When will this be returned to stock? This product is far better than the newer Generation-3 product. It has a REAL network slot, better processor and is incredible in everyway. This is the box that finally made me a full time cord-cutter. EXTREMELY disappointed that the new generation of the Fire-TV is actually a step back with only a wifi option and the processor is not as good .... very surprised!!! Mine is still working perfectly 2 years later, but if it dies ... I am not sure I will buy the new generation. I LOVE the fact that is has a REAL gigabit port and the fact that lies flat on a table rather than as a dongle. PLEASE BRING BACK or Create a new box that actually competes with this one!!!!
Refurb........my a..! This unit was packed perfect and I could only tell it was refurb because of the sticker on the box. Wow, I contemplated this purchase for too long, but took the time and searched UTube for reviews of so many Android units that it became too much. I looked at the Minix U1 and U9, Nvidia Shield, Azulle Byte 3 and also Aspire, H96 Max and Pro, but for now this is worth the price. Don't get me wrong I will get the Minix or maybe set up a Windows 10 unit like the Azulle or even the AcePC but I think I was getting ahead of things. Do yourself a favor and download PLEX, set up a server, add your music, videos, photos, and personal movies and WOW! Also add a few Chromecast around the house so everyone can use Plex and also play their personal stuff anywhere and wherever they are in the house.
Back to the Fire TV 2. There were comparisons on the Gen 2 vs the Gen 3 and hands down, the ability to add an SD card, usb, and direct Cat5 plug for speed vs using the wireless option is supreme in my book. I setup the Amazon, Netflix, Hulu , Logitech wireless keyboard for adding apps faster, and a few others and this unit works great. And yes, I forgot to mention Alexa, which works just fine. The speed, picture quality and sound makes this the best choice over the Gen3 and also the Firestick. They need to bring this back and maybe add the optical port, bump it to 4gb rams and this would be a top seller over the China boxes out there.
As Oprah would say, " you get a GEN 2, you get a GEN 2, you get a GEN 2!
It was a choice between the new Fire TV cube or the 2nd Gen Fire TV for me. I already a couple of Fire TV 1's, and outside of Ebay, I didn't think I'd be able to purchase a Fire TV 2 from Amazon new or refurbished anymore for a reasonable price. The thing that bothered me about getting the cube was it was too new of a release, thus plenty of bugs, plus I don't have a single use for voice control deciding to continue to control things with my Harmony remote for all my hardware, which is fine because it works great. I am also using both Ethernet and USB ports on the Fire TV 2. Since the Fire TV has the ethernet built in as well as USB without having to purchase an additional Ethernet / USB mini adapter to turn the Cube into the same specs as the Fire TV, I thought why not just stick with the original. The processor in the Fire TV 2 in comparison to the Cube is faster with no external additional cables to bother about and that also suits me fine, because I've got enough cables all over the place. My only issue with this certified refurbished Fire TV 2 at the start, was getting the remote control to pair up with the box. Took me a few minutes. Don't know why, but haven't had a problem after that. I currently own a few Fire TV 1's and fire sticks, but I'm still happy with getting a 2nd Gen Fire TV, refurbished or not while I still could, before they were all gone, because I would never use the voice features in the cube.
Thank God I could get a refurbished unit at a higher price than the new version! The new version is horrible and more like a fire stick. No Ethernet port! Love Amazon but they dropped the ball on the new version and it is a glorified fire stick not box. Horrible marketing and a serious flop on the new version as who wants something hanging from a connection and a DONGLE to connect an Ethernet port! NO ONE that wants a box! Again love amazon but the new fire tv is a joke. So happy I got this and just pray Amazon works out its differences with Google and you tube as my kids watch 90% of their view time on You tube! Amazon show them some love and sell their products as well. The better product wins and that coming from someone who has dots in the home and no interest in Google home!
I seriously wonder why it took me to get FireTV for so long. I originally had a Roku XS and then I stupidly bought a Roku 4. Both devices were all right but neither could handle 5.1 audio from Netflix on my Vizio sound bar (essentially your device must be cable of handling Dolby Digital Plus and nothing less using Roku). I finally decided to give FireTV a try and I'm amazed. Not only does it convert DD+ to DD on Netflix and HBO Go, I can install XBMC (Kodi) on it! I wish I knew about this before I bought my Roku 4 and HTPC. I now literally have no use for my HTPC anymore... FireTV can handle EVERYTHING now and all with DD and DTS 5.1 audio. Even better, I have a ton of smart devices and 3 Echos... I can now control all of these devices directly from the remote. This is seriously one of the best purchases I have made in the past year.
