Echo & Alexa Forums
General Category => Amazon Echo Discussion => Topic started by: renegade600 on May 17, 2017, 04:19:29 am
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there is now a tv that will work with alexa. Since I have been looking for a new tv, was going to consider it until you have to use the remote in order to give alexa commands.
it does look interesting though.
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/amazon-fire-tv-edition-specs,news-25062.html
Alexa, is there anything good on TV? Amazon has extended its voice-based assistant to yet another device, this time a 4K LED TV that starts at just $449, and will be available this month.
The Amazon Fire TV Edition, as it's called, will not only call up program information from a variety of sources, but will also display results of other Alexa queries right on the screen.
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So I'm guessing for people who live out in the country, have satellite internet and have a 20 gigabyte per month data limit, this is not a TV for them.
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Seems like a TV for cable cutters who prefer to receive low quality off-air signal, and pay for content piecemeal. I'll stick with our non-smart plasma TV (with lots of smart gadgets connected to it) as well as Comcast cable; especially since I recently re-negotiated a new contract to include ALL the premium content sources (e.g. Showtime, Cinamax, Starz, HBO etc) at no extra charge. This TV apparently does what the $40 Amazon Fire TV can do.
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This TV apparently does what the $40 Amazon Fire TV can do.
Which ain't much... I bought a Fire Stick and Jail Broke it and everything, and I'm not nearly as impressed with it as I was with the google Chromecast dongle... I can set up a computer and cast whatever I want on the chromecast... Firestick... not so much. But I do like the Firestick's version of Netflix... That's about all that isn't Amazon Prime content.
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I have Kodi app installed on my Fire TVs, and can access all my music and my m4v videos and enjoy them off my server on TV. KODI is what makes the Fire TV "sing".
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I have Kodi app installed on my Fire TVs, and can access all my music and my m4v videos and enjoy them off my server on TV. KODI is what makes the Fire TV "sing".
Yeah, it does add some much needed help to the Fire TV. However, it doesn't do anything wonderful on the Fire Stick. difference being much faster processor and more memory on board the Fire TV box, than is on the stick. But again... user application is key as well. I don't use any of my Alexa products for Music so much as Smart home control. if I were to do a lot of music, then I would likely find it more useful as I have also tested several music situations and all work well... I love music as much as anyone and just get "put off" with the fact I can't turn my music up to a pleasurable listening level (can't hear the details in my current environment) due to having my in-laws living with me... Before they became residents here, I really would have enjoyed this stuff more...
Anyway... Kodi on the stick is barely OK at times... many times it just plain sux.
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Sounds like you have some unresolveable issues beyond tech devices. ;)
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Sounds like you have some unresolveable issues beyond tech devices. ;)
I see how you are... LOL... No reason to get personal now. 8)
I just have my wants and needs and that stick only offers up Prime stuff and Netflix at any reasonable rate... I even watch an occasional movie on one of the "freebie" add-ons and very rarely is the picture worth it or the audio is so bad I abort the mission about 5 minutes in... Super disappointed after all the hype I read up front... I am running the SpinzTV build and it does offer *some* items of interest, but I always end up with buffering issues. I have also read a lot of "Why your Firestick Buffers so much" articles and looked over a hundred videos on how to improve it... I've done pretty much everything that is said to help... end even re-installed the build several times with limited results... So Now I use it for a Netflix dongle with Prime capabilities... The Google Chromecast was less troublesome and never had ANY issues with buffering. (I also have very fast internet and everything else in the house runs circles around the firestick... including an Apple TV 2n'd gen...
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Yep. a drawback of a Fire Stick is it is wireless, so if wireless signal at the stick is not real strong, there will be problems, for sure. Also, for video signals, a wireless video device needs to be on 5G, not 2.4G. I watch a lot of video on iPad, too, and ALWAYS use 5G. (My iPad and iPhone are not allowed to be on my 2.4G; it's not "on" for either.) I have range extenders around the house to improve both 5G and 2.4G from a centrally located router upstairs. Even so, the TV (with both a Fire stick and Chromecast attached) have weak 5G next to them (as measured by the Wi-Fi Analyzer android app). So, I placed a range extender near both devices to improve the situation. I even gave the range extender a different 5G signal all for itself to improve things a little more. Bottom line is, I have decent 5G for both devices now and no buffering issues when viewing either.
