Once the Amazon fireTV was turned on, and connected my Amazon account without any action on my part, I was excited to get right into it.
The obvious difference between the fireTV and other streaming boxes is the fireTV is based on the Android operating system. The biggest difference with this box over others is the natural integration with Amazon Prime Instant Video. Just like the Kindle where books are the primary interface, Prime movies and TV shows are the primary interface, Netflix, Hulu and others are secondary apps.
Finding items to watch is as simple as speaking into the remote what you want, and it did a great job of finding nearly all the items I searched for. At first it was a little clunky, I was pressing the speak button and letting go then talking into the remote. Nothing was happening. Turns out you need to hold down the speak button until you are through speaking. Either I didn't see the instructions or I was trying to use it like Siri. The other thing that I thought was weird is I couldn't speak my username and passwords when setting up Netflix and Hulu? Seemed like I should be able to do that just as easily as speaking a search.
I like that the remote is very minimalist, however, the ring used to navigate left, right, up and down, should have some kind of arrows on it for those not used to that kind of interface. I was ok but my wife wasn't sure what to do to go back and forth.
I haven't had time to check out games, but I'll get there. I don't see games becoming a huge boon for this device as people aren't trained to use their streaming media box as a game console, they are using their Xbox for that.
Everything about this box is excellent. The thin size, speed, and simple remote make it a great choice. I'm certainly glad I picked it up.
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Thom, what other boxes have you used? I own Apple TVs & Rokus (yes, multiple of each), and I'm curious to know if there are any other features (besides voice-search) that make FireTV stand out?
ReplyDeleteSorry, I just the previous blog entry describing your history with Roku...so that answers my first question. I'm curious to know if the 2GB helps reduce buffering. Lately, I've found the Roku 3 (the one with FAST? processor) really struggles with buffering while viewing 1080p (this is particularly true with PLEX). I look forward to hearing more of your FireTV experience...
ReplyDeletePlex runs infinitely faster, that's the app I had the most trouble with on Roku. I've been streaming videos at 1080p with no problem. So far so good.
ReplyDeleteI just got my fire tv on Saturday! Unfortunately, we still don't have internet service at our new place (not until Wednesday) so I haven't been able to play with it yet.
ReplyDeleteWe have a first gen Roku still but it's so slow we have been thinking about getting a replacement for awhile. When I saw the amazon announcement I knew that was the box I would be getting.
I try to be more experience and tech loyal than brand loyal, but I am an amazon enthusiast. Have been a prime member for several years and have multiple customer service experiences that keep me ordering from them. With both digital and physical purchases.
Glad to hear your experience with it has been positive.