TiVo Community Forum banner
  • TiVoCommunity.com Ambassador Program Now Open! >>> Click Here

WHY Spend Money on a Fire Stick?

8K views 117 replies 44 participants last post by  Bigg 
#1 ·
I hope this does not turn into a nasty debate - I really just want some simple answers and ideas to try and understand something that does not make sense to me.

I see constant references to these things in various forums; I have looked at the details for these devices on Amazon, and I just do not get it. Why in the world would anyone with a modern TiVo or Smart TV every want to spend money on what seems like a pointless device like this?

BEFORE you respond, PLEASE do not mention "voice" in any way - I absolutely do NOT NOT NOT ever want to talk to my TV or any computer. Period. And I will NOT knowingly have an open mic in my house. Maybe you want voice interaction, but for me, that is just a huge reason why I would NOT want it.

So with that off the table, what could this device offer that I do not already have with a Bolt or the built-in apps on my Samsung 4K TV?
 
#77 ·
Isn't that what apps are? A UI you go into to access their content?
You're being pedantic, which I usually appreciate.

But AFAIK, on Tivos, the "apps" are actually using specific APIs into their "Tivo OS" (whatever it's really called) to provide UI and such.

I think (someone correct me) that On Demand was before ANY of the other apps.. Also, I don't remember, does On Demand show up in the separate apps menu?

But while I guess it doesn't SEEM different from the end user, I *THOUGHT* that the Comcast On Demand was basically the Tivo "talking to the Comcast server and pretending to be a cable box", rather than using *tivo provided* APIs to provide a DIFFERENT experience.

It's a fine line, but I do think there is still a difference.

It's kind of like when I am on a new WiFi network and get a capture page to log in -- that's being provided by them, not my end.
 
#3 · (Edited)
...Why in the world would anyone with a modern TiVo or Smart TV every want to spend money on what seems like a pointless device like this?...
The bottom line for me would be if there is a certain service that the Fire Stick can get that your other devices can't. I haven't been following such things super closely lately, but when I went with DirectTV Now, my Tivo couldn't get it and I don't have a Smart TV.

On other forums, a couple of years back, we had similar discussions regarding Blu Ray disc players and Roku, etc. I have a Blu Ray disc player. It has streaming apps, but not nearly as many as streaming devices.

I would also add, too, that the streaming apps on my slightly dated Blu Ray player are slow to load. Dedicated steamers are faster.

I would also suggest to you that occasionally there are less common reasons that many, perhaps most, would never dream of. For example, I run my Roku 3 through my Slingboxes. When I want to listen to something, and don't want or need the video, I do it via my Slingbox PRO-HD or my Slingbox 500. It uses much less data in the AO (Audio Only) mode and much less battery power to not display video. While that is probably not an issue to most people, if you are listening on your smartphone and don't want to use all of your phone battery, it is huge.
 
#9 ·
If you happen to have Amazon Prime, there are a host of tv series and movies available for free with the prime service. I started using it and found quite a few good original series and movies. Last NFL season, you could pretty easily get ALL of the NFL games without too much trouble, sadly not this season though, at least so far.
 
#10 ·
How is that different than what is already on the TiVo? Are you trying to say that Amazon does not make all their Prime content available to their apps on the TV or TiVo?
 
#11 ·
There's no reason to own one. Just forget it.
:)

BUT I totally agree that yelling at my Alexa is enough for me. The last thing I need to be doing is yelling at my TV. I just trained myself to remember that the CHARACTERS in my shows can't hear me. Why would I want a tv based Alexa that couldn't hear me either? Quiet for the win.
PM sent, too.
 
#14 ·
There are lots of apps and things available on firestick not available on smarttv or tivo. However, if you have no interest in those and your tv and tivo give you everything you want you shouldn't get one but it seems like the OP had already decided they didn't want one so not really sure the purpose of this thread.

If you are happy with the apps on your TV and tivo, then enjoy them and you don't need a firestick.
 
