# Amazon Fire TV **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 2, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-fire-tv/685180 "2014-04-02T16:56:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-fire-tv/685180/1 "2014-04-02T16:56:38Z")
(I didn’t see an existing thread, and the device crosses several categories, so starting here since it is mostly about TV) Amazon announced this morning their Fire TV product: [http://amzn.com/B00CX5P8FC](http://amzn.com/B00CX5P8FC) The bad news: $99 The good news: pretty much everything else. Here is a decent first-day write-up: > **[Amazon Officially Unveils Amazon Fire TV, A Tiny $99 Media Streaming Box...](https://techcrunch.com/2014/04/02/amazon-media-device/)** > > The ecommerce giant Amazon has delved even further into the hardware space with the launch of a long-rumored streaming media device called the Amazon Fire TV. It said that it has watched these devices sell on its platform for a long time now, so it... Quad-core CPU, 2 Gb RAM, instant (really instant) streaming, capable of playing games, dual-band WiFi, optional controller, included (but optional) voice commands via the remote. And song lyrics on-screen…I’ll finally be able to understand the music. I ordered one. I have a Roku, but seldom use it. I’m hoping for quicker (time and effort) access to Netflix, among other things. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-fire-tv/685180/2 "2014-04-02T17:15:10Z")
Including Netflix on there is super ballsy of them. Total “we know what customers want” move. Wow! ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-fire-tv/685180/3 "2014-04-02T18:04:57Z")
Fun bit of trivia: Netflix actually uses [Amazon Web Services](http://aws.amazon.com/solutions/case-studies/netflix/). Anyway. This thing looks a lot like a Roku clone, though the ASAP streaming sounds like a legitimate innovation (if it works). I’m curious about the absence of HBO Go on their roster though. That’s one thing Roku has over them. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-fire-tv/685180/4 "2014-04-02T18:21:42Z")
It looks like a faster Roku with voice commands. So compared to the $99 Roku 3, the Amazon Fire TV is the thing to get. Well, unless you want HBO GO, which isn’t on it yet (likely soon should be). Also, I’m not sure if [MLB.TV](http://MLB.TV) is on there. I haven’t received any confirmation and Amazon doesn’t have it listed on the Fire TV page. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-fire-tv/685180/5 "2014-04-02T19:14:03Z")
Since this is about hardware, moved to IMHO (from Cafe Society). ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-fire-tv/685180/6 "2014-04-02T19:29:04Z")
Some people have substantial amounts of their own media already on disks (from ripped CDs…). How does it help them? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-fire-tv/685180/7 "2014-04-02T19:34:08Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Some people have substantial amounts of their own media already on disks (from ripped CDs…). How does it help them? You mean on harddrives, right? Anyway, this is a media server. And it says that it supports Plex. So I guess if you want to play your media via this, you can, through Plex. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2014, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-fire-tv/685180/8 "2014-04-02T21:15:28Z")
I am very interested in this: we need something for the TV I’m putting in the nursery so I have something to zone out to after I whelp this baby-thing and am going to be there with it a lot. The TV in there kind of sucks - it wouldn’t recognize the Chromecast I tried in it, so I sent that back. I was planning on getting a Roku 1, which ironically is only $50 on Amazon. But now this comes out. I’ll have to wait and see if it gets good reviews - if it really has good voice search like it claims… ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-fire-tv/685180/9 "2014-04-03T03:28:22Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I am very interested in this: we need something for the TV I’m putting in the nursery so I have something to zone out to after I whelp this baby-thing and am going to be there with it a lot. I’ll probably end up getting it (especially if we opt for Amazon Prime at some point). But there’s a data point missing here. For anyone who already has at least a small share in the Apple ecosystem (desktop, laptop, or iPhone), the Apple TV is hard to beat, especially if you manage your music and other media via iTunes. Nearly everything is accessible, and for everything that is, it’s all extremely controllable via the Apple TV. Netflix and all the other media it accesses is easy to control, and if you’re browsing something on your iPhone or iPad (like on YouTube or something), it’s two clicks away from being pushed to your TV screen. