Amazon Fire TV

[Kchrpm]

Amazon's streaming video set-top box also includes console-style gaming for $99

http://phandroid.com/2014/04/02/all-about-amazon-fire-tv/

http://phandroid.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/amazon_fire_tv-640x480.jpg


Amazon Fire TV is an internet-connected set-top box for your HD television set. The Fire TV brings together your personal media, content from Amazon partners, and Amazon’s large ecosystem of digital goods to provide an all-in-one entertainment package in one powerful little box. The setup includes the box itself and a tiny remote, its seven buttons all that are needed to navigate the simplified main menu to find content and initiate playback, which Amazon boasts will begin instantly — no buffering needed.

http://phandroid.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/amazon-fire-tv.jpg

http://phandroid.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/amazon-fire-tv-game-controller.jpg

http://phandroid.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/FireTV-chart.png

[thesameguy]

If it won't stream local content from an SMB share it's useless!

[Kchrpm]

Obviously!

Also YouTube.

[Random]

And MLBtv.

[Random]

Might be able to stream to it using Win8...maybe. WDLive advertises that functionality, which would get around the MLBtv issue.

[KillerB]

So it's like the Kindle Fire - a busted, janky version of an Apple product, but much more reasonably priced.

Except it costs no less than Apple TV. Oh.

[Random]

I thought it compared more with the Roku. They all seem to have a hole in their service, for what I need, though. :|

[Kchrpm]

Yeah, all of the streaming devices have some service that they are missing. The closest you can get to full coverage at low cost is something like a Chromebox or other cheap desktop OS-based device that has Flash and won't get flagged as a non-allowed device.

[KillerB]

At least with the Apple box (don't know about the others) I can mirror my screen wirelessly from my laptop so if I wanted to do Amazon stuff on my Apple TV, I could.

[Jason]

Neat :up:

[Rare White Ape]

So the discerning TV watcher needs five or more little boxes hooked up to various HDMI ports, huh?

Fuck that shit.

[Random]

Nah--you just have to shop on which channels are important to you. Or if you're already in the Apple ecosystem. Or just hook your computer up to a teev, as mentioned above.

[Yw-slayer]

Yeah, all of the streaming devices have some service that they are missing. The closest you can get to full coverage at low cost is something like a Chromebox or other cheap desktop OS-based device that has Flash and won't get flagged as a non-allowed device.

So BUY THEM ALL??!11!!1!1

[thesameguy]

Or.... None?

[Kchrpm]

Actually I think if you just buy two then you're fully covered. I think Roku has everything but YouTube, for example.

[thesameguy]

I think the Fire is going to primarily steal business from Roku... I don't think it will compete with Chromecast or AppleTV, because those are ecosystem products that will have innate appeal to Android and iOS users. Roku is sort of the leader of the non-ecosystem products (like the WD and Netgear boxes), and I feel that's where the Fire slots in best. I think Amazon needs some more secret sauce in their device - some sort of screen mirroring or discount on Amazon products or services or something. Unless they plan on pulling Amazon Prime from other platforms - or maybe not release the purported streaming music service anywhere else. I dunno. I think the Roku has its space fairly well locked up, huge brand recognition, and no clear reason not to choose it.

I'd still buy an Ouya or an OG xbox - the former because it's user-expandable and the latter because it comes with real games.

[Blerpa]

Right now I've an old WD TV Live HD v2, without wi-fi (moot point anyway, I don't have DSL at new place anyway so far), and my main point is to stream local files from external HDDs or NAS. So the fact that I get no spec on file compatibilities on the Amazon Fire TV leaves me like "Eh, what do I need this box for?" - already my old WD device is way better than overrated Apple TV (rare as a Yeti in Italy) for local file reproduction.

If I could I'd rather buy the new version of the WD Tv Live HD *and* a Roku (Not sold in Italy, but probably could buy imported - but Hulu, Netflix, Pandora, etc. are not existant in here, so still not much point, I admit it).
The gaming side of the Amazon Fire TV? It's just android ports and frankly? I've come to term with the fact that (at least *for me*) devices with android (but could well be even iOS) games in it do not cut it. Like the Ouya or the Project M.O.J.O. Bah, I'd rather buy a second hand console at that point.

Pros? The remote seems fine and the UI seems slick and fast, which is really rare in all these devices. Kudos to them, really.

[Jason]

Even though the Fire is significantly better on paper... unless there's an easy way for me to hook up my media library to it, there's no way I can replace my Apple TV with it.

It baffles me that Apple hasn't released an App Store for the Apple TV yet. I can understand their hesitation about game controllers, and the like, though.

[Rare White Ape]

A little side-rant coming up...

Apart from the odd gem, iOS and Android games are shit. And I couldn't name a 'good' mobile game that isn't a port of a ten year old console game.

Why are they shit? I wouldn't blame the OS. I think it's down to the $1.99 mentality. Nobody wants to pay $25 for a game on a phone like they used to on a Gameboy or a DS or a PSP.

We live in the age of ad-supported titles like Flappy Birds and it's depressing as hell.

The best cheap games are on Steam and the best AAA games are still where they have always been: consoles and PC.

[Yw-slayer]

Ridiculous Fishing is damn good, though. Well worth the money.

But yes, true AAA games are still available on consoles and the PC. For example, TITANFALL

[Blerpa]

RWA, I agree with you, although sometimes there are some little gems worthwile (Oceanhorn on iOS, Bard's Tale port, Deus Ex The Fall is almost decent to be a FPS on touchscreen).
I don't think it's down to the 1.99 mentality... it's only that they are TRULY shit and that's it. They are too short, too devoid of deep involvment and generally half-arsed.
And it's neither the OSes (Android, iOS and probably even WP are far more capable of Commodore 64 or NES) or the devices' cpu and graphic power.