#24 · (Edited)
As it relates to the TiVo experience only: all the major apps (Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, etc.) are a far superior experience on the Fire TV to the poor experience many have with using a TiVo for those apps. I have 3 Smart TV's from Sony and Samsung and they are all ABYSMAL experiences for the major apps and all the other junk apps they have on them. The Smart TV's can be slow, don't get updates nearly as often or EVER at some point and can even be a worse experience than the poor experience on TiVo.

This goes back to the TiVo desire and marketing as the "One Box" years ago with the S4. Even pretty much from day one all the way back then, MANY TiVo users just found their Roku or Fire TV's to be far, superior to use to access nearly all the same apps that TiVo has. And it hasn't gotten much better over the years.

To be fair, my OP friend, Dish's Netflix and YouTube apps are also an inferior experience compared to the Roku and Fire TV (although the Neflix app experience on the Hopper 3 seems to be better than on TiVo). Devices that are dedicated and designed for STREAMING always seem to outperform DVR boxes that are great at being a DVR, but end up having apps perform as an afterthought.

Also, Roku and Fire TV get the necessary updates FIRST and QUICKLY, it seems, while TiVo and Dish get updates and refreshes and new UI at Netflix, etc. at the very slow Netflix timetable, like when Netflix is in the mood many MONTHS later.

Aside from the many other uses and sources of FREE video programming, TiVo (and Dish, and Comcast, etc.) DVR users get devices like a Fire TV because their TiVo DVR's don't really deliver as they should in regards to how the apps on the TiVo perform compared to how well--and hassle free--those same apps perform on a Roku or Fire TV device.

TiVo used to have a Fire TV app that allowed streaming from TiVo in your home or outside you home to a big HDTV for viewing, but that app has been put to death by TiVo. However, we hope that a replacement app may be available once TiVo finishes it Beta testing with users, some who are on this Forum. That would be an additional reason to use a Fire TV device: to watch TiVo content anywhere the Fire TV is connected to a nice BIG, HDTV.
 
#38 ·
That's easy if you compare it to a modern TiVo. A modern TiVo does not have HDR. Yet my FireTv devices do. Plus the FireTv device will show me the encode playing from Amazon content. While many other Amazon apps, like from my ROkus, ATV 4K, or Roku TCL 6 Series UHDTv, do not.

And as far as the internal TV apps, that would depend on the TV. My FireTvs run circles around the UI of my Sony UHD TV. I would pick the FireTV over that any day. But then my FireTV is typically down at fourth or fifth of my list of streamers. I will mainly use it for Amazon content. But now that I have a DV TCL TV, and the FireTV does not, I'll need to use my ATV 4K or internal TV apps to access the Dolby Vision content from Amazon.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bigg
#39 ·
I hope this does not turn into a nasty debate - I really just want some simple answers and ideas to try and understand something that does not make sense to me.
As I see it, the only way that what you're asking about wouldn't make sense is if you believe every product out there that offers streaming content from various sources is !00% the same as everything else.

Why would anyone want XYZ when they already have ABC? Because XYZ resolves a deficiency (real or perceived) in ABC.
 
  • Like
Reactions: aaronwt
#40 ·
Yes. Unfortunately, no one device can do everything.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bigg
#44 ·
That's true, but, for antenna-first-cord-cutters, the Roamio comes closest -- and no one is in second. If you are an OTT-first-cord-cutter, TiVo is not so great as it cannot stream any of the OTT cable substitutes like Sling TV, DirecTV Now, and Sony Vue. That is why this conversation has to start with specifics of what OP wants to watch. This thread is kind of mental masturbation -- it feels good, but nothing will come of it.
 
#59 ·
Everybody's mentioned what I would've said except one thing--maybe someday, TiVo will release another app for Fire Sticks that would let them work like Tivo Minis. There used to be an app that would let you watch tivo recordings on a Fire Stick, but Tivo abandoned it. Rumor has it they're working on something new, so maybe someday a Fire Stick could be a viable $35 option instead of a $175 Mini.
 