I have a second TV upstairs with a Fire stick as well, (and a 5G extender near it as well.) I sort of dislike wireless if I have a choice, and always use wired ethernet where i can. Fortunately, the house has 4 wired rooms throughout, and usually a wired outlet is not too far away from things.
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I can see how that would help, Mike... But seriously... I have the fastest Wifi Router FIOS sells (Quantum level stuff)... and The router and the Fire Stick are almost close enough to one another to touch them both at the same time... I don't have a Range or connection issue... I have a process issue. Just haven't come up with a cure yet. Although I did get a HUGE upgrade going to the SpinzTV build from just a simple Jail Break with Kodi. I haven't tried the LIMITLESS build yet, but have it book marked so if I have a full hour to set up everything.
One thing I have noticed, is that the Kodi updates run every time I start Kodi, and that really slows things down for about 5 minutes.
I just wish all the tech that keeps hitting the market would be ready for prime time for everyone, instead of having to update it right out of the box to get good performance... I can't imagine the fun with the new 4K Fire TV in the OP...
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I do not rent or pay monthly fee for my modem/router from my ISP. I own my own modem and router. I also got full instructions for both of them, unlike with rental equipment!
SpinzTV; never heard of it, and now I know why: it is one of many cable TV piracy sites, and it uses Kodi as an add-on media player. I just use Kodi app as an add-on player to FireTV, and with no "funny business" involved. It starts up right away. Your Kodi is not running updates each time you turn it on, but it probably is doing so for SpinzTV. Meanwhile, keep an eye out for the cable TV piracy police.
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I also own my router... I would never rent one. Makes no sense. I only pay for my internet service and no TV services (No cable no Satellite... nothing like that)... I have full control of my router as well... I am by no means an expert, but I do run and manage my own electronics without relying on the automated controls set up by the manufacturers...Can't be trusted.
Spinz TV is not a Piracy "site"... it is a "Build" or "shell" of how Kodi is set up to appear and navigate... Kind of a "Skin"... nothing more... It utilizes a lot of repositories to add a bunch of add-ons all at once with a full "build" that makes it less work to install, and it utilizes settings within itself to update all Add-ons each time it loads... It updates any and all of the listings on all add-ons, and there are a TON of them. Some of the Add-ons are what offer up the "free" movies and live TV and such... not the Kodi App, and not the Shell (which is SpinzTV)... not too worried about it as I rarely watch anything on it now... but it is capable of a lot of things I am not interested in. I haven't had any type of cable or subscription TV in over a decade... They have little if anything I want to watch... even MTV is made fun of nowadays for not being much of a Music Television station... Funny thing is... if you don't have any use for the add-ons, what exactly would you "Jail break" and install Kodi for?... The players built into the Fire Stick do all the Playing I could imagine needing. Although I don't us emusic player from it so I don't know how if at all, they work or could be beneficial... Video players in the fire stick are great though...
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If I said Spinz is a site, I misspoke; yes, it is "build" or "shell" that uses Kodi (a free and legal media player) as it's player and Spinz IS AN "ENABLER" THAT ENABLES piracy add-ons to play pirated content, meaning movies, and TV from lawless areas of our planet (e.g. Russia, China, etc.) Check the Kodi wiki site; that has a list of a lot of piracy programs, Spinz is one of them. Kodi, will not allow any discussion regarding these programs at their site or forum.
For more info about this, peruse this Goggle search string:
https://www.google.com/search?q=spinz+kodi&rlz=1C1GTPM_enUS571US571&oq=spinz+kodi&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.25724j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#q=spinz+kodi+piracy
And, no, I did not jailbreak Kodi for install on my Fire TV. I simply installed it from the apk. Spinz and other enablers DO jailbreak Kodi for their illegal purposes. Read about it in above search string and open your eyes wider on this topic.
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Yeah, Mike... I know what Kodi is... I know all about the pirating aspects of the builds that are all over the place... I know the perils, and the abuses... Wasn't really trying to get into a discussion about it... I was just curious (asked a few posts back) what use is it other than those things... What do YOU use it for mostly is my curiosity... I actually use the fire stick for Netflix and Prime access and content... Pretty handy for those... I don't need Kodi to do that at all... how would Kodi benefit me otherwise?
