was very simple, although I didn't have multiple cables like you do. Still, I think it will work the same way. Make sure you now the password for your wifi network--it will ask for that in some part of the process.

Keep us posted!

L


----------



## Sandpiper

Leslie said:


> Make sure you now the password for your wifi network--it will ask for that in some part of the process.
> 
> Keep us posted!
> 
> L


Got all my passwords for everything. I keep 3X5 card file of every password -- not just for computer, but all sites where I register.

I wonder if it's necessary that I de-register (somehow?) Amazon and Neflix streaming on my TiVo?


----------



## geoffthomas

Good luck Sandpiper.
I am still on the fence on this one.
Don't have any of this kind of box.


----------



## Sandpiper

Fire TV watch.  It's out for delivery!!  I easily get anxious 'bout the techie stuff.  I think about "problems" I could run into because . . . .  (I do have a concern or two because HDMI switch box and TiVo are involved.)  But then I tell myself to just relax.  Probably plug everything together and it'll all work just fine.  I hope.    Gotta get the dust bunnies (dog hair) cleaned out from behind TV stand.  At least it's not too difficult to get back there to all the cords / spaghetti, etc.

Anyone know if there's an Amazon customer service number dedicated to Fire TV?  If so, will probably be in the box.  How'd we first find out about KCS number?


----------



## MichelleB675

You won't have to de-register those accounts, you may have to go to Netflix and enter a code for your Fire TV (if you do it will appear the first time you log in from there).

I know I had to for Flixster and HuluPlus, but I can't remember if I did for Netflix. But it just takes a few seconds to do and it's very easy 

Enjoy your FireTV! I love mine.

At one point I had some of my own wallpapers/photos uploaded to Amazon Cloud Drive and used them as a screensaver on the FireTV, but it kept defaulting back to Amazon's photos the next time I used it, so I decided to just let it stay that way. They are pretty photos anyway.


----------



## Sandpiper

I haven't had time to actually watch anything yet . . . but it is working.        Called Kinivo for a little tech help with the HDMI switch box.  I highly recommend Kinivo for whatever they sell.  Really good phone tech help.  Good product.  Simple, but thorough instructions with it.  

I've been watching first season of Treme on my 7" FIRE HD screen.  Goin' BIG screen now!

P.S.  I now have 5 remotes by my chair -- TiVo, Fire TV, DVD player, Kinivo HDMI switch box, and Bose Wave Music System.  Enough already.


----------



## Sandpiper

I am enjoying Treme. Started season 2 this morning.


----------



## NogDog

Sandpiper said:


> I haven't had time to actually watch anything yet . . . but it is working.    Called Kinivo for a little tech help with the HDMI switch box. I highly recommend Kinivo for whatever they sell. Really good phone tech help. Good product. Simple, but thorough instructions with it.
> 
> I've been watching first season of Treme on my 7" FIRE HD screen. Goin' BIG screen now!
> 
> P.S. I now have 5 remotes by my chair -- TiVo, Fire TV, DVD player, Kinivo HDMI switch box, and Bose Wave Music System. Enough already.


I'm down to 2 remotes, as I have everything except my FireTV controller running through my Logitech "Harmony" controller. Unfortuately(?), the FireTV controller is not an IR controller, apparently, so all the Logitech controller can do for me is set my TV to the correct input for it, but I then have to muse my FireTV controller for everything else.


----------



## mlewis78

I have three remotes -- the cable, which also controls the TV volume while I watch programs on Fire TV, the dvd remote and the fire TV remote.

Haven't been using mine a lot, since I have so much recorded on my dvr, but when I do use it, it is more enjoyable.  I can't watch cable TV with the built-in TV speakers, which are very good.  I have to hear cable programs through my stereo, and those speakers are not what they once were.  For certain TV programs that use a lot of bass, the sound is terrible.  I don't have a working remote for the stereo, so I have to get up to adjust volume, which is different for each station.  Same with dvd disc watching -- have to hear it through my stereo.  When I watch fire TV, I use the cable remote to adjust the volume on the TV.


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## Sandpiper

TiVo - Kinivo HDMI switch - Fire TV - DVD player - Bose Wave Music System

The switch is supposed to work automatically, in other words don't need to use remote. (Although does not work automatically with Apple TV.) I don't know. Don't know if it's me (probably) or the remote or the box, but I use it (need to?) when I go back and forth between TiVo and Fire TV. I guess if, say, the last thing I was watching was Fire TV I could just hit button on TiVo remote to turn off TV. Wouldn't need to actually go back to TiVo. But it would still record if something was programmed to? I guess I'm still learning fine points, but it all is working well enough for me.


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## Annalog

I ordered the Fire TV, HDMI cable, and the game controller. They have shipped and are supposed to arrive Wednesday.  In the meantime, I have tested the new TV in the master bedroom using my Fire and the Wii since DH took the antenna down over ten years ago. The 20 year old TV in the living room is still hooked up to the DVD and video players as well as the old Nintendo.  The treadmill has now moved from the living room to the master bedroom. No more attacks from the cat while exercising.


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## Annalog

The Fire TV and the rest arrived yesterday. Setup was easy but our WiFi is not the fastest so when playing the first item, The Good Life episode one of season one, it stopped to buffer every few seconds. Then I saw that it was loading stuu due to syncing with my account and that it was showing "connection with problems" for the WiFi. We rebooted the router and then waited a while until all the various menu screens, such as games and apps, seemed complete. We then watched that episode with only a couple buffering waits near the beginning. That is similar to how my Fire loads video on our WiFi.

We haven't used the controller to play games yet.


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## geniebeanie

Mine will be here on Tuesday,not sure how to install on my TV.  Very excited and cannot wait.


