Fire TV Stick by Amazon- Review

I had Fire TV Stick in the wish list since its launch. I was very excited to find it being launched in India. With the cost of the internet going down significantly & good content availability since Amazon Fire TV Stick is undoubtedly the best option.

My TV was already smart along with Mira-cast support so I avoided it for long. Then LG stopped supporting this model & its app store degraded with time.

Then came another headache with TRAI rules which significantly increased the pricing of DTH packages, with 1/4 th of earlier channels at the same price.

So I thought now is the time to switch to this wonderful fire TV device & extend things beyond DTH channels with several streaming services at our disposal, all via big screen instead of small mobile screen.

INTRO TO FIRE TV

A perfect streaming device that brings in Alexa voice smartness & goodness of Internet TV with curated content by several providers. As add on you also get Screen Mirroring (Miracast) & Cast.

It’s a world of entertainment contained in small Android platform based standalone HDMI stick with 1000’s of movies, TV shows, apps etc, all in Full HD (1080p). A number of apps are preinstalled with a lot of FREE content and you are free to install others.

P.S. Min connection speed of 4 Mbps is recommended for a pleasant experience.

INBOX CONTENTS OF FIRE TV STICK PACKAGE

Box Seal open vs close, Amazon Fire TV Stick

1. Fire TV Stick
2. Alexa enabled voice remote with IR support (connects via BT)
3. Power adapter (5V | 1A | 5W)
4. USB cable (~ 5 feet or 58.5 inches or 148.5 cm)
5. HDMI extender (~ 4.25 inches or 11 cm)
6. Quick start guide
7. 2 AAA batteries

ABOUT FIRE TV STICK

Fire TV Dimensions: 85.5 mm x 30 mm x 12 mm | Weight: 31.2 g
Remote Dimensions: 38 mm x 142 mm x 16 mm | Weight: 65.5/43 g (with/without batteries)

Ports: HDMI male connector, micro-USB female port

Key Specs: Quad-core ARM 1.3 GHz processor, Mali 450 GPU, 8 GB Internal, 1 GB RAM
Wi-Fi: Dual-band, Dual-antenna 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
BT: Bluetooth 4.1 + LE
Device storage available: 5.94 GB
Software v5.2.6.7 | 4.89 GB free, v5.2.6.9 | 5.27 GB free

PROS OF FIRE TV STICK

1. Good quality, solid build device with easy setup (make sure to use high-speed broadband instead of mobile hotspot, else be ready for ‘amazon home not reachable’ issue).
2. Fully capable standalone streaming device based on the Android platform.
3. Highly capable Bluetooth remote with Alexa voice support. It does not require pointing to the device.
4. Remote also has IR capability for general TV functions (on/off/volume/mute). This requires pointing to the TV’s receiver.
5. Mobile app is available to control device. So dependency on the physical remote is less.

6. Intuitive, fast & snappy interface without significant lag. It lags if music or install task is running in the background.
7. Rich curated free content with almost all of the streaming services supported. Prime, Netflix, Hotstar, SonyLiv, Spotify, Gaana, etc. Premium content requires a subscription.
8. Capable Amazon app store to find many of required apps.
9. Since android based, you can just sideload any other android app. Compatibility is another thing.
10. Supports Screencast/Mirroring/Mira-cast. So covers up Chrome-cast as well.

PROS OF FIRE TV STICK – Continued

11. Web browser available to virtually support any content on the web, if app not available. E.g. YouTube
UPDATE: As of 9th July 2019, the official Youtube app is now available on the FireTV stick. So that’s something to rejoice at.
12. Wake up of fire TV stick via the home button also switches on TV if not on. (HDMI CEC required)
13. Alexa can also switch on the TV. “Alexa, Turn on the TV” (HDMI CEC required)
14. Deep integration with Prime video and music. Alexa voice or fire TV stick’s search will not work for the content of other apps. It though works fine for music across other apps.
15. It comes preregistered to Amazon account used to make a purchase.

16. Compatible with smart home devices via Alexa enabled remote. E.g. Philips Hue, Smart switches, Cameras, etc.
17. Sufficiently long USB power cable.
18. The remote range is more than 55 feet. I was able to check up to 55 feet and it worked well.
19. Video quality setting, low, medium, high to have a check on data usage. To set, Settings → Preferences → Data monitoring → Video quality

CONS OF FIRE TV STICK

1. The biggest issue is the search which is exclusive to Prime content. For rest, it displays browsers or YouTube link. For such a streaming device, the search should extend across all apps.
P.S. It works ok for playing music across other apps. If songs not found on prime, it searches it on others and plays accordingly or you can even specify an app.
2. Limited storage with no card support. So you are left with only ~5 GB for deployment.
3. Since it’s just another HDMI device connected to the TV so if you switch inputs and does not exit streaming content on Fire TV, it keeps on running and consuming data.
4. Sending the device to sleep does not auto switch off TV unlike waking up which switches it on. It needs to be manually done.
5. No Google Play Store support & Amazon store has limited apps.
6. No YouTube native app.
UPDATE: As of 9th July 2019, the official Youtube app is now available on the FireTV stick. So that’s something to rejoice at.
7. Costly accessories, be it remote or an Ethernet adapter.
8. Screen mirror is slow with ~1-sec delay but so happens with TVs built in Miracast too. You just can’t avoid this lag due to the high bandwidth & processing requirement.