By the way... some of the stuff available through the SPinzTV build are not Pirated at all... but a great deal of it is... I really don't think the makers of Kodi intended for these things either... but I read their KODI website and don't see the benefit of using KODI at all in my situation... I don't buy or collect Movies or other content that creates the need for a special access or control system... A Good Smart TV will normally have Netflix embedded on it, and availability to several other subscription content providers. If I ever get another content provider (other than Netflix) I will toss Netflix to the curb... Which I also see coming sooner than I had expected as they have really been having a hard tome providing decent content lately.
The one thing I do like about the FireStick that Chromecast doesn't have, is direct user interface to Netflix on board the Stick... Chrome cast is pretty cool, but when you have 3-4 devices that *can* cast the same content (Netflix) they would randomly pick up the ball and run with it making it nearly impossible to turn off what was being watched... as when one disconnected, another would pick up and keep it going... Chromecast also preferred Androids when they were on my wifi... and almost always jumped to be controlled and connected to the Androids visiting my house.
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What do i use Fire TV w/Kodi for?
For starters I do not have a Smart TV, because years ago befure the term was common, I made my own smart tv by first adding Roku, the WDTV media player, Chromecast and lastly, Fire TV I shared drives in my network to access media files to play and eventually wrapped all the media files into a WD My Cloud NAS.
I can play all this media on most any of the devices, but always use our favorite one (best interface, easiest to use, etc) for what we want to enjoy. Most time the WDTV plays our music, because it can easily play from playlists, for Netflix, we use Roku. For watching our stored DVD movies on TV and tablets we use the WDTV to stream from NAS. The FireTV w/Kodi is a good substitute for the WDTV and Roku, because the WDTV is not made anymore, so when I needed another one, I got a Fire TV instead and installed Kodi on all Fire TVs. Also have a Fire TV for vacations and a wireless hard drive w/media files so music/movies can be played from HD to Fire TV and onto TV or iPads.
So, I don't need "no stinkin' Smart TV", because I have a smart media center already.
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Very cool... I was curious how it was used... That makes sense.
I do not own a Smart TV either, hence the Need for some form of Netflix accommodation... I should say The TV I bought was one of the early "smart TV's" and the software on it died within a couple of months and no support from the Very Big Named manufacturer... Was not impressed... still not impressed. I did buy their model with the most available HDMI inputs and USB ports available as well as Memory card slot. Was a Very nice TV new, but the new wore off very quickly when an automatic update killed EVERY "widget" or App on the TV except one... which is a Pay to view movie widget... Even the Yahoo App quit... Netflix, etc... TheTV is old enough to have a Blockbuster app that's dead as well...
As I said before, I don't buy and store Movies at all... Most of my music is Old stuff I burned from Vinyl and a few CD's back in the day... rarely do I buy any music lately... I like the NAS Server thing and the ability to access and control it through the Kodi OS (whatever it's called)... Just haven't gotten myself into it to that level.
Mike, So far most of your replies to my posts have been very condescending (that means you talk down to me)... I'd appreciate your respect to my being a human with a mind as well. You seem pretty sharp. That doesn't make you better than everyone on the forums... which often times you exude. We all have things to contribute and or questions to have answered. If your input is useful that's one thing... but it would be nice if you were to treat others as you would have them treat you... with a smidgen of respect.
So Far, no one on these forums (that I have experienced) is disrespectful to you... You could think about returning the favor.
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Whatever I said that offended you; I apologize. Let's just be friends here.
Be sure to stay away from the illegal stuff; the illegal-ness, is one thing, but you can get viruses and even get caught and that is even worse! ;)
Don't be shy about pointing a finger at the "Very Big Named manufacturer" of your TV. I have a 2010 model Panasonic plasma w/ 4 HDMI plugs that works great, but it was one year later when they put Netflix in it, and there was no way it could be added. The "internet" channels included were lame, and after an update or two (last was a Russian channel (!) we gave up on this feature.nNo updated for years now.
I soon had to add a 5-port additional HDMI switch box. Everything is HDMI today.
You said you have not had cable for years; we are quite the opposite, because if one is a baseball and football fan it is essential. Each year, I call Comcast to renegotiate our long time commitment, and this year I hit the jackpot, because they gave us their best service by adding all premium movie channels (free) for the same price we were paying. Cable ain't what is used to be. The companies don't like cable-cutting and are making deals today like never before.
