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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?
 
#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.
 
#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.
 
#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.
 
#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.
 
#16 ·
They're incredibly cheap ($35 or less), have a better/faster interface than TiVo/Smart TV, have better support/updates than TiVo/Smart TV, have access to a large library of apps as opposed to TiVo/Smart TV, are able to access "less than legal" streams with Kodi, and have features such as gaming (with an additional controller) or voice.

Whether or not the additional features are desirable/useful is really dependent on the individual.

That being said, I don't use one. But, I still think it's an excellent device for certain situations. The Fire TV Recast coming this November looks like it may be a viable Tivo OTA/Mini competitor when coupled with a few Fire TV's.
 
#20 ·
The Fire Stick has voice. I know you don't want to use it but there are millions who have arthritis and not having to use a remote all the time is a help. It is also quite fast overall, apps load reasonably fast. Also for me the Slingbox app is important and it's superb on the stick. Since the stick is so portable that is a big thing. There is a boatload of apps a Samsung TV or the Tivo does not have and it would be hard to take my 60" tv with me everywhere....
There are other reasons but it's a good device that's why I spent money to get it.
 
#21 ·
People tell me I should get one for Amazon Prime Video because it works much better than the app my TiVo has. My TV isn't a SmartTV so my Bolt is the only way to get the Amazon stuff on my TV. I already have a Chromecast hooked up to the TV too. Don't really need another device. I just live with the crummy TiVo app
 
#28 ·
Hey the TiVo app works and if you are happy with it why change. Fire stick offers better quality streaming services playback than TiVo Bolt. I had to turn off Dolby Digital on FS for smoother playback but experience no sound difference. Smart TVs work ok but I like how FS and its remote work better.
 
#22 ·
Fire TV also has both Firefox & Silk browsers for web surfing (albeit limited). You can access YouTube via either browser. When FireTV was introduced it was 5X better than any smart tv, blu-ray, or (then) TiVo app in speed and stream quality. I've been so content I never bothered to even open TiVo's apps since upgrading to Bolt so I can't compare current status (so my bad if it has a browser).

I've owned FTV1, FTV2, and now the Cube. I never talk to my TV for playback or channel switching, but I do use voice on Cube to turn on/off my TV and toggle back and forth between the FTV interface and TiVo ("switch to cable"). It learns your TV & AV Receiver during set-up, and after some bumps in the road corrected via software updates... works great for me. Very convenient when i'm late for work running out of the house and turn it all off via voice. I also use 'voice' to play music, which works very well as the Cube defaults to playing through your AV receiver/HT speakers (it switches AV & TV on when off).

I also own the AppleTV solely for Airplay mirroring my phone/mac (or a friend's iPhone) to the TV... which works great. Outside of Airplay, I find ATV inferior to FireTV in every way... especially the horrendous 'touch' remote. FTV's remote is very TiVo-like but lacks AV volume/power buttons. FTV's major down-side is it's interface dominated by Amazon content.
 
#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.
 
#25 · (Edited)
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?
Might want to word your questions more carefully if you want to avoid 'nasty debates'.

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.
It sounds like you understand at least one reason why these devices make sense to a lot of people. Even if you do NOT NOT NOT ever want to talk to your TV, others do like to use Alexa to control a television. When I am cooking, doing dishes, or am otherwise occupied, I like to do a lot of things with my voice. BTW, if you have a cell phone or laptop in your home, you have a potential 'open mic' in your home. In fact, your smart tv may have a mic. In our school district, the IT department located a stolen laptop by remotely turning on the camera/mic and listening to conversation to identify the thief. The school district got in more trouble for violating the thief's (and 'potentially' any family's using one of the loaner laptops) privacy than the thief did for stealing the laptop.

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?
Only you know the answer to this. For the rest of us, the answer is pretty simple: an app that runs on this device is not available on the Bolt or the TV or does not work as well on the Bolt or the TV.

I suspect you will dismiss these examples and I have no idea what apps are available on your television or DVR, but there are a lot of apps on the Fire TV Stick (and Roku) that are not universally available...
  • Sling TV
  • Sony Vue
  • Pluto
  • PlayOn TV
  • Countless news apps
  • Countless special interest apps
  • Countless games (TiVo has no game controller AFAIK; does your TV?)
  • Countless educational apps
  • Countless spiritual apps
If you are sincerely interested, browse this list.
 
#27 ·
for me, if I were to buy one, it would be about portability. I sometimes travel for work. If that picked up, I'd consider getting one to leave in my bag so I can bring with me and not have to watch content at night on my phone or laptop. I was travelling with an Apple TV for a while and that was a major pain to get onto hotel networks. Now, I don't know if hotels would more readily allow a fire stick on the networks...probably would still necessitate a call......
 
#30 ·
I'm personally a HUGE fan of Roku, and Roku is now my go-to device as my viewing has shifted away from DVR'ed linear TV on TiVo. TiVo's apps are lousy compared to Roku or FireTV, as they aren't updated nearly as often, and a lot of stuff just isn't available. I also started on a Premiere, which was a total dog performance wise for apps beyond normal DVR usage, so that left a bad taste in my mouth. Also, TiVo's remote mapping for apps makes no sense. Every app is different, and they never standardized anything, as the application developers, not TiVo seem to control the mapping.

I later moved to a 4k TV, and still had the Premiere and Roamio OTA, so my Roku Ultra filled the gap there. The TV's apps were garbage and crashed all the time (Samsung). I strongly prefer Roku because it's provider-neutral, and it will work with virtually any OTT PPV, OTT SVOD, Free, or Cable Anywhere service. If you like Amazon and their ecosystem, then get a FireTV. I think FireTV is a weaker product compared to Roku, but they have huge ecosystem tie-ins that are increasing every time they launch new devices. I wouldn't recommend anyone use TiVo as an app platform, although my roommates used to use one of my Minis for Netflix and Hulu because it was there on another TV, and it was passable.
 
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