#62 ·
I pretty much gave up on apps from my TiVos. Back in 2015, when the Bolt launched, they were ahead of everybody with UHD. But now they have been surpassed by everyone. I'll take a Roku, ATv, or FireTV over a TIvo any day for apps at this point. The only apps I might use on my TiVos now are Pandora and Plex(for only HD content). And that would only be because I dont want to switch to another device at that moment.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bigg
#87 ·
Why can't they just make a box? Having the pendant or stick hanging off a short extension cable with a dongle for Ethernet hanging off of that is FUGLY, and then you still don't have IR for a universal remote. Roku and Apple TV are both nice boxes that sit under the TV, have Ethernet jacks, and take IR input.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mschnebly
#88 ·
I don't even see the point in the Ethernet dongle. If it's like the Pendant, I can get at least as fast speeds over Wireless AC as I can from the 100Mb/s connection. Both connections are just as rock solid.
 
#115 ·
The Amazon and Netflix streaming support via the TiVo Mini is really buggy. Streams stutter, get stuck, or the Mini wilI freeze and need to be rebooted. I use a Fire device on that TV now for that stuff. I just use the Mini for watching shows hosted on the main TiVo, which works fine.
 
#118 ·
I have a 2015 JS850D and the apps are HORRENDOUS. I've never really used them much except to try them and realize that they suck. Then I started using Roku for everything, and it was a MUCH better experience.
 
  • Like
Reactions: aaronwt
#2 ·
I have one and a few things. First is portabilituy - I take my fire stick with me on trips and plug it in where I am and can use it on the go. Second is app updates. Often smart TV apps are not updated as often as apps on firetv, appletv, or roku so you may get an updated or better version of the app. The final is app selection. i have a nice samsung smart TV but there are some apps available on fire stick which are not on samsung. Playstation Vue which I use for my TV watching is the big one. Now I often use my PS4 fo that over firestick but it isn't an option on my smart TV. Firestick is general has a lot more apps available then most smart TVs.

So it is far from useless. My smart TV also has a firestick plugged in. I do 90% of stuff off the smart TV but the other 10% of apps that are not on there are where the firestick is very nice to have.

One thing that is pretty common is that people load Kodi on the firestick to be used to stream from some less then legal sites.
 
#5 ·
You make the point about the voice option, but your question is “Why purchase the FireStick?” For many people, voice is a large part of it.

For myself, I got one when you could get the Tivo app for it. That allowed me to watch my shows wherever I was on a real TV as opposed to on my iPad or iPhone. Hopefully, that option will come back.

- Merg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#6 ·
OK, so more apps that may not be in the TiVo or TV - that makes sense. But I do not own any game console, and I currently have no desire to use any app at all that is not already on my TiVo or TV. And when traveling, I have had no problems at all streaming from my Bolts at home, so I can't see anything there either. I have already cut the cord, and I am not going to pay the blood suckers for more unneeded services to stream different things.

So for me, still zero value. Thank you for your replies; at least I can now understand why some other people might want one.
 
#17 ·
When you travel, how do you get whatever you stream onto a TV if you have no streaming device (Fire Stick or otherwise)? Do you just carry a long HDMI cable with you? Fire TV used to be the only way to stream Tivo content to a TV outside of your home, so that's another reason a Tivo user would need one.

Also consider that the apps on the stick are superior to the same apps on Tivo. For example, on Prime Video, ffwd is blind on Tivo (just a time bar), but you get thumbnails of each frame on Fire TV similar to what you'd see on Netflix. Also, the Hulu app on Tivo is very out of date and has no profiles like the Fire TV version.

Unlike you, I don't have any smart TVs, so I need some streaming device. Since Fire Stick is often on sale for $20, and it can run ALL apps (DirecTV NOW, Sling TV, PS Vue, Youtube TV, Hulu TV, Kodi, etc.), it's a no-brainer.

Having said all that, I do absolutely despise the Fire TV interface. It's confusing and inefficient, a sea of thumbnails in nonsensical groupings all trying to push Amazon content first and foremost. Roku and Apple TV are much simpler and somewhat provider agnostic.
 
#7 ·
Then it doesn't sound like it is for you. and ps vue has nothing to do with gaming console. It is simply an OTT TV service but if you dont have or won't it that doesnt matter.

So based on your comments, you should not get one. I love mine and have quite a few because I find them very useful.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top