This past year Comcast/Xfinity created a new set top black box with a much larger DVR, plus they now have an app for iOS and Android that enables us streaming of live programs, our DVR recordings and on-Demand material we can watch on iPad at home and when traveling. I didn't miss any of my favorite "space and universe" shows when on a vacation. This is the best "feature" of cable TV nowadays, and we feel it added a lot of value to cable TV.
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I do understand the legalities of the items mentioned above. I just don't use that stuff... It is in the build, which actually speeds up and allows more fluid, less buffering video...
As far as TV's... The one I have is an [old as yours]... Toshiba. It's mfr. date is 2012. Built in November, bought in December (for Christmas)... That was the year everyone was starting to sell Smart TV's... Sony Bravia had the biggest marketing campaign, thus their TV's were twice what everyone else's were... The OS on mine is the same as the old WEBOS from Palm... who was bought out by Motorolla a couple of years later... and recently has been purchased by HTC... Just the OS... would be cool if there was some sort of available update for it... This TV has one of the best pictures I could find at the time (better than the Sony even at the time). Still a Very Nice Picture...
Now Cable/Dish... I'm not a sports fan at all, so none of that has any bearing on my viewing choices... Purely for entertainment, and even then not all that *necessary*... I fully understand everyone's fanaticisms... I just don't have much of that "fan" stuff in my blood. I like some things... but never enough to go all out crazy on it like the word FAN suggests one would.
I do love music... but not one type or one group, band, or song... There are some types I avoid... RAP doesn't do it for me and there seems to be a grungy sounding rock type music that has very little ... Music... to it. A lot of the Five Finger Death Punch type stuff... Screaming doesn't sound musical to me very often...
WE have FIOS at the house for internet... so that's our cable option as well. They have a billion little charges they sneak in on any TV or video service, so I just get their best Residential Speeds on Internet and keep the TV's rolling with Netflix and Apple TV and Fire Stick and Chromecast...
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Just to be sure you know, and so anyone reading this thread knows, no one needs to install Spinz or any like program to put Kodi on a FireTV. Kodi is meant to be installed all by itself; no assist is necessary these other programs, and can likely expose one to malware, etc.
I have a relative who recently bought an OMG android box w/Kodi from a Home Show vendor for close to $400. He got "took" good. t was pitched as an android box with Kodi, but it is plain and simply a pirate device.
Yep, we have similar TVs, and reason mine can't have built in Netflix is because it never got the Netflix copy protecting chip that came a year or so later.
FireTV as set up, does a good job if playing music (and videos) from my network sources assisted by Kodi.
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Just to be sure you know, and so anyone reading this thread knows, no one needs to install Spinz or any like program to put Kodi on a FireTV. Kodi is meant to be installed all by itself; no assist is necessary these other programs, and can likely expose one to malware, etc.
I completely agree with that statement... except... I actually like the "skin" that is supplied with the SPinzTV build... makes it pretty simple to navigate... where Kodi is *OK*... the layout on the build is much more user friendly to me. But for the sake of discussion, It is truly mostly just a pirate app for an android box... I stick to my original assessment of Android products... so much freedom in the way apps are developed for the Android platforms... it seems almost everything on them works completely different than the other apps and programs on them. I like the Apple way as far as the standardization (although there are some apps that fall short of user friendly)... for the most part. What I got rid of that Android tablet for - EVERY APP had different menu locations and design, to the point it was super frustrating, and made the experience miserable to me. Went and bought the iPad and was instantly in control and understood all the features without having to relearn everything I used to know (As I am iPhone for almost 10 years now... bought onthe second iPhone... stuck with it after that. Had a Palm Treo before that... Hence my admiration for the WEBOS they used on the Toshiba... I think Palm sold toMotorolla almost immediately after I bought the TV, and I was crushed...
We don't really have that much that separates our thinking, for sure... probably mostly that I don't get to enjoy my music in ways you get to due to the in-laws living with us, and of course that sports thing... I was always a Participator, never a Spectator.
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Wanna listen to music; use headphones! The audio out of Alexa device is also a headphone input as well. Just plug a headphone right into it.