Supermallet

Bullshit, you said you refuse to even watch Netflix or any streaming service because the PQ is too low for your VHS/CED/laserdisc standards.

story

I have a friend who is on the development team for this and I'm really excited for him. However, our PS3 does exactly what we want it to do, in terms of streaming so I don't see us picking one up right now. We're Prime members and do a lot of Amazon purchases (video included) but I'm not quite seeing the added value for us at $99. I could see us maybe biting at $50 because I will say the PS3 remote control is ridiculously sensitive and it gets accidentally turned on a lot which isn't the end of the world but can be a real pain. Having a device like this would help us keep the PS3 for games and the remote control out of the reach of toddler hands easier.

We also only have one TV at the time. We really don't want one in the bedroom because we can see ourselves easily just lying there staring at bad TV for hours instead of going to sleep. But if the time comes we get a second TV, yeah, I could see us going the Amazon FireTV route.

TheBigDave

XBMC has updated their Wiki with info for Amazon Fire TV. They're still trying to get hardware video decoding working properly. If anyone wants to help them troubleshoot, there's instructions for installing XBMC to Fire TV.

http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=Amazon_Fire_TV

Shannon Nutt

Got mine hooked up yesterday...it does seem faster than my Roku, but not considerably so...maybe a couple of seconds at most.

It does have a pretty poor selection of apps right now and - as I guessed - Comcast is blocking use of the Showtime Anytime app (and they'll no doubt do the same with HBO GO if and when that gets added) - but that's no different than Roku.

Spend most of my time playing THE WALKING DEAD game, which ran very smoothly (although it took a good 15 minutes to download).

RichC2

Any player with Post-play does that with Netflix, though I think you can turn that feature off now (though it may still put the credits into a smaller window unless you click it). Though the post-play feature is only available on the Roku 3 so far, Roku 1 and Roku 2 don't offer it yet and are stuck with the full credit sequences.

Ash Ketchum

I bought a Roku last year (don't know if it's a 3 or some other number, I thought I was just buying a Roku), but I haven't installed it yet. (I dread reading instruction booklets.) I'm looking for something to watch YouTube and Amazon Instant Video on my home TV. What do people here recommend? Just set up the Roku and see if the damn thing works, i.e., does what I want it to do? Or forgetting it and getting a Fire TV device?

Simplicity of setup is a key factor here.

Thanks.

RichC2

If it's the 3 it has you covered. In fact you can pull up a video on YouTube on your laptop or smartphone (if you have either) and play it straight to the Roku 3.

Mr. Salty

They're going to be virtually identical setup-wise, and probably the easiest devices you've ever hooked up. It's a power cord and an HDMI cable. Enter your user name and password to connect to Wi-Fi. That's pretty much it, apart from setting up an account so you can add channels.

It you have a Roku 3 it'll have YouTube available. If it's an older model, YouTube is coming for it sometime soon.

I like the Roku because I get Amazon Prime and rent from Amazon, but have other rental services available as well, such as Target and Vudu.

mike1977

If the titles at http://fullmoonstreaming.com/ interest you, you'll want to get a Roku.

Decker

So am I right in thinking this device, as of now, will not stream UV movies? To me that's a much bigger deal than even HBO Go.

Navinabob

So far it is far less buggy than streaming with the chromecast. Both Netflix & Hulu work great on it. My only gripe so far is the voice search does not work with Netflix; that almost makes the search feature worthless.

Mr. Salty

It has Flixster, so I don't know why it wouldn't.

Decker

Okay cool. I must have missed that one.

TheBigDave

If UV is important to you, get a device that has VUDU. Every other UV service is crap.

I don't know about Flixster on the FireTV. But on the Roku half the titles won't play, the menu sucks, and I'm pretty sure it's only SD-quality.

Gizmo

Flixster BLOWS on the Roku. You are correct - SD quality and many things don't player. Vudu seems the play MOST titles, but I still have some TV Shows that just don't show up (Adventure Time for example).

TheBigDave

GatorDeb

They need to add voice search to Netflix.

GatorDeb

Broke down and got one. It's the greatest thing since sliced bread. Used it for 2 hours just because it was such fun to use. It's so awesome to be able to search for any music video and be watching it in seconds. It always understands what I say and I have an accent. Once it gets Vudu I can't see myself using the Roku any longer, and I'll probably disconnect it. The interface just works and it feels very intuitive.

I keep on pressing the button, releasing, and then talking Planning on getting the controller also.

TheBigDave

GatorDeb

I have a feeling it's just a matter of time until Vudu gets on Fire TV.

Honestly the voice search with YouTube is awesome. I bike a lot indoors (and soon run too once I get the treadmill set up) and use a streaming device A LOT. Music Videos get me through the tough times There's no workout I can't push through with Lady Gaga's Applause.

TheBigDave

Actually, I'd be surprised if they add Vudu. Unlike the Netflix subscription service, Vudu is direct competition to the Amazon Instant Video store. I think that's why there isn't a Vudu app on the Kindle Fire.

Shannon Nutt

Well, if they're going to start being like Apple TV when it comes to which apps they approve/disapprove, Roku will continue to dominate the box top market.

After about a month of owning my Fire TV, about all I'm using it for is games. I was really hoping they'd go the Roku route with apps (kind of a anything and everything approach), but it looks like they're going to be picky about everything that gets added to their system.

Wolf359

Big news for Prime members. Starting May 21 HBO will release their catalog titles for members. Articles states pretty much everything older than three years will be available.

http://gizmodo.com/hbo-is-bringing-a...1566504724/all

GatorDeb

??????????????? Awesomeness!!!! I've always liked HBO programming but have never had HBