Fire Sticks – Forumite.site

This topic has 11 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 7 months ago by Bob Williams.

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August 16, 2019 at 7:31 pm #35674
Bob Williams
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@bullstuff2
Forumite Points: 0
Sorry to say I have had enough of the Freesat Humax, too many carp channels and repeats. YT and Netflix on it, but I think I think I will get this:

https://tinyurl.com/y2o6wnr7

I inadvertently signed up for Prime, had a look and decided it might be what we need for some better viewing. My TV Sony Bravia 40″ set has Ethernet and is just HD 1080p, we are fine with that and don’t need 4K. I can then get rid of a lot of cables. I will get the Ethernet adapter too. What does the team think? Might even stop paying TV licence if it all works out.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.
August 16, 2019 at 7:36 pm #35677
PlaneMan
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@planeman
Forumite Points: 196
Let me check with my drawer of stuff at mum’s, will be Sunday, before you buy anything.

I’m sure there is at least one of those knocking about, if so will be dirt cheap.

As a way to ‘smart’ a non-smart TV they are fine, lots of things can be side-loaded to make them better.
August 17, 2019 at 1:26 am #35680
Tippon
Participant
@tippon
Forumite Points: 0
We’ve got two here, and they’re used every day. I like sci fi and there’s loads of kids TV included for Alice. Just be aware that a lot of the promoted content is on paid channels. They’re easy to avoid, but I almost got tripped up when we got the first one.

They can be set up with Alexa too, so I can say ‘Alexa, play the next episode of … ‘ and it will play. We have two living rooms thanks to the house layout, so the command automatically goes to the same room as the device it wwas given to – in our case the Echo Dot and one Fire Stick are both registered to the same room.
August 17, 2019 at 10:28 am #35685
Richard
Participant
@sawboman
Forumite Points: 16
I found the demand services hard work. We have a Fire Stick on one TV and on 2 others we have set up several demand services, (Prime, BBC Player, Chanel4). After the initial rush of excitement mostly to see if it could be done and then to track down a couple of missed items the hard work of tracking things down meant they fell into disuse. We tend to use the PVR as being an easy option along with its pause function while otherwise live viewing. I guess that things like Alexa could overcome that issue, but I am not sure that the admission price of getting a voice controlled ‘thing’ is worthwhile. My experience of ‘OK Google’ has been dire. In simple terms it had a success rate of about 2% perhaps I am not compatible. Nokia did have voice control working well for me.
August 17, 2019 at 10:51 am #35687
Dave Rice
Participant
@ricedg
Forumite Points: 7
“the hard work of tracking things down”. I know what you mean. At least PVRs have a consolidated search function across channels.

The LNB on my dish is been playing up so we’ve been using the Fire TV more and more as a substitute for live TV. The one thing I do like on the iPlayer is watch from start if you turn up a bit late.
August 17, 2019 at 6:12 pm #35691
Bob Williams
Participant
@bullstuff2
Forumite Points: 0
Thanks for the responses guys, all interesting.

Nolan, thanks for the kind offer, I won’t buy until I see what you find at your mum’s. Just let me know price including P&P in a PM and I will go for it.

Ryan, thanks. Somewhere in one of my Bits Boxes is an original Echo Dot, given to me by my No.2 Gson and never used. (I am a Tech Magpie) Using that should be enough to make SWMBO head for the hair dye!

Richard I am ready for the hard work: I need to carry out a complete sorting out of everything audio/video. Have to fit my second Ethernet hub and remove the Humax, take up all the Satellite cable that the Sky Guy laid out along walls and around doors. I will probably get my son to take it from the LNB and into the loft, just in case we need it again. There is already TV and Ethernet cable across the loft and down behind the LH side of the TV, with a plate screwed to the wall. Then I will carefully consider a new layout and remove it all, at which point SWMBO will probably move to No.1 daughter’s for a week. (“No TV” does that to her!) A Humax HDR-1100S will appear on local Gumtree and FB Market place. Further annoyances of the Humax is that it does not record two programmes at once, (as promised) and it takes ages to boot up. The Freesat romance is dead!

Dave I like that about the iPlayer too, and it is supposed to work on the Humax EPG. But it doesn’t. Certain programmes on certain channels have the “Restart” icon:

– But some do not restart, or restart one day but fail the next day. I have both Satt cables connected to a new LNB, the dish has been tuned professionally and I now have a download speed of 70+ Mbps. I’ve had enough and want to replace the Humax box and all its cables with something much smaller that frees up an HDMI port and gives me more entertainment with less repeats of repeated repeats.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.
August 17, 2019 at 9:08 pm #35697
The Duke
Participant
@sgb101
Forumite Points: 5
You can’t stop paying your licence bob, they closed that loop hole in April 18. Now if you own anything that can in theory play media, you pay.

For its price, sadly, I just pay. Just a nice little stealth tax. I’d ha} illy give up the beed if the encrypted it. But I feel too many would so it ain’t gonna happen.
August 17, 2019 at 9:52 pm #35698
Wheels-Of-Fire
Participant
@grahamdearsley
Forumite Points: 4
Hasn’t the latest fire stick GOT a voice controlled remote ?
August 17, 2019 at 9:58 pm #35699
Wheels-Of-Fire
Participant
@grahamdearsley
Forumite Points: 4
The TV licence is not a stelth tax it is an in your face ring fenced tax, just about the only one in existence and for a service I gave up using about 15 years ago ?
August 17, 2019 at 10:08 pm #35700
Wheels-Of-Fire
Participant
@grahamdearsley
Forumite Points: 4
I would give the BBC about a tenner a year to keep its engineering service going though ?
August 18, 2019 at 8:05 am #35704
Dave Rice
Participant
@ricedg
Forumite Points: 7
The Fire Stick has a version of Alexa in the remote control and you can use an Alexa speaker to control the device.
August 19, 2019 at 11:02 pm #35730
Bob Williams
Participant
@bullstuff2
Forumite Points: 0
All sorted, thanks to Nolan!

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.
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