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-fire-tv/685180/10 "2014-04-03T03:34:59Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > For anyone who already has at least a small share in the Apple ecosystem (desktop, laptop, or iPhone), the Apple TV is hard to beat, especially if you manage your music and other media via iTunes. Nearly everything is accessible, and for everything that is, it’s all extremely controllable via the Apple TV. Netflix and all the other media it accesses is easy to control, and if you’re browsing something on your iPhone or iPad (like on YouTube or something), it’s two clicks away from being pushed to your TV screen. I agree, and the AppleTV is still my go-to device for most stuff, but these devices are stunningly inexpensive for what they do (even the Apple one), and at the risk of sounding like Mr. Moneypants, having more than one gives you a broader range of options (particularly since the two biggest sources–Amazon and iTunes–aren’t available on any single device). My bigger problem is that I bought my TV back in 2005 or so. “HDMI? It’s a super-expensive cable to solve a problem nobody has! That’ll NEVER catch on; it’ll be dead in a year! 2 HDMI ports is plenty; I’ll probably never use either of them!” Oh, well. I refuse to get a new TV just to get more ports now. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-fire-tv/685180/11 "2014-04-03T03:54:17Z")
Of course, if you don’t own a single Apple product (like me), then Apple TV basically becomes useless compared to a Roku or Amazon Fire TV or Chromecast. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-fire-tv/685180/12 "2014-04-03T14:28:58Z")
I believe one big omission on Apple TV is Amazon Video. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-fire-tv/685180/13 "2014-04-03T17:34:04Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I believe one big omission on Apple TV is Amazon Video. Yes, and both Amazon and Roku omit iTunes Video. So you need at least two for “complete” coverage. ---
**Author:** ![ThisUsernameIsForbidden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@ThisUsernameIsForbidden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisUsernameIsForbidden)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-fire-tv/685180/14 "2014-04-03T18:23:28Z")
Is there a faq for bandwidth requirements on these devices? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-fire-tv/685180/15 "2014-04-03T19:31:36Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > I’ll probably end up getting it (especially if we opt for Amazon Prime at some point). But there’s a data point missing here. > > For anyone who already has at least a small share in the Apple ecosystem (desktop, laptop, or iPhone), the Apple TV is hard to beat, especially if you manage your music and other media via iTunes. Nearly everything is accessible, and for everything that is, it’s all extremely controllable via the Apple TV. Netflix and all the other media it accesses is easy to control, and if you’re browsing something on your iPhone or iPad (like on YouTube or something), it’s two clicks away from being pushed to your TV screen. It’s weird that Apple almost seems a bit embarrassed about the Apple TV. My husband didn’t even know they had one. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2014, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-fire-tv/685180/16 "2014-04-03T19:37:27Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > It’s weird that Apple almost seems a bit embarrassed about the Apple TV. My husband didn’t even know they had one. Yeah, every since the first generation came out, they’ve called it their “hobby”. It’s a great little device, and I see them frequently on craigslist, where you can usually get one for $50 if you keep your eyes peeled. They’ve slowly been making solid improvements to it (getting HBO GO was awesome). I think Apple is just biding their time until they can make a giant splash into the sector, by making some sort of deal with either a cable provider or an assortment of cable channels, and REALLY give you a reason to cut cable. I was kind of surprised when they weren’t at the table when Time Warner went up for sale. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-fire-tv/685180/17 "2014-04-04T00:21:40Z")
> [@ThisUsernameIsForbidden](#): > > Is there a faq for bandwidth requirements on these devices? I can tell you that Roku/Netflix/Amazon Video work fine on 1.5Mb DSL. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-fire-tv/685180/18 "2014-04-04T01:27:09Z")
> [@TimeWinder](#): > > Yes, and both Amazon and Roku omit iTunes Video. So you need at least two for “complete” coverage. I replaced my Roku with an AppleTV and worried about this. Then I realized that my BluRay player supported Amazon… ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-fire-tv/685180/19 "2014-04-04T17:00:30Z")
I also think that somewhere down the line, Amazon will be offering these things with a Prime membership, or throw in 3-6 months of Prime with purchase. I’m holding off for now. But it’ll certainly take up the HDMI slot that the Chromecast is wasting. ---
**Author:** ![HipGnosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/76d3ee/32.png) [@HipGnosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HipGnosis)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-fire-tv/685180/20 "2014-04-04T17:47:26Z")
My concern is that the ‘instant streaming’ will become less and less ‘instant’ as more subscribers sign on and use their network. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-fire-tv/685180.md?page=2)