Looking at getting a Fire TV Stick where to start? - Fire TV Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I may be picking up a Fire TV Stick for $30. Are there different versions I should be looking for or make sure it hasn't been updated to a certain FW or Update?
Totally new to this and there really isn't any guides post on the top of the forums that lead to what I'm after.
My intent is to replace Dish in the future and be able to use the stick for viewing any and all channels. I really don't care about streaming from Netflix or Prime since I have several terebytes of movies and shows to catch up on as it is. So just looking to replace current televised tv TBH.
Is there ways to record from these or is it just what ever channel you have it set on your watching live and that's it? (The fiance dvr's a bunch of stuff lol)

Related

TV For GNEX --irritated--

Been out searching for a way to watch TV on my device in some shape or form.
Checked the play store, Google, applanet, and Aptoide.
I can't find a reliable place.
Have anyone found anything reliable??? Got movies going for me for free on android but I don't spend much time on movies.
Hi,
Maybe SPB TV:http://spbtv.com/android-software/tv/
But not updated for a long time,I tested it on my HTC Sensation (without ICS) and it worked well.
But now on Gnex and ICS I don't know...Maybe you can give a try...
Weird. They show a GNEX advertising their app on their site. Yet I can't find it on the store.
Any reason for this. Seen this app on my iPod.
Edit1: Now I know why ppl bashed at this in iTunes. =p
Doesn't have Any of the American channels. This is like every other app I've seen.
Thanks though.
Veetle is a good one(playstore). It's only streaming of what the authors choose to host. You can pick from movies, sports, shows. Similar to justin.tv if you are familiar with the format. The down side is again it's streaming and you have to watch what they put up and when.
If you have Xfinity or Comcast there you can watch their on demand with their player. "xfinity player"
For US sadly there is not many streamed live TV channels.
Warner got something going. Got a cousin's ex who told me how they did it is weird and is a mystery and is can't be understood really. He does AT&T cable stuff.
Before I dive into this veetle app, Are there any channels a 16 year old would watch lol.
Cuz I'm 16 and really aim for the larger networks. =p

What can i do with a fire tv box?