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## geniebeanie

I need help, been trying for two days.  Cannot get the tv fire to work.  How do you connect to wireless?  Installed the cable to the back of fire tv and back of my tv.  Pushed home button and nothing.  Thanks for any help.


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## Sandpiper

Screen should just come on. You said you have HDMI cable between TV and Fire TV. May be a stupid question (or not?) -- do you have it plugged in to 'lectric?

*ETA:* Another stupid question -- are batteries in the remote? I don't remember if they were or maybe "hidden" in the box.


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## geniebeanie

I am a idiot.  Did not realise I had to go on the tv remote to get the  input setting like the DVD.  It is working great.


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## Sandpiper

Congratulations!  You got it going.    I'm not techie, but pretty sure I know what you're talking about.  Before I had the Fire TV and HDMI switch box, I had to do something like what you're talking about when I used my DVD player -- with that remote.  Now I don't, but still when I'm using the DVD player choice of TV, DVD, or DVR still shows on the TV screen.  Now I just ignore that.


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## geniebeanie

I absolutely love it, still have to figure out how to download my pictures.  Have a question about how to access my prime music.  Not really a tv watcher but would love to be able to listen to all of the music.  I installed Netflix last night.  They actually have the almost restored Metropolis .


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## Sandpiper

I'm using Fire TV for video streaming only.  Not getting into using it for music or my photos.


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## loonlover

geniebeanie said:


> I absolutely love it, still have to figure out how to download my pictures. Have a question about how to access my prime music. Not really a tv watcher but would love to be able to listen to all of the music. I installed Netflix last night. They actually have the almost restored Metropolis .


If you haven't already figured out how to listen to music, we just did. We tried to make it complicated, but all you do is go to music on the menu and you have access to your Amazon music library. Multiple choices are by playlist, albums, artists, and genres.


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## Ann in Arlington

Apparently it will be available soon in the UK and Germany, per this article: http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/03/amazons-fire-tv-europe/


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## Linjeakel

Ann in Arlington said:


> Apparently it will be available soon in the UK and Germany, per this article: http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/03/amazons-fire-tv-europe/


It's actually available for pre-order in the UK from today - release date 23rd October. It's £79 - or for Prime members who order in the next five days, £49 - which is a pretty hefty saving.


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## Sandpiper

I have a Fire TV.  All I use it for are Amazon and Netflix videos.  Both were totally fine in the beginning.  Now after a few months, Amazon still streams fine, but Netflix videos can be a little jerky, voices and mouths aren't always in sync, etc.  Amazon is fine -- Netflix not quite so.  Do I have reason to be a little skeptical about Amazon?  Would it be something to do with Netflix or would Amazon do something so other video suppliers don't stream as well?


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## Meemo

I'd be inclined to think it's a Netflix issue. I have trouble with the sound on Netflix. When I try to watch certain shows the sound is just too low - I've ended up watching Breaking Bad (highly recommend that one, by the way) on my iPad using earbuds so I can hear it.  It isn't that way with all shows. But it was that way using both the Apple TV and the Roku, and with other videos, but not all. 

And really, it wouldn't make much business sense for Amazon to intentionally do something that would cause people to return a product, and give it bad reviews.


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## Sandpiper

Sandpiper said:


> I have a Fire TV. All I use it for are Amazon and Netflix videos. Both were totally fine in the beginning. Now after a few months, Amazon still streams fine, but Netflix videos can be a little jerky, voices and mouths aren't always in sync, etc. Amazon is fine -- Netflix not quite so. Do I have reason to be a little skeptical about Amazon? Would it be something to do with Netflix or would Amazon do something so other video suppliers don't stream as well?


Hadn't tried Netflix via Fire TV since I posted above. Tried Netflix yesterday. It's working fine. KNOCK ON WOOD. So I am now bingeing on Boss. I'm on the 2nd to last episode of season 1. Oh my!


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## geniebeanie

Netflix works great on my fire TV.  Had a nightmare getting registered but no problems getting it to play.  Now I am going to get the game controller.  How dose that work.?  How do I get it to work with Fire TV.?


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## Sandpiper

No interest in games here.  I've got so many DVDs and there's so much available for streaming (and more coming) -- I'll never get out of the recliner.


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## mlewis78

I've been watching netflix on my fire tv for a couple of months.  It's been about a week since I used it on there.  Tonight I was surprised to find that netflix did not show up in the recent row.  I had to download it again (pressed the "free" part, downloaded and opened).  Had to log into my netflix account.  I don't know why it wasn't on there already as it had been since I first downloaded it.


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## Sandpiper

I just looked on Amazon's page for Fire TV. _Refurbs_ are available, but _new_ are currently unavailable. Amazon doesn't know when or if it will be available again. 

Whazzup??

*ETA:* I called Amazon. New Fire TVs are out of stock. Amazon doesn't know when they'll get another batch from manufacturer so web page says _IF_. They will be available again some time in the future.


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## Meemo

Maybe it's time for a new model - it's close to time for new Kindle Fires and maybe Voyages and basic Kindles to be announced (at least based on the past 3-4 years).


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## VondaZ

Meemo said:


> Maybe it's time for a new model - it's close to time for new Kindle Fires and maybe Voyages and basic Kindles to be announced (at least based on the past 3-4 years).


There has been a lot of speculation lately that a new FireTV model is coming - even before the FireTV went out of stock:
http://www.aftvnews.com/3-reasons-the-next-generation-fire-tv-will-be-released-soon/#comment-153469

Also, the German and UK Amazon stores have put the FireTVs on sale and now Germany has also sold out:
http://www.aftvnews.com/german-amazon-now-also-no-longer-selling-new-fire-tvs/

Looks like typical get rid of existing stock before announcing the new model behavior.


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