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Streaming Devices: Which are good & any BF deals?

gatorburg

By gatorburg
in 2015

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Bopeep

Bopeep

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I recently bought the Firestick, and actually just plugged it in this week.  So far, I love it.  It's much easier to use than I expected. And, as a Prime member, all of my music is on Amazon (I no longer use iTunes at all) so I really love that I can go to my music and my playlists right there on my TV instead of either hooking up speakers to my Kindle or phone or mirroring the Kindle to my TV (which was a nuisance).

 

**disclaimer - I have never streamed Netflix or Amazon video from any device, have only watched Amazon video directly on the Kindle or mirrored the Kindle to the TV so my experience comes from no experience.  I can't compare the Firestick to any other device.

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Pnambic

Pnambic

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Everyone really needs to check out the Android boxes that run Kodi on Ebay. They are a cheap alternative to many other streaming devices, and offer more options, like ethernet. You can also hook up a wireless mouse and keyboard. I got one for $38.

 

Keep talking Jay

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len_mullen

len_mullen

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I have a Classic Roku and got a letter from them asking me to upgrade. What is a good streaming device out there? Will there be any good deals on them during bf?

 

Virtually every device streams something -- it's not uncommon for televisions and BD players to stream the major services.  Since you own one of the early Rokus, you probably have a good idea of how you feel about the Roku specific apps (channels).  You may be interested to know that Fire TV has surpassed Roku in number of available apps (both in the thousands).  Fire TV has a lot of really good games and supports a number of standard controllers.

 

Are you a cable subscriber?  Thinking of changing that?  If so, you may want to check out Sling TV.  

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flosmoney

flosmoney

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We have a Sony smart tv, blue player with apps and Apple TV. We use the smart tv for Amazon prime, Netflix and some YouTube. Smart tvs keyboard entry for apps typing is not fun. We use apple for connecting iPad or iPhone for YouTube. It can mirror easily. I have music and videos in iTunes. I have an echo. It's fun to play music from our library or amazons. We don't use cable TV only Internet.
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gatorburg

gatorburg

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Virtually every device streams something -- it's not uncommon for televisions and BD players to stream the major services.  Since you own one of the early Rokus, you probably have a good idea of how you feel about the Roku specific apps (channels).  You may be interested to know that Fire TV has surpassed Roku in number of available apps (both in the thousands).  Fire TV has a lot of really good games and supports a number of standard controllers.

 

Are you a cable subscriber?  Thinking of changing that?  If so, you may want to check out Sling TV.  

 

Virtually every device streams something -- it's not uncommon for televisions and BD players to stream the major services.  Since you own one of the early Rokus, you probably have a good idea of how you feel about the Roku specific apps (channels).  You may be interested to know that Fire TV has surpassed Roku in number of available apps (both in the thousands).  Fire TV has a lot of really good games and supports a number of standard controllers.

 

Are you a cable subscriber?  Thinking of changing that?  If so, you may want to check out Sling TV.  

 

Yes I have cable for the internet. I am in a area where you have to have the bundle just to have the internet. I dont have a amazon prime account so does the Fire TV work good without the prime account?

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jaymacfla

jaymacfla

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http://www.ebay.com/itm/MXQ-Android-4-4-Quad-Core-WiFi-Kodi-1080P-Smart-set-TV-Box-8GB-XBMC-Fully-Loaded-/121709127802

 

Ok, I will keep talking and bragging about them. I found that the wireless mouse and keyboard that was just sitting around from twwo Black Fridays ago worked flawlessly with the box. There are so many options available that you have to purchase one to see what i'm already excited about. I am telling my relatives to ask Santa for one. It looks af if the mini keyboards and mice will once again be on my BF list this year.

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len_mullen

len_mullen

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Yes I have cable for the internet. I am in a area where you have to have the bundle just to have the internet. I dont have a amazon prime account so does the Fire TV work good without the prime account?

 

I think it does.  I have only ever had a Prime account for a few months here and there for free trials or because it came with a device.  Right now, I have Netflix, but I have been looking for something better for five years  :gdpopcorn:

I don't have a strong preference for the Roku or Fire TV user interface.  Fire TV puts your most used apps right at the top of the screen and Roku lets you put the tiles in whatever order you like.  Don't care for the ads on the Roku, but it's not a big deal.

 

As far as content goes, Roku has better news content, but the Fire TV has an amazing collection of games and can use standard controllers (I use wired xbox controllers),  

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Kanyon71

Kanyon71

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Does any one have Sling TV? Looking for reviews. Looks affordable but we'd have to upgrade our Roku box. Ours is one of the first models they had. I think I remember seeing them on Black Friday for a good price before.