I am looking for a replacement to the mad catz m.o.j.o console i had a refund on it but i want open android with superb graphics really,but the thing is i don't want anything too expensive or too cheap either,the problem is i don't know what models are best,or more importantly for this section of the forum what i can do in relation to getting a fire tv gaming and web browsing etc?Can i play games can more importantly can i sideload and also can i sideload downloaded stuff? Or possibly flash a rom on it?
PHYSC-1 said:
I am looking for a replacement to the mad catz m.o.j.o console i had a refund on it but i want open android with superb graphics really,but the thing is i don't want anything too expensive or too cheap either,the problem is i don't know what models are best,or more importantly for this section of the forum what i can do in relation to getting a fire tv gaming and web browsing etc?Can i play games can more importantly can i sideload and also can i sideload downloaded stuff? Or possibly flash a rom on it?
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Dont take this the wrong way, but to get everythihg you want you will need to custom build a HTPC with a computer. These android boxes are good and most are cheap, but they do have limitations and will not meeet all your expectations.
IMO, the FTV is the best box on the market in the under $150 category. If you are willing to comprimise, it should meet most of you expectations. All you questions are answered in this forum, so read up or use search.
byrdcfmma said:
Dont take this the wrong way, but to get everythihg you want you will need to custom build a HTPC with a computer. These android boxes are good and most are cheap, but they do have limitations and will not meeet all your expectations.
IMO, the FTV is the best box on the market in the under $150 category. If you are willing to comprimise, it should meet most of you expectations. All you questions are answered in this forum, so read up or use search.
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Had enough of pc's i am a computer repair technician,i want it for the lower power consumption but with nearing or par with console level graphics.Pc's are too expensive to run they are rubbish in small form factors they tend to burn out on the bridge on the board, or they come with cheap [email protected] psu's that cost a bomb for good one's in small form factor.If there's one thing i learned quickly it was never buy small form factor pc's if you want it to last or not to overheat.
But on the other hand android tv box's don't push the same high level temps because they are only passively cooled quite often as apposed to actively cooled,besides if i really want i'll cooling mod it like my k-r42 with 80mm fan and shimmed.
But basically i want an android unit that has gaming power beyond a mali400 and closing in on if not better than a snapdragon 8xx chip.I've looked at the huwaei tron but it's yet again a 4.2x android system with no guarentee my tv will be supported over hdmi properly i learned that from my mad catz m.o.j.o not outputting 1080p on my 1080p tv.So i may just hang on until k1 touches down in shops but it looks like they are not in a hurry although there is the mipad rumor,i think i'll be waiting until 2015 at this rate before a god unit comes out that has kitkat on it,i was wondering if any rockchip 8 core cpu's are out in tv box form yet,and if they have a heightened gpu to the mali 400? And was also wondering where they fit in terms of graphical power?
Firetv is anything but open. IMO android boxes are all underpowered and frustratingly issue laden. Pity as I too am wanting to buy something good... I bought a s89 tronsmart and it's not as good as I'd hoped. I was interested in the MOJO... Why did you return it, it's a lot more open than Amazon firetv surely?
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk
I've bought it as replacement for raspberry pi and was disappointed. Yes Fire TV build perfectly and has a good hardware. But software is a crap and no way for root by now, only hopes and blocking of update server. It's not clear for now what improvements OTA brings and if root will be issued. If you looking for a good device that works and not for fun reverse engineering hours. Try to find alternative.
May be once it will be a good choice but not now, unfortunately.
Sent from my LG-G2 using XDA Free mobile app
Rumored Android TV BOX... http://pulse.me/s/1jrW6M
God I hope that one IS true and GREAT!
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
I was 100% happy with my ouya, with stock OS, and then even better with CM11. performance was never a problem.
really the only reason I went for firetv was that I watch prime video A LOT. and between flash-plugin + pick-your-favorite-browser being way-EOL and a bit buggy, and the fact that it took literally 6-8 clicks/actions to go to the next episode of a show, vs 1 (or at most 2) clicks/actions on firetv (yeah first-world problems...)
ouya sales on amazon for $60 would still be worth it (esp they want like 50 bucks for just an extra controller) but at the 100 point might as well firetv or something else.
but honestly it all comes down to what do you want to do with it. oh wait I don't have to re-ramble all this...
http://www.xbmchub.com/forums/threads/21722-Fire-TV-vs-Ouya?p=185275&viewfull=1#post185275
Anyone who bought Amazon-anything devices and expect openness is definitely going the wrong path. Amazon has some great devices but it has a pretty strict walled garden environment (which, granted, is kind of pretty) where they are expected to stay. Amazon is somewhat similar if not worse than Apple in this regard.
Amazon's latest devices such as the Fire HDX and the Fire TV are amazing devices on their own right, but if you are not getting them because of what they can do out of the box but instead of what they 'should be able to do' and expect to hack/mod them, you are in for a disappointment. This is what differentiate them to Google's devices, where it can be a gamble whether a product can be 10x better or 10x worse in the few months following its release (see: Google TV vs. Chromecast).
With Amazon devices it's extremely simple. You go to the product page and look at what it's offering. If you're wowed by those, then get it, if you think that 'it has potential', then don't get it.
Newcron said:
Anyone who bought Amazon-anything devices and expect openness is definitely going the wrong path. Amazon has some great devices but it has a pretty strict walled garden environment (which, granted, is kind of pretty) where they are expected to stay. Amazon is somewhat similar if not worse than Apple in this regard.
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Yes and no - I bought this box because I wanted one device that did both amazon video and Netflix. Met expectations there.
But I also wanted to be able to use it as a front-end for music stored on my NAS. This is why I was never interested in Roku, might've been interested in the Apple product but don't remember it having Prime support, and kept using my Western Digital Live Plus for as long as I did - the access to files inside the walls is important to me.
By day 2, I had enabled ADB and sideloaded XBMC. Yes, I don't have root, but I have Amazon, Netflix and local files all in one place, which I like a lot.
From what I've seen, on the Fire tablets amazon doesn't block sideloaded apps, or I wouldn't have bought this device. It makes a decent HTPC device for my purposes, though, and is open enough for me. Of course I'd prefer root, but in this instance, not if having root broke the Amazon Video stuff.
My biggest complaint so far is that amazon doesn't give us a preference setting for how much bandwidth the box should allocate to itself. So I needed to do that with my firewall instead.
I'll be interested to see if Amazon makes Prime available for the rumored Google TV box. My guess is they will not. But if they do, and I'm within my return window when the device is fully announced...