Feature Product
- A Certified Refurbished Fire TV is refurbished, tested, and certified to look and work like new.
- Amazon Fire TV supports 4K Ultra HD for true-to-life picture quality. Watch high-definition 1080p streams on Amazon Video, Netflix, Hulu and more, even without a 4K TV.
- Use your Alexa Voice Remote to check sports scores or the weather, play music, and more - instantly.
- Enjoy tens of thousands of channels, apps, and Alexa skills with access to over 500,000 movies and TV episodes from Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, HBO, SHOWTIME, STARZ, and more. Plus, access millions of websites such as YouTube, Facebook, and Reddit with browsers like Silk and Firefox.
- No cable or satellite? No problem. Watch the best of live TV and sports from AMC, HGTV, ESPN, FOX, and others with a subscription to DIRECTV NOW, or top-rated primetime shows with CBS All Access.
- With a dedicated graphics engine, 2 GB of memory, 8 GB of storage, and expandable storage of up to 128 GB.
- Amazon Prime members get unlimited access to Prime Video, including original programming like Transparent, plus millions of songs with Prime Music. Get a subscription to apps like HBO NOW, Showtime, and STARZ to watch TV episodes, movies, and sports, without cable.
Description
With tens of thousands of channels, apps, and Alexa skills, Amazon Fire TV offers all your favorite subscriptions and streaming services. Fire TV delivers the content you love in up to 4K Ultra HD resolution for true-to-life picture quality. Plus, get universal search results across top apps, enjoy live sports, music, games, and more.
Amazon Fire TV connects your HDTV to a world of online entertainment, letting you stream over 500,000 movies and TV shows in 4K Ultra HD, 1080p, or 720p. Use the included Alexa Voice Remote to easily find the content you love with universal search across more than 190 channels and apps, or discover something new with personal recommendations right on the home screen.
With access to Netflix, Hulu, HBO NOW, Amazon Video, and more—there are over 500,000 TV episodes and movies ready to stream. Watch live TV (including sports and news) as it happens. Directly access millions of websites such as YouTube, Facebook, and Reddit with browsers like Silk and Firefox. Subscription fees may apply.
Use the Alexa Voice Remote to quickly find what you want to watch. Just say, "Find romantic comedies," and Alexa will show you results from apps like Netflix, Hulu, HBO NOW, and Amazon Video. Want to skip the opening credits? Say, "Fast forward a minute."
No cable? No problem.
Watch live TV with subscriptions to Hulu, PlayStation Vue, Sling TV, and others, or use an indoor HD antenna connected directly to your TV to get broadcast networks like NBC and PBS for free.
Even better with Prime
Being a Prime Member unlocks thousands of movies and TV episodes, including Amazon Original Series, plus ad-free listening to over two million songs. From award-winning series Transparent and Mozart in the Jungle to great shows for kids like Tumble Leaf and Creative Galaxy something is always on.
With Amazon Channels, Prime members can also choose from over 100 premium and specialty channels like STARZ and SHOWTIME to add and stream-no cable or satellite subscription necessary. Only pay for the channels you want to watch, and prices start as low as $2.99 a month - and you can cancel anytime. Even better, each channel starts with a free trial, so it's easy to discover new favorites.
Tiny Box. Huge Specs.
Experience true-to-life picture quality when used with compatible 4K Ultra HD TVs. Enjoy rich cinematic surround sound via HDMI with Dolby Audio in supported apps including Amazon Video, HBO GO, Starz, Netflix, and Plex.
From universal search to ultra-smooth streaming, everything about Fire TV is fast and fluid thanks to a quad-core processor with 75% more processing power than the previous generation Fire TV, better Wi-Fi support with dual-band 802.11ac, a dedicated graphics engine, 2 GB of memory, and expandable storage of up to 200 GB (microSD card sold separately).
Entertain your way
Set the mood for any party with millions of songs ready to stream through Pandora, Amazon Music, and iHeartRadio. Plus, watch videos from YouTube, Vevo, and Vimeo or play hundreds of games from Mojang, EA, Disney, and more. Just press the microphone button on the Alexa Voice Remote and say what you’d like to hear, see, or play next.
