Monthly Archives: December 2014

Fire TV Require Subscription like Netflix?

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There seems to be some confusion as to what Fire TV and Fire TV Stick offers in terms of content such as Netflix and other subscription based streaming services. First of all, Fire TV and Fire TV Stick is a streaming device produced by Amazon. The device enables your TV to stream thousands of TV episodes, movies, video clips, and music. It also enables you to play games by installing apps and using your remote.

Technically, you do not need any subscription to any service to enjoy the product by itself. All you need is an Amazon account to sign in. If you do not have one, you will need to create one. Through Amazon’s appstore, you will be able to install apps which have free content and services. However, without any subscription, you will be limited to services such as Youtube, certain Watch ESPN clips and games, Pandora, and apps such as Twitch.

In order to get the most out of your Fire TV / Stick, you should have at the minimal Amazon Prime. With Amazon Prime, you get hundreds of TV episodes and movies for free. They also recently launched Amazon Prime Music where you can add songs or playlists and simply play. Alternatively, you can use Amazon Cloud and add pictures and stream them to your TV as a large digital photo frame during a party.

For paid services such as Netflix, Hulu plus, HBO Go, and others, you will need a paid subscription in order to enjoy those content. If you are not sure if the app you need is there, check out this link from Amazon and search it.

Fire TV Remote App with Video

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One of the benefits to the Fire TV and Fire TV Stick is the availability of the free app which is available for iOS and Google Play store. The below snapshots are from the Google Play Store.

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Once installed, open the app and select the device. I forgot to turn on the WiFi on my Samsung Galaxy S4 so I wasn’t able to find it initially.

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Once found, select your FireTV Stick.

 

 

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Once you are in, you will go through a quick tutorial on how to use the app. It is quite useful as not all the functions of the app is that intuitive or self explanatory.

Below is a snapshot of the app.

On the top row and from left to right, it is the options menu, the voice search, and keyboard.

In the gray region, you can use it to navigate through the menu by using your finger and swipe to the menu you want on your TV.

At the bottom row, there is the back, home, and menu button.

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If you hit the 6 small dots just above the home button, you can expand to additional menu for rewind, play, and fast forward.

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To use the voice function, slide down your finger from the mic at the top of the screen down. While keeping your finger on the screen, say your keyword that you want to search. Once you are done, let go of your finger.

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See my video demo below.

Opening the battery cover for Fire TV Stick Remote

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One of the complaints I have heard is how hard it is to open the battery cover on the Fire TV Stick Remote. I did a video on how it can be opened. Please note that I have already opened it during my unboxing video so it is a bit conditioned. I did have trouble when I first opened it but as you can see now, I can open it with one hand (thumb).

Using the Fire TV Stick HDMI Connector

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I completely forgot about the HDMI extender which came with the Amazon Fire TV Stick when I was making this video last night. It was late and I was a bit tired but this extender has resolved my issue of not being able to access the USB port on the Amazon Fire TV Stick. I made a video and have uploaded it to youtube detailing how to use the HDMI connector. It worked like a champ. For aesthetic reasons, you may want to use zip ties to hide the TV stick and the USB cables.

Fire TV Stick Won’t Fit in TV HDMI Port

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I came across a problem with my Fire TV Stick. My Samsung TV doesn’t have enough room to plug the USB cable for my Fire TV Stick! See for yourself. I don’t have a good answer right now. I had problems connecting the Fire TV stick to the other HDMI ports as it didn’t fit. I didn’t want to jam the HDMI port on my TV as I use it for my cable box, PS3, and Chromecast.

Update: Issue is resolved. See updated post here.

Amazon fireTV stick arrives before Christmas!

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Christmas gift is here! Amazon sent me a notice saying that the fireTV stick was ready for shipment which is way ahead of schedule! This is a nice Christmas present that wasn’t supposed to be. I got an email on Dec. 19th with the subject, “Welcome to Fire TV Stick.” I placed this order on Nov. 2nd and my initial delivery date was supposed to be mid-Jan so this is a very nice surprise! Mr. UPS dropped off the Amazon fire TV stick just now and I can’t wait to do the first unboxing.

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