Still Waiting on HBO Go

I know Amazon promised HBO Go by the end of the year, but is anyone else slightly annoyed that it isn't available yet? They advertise Fire TV as the device that is ready to take over as your primary streaming device, but how could that be the case without one of the most content rich streaming providers in existence? I have sideloaded the HBO Go android app and it works, but having to use an air mouse is annoying and the video quality is nowhere close to HD. My guess is the average Fire TV user has no idea how to sideload apps and doesn't have an air mouse. That means they would still have to rely on either a Roku, Apple TV, or Chromecast for HBO Go. I feel like Amazon really dropped the ball on this one by forcing users to rely on another streaming device to handle a large portion of content. For a device to truly thrive it needs to be feature rich and idiot proof. We currently have a Fire TV, 2 Fire TV Sticks, a Chromecast, an Apple TV, and a Roku Stick. If any non-techy person asked me which streaming device they should buy I would tell them Roku Stick because it is inexpensive, has every streaming service available, and is idiot proof. /rant
Would also be nice if they had Fxnow on it also with live TV sideloading the apps gets it done but it's not the same
bradwatson said:
I know Amazon promised HBO Go by the end of the year, but is anyone else slightly annoyed that it isn't available yet? They advertise Fire TV as the device that is ready to take over as your primary streaming device, but how could that be the case without one of the most content rich streaming providers in existence? I have sideloaded the HBO Go android app and it works, but having to use an air mouse is annoying and the video quality is nowhere close to HD. My guess is the average Fire TV user has no idea how to sideload apps and doesn't have an air mouse. That means they would still have to rely on either a Roku, Apple TV, or Chromecast for HBO Go. I feel like Amazon really dropped the ball on this one by forcing users to rely on another streaming device to handle a large portion of content. For a device to truly thrive it needs to be feature rich and idiot proof. We currently have a Fire TV, 2 Fire TV Sticks, a Chromecast, an Apple TV, and a Roku Stick. If any non-techy person asked me which streaming device they should buy I would tell them Roku Stick because it is inexpensive, has every streaming service available, and is idiot proof. /rant
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Agreed it IS annoying! They shouldn't have said by the end of the year if they weren't sure...
As for non-techy people, I still tell them apple tv because although roku is better, I believe comcast still doesn't support HBOGO on roku devices. I have one collecting dust and last checked I couldn't get HBOGO. But my atv has had it for awhile now. Got it hooked up in my living room with a rpi openelec--not super fast but still my most stable, low cost xbmc device.
Side loading HBOGO does not get it done. It is impossible to navigate with the remote and needs added peripherals to get it to do anything. Amazon needs to come through with this like yesterday.
Trying to use FXNOW sideload on my Fire tv with a remote mouse app and I can't get it to let me select sign on... Any luck with this?

Amazon Prime Profiles

I have 3 Fire TVs all have the same Amazon Account since I have Prime. However if I watch a series like Braking Bad in one Fire TV and my wife watches Breaking Bad in the other Fire TV, we always run with the problem that I start watching were she left off and she starts watching where I left off, basically ruining the series for me since she is 3 seasons ahead. Is there a way like Netflix and it's profiles within Amazon Prime that I can use to split my Amazon Prime account. Any feedback is appreciated. I don't see why I would need to pay another account to fix this. And yes I have Kodi but some series are in Prime and load faster there.

Jailbroken Fire TV on ebay?

I am new to Fire TV and don't currently own one.
Whats the deal with the jailbroken fire tv units being sold on flea bay? Are they a waste of time & money?
They claim to provide live TV channels to replace cable etc.
As far as I know there was never a "jailbreak" for this device.
Only certain software revision Fire TVs can be rooted. The current ones at amazon and best buy cannot. It's really hard to find ones that are rootable. I can sell you mine. Thing is a serious POS. First it's as closed off as an apple product when stock. Which wouldn't be so bad, if it actually functioned. Alas, Netflix cannot play smooth on the device at all. I don't know if intentional that amazon does it so you'd use their services or what. At any rate. Buy the shield TV. It's $100 more, but it's at least powerful enough you shouldn't have an issue. I'm unloading mine asap to buy the shield.
supremekizzle said:
Only certain software revision Fire TVs can be rooted. The current ones at amazon and best buy cannot. It's really hard to find ones that are rootable. I can sell you mine. Thing is a serious POS. First it's as closed off as an apple product when stock. Which wouldn't be so bad, if it actually functioned. Alas, Netflix cannot play smooth on the device at all. I don't know if intentional that amazon does it so you'd use their services or what. At any rate. Buy the shield TV. It's $100 more, but it's at least powerful enough you shouldn't have an issue. I'm unloading mine asap to buy the shield.
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It's no worse than the kindles, at least towelroot works. If you're so eager to get rid of yours, sell it to him cheap...
ldeveraux said:
It's no worse than the kindles, at least towelroot works. If you're so eager to get rid of yours, sell it to him cheap...
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That's what I was implying, but I'm pretty sure xda rules perhibit private sales. This thing has been nothing but frustration. My $25 Chromecast? Plays Netflix flawlessly. There's no reason that this device shouldn't be able to.
supremekizzle said:
That's what I was implying, but I'm pretty sure xda rules perhibit private sales. This thing has been nothing but frustration. My $25 Chromecast? Plays Netflix flawlessly. There's no reason that this device shouldn't be able to.
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You're kidding me right? You can side load kodi (hell...you can side load anything). Can't do that on ATV. Its got much better specs. You can use an external drive. And up until a short time ago it retailed for the same as apple TV. Chromecast? Its like a decent tool but what it is able to do doesn't make up for what ftv stick does and the price is the same.
This thread seems kind of trollish.
supremekizzle said:
That's what I was implying, but I'm pretty sure xda rules perhibit private sales. This thing has been nothing but frustration. My $25 Chromecast? Plays Netflix flawlessly. There's no reason that this device shouldn't be able to.
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No, I wasn't agreeing with you[emoji1] . I've had no problems or issues at all with mine, sorry. Everything plays exactly as planned...
KLit75 said:
You're kidding me right? You can side load kodi (hell...you can side load anything). Can't do that on ATV. Its got much better specs. You can use an external drive. And up until a short time ago it retailed for the same as apple TV. Chromecast? Its like a decent tool but what it is able to do doesn't make up for what ftv stick does and the price is the same.
This thread seems kind of trollish.
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I don't think you really follow. I'm not claiming the Chromecast as being more feature rich or powerful than the FTV. I'm saying that if a $25 device can play Netflix smoothly, it's absurd that the FTV can't. Go ahead and Google "fire TV netflix" and it'll return results from tons of people saying that Netflix playback on the device is crap. Netflix is BY FAR and away the most used streaming service. There shouldn't be problems using it on the FTV, but there are. So let me revise my stance: OP, 'jailbroken' or not, if you plan on using the fire TV for Netflix streaming, seek other options. If you're undeterred from broken Netflix, then rooted FTV's are worth it for the extra functionality. Especially the larger partition HDD, since amazon deemed having larger than 4gb would condone piracy since external HDD are apparently only to be used for apps and games, not your media collection.
supremekizzle said:
I don't think you really follow. I'm not claiming the Chromecast as being more feature rich or powerful than the FTV. I'm saying that if a $25 device can play Netflix smoothly, it's absurd that the FTV can't. Go ahead and Google "fire TV netflix" and it'll return results from tons of people saying that Netflix playback on the device is crap. Netflix is BY FAR and away the most used streaming service. There shouldn't be problems using it on the FTV, but there are. So let me revise my stance: OP, 'jailbroken' or not, if you plan on using the fire TV for Netflix streaming, seek other options. If you're undeterred from broken Netflix, then rooted FTV's are worth it for the extra functionality. Especially the larger partition HDD, since amazon deemed having larger than 4gb would condone piracy since external HDD are apparently only to be used for apps and games, not your media collection.
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I heard you fine. Your Netflix issues are just like the ones I've documented/complained about in the past year & change. I was focusing on your 1st post where you called AFTV a "POS" then made a reference to chromecast. I've said many times that its a great media device for the price but Netflix not working is unacceptable. Amazon's heard my complaints but unless I want to shell out $200 for nvidia or upgrade to an htpc, I think this is still the best media center for under $100. Even though my laptop had less trouble with Netflix back in like 2006. My apple TV plays Netflix flawlessly and with better resolution but will remain in storage because although amazon is restrictive, apple has no equal in terms of being locked down.
Btw--what do u mean it won't play? Not at all? Or are you often greeted with an "unable to play title"/loads to 99%...which is usually resolved by quitting the app, worse case reboot.
KLit75 said:
I heard you fine. Your Netflix issues are just like the ones I've documented/complained about in the past year & change. I was focusing on your 1st post where you called AFTV a "POS" then made a reference to chromecast. I've said many times that its a great media device for the price but Netflix not working is unacceptable. Amazon's heard my complaints but unless I want to shell out $200 for nvidia or upgrade to an htpc, I think this is still the best media center for under $100. Even though my laptop had less trouble with Netflix back in like 2006. My apple TV plays Netflix flawlessly and with better resolution but will remain in storage because although amazon is restrictive, apple has no equal in terms of being locked down.
Btw--what do u mean it won't play? Not at all? Or are you often greeted with an "unable to play title"/loads to 99%...which is usually resolved by quitting the app, worse case reboot.
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Ok. Glad we're on the same page. I concur that at $100 it's the best option save for Netflix, closed ecosystem, HDD. With the XDA community it had accomplished quite a bit. So I will agree to disagree and retract my POS comment. Yes. Netflix is almost unusable. I get loading to 99% and unable to play, somewhat frequently. However, the worst problem is the video getting all choppy and stuttering while the audio plays fine. Then the video has to speed up to " catch up" to the audio. This happens ALL OF THE TIME. I've cleared cache, rebooted wayyyyy more times than should have been necessary with this thing.
supremekizzle said:
Ok. Glad we're on the same page. I concur that at $100 it's the best option save for Netflix, closed ecosystem, HDD. With the XDA community it had accomplished quite a bit. So I will agree to disagree and retract my POS comment. Yes. Netflix is almost unusable. I get loading to 99% and unable to play, somewhat frequently. However, the worst problem is the video getting all choppy and stuttering while the audio plays fine. Then the video has to speed up to " catch up" to the audio. This happens ALL OF THE TIME. I've cleared cache, rebooted wayyyyy more times than should have been necessary with this thing.
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You ever consider the fact that it may be network handshake issues? Or speed issues? Wireless vs wired? It seems to work fine for me and all the other people that haven't chimed in, there's no reason it shouldn't for you too!
And realistically you can google any device, paired with any problem, and you'll see threads and threads on that topic. Look how many people can't follow simple instructions with towelroot!
Netflix has always worked fine on my Fire TV connected via ethernet and on my Fire Stick connected via 5GHz wireless. Check for interference or a bad ethernet cable. Change your router to use 5GHz instead of 2.4.

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