Pretty underwhelming at the upper price scale to compete against Apple TV and the Roku.
http://www.amazon.com/Amazon-CL1130-Fire-TV/dp/B00CX5P8FC (http://www.amazon.com/Amazon-CL1130-Fire-TV/dp/B00CX5P8FC)
I just upgraded my Roku 2 to a 3. This doesn't do anything better or different.
The hardware specs are quite a bit beefier than the competitors but agreed, other than the hardware specs you aren't getting much more. Not enough for most people to switch from what they are already using anyway. They should price at $59 - $69 to entice people to try it.
But it has voice search!
That shit always works real well.
Quote from: Farabomb on April 02, 2014, 11:32:30 AMBut it has voice search!
That shit always works real well.
Hey it says "
Voice search that actually works". You don't believe them? :laugh:
The fine print says... "only actually works with an Indian accent"
Quote from: Farabomb on April 02, 2014, 12:20:57 PMThe fine print says... "only actually works with an Indian accent"
Touché
:lmao:
Quote from: Joe on April 02, 2014, 12:59:40 PMQuote from: Farabomb on April 02, 2014, 12:20:57 PMThe fine print says... "only actually works with an Indian accent"
Touché
:lmao:
Did you say "
curry?"
So I've had this device for a couple of weeks now. Unfortunately with the later versions of OS (custom Android version) it is not possible, nor will it ever be according to the experts, to root it which sucks. You can still sideload apps via ADB but once you do that there is no way, without rooting the device, to get a shortcut to the app on the home screen. You have to wade through about 12 pages of menus to launch any sideloaded app not deemed worthy by Amazon.
I was able to get XBMC installed this way and it does work. Performance is pretty decent and it displays 1080p content very well. The include apps work very nicely such as Amazon video and Netflix. It has some other crapware apps that are pretty useless. I paid $75 for it at Thanksgiving so at least I didn't have to pay full price. Still I would not have bought it if I had read up and learned the newer ones cannot be rooted.
I just received my Fire TV stick and so far I like it. Yes the interface is a little wonky but I've only had a night to play with it.
For $20 I think it was worth the investment. My Roku2 has gone a bit wonky as of late but that may have been because of major ISP issues.
Wonder if I can root it and such but seeing as it just released I don't think there is much dev support out there just yet.
As far as the voice search it picked up porn on the first try.
Christmas took 2 or 3 shots before it got that.
http://unlockfiretv.com/unlock-your-firetv-potential-without-rooting-it/
QuoteThere has been much interest and discussion about FireTV and our "rooting needs", particularly after latest Amazon´s firmware update (version 51.1.4.1_user_514013920) which introduced a new "feature" called an eFuse, just to counteract any root tampering from the user side.
When your new FireTV firmware detects "suspicious conditions" (i.e. rooted earlier firmware, or an unlocked bootloader), it will burn the eFuse, which in turn will place your FireTV in a -rather obscure- recovery mode.
Once an eFuse is burned, you cannot repair it as it is actually a physical process in the circuit: It actually gets burned out!
This is a clever design which will signal it's fused condition, leaving you no means of tampering about such flag. If you want to learn more about eFuses, you may follow this link.
This eFuse triggering will definitely frustrate you, while effectively closing the door into any further rooting attempt.
Or if you adventuresome...
Fire TV Stick Rooted via Hardware Soldering Method (http://www.aftvnews.com/fire-tv-stick-rooted-via-hardware-soldering-method/)
Figures. Wonder if it holds true on the stick as well. I've replaced surface mount fuses before but unless some amazing software comes out I'll remain stock.
Now if I could just get root on my phone...
Quote from: Farabomb on December 17, 2014, 05:42:14 PMFigures. Wonder if it holds true on the stick as well. I've replaced surface mount fuses before but unless some amazing software comes out I'll remain stock.
Now if I could just get root on my phone...
I thought I saw somewhere it was on both but don't hold me to that.
Hmmm... Wonder if the old AMD multiplier unlock method would bridge the efuse. Way back when you could use a steady hand and some car window defroster repair paint to bridge a jumper on the cpu. This would allow you to change the clock multiplier allowing you set it lower and get higher fsb speeds.