It didn't set up out of the box as instructed. The remote wouldn't pair with the box even with a change of batteries and cycling through the instructions 4 or 5 times. I attempted to set it up late in the evening and was ready to send it back the next day (I had been advised by other reviews to get a new one vs. refurbished), but lo and behold it was ready for set up when I turned on the tv the next morning. Can't explain it (any help there Amazon?) but it has worked great since then; seamless connection with the apps, great picture quality, quick access to Amazon Prime videos, lots of selections for content. It's not quite the cable killer you might think, in that the apps that I have found don't make local tv channels available in my market. I live in an apartment, so an antenna is really not an option for me, but fire tv will take a serious bite out of my cable/phone/internet bill. By the way, I have AT&T's next to slowest internet speed with 4 computers on the system and I have no problems with speed, picture quality, or buffering
I bought this after being an avid Apple fan for the last 10 years. I had old style two Apple TV's and even bought a new Apple TV to help with me cutting the cord to DirectTV after 11 years. I switch to using the Apple TV with the DirecTV Now streaming service. After the Apple TV would no longer let friends or family airplay to it because of new updates or let me load any third party apps I knew it was time to switch. It was a great switch to the Fire TV and I have not looked back. I have been able to load numerous apps that are not available on the Apple TV such as Showbox and Kodi. My biggest complaint was the Fire TV remote was not able to control the volume on my sound bar like the Apple TV remote and was not able to turn my TV or sound bar on or off. The Sideclick remote was exactly what I needed. I was able to program the remote to control power and sound level, along with change the input on the TV. I would highly recommend using the Fire TV.
Pros:
Works extremely well
Allows 3rd party app installation
Much cheaper than Apple TV
Allows use of amazon music which Apple TV did not
Cons:
Home page is not at visually pleasing as the Apple TV
Remote does not have volume controls
Remote is not touch sensitive and has a very loud *click* noise when pushing buttons.
I have tried a couple of the more cheaply made android TV boxes for media streaming and Plex and having wasted far too much time just tying to get them to work. The Chinese models all seem to start locking up after a day or two and were more trouble than they were worth regardless of the specs they boasted. I avoided the Fire Tv mainly because of the customized version of android. I have come to the conclusion that the Amazon Fire Os is just far more stable. I'd rather weed through an advertisement or two (and get there incredibly fast) than try to wait for a cheaper device to even function.
It even works with games! However there are a few quirks. If you decide to use an Xbox 360 controller with the wireless dongle it can lead you to the factory reset and select it for you. I've discovered that this has to do with the way in which you connect it. Although I'm happy to say the factory reset works flawlessly (if you need it) to avoid this follow these step:
1. Connect the transmitter to the usb with the controller POWERED OFF. This is important if you want to avoid it doing strange things.
2. Pair the controller.
3. Make sure every time you connect the controller it is done in this order.
I really do appreciate the controller support that this unit has built in. It's a pain with android devices when it's not. Most have to be rooted to make it work.
Overall I'm pretty impressed with the unit, although I really don't understand why Amazon decided to discontinue it. The newer unit has an optional wired connection that just seems to be way too slow while this has gigabit connection. Kodi runs faster on the Fire than on my laptop! (You do have to sideload, but there are apps available to do this from another android device).
I was at first tentative about ordering anything refurbished but I now and again try to save a buck or two. To my surprise this Fire TV box came in what looked like brand new pristine condition. I found it to be extremely easy to set up and I am very happy at how it performs. I read the horror stories about people getting these refurbished items and so I am surprised that everything is working well for me. I can't believe it took me so long to get a Fire device. They really rock and makes my 4K UHD TV looks better than ever. Runs all the apps I need except the Charter Spectrum TV app like my Roku Ultimate on another TV in my home. Side loaded the app but won't allow me to sign in. But I am still giving it five stars because of how fast it is and the 4k performance is stunning. I even like the screensavers as the colors are stunning. I recommend this item especially if you are trying to cut the cord.
Well I was so excited about getting this, had a firestick which my daughter took to college. So I thought I would get the Fire TV. I saw a refurbished Fire TV and purchased it. When it came to my house found out that they sent the wrong power supply. So it's kinda of useless right now. Will purchase a power adapter and hope for the best. Will write another review once that comes in. Well have to say that Amazon came through. They had called me about my review and refunded me for my power adapter when it came in. I was pleasantly surprised when this happened. The Fire TV is working like a champ. I commend Yvette and Amazon customer service for doing the right thing and making me a very happy customer. Amazon rocks!!!!.
0 comments:
Post a Comment