FEATURES OF FIRE TV STICK

→ SMART TV

# Simply converts dumb TV to smart TV by proving the world of internet & entertainment on the screen.
# Comes with a lot of best of the Android platform.

→ ALEXA VOICE REMOTE & SMART HOME

1. Now a day’s Alexa works well in the Indian context and can very well understand the accent.
2. Alexa enabled remote is there to impart smartness to home too with voice control for smart home devices like Philips Hue, Smart switches, Smart bulbs, etc.
3. All Alexa skills work here. Like booking cab, ordering food, news flash, weather update, etc.

→ IR FEATURE IN REMOTE

# Can control the compatible TV with the same remote. No need to manage multiple remotes. Supported options: on/off, volume +/- & mute.

→ Wi-Fi & BT connectivity

1. Wi-Fi simply helps it to connect to the internet.
2. BT helps it to connect to remote and other devices like keyboard, or headsets (I was unable to make BT mouse work with fire TV stick).

→ STREAMING APPS

1. Prime Video, Netflix, Hotstar, SonyLiv, Zee5, Voot etc for video content while Prime Music, Gaana, Spotify etc for audio content.
2. Subscription may be required for premium content while some may be ad-supported. Lots of free content available on all of the apps though.
3. At least one subscription of your choice is recommended. Prime may be a good choice owing to extra benefits.
4. Regular TV shows are available without subscription on all of the apps after 1 day.
5. The news channel live apps are available.

→ SCREEN CAST / SCREEN MIRRORING / MIRACAST

1. Many TV’s don’t have Miracast support built in, which helps to mirror mobile or laptop screen on to TV
2. Fire TV stick comes with screencast support letting you mirror content playing on the device to enjoy on TV’s big screen
3. To mirror, either long-press home button and select ‘Mirroring’ or choose that option from settings. Then toggle to use the corresponding option on mobile or laptop.

→ CAST

1. It’s different from screen cast in a way that, screen cast just mirrors whatever’s on the mobile screen to the TV while cast only casts relevant content be it video or audio on Fire TV via its app.
2. Many apps on mobile like Prime music, Prime Video, Netflix etc will have cast or watch now option.

→ SOFTWARE & FIRE OS

1. Interactive interface with apps and content on the main screen.
2. Top part has tabs that split up the main screen into Home, Movies, TV Shows, Apps, and Settings.
3. Below you have recent, my apps & games, etc.
4. You can configure data tracking & parental control during initial setup or from settings.
5. Video quality, reboot, reset to factory settings, de-register device etc options also available.
6. Equipment control is wonderful thing. It lets your Fire TV stick control TV & AV receiver, power on, volume control, etc. (this is done via HDMI CEC or IR)
7. While on other TV inputs, the pressing home button takes TV to the Fire TV stick’s input.
8. Screensaver option is nice to have. You can have your own set of images by uploading to available cloud storage.
9. Regular updates provided by Amazon.

SETTING UP FIRE TV STICK

1. Connect Fire TV to HDMI port of TV directly or via HDMI extender.
2. Connect the USB cable to Fire TV and adapter.
3. Insert adapter in a socket.
4. Switch on the power supply. It boots up with ‘Amazon’ text followed by colorful ‘Fire TV stick’ text.
5. Install batteries in remote & follow on-screen instructions to pair it. A press of home button required on prompt.
6. Follow on-screen instructions for initial setup, Wi-Fi configuration etc.
7. If not preregistered, follow on-screen instructions for the same.
8. Enjoy the world of internet based content & you will just forget DTH, cable TV and all.

PERFORMANCE 4K FIRE TV STICK VS 1080 P STICK

4K Stick

→ Device boot time: 35-40 sec

→ App Install & launch:
Firefox: Install 5 sec, launch 2 sec
Silk: Install 10 sec, launch 2 sec
Netflix: Install 8 sec, launch 10 sec
Hotstar: Install 6 sec, launch 6 sec
Spotify: Install 5 sec, launch 5 sec
ES explorer: Install 12 sec, launch 4 sec

1080P Stick

→ Device boot time: 45-50 sec

→ App Install & launch:
Firefox: Install 11 sec, launch 8 sec
Silk: Install 50 sec, launch 5 sec
Netflix: Install 30 sec, launch 15 sec
Hotstar: Install 30 sec, launch 12 sec
Spotify: Install 10 sec, launch 7 sec
ES explorer: Install 48 sec, launch 7 sec

Rest values for both

1. System Update time: 3-4 min
2. Remote Battery Backup, 4 Months 25 Days.
3. Remote Update time: 2-3 min

REMOTE

BT Range: 55 feet +

IR functionality tested ok: MI Smart TV (4A), LG Smart TV 47” (LA 6200), and LG Home Theater.

