Hulu and Netflix Streaming Devices
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@scottalanmiller said:
@s.hackleman said:
I have been supper happy with the a $65 apple TV for this kind of thing. That or a Amazon Fire TV or Fire stick, Chromecast, etc. A whole computer for this kind of thing is overkill.
Not only that, but the interface and low power consumption features of the tiny "dedicated" boxes is so nice. And many have games now (Amazon, latest Apple TV, etc.) which are different from the available PC games that it makes for an interesting addition to the household technology set as well.
I tried the Android TV, and it was awful and I just ended up taking it back to Best Buy. I would for sure suggest the Fire Line. I would have but, having Airplay to the Laptop was needed for our setup.
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@s.hackleman said:
@scottalanmiller said:
@s.hackleman said:
I have been supper happy with the a $65 apple TV for this kind of thing. That or a Amazon Fire TV or Fire stick, Chromecast, etc. A whole computer for this kind of thing is overkill.
Not only that, but the interface and low power consumption features of the tiny "dedicated" boxes is so nice. And many have games now (Amazon, latest Apple TV, etc.) which are different from the available PC games that it makes for an interesting addition to the household technology set as well.
I tried the Android TV, and it was awful and I just ended up taking it back to Best Buy. I would for sure suggest the Fire Line. I would have but, having Airplay to the Laptop was needed for our setup.
There isn't an "Android TV" product, is there? There is just a large family of products built on top of Android? Or is there an Android TV now too? The Fire line are Android devices, for example. As is the Chromecast and, I would guess, the Roku.
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@s.hackleman said:
@scottalanmiller said:
@s.hackleman said:
I have been supper happy with the a $65 apple TV for this kind of thing. That or a Amazon Fire TV or Fire stick, Chromecast, etc. A whole computer for this kind of thing is overkill.
Not only that, but the interface and low power consumption features of the tiny "dedicated" boxes is so nice. And many have games now (Amazon, latest Apple TV, etc.) which are different from the available PC games that it makes for an interesting addition to the household technology set as well.
I tried the Android TV, and it was awful and I just ended up taking it back to Best Buy. I would for sure suggest the Fire Line. I would have but, having Airplay to the Laptop was needed for our setup.
Was it this one?
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@coliver said:
@s.hackleman said:
@scottalanmiller said:
@s.hackleman said:
I have been supper happy with the a $65 apple TV for this kind of thing. That or a Amazon Fire TV or Fire stick, Chromecast, etc. A whole computer for this kind of thing is overkill.
Not only that, but the interface and low power consumption features of the tiny "dedicated" boxes is so nice. And many have games now (Amazon, latest Apple TV, etc.) which are different from the available PC games that it makes for an interesting addition to the household technology set as well.
I tried the Android TV, and it was awful and I just ended up taking it back to Best Buy. I would for sure suggest the Fire Line. I would have but, having Airplay to the Laptop was needed for our setup.
Was it this one?
What a weird landing page. It says that the store is not available where you are, but click here to go to the store. So, um... there it is, just like I wanted. What did they mean by not available, then?
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Maybe it was the extra underscore that is in the URL? Not sure. It worked perfectly for me.
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@coliver said:
Maybe it was the extra underscore that is in the URL? Not sure. It worked perfectly for me.
Here they are clearly blocking something because it is Nica, but they aren't blocking the store. Just the landing page or something, but providing the link to the store anyway. A bit odd.
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Yeah I can get to it just fine
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@Minion-Queen said:
Yeah I can get to it just fine
It says right on the page that it is unavailable in Nica. It's just weird that they then provide a working link right on the page instead of taking you directly to the working page.
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@scottalanmiller said:
Yeah, needing an extra device makes that essentially useless for most users, I would imagine.
Chromecast seemed like such an awesome idea at first. But literally the first time I used it and wanted to fastforward in the show I knew this was a horrible solution. No tactile feedback on the device being used to control it, hard to see dark (well not that hard I suppose, it is a lite up screen afterall), no touch only option of a typical remote, etc, etc.
Thinks like the voice activated remote for Amazon is awesome.
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The voice system is powered by Echo / Alexa on the Amazon device which is pretty cool.
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I'm learning so much from this thread. I am probably the most inefficient when it comes to streaming. I have a gen 1 Apple TV that I use for Netflix primarily. I use an Xbox One for Amazon Prime and my computer for Hulu. Yes, Apple TV has Hulu, but I have not found a need yet for a Hulu account so I use it free to watch current episodes of Master Chef.
I don't mind switching platforms as I need to. Am I weird for that?
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@JessWaterfordTech said:
I don't mind switching platforms as I need to. Am I weird for that?
We used to do that but after starting to travel we are forced to unify our devices for space and weight reasons and doing so tends to cause a bigger one time investment but seems to pay off in a happier overall experience.
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@Jason said:
@Dashrender said:
I have a Chromecast v1 - $20 and it's yours. I personally can't stand the need to have another device sending data to it, controlling it, etc.
I've been using my 5+ year old Blue Ray player for most of my online services, Netflix, Plex, Vudu, but the interface is getting long in the tooth. I'm considering an amazon Fire TB.
I thought about that as I don't have a blueray player and will likely get one. However most unlike the Roku or Amazon TV isn't there primary purpose so it's not as polished and when hulu, amazon or netflix updates they have no incentive to update to make their devices to keep working.
This is definitely true... That said, I've had my player for 5+ years and it's been doing the job just fine. Maybe not as nice as newer devices, but still completely usable.
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That is where the Kindle Fire TV looks interesting to us. It is small, cheap, 4K capable, plays games and can do every service we want (except for showing our locally stored files.)
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@scottalanmiller said:
That is where the Kindle Fire TV looks interesting to us. It is small, cheap, 4K capable, plays games and can do every service we want (except for showing our locally stored files.)
from the reviews I read the only advantage of the Amazon Fire TV is games over the Roku (which I won't use). And everyone says the Fire TV tries to force you on amazon services to much where as the Roku 3 is netural to all. Either one should work for me. I have Amazon Prime & Hulu Plus.
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Yeah, Amazon is on a "push you to Amazon services" kick. But we like their service best so..... seems to make sense for us.
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@scottalanmiller said:
That is where the Kindle Fire TV looks interesting to us. It is small, cheap, 4K capable, plays games and can do every service we want (except for showing our locally stored files.)
No DNLA?
you could use plex to put it out there. -
@scottalanmiller said:
We used to do that but after starting to travel we are forced to unify our devices for space and weight reasons and doing so tends to cause a bigger one time investment but seems to pay off in a happier overall experience.
I don't do a lot of long term traveling. Plus moving from my mom's house to an apartment was only a 30 mile drive away. Driving back and forth on the weekends to pick up more of my things isn't an issue. This discussion is awesome because I love learning about product trends.
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@Dashrender said:
@scottalanmiller said:
That is where the Kindle Fire TV looks interesting to us. It is small, cheap, 4K capable, plays games and can do every service we want (except for showing our locally stored files.)
No DNLA?
you could use plex to put it out there.There are DNLA apps for it I think. It would be better if it just had a USB port or SD Card on it though IMO.
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I have both Chromecast and the Amazon Fire stick. I was satisfied with my Chromecast until I received the Fire stick. I've recommended the Fire stick to several friends/family. I am an Amazon Prime member and it just made sense for me to get it. I am able to stream Netflix, HBO Now, all their Amazon movies/shows, etc.. There is also several playlist options and I now stream my music (lists created in amazon/app) through it too. Now that I am thinking about it, I wish I never purchased it... I would get WAY more done on the weekends.