The shit I used to do just to make hardware go just a little bit faster for benchmark bragging rights was a bit silly. What happened to all that free time I had.
Oh yea, GF, racecars, dog, only prepress guy, house and all that crap. Damn I need a house with a garage.
Joe, did you get the game controler too? Seems you need that to play any of the games.
Damn thing costs twice what I paid for the stick.
Still have the Android on a stick too. Should start playing with that again.
No I didn't get the game controller. I can play games though using the remote but I would guess it would be much better for gaming if I had the controller.
I still am not thrilled with the Amazon video store. I thought with Prime you could basically watch anything in their library for free but that isn't the case and the prices are not clearly marked on things. And since your device is tied to your account which has your CC info if you blindly click through things you might be buying shit you didn't want.
That's why I was considering putting on the parental controls. I can easily see clicking accidentally and getting a paid program.
So far I like it. The interface could be a lot better but maybe it's just the newness of it.
The stick comes with a different remote so I can't play games unless I get the controller that;s 2x the price I paid for the stick.
Yeah the parental controls may be a good thing to use. Save me from myself. :rotf:
I think the Roku 2s had some issues. My cousin's died, and mine went wonky. The 3 is rock solid, as is the LT.
I have the Chromecast, but rarely use it. Roku is my goto, and now I have Plex dialed in, so I can do what I want. If I play with any new device, it'll be this one: Raspberry Pi (http://www.amazon.com/Raspberry-Pi-Model-512MB-Computer/dp/B00LPESRUK/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1419025220&sr=1-2&keywords=raspberry+pi)
So if I simply want to stream movies from my Macbook Pro (OS X 10.10.1) to my HDTV, what's the best method or device in your opinion? I'm not streaming any other services like Netflix etc - just wanting to stream movies that are on my laptop. BTW, Amazon Fire Stick is not available in Canada.
We just bought a new TV and (in the spirit of always buying the latest tech if possible) went for a Smart HDTV. Only 32" so it was cheap - £240 or around $360. It connects to the house WiFi and has YouTube + Netflix etc built in but we can also get websites up for catchup TV, stream movies etc. We can also run movies, music etc. off any device in our WiFi zone.
I had wondered about getting a ChromeCast or similar but this is a better solution. The missus loves it since she found 10hr videos of log fires on YouTube.
Quote from: andyfest on January 19, 2015, 07:14:26 AMSo if I simply want to stream movies from my Macbook Pro (OS X 10.10.1) to my HDTV, what's the best method or device in your opinion? I'm not streaming any other services like Netflix etc - just wanting to stream movies that are on my laptop. BTW, Amazon Fire Stick is not available in Canada.
A cable to connect the two. Not sure if the MBP has an HDMI port so you may need an adapter (Display port > HDMI or Thunderbolt > HDMI) Once connected you would set up your Mac Book Pro as having two monitors and then just play the movies on your MBP via something like VLC and assign it to the 2nd display (TV). If you have to get an adapter make sure it will carry both sound and video. The cheaper adapters might not do sound.
SM - Yeah, my Panasonic plasma dates from 2008 so connecting via wireless without a liason isn't possible. I'm thinking of hard wiring my late-08 Macbook Pro to the tv when needed using an HDMI cable adapter for now as per Joe, but I'd like to come up with a relatively inexpensive wireless solution so I can stream different file formats using VLC on my laptop and broadcast to the tv. Not sure if Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV or WD player fit the bill best. I think the new Apple TV 3 is locked to mp4s and cannot be jailbroken, so it's low on the list.
I think your easiest option would be the Roku. You can plug an external USB drive or thumb drive into the Roku and watch movies directly from it. No network, wired or wireless required but it does have network capabilities. Cheaper models only have wireless but the higher end Roku have both wired and wireless. The Amazon Fire Box does have a USB port but it can't access and external or thumb hard drive. It can only be used for keyboard/mouse dongle or to access the Fire TV via a PC.
Also does your TV have a USB port? Some of them that do will allow you to watch movies directly from a thumb drive or USB external drive hooked directly to the TV. Our LG 55" allows this. Our 47" Philips does not so YMMV.
