Amazon’s Fire TV Stick has been available for a while with earlier models, but it has now undergone another process of change with the addition of the Alexa remote control. The remote control is used to issue commands to your TV. Interestingly, Amazon claim that this model is about thirty percent faster than its predecessor is and much easier to set up.
The dimensions of the stick are 85.9mm by 30mm by 12.6mm, and it plugs directly into the HDMI port available on compatible televisions. If the device has already been registered with an Amazon account, then all you have to do to complete the setup process is switch it on and link it up with your Wi-Fi router.
If it has not, then you will need to create an Amazon account if you do not already have one or simply register the device with your Amazon account if that already exists. 720p and 1080p resolutions are supported at a frame rate of 60fps (frames per second). If you want a higher video quality support, there is an Amazon Fire TV model that supports 4k resolution although that would be considerably more expensive than this model.
Here are the key specifications of the Amazon Fire TV Stick:
- Size: 9mm x 30mm x 12.6mm
- Weight: 32g
- CPU: MediaTek Quad-Core ARM 1.3GHz
- GPU: Mali450 MP4
- Storage: 8GB internal storage
- RAM: 1GB
- Wireless: Dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi (2×2 MIMO 802.11a/b/g/n/ac); Bluetooth 4.1
- Ports: HDMI output, Micro-USB for power only
- Output resolution: 720p and 1080p with a frame rate of up to 60 frames per second
Note: Exact specifications were accessed from this link.
The Amazon Fire TV stick is a great example for the efforts of technology to turn normal devices into smart devices. Using this product on a much older, compatible TV will give you a feeling that your TV is more advanced than it actually is.
New technology usually leads to a sort of “upgrade cycle”. Take, for instance, if you purchase a Blu-ray player for films, and then you realize that you need to upgrade your TV for the best film experience. However, it seems as if the Fire stick here is targeted toward the other direction. Instead of causing a need to purchase a better TV to use it with, it encourages you to use your older TV in a new way that you have never before. It gives your existing old technology a new lease of life and saves you the cost of purchasing new hardware to keep up with the growth of technology.
Instead of spending money on new hardware, the Amazon Fire TV stick encourages its users to spend on content by requesting signups to the Amazon Prime. You may not need a new television but you will still be making money for Amazon through the streaming services that you use. These streaming services (Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Spotify etc.) on your old TV will extend its service life by about a year or two at least.
If you choose not to register for any of the available streaming services, you can still find some use for the Fire stick. In the United Kingdom, you get the ITV, BBC’s iPlayer and Channel 5 online services. However, the product really is more suited to the previously mentioned streaming services for loads of binge-watching sessions.
Changes
This particular model only costs about five pounds more than the previous model, but there are solid improvements. An example of such improvements is found in the Quad core CPU used here compared to the Dual core used in the previous model. Additionally, the wireless connectivity options are different, with the older model using dual-band, dual-antenna 802.11n (MIMO).
The new Fire TV stick also comes with an updated UI, although the difference between this and the previously mention older model is not so much. You will definitely notice that the UI generally seems cleaner and less clustered. On the top half of the screen, a cinematic slider makes suggestions to you about programs to watch. If you do nothing about the slider, it will silently switch to become a sort of trailer – slick when you watch it happen.
The major changes between this model and the previous one are mostly limited to hardware upgrades. You can still do pretty much most of the same things that you could on the previous model. An interesting addition though is the Alexa voice-control remote that ships with the TV stick.
Regarding apps, nothing is different. You can still install Kodi. You can stream Amazon Prime, Netflix and many other catch-up television apps from the product. To make it clear, the only real differences are:
- The Fire TV stick is much faster
- The addition of the Alex remote gives the option to use voice control to open up your apps and check any Alexa-related information
- The UI is cleaner and slicker.
Design and Remote
The remote and the dongle are still pretty much the same from the design of the previous model. There is a slight difference in size – the two are slightly larger this time around – but not enough for it to be an issue. Some research and development has definitely gone into updating this remote though. It has a curved back that fits very well into the palm of the hand and its minimalistic buttons are nicely spread out over the front.
Apps
Amazon have an appstore through which you can add extra media services to your Fire TV stick’s home screen. There are the usual suspects, including YouTube, Spotify Connect, BBC Sport, and Sky News among others. The availability of Netflix despite the fact that they are technically competitors with Amazon’s very own streaming service is a plus. It means that you can get instant access to both large media libraries.