 

https://www.sling.com/new-home-page

My in-laws have Sling TV. When we were down there in July for a few weeks I used it quite often. It's pretty nice the streaming works well you get to watch TV as if you didn't change anything. The channels are still somewhat limited but from when I helped them get it all up and running in April and when we were back in July they had added a few more channels. All in all it worked pretty well. If you have shows you are really into just make sure you can still get those.

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starbeck96

starbeck96

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I think it does.  I have only ever had a Prime account for a few months here and there for free trials or because it came with a device.  Right now, I have Netflix, but I have been looking for something better for five years  :gdpopcorn:

I don't have a strong preference for the Roku or Fire TV user interface.  Fire TV puts your most used apps right at the top of the screen and Roku lets you put the tiles in whatever order you like.  Don't care for the ads on the Roku, but it's not a big deal.

 

As far as content goes, Roku has better news content, but the Fire TV has an amazing collection of games and can use standard controllers (I use wired xbox controllers),  

 

I am glad to hear that with the Fire you can use xbox controllers.  Does this include xbox 360 controllers?  We are looking into getting a streaming device for possibly 3 TVs.  We will be getting Amazon Prime (since hubby has gone back to school and can get it for 50.00/year).  So, I thought if we are going to have prime, then the Fire TV or Fire Stick would probably be a better option for at least one or two of the TVs. 

 

Do any of the streaming devices have parental controls?  If so, we may even consider getting one for my daughter.

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msomnipotent

msomnipotent

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I bought a Roku 3 in April, spent 30 mins playing with it and then put it back in the box. I thought it was confusing to use and the news channels had sound but no voiceovers. As an example, there would be footage of a car chase and you could hear tires squealing, but no one explaining what was going on or where. 

 

I'm looking to replace my Panasonic blu ray player, too. I bought the DMP-BDT500P and I cannot tolerate the remote any longer. It is slow and rarely hooks up to Netflix or Amazon Prime. 

 

I'm thinking about buying a few of the Fire sticks if they have a good sale. I will have to research the blu-ray players. Maybe just get a cheap and simple one this time. 

 
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riven3d

riven3d

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I like my Roku 3 that I have, i dont stream much content so its good for what I want. Last year I bought the Smart Blu-Ray player that was in the Target ad, it doesnt have a huge selection of channels but it has Vudu and Amazon which are 2 of the 3 channels I stream the most from so it fits my needs well enough as its in my bedroom it doesnt get used all the time.

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len_mullen

len_mullen

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I am glad to hear that with the Fire you can use xbox controllers.  Does this include xbox 360 controllers?  We are looking into getting a streaming device for possibly 3 TVs.  We will be getting Amazon Prime (since hubby has gone back to school and can get it for 50.00/year).  So, I thought if we are going to have prime, then the Fire TV or Fire Stick would probably be a better option for at least one or two of the TVs. 

 

Do any of the streaming devices have parental controls?  If so, we may even consider getting one for my daughter.

 

My USB controllers are from a 360 and work with Windows.  We had them, so I plugged one in and it worked.

 

Fire TV has very good parental controls.  The Roku has no parental controls.  Many have complained that ads inserted in apps are not consistent with program rating as well.  Good overview of Amazon's parental controls here...

 

http://www.howtogeek.com/204881/how-to-enable-parental-controls-on-the-fire-tv-and-fire-tv-stick/

 

Amazon help for this feature here...

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201452530

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jaymacfla

jaymacfla

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I bought a Roku 3 in April, spent 30 mins playing with it and then put it back in the box. I thought it was confusing to use and the news channels had sound but no voiceovers. As an example, there would be footage of a car chase and you could hear tires squealing, but no one explaining what was going on or where. 

 

I'm looking to replace my Panasonic blu ray player, too. I bought the DMP-BDT500P and I cannot tolerate the remote any longer. It is slow and rarely hooks up to Netflix or Amazon Prime. 

 

I'm thinking about buying a few of the Fire sticks if they have a good sale. I will have to research the blu-ray players. Maybe just get a cheap and simple one this time. 

 

 

You should be able to load KODI on it, so that will give you much more content.

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jaymacfla

jaymacfla

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I had never heard of Sling TV before this discussion so thank you for starting this thread!

Most people are now just hearing about it. Due to limited content and a fee, some will steer clear of it to become a cord cutter in every sense of the word. If people could learn to change the way they watch TV, KODI would rule the planet. Most want instant gratification with a time slot and content, but rarely have the time to watch what is offered and when they do, they must be subjected to commercials which drive me absolutely crazy. With KODI, you search for the content you want, and if it is available you get the satisfaction of commercial free TV shows.

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