I got mine for $20 when they were announced. Underwhelming, but functional. Not YET like an AppleTV. But then again, the AppleTV and Roku are mature products. For what this is though, it works well.
I see they have refurbished Roku 3 boxes for $79.99.
Do you think these would be worth checking into?
Not sure what you would need to "refurbish" on these guys.
any other ideas that I may want to check into?
Quote from: david on January 19, 2015, 02:56:48 PMI see they have refurbished Roku 3 boxes for $79.99.
Do you think these would be worth checking into?
Not sure what you would need to "refurbish" on these guys.
any other ideas that I may want to check into?
Depends on what you want to do. If you have a large Media Library and want to get media artwork and IMDB date for each show and movie you need to get a little fancier. For something like this on Roku you would need to run Plex on it but doing that will require you to be running Plex server somewhere else on your network and let it feed the Plex client in Roku.
I use a full blown Windows 8 PC with the family room TV running XBMC while I have an Amazon Fire TV box running XBMC on the TV in the living room. Both work well and I prefer XBMC because you do not have to have both a client and server with XBMC while you do have to with Plex. Right now I have the two XBMC installs working separately. They do not automatically sync my media library from my NAS. You can use a PC and set up a MySQL database and connect each install of XBMC and they will auto sync. You can start watching from one room and stop and go to another room and have it pick up form the point where you stopped in the other room. And if you watch a show or movie in one room it will show up in the other room as watched which has bot it's good points and bad points.
There is a lot of info here scattered about for what everyone uses. The synced XBMC from multiple locations kicks ass but takes some work to set it up. On the simplest side you plug a thumb drive into the TV and hit play and a movie/TV Show will play. You won't get any descriptions or artwork though. Just depends on how fancy you want to get.
I don't have a library, I just want to watch anything free on the tv.
I think I'm cheaper than you Joe, if it ain't free, it ain't worth watchin'. LOL
Currently using my homemade antenna to get all the local tv channels (free over the airwaves). Just recently got a HDMI cable and tried the Hulu Plus trial. That works great over my slow ass DSL, just wondering what other "cheap" options are out there.
I've read through the other threads previously, really don't have the time, energy or money to do anything like what you describe, and neither of us (me and the wifey) watch that many movies. My life is boring.
Quote from: david on January 19, 2015, 03:57:52 PMI don't have a library, I just want to watch anything free on the tv.
I think I'm cheaper than you Joe, if it ain't free, it ain't worth watchin'. LOL
Currently using my homemade antenna to get all the local tv channels (free over the airwaves). Just recently got a HDMI cable and tried the Hulu Plus trial. That works great over my slow ass DSL, just wondering what other "cheap" options are out there.
I've read through the other threads previously, really don't have the time, energy or money to do anything like what you describe, and neither of us (me and the wifey) watch that many movies. My life is boring.
The Roku has some free stuff like Crackle (http://www.crackle.com/) movies. Not new stuff but not horrible old. And there is some other stuff as well but it will be a challenge to keep up with current TV shows for free with not much work. If you can get a Roku 3 for $80 I think it would be worth it. For $9 bucks a month you can see a lot of recent TV with Hulu Plus but they don't have the movie selection that Netflix does.
I have:
Smart TV w/wireless (streams all the major services)
Fire stick (all the majors)
Roku2 (same)
Xbox 360 (streams some shit)
Wii (think it has netflix)
PS3 (might stream something, never tried)
Laptop plugged in via HDMI
Laptop is the best, if a bit getto and Roku (when it's acting correctly) or fire stick are about even and the rest aren't used all that often.
I have a HTPC that I still have to build but that's only because the laptop is TV upstairs. I know first world problems when bringing down a laptop is an issue. Really, a computer hooked up to the TV is really the best way to go if you want to play everything. If VLC can't play it, it's not worth watching. Roku will play some things off a flashdrive but it's hit and miss encoding wise. That and if the file name is longer than 12 characters or so, good luck figuring out what episode it is.
Good point on the encoding method used. It does make a difference.
Yeah, a lot of times I'll have video and no audio. Seems to be the same encoding but since I'm not the one doing the encoding I can't tell for sure.
Yep. The only sure way is to fire up HandBrake and do it yourself.
...or DVDFab
and use Plex and share libraries.