You can also play your personal content with the use of apps designed for the purpose – one of which is Plex. The Plex app comes with cloud sync, which you usually may not find, on other platforms. AirPlay streaming and DLNA are also supported using third-party apps such as AirPlay/DLNA Receiver. A potential problem with this when you actually try to use it is that you may have trouble streaming full HD content from your mobile device over wireless. The video output may be distorted or broken.
The store also contains games that you can download and play with your remote. Alternatively, you could purchase a Fire TV Game Controller. The stick is obviously not as powerful as the set-top box so you should not expect to play high-end games. However, you can enjoy basic games that you would on a smartphone.
Finally, file explorer apps on the store make it possible for you to install your own third-party apps from outside the store. One of such apps is the Kodi app mentioned earlier. It provides the option to access a separate, huge catalogue of content although not all of this content is legal to access for free.
Alexa Integration and Usage
The Alexa remote is undoubtedly the most interesting new addition to the Fire TV stick package. It is a remote control that allows the user to control a streaming device (the TV stick, in this case) with voice commands. You can also use the remote to control other smart devices around your home, look for local restaurants, check your diary or follow your favorite sports team. The amount of potential that this new addition brings to the entire package is massive, and it will be interesting to see the resultant developments over time.
One thing to note is that using the remote may take a bit of getting used to. There are limits to the type of questions that it can answer (obviously!), and constant usage is the only thing that will give you a certain idea of the type of questions to ask. If you are using the remote for the first time, it may all seem like a guessing game initially when you get results for some questions and absolutely no reply for some others.
To enable-activated Alexa’s voice features for use, you need to press and hold the “voice” button on the Fire TV Voice Remote or the Remote app. Then, you tell Alexa what you need and it answers back through the Fire TV. Unlike the Echo version that lacks a display screen, this one gives you the information that you need through voice and display so you can hear and see the information.
The novelty of the feature may wear off after the first few times though. It will always have the “wow” factor which is great for showing off to people that are visiting your home for the first time. However, the fact that you will only really be asking for minor information makes the screen and voice approach a bit of an overkill.
Usually, if you have to use a voice remote to search for something, it is probably because you are busy with something else. It makes sense then that all you have to do is listen to the information that you need and move on – listening and reading on a screen at the same time is bound to become a bore after a while. Still, the extra display feature should come in handy occasionally.
When you have an Alexa display open on your screen, you can hit the Home or Back button on the remote to go back to the previous menu.
A neat feature with Alexa here is that you can be flexible with the language that you use and still be understood. You can ask the same question in different ways or by using a different combination of words and the questions would still be recognized and responded to as the same. It gives a more human and less robotic feel to the voice control and generally makes usage feel natural.
Pros and Cons
The product has its strengths but it is definitely not flawless. Here are some pros and cons:
Pros
- Compatible with Kodi
- Relatively cheap
- BBC player, Netflix, Amazon Prime Instant Video and many more media libraries accessible
- Faster processor compared to the previous model
- Voice-controlled Alexa remote
Cons
- Limited iPhone support
- May not run properly from the USB power supplies of a lot of TVs
- Voice-control needs improvement with understanding more questions
Pricing
The Amazon Fire TV stick is currently available on Amazon for $39.99. The previous model that sells for about $34.99 was a good price, and considering the upgrades made to build this newer model, the updated price is worth it. The product will possibly be saving you the need to purchase a new TV in pursuit of more modern features so it also seems like a great investment considering the amount of money you could be spending on a new TV instead.
Verdict
The first generation of the Amazon Fire TV stick was a good product, but it was lacking a distinguishing feature to give it that final push toward greatness. This newer model is a lot more versatile. It is definitely faster due to the updated quad core processor and it runs more smoothly as a result.
Alexa may not quite be on the level of established voice control maestros such as Apple TV’s voice-control remote yet but it is definitely on the right track. Generally, it is a welcome addition and the fact that it barely affects the overall pricing makes it a no-brainer really.
The best thing about the product is the fact that it costs only $39.99. It represents excellent value for money and you would do very well to find a similar product offering the same or a better range of features at a lower price. Our friends over here believe that this new Fire TV stick appropriately addresses all the problems that were associated with its predecessor, and we agree with that assertion. A few improvements here and there are needed, but Amazon are definitely on to something good here.
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