1. Easy pairing of remote. Just follow on-screen instructions. Press home button on prompt, amber led flashes & upon pairing blue led flashes.
2. No need to point the remote to stick as it connects via BT
3. Press and hold home button to bring up shortcut menu. (Apps, Sleep, Mirroring, Settings)
4. Press and hold voice button, to give voice commands or interact with Alexa.
5. IR control viz on/off, volume up/down, mute requires pointing to TV or other device.
6. IR setup is launched on the first startup. Plays audio & asks to adjust volume. Switches different IR codes to find compatible one. Works similar to MI phones IR remote app configuration.
7. Remote firmware is also updated from time to time. Takes approx. 2-3 min.

Amazon’s Echo lineup like Echo Input, Echo Dot, Echo, etc can also be used to control Fire TV.

FIRE TV APP

There’s wonderful app on Playstore which works as an alternative to remote with full functionality including Alexa voice.

In fact it will ease up your typing across the Fire TV stick’s interface with regular keyboard on mobile screen. Also helpful in copy paste operations across Fire OS.

Just connect stick to Wi-Fi and app discovers it. So only thing you need to key in via TV screen keyboard is Wi-Fi password. For rest, there is the app. 😉

AMAZON FIRE TV APP STORE & APPS

Having, a built in store is a plus as you don’t need to fiddle around for apps. Amazon app store is quite good with a good set of required apps for devices core functionality. Prime apps come pre-installed. Some useful apps are listed.

VIDEO:: Prime Video, Netflix, Hotstar, SonyLiv, Zee5, Voot, Jio Cinema, Eros Now, VLC, MX Player
MUSIC:: Prime Music, Gaana, Spotify
WEB BROWSER:: Silk, Firefox
FILE EXPLORER:: ES Explorer
NEWS:: AajTak Live, ABP Live, NDTV, Aljazeera, BBC News, NBC News

Still it’s limited and not as rich as Playstore.

So for others, since the device is android based, use your imagination. You can sideload just any app via wireless transfer. Download via a web browser is disabled. Compatibility matters here as all are not optimized for TV experience.
E.g. some really useful apps which not compatible: AirtelTV, JioTV, TataSkyTV

For sideloading,
a) Install ES Explorer on mobile & Fire TV Stick.
b) On your Fire TV stick, go to Settings → Device → Developer Options & turn on ‘Allow apps from Unknown Sources’.
c) Download the desired app on mobile.
d) Transfer to Fire TV stick using ES to ES LAN transfer and install.

FIRE TV VS FIRE TV 4K

4K version of Fire TV comes with some goodies like 4K content support, slightly better processor to support 4K content, HDR videos, Dolby Atmos, and BT 5.0 etc but it’s up to us to decide if they are worth the extra amount paid.

→ The major hurdle here is 4K content availability. Because our country is still catching up with Full HD content and 4K is still far from reality for a few years.

→ Then comes internet data. 1080p consumes approx. 2 GB per hour while 4K consumes approx. 7 GB per hour. Do you have that much data at your disposal? (Keep Jio Fiber’s preview offer aside, you will have to pay someday)

You can always upgrade later on as these devices are not meant to last forever. Because two or three years later you will feel the need to upgrade and getting a 4K stick then will make a lot of sense.

Even having a 4K TV at present is not a good idea. It’s a gimmick for now and looks good on store display with optimized 4K content but useless in day to day usage.

FINAL VERDICT

1. If you want to convert your old TV or even old smart TV (my case) with limited content to full-featured smart TV with lots of content from different providers, Alexa goodness & smart home control, you are good to go with this Fire TV stick.

2. It can even act as a replacement for DTH as all of the channels are live with subscription packages for apps or you can watch your favorite shows a day later on respective apps.

3. If on the previous generation of Fire TV stick, upgrade only if you need new remote with IR functionality as rest hardware is the same.

4. Then there’s 4K version of Fire TV. The general suggestion would be to avoid it for now and save some bucks for subscription services unless you want extra performance.

4K stick’s performance is 1.5 to 2 times as compared to 1080p stick but an average user won’t notice the difference.

Future proofing is another thing as every electronic device tends to slow down after say a year or two.

5. We also have the MI TV box and other android TV boxes available. But MI TV box is not officially launched here while other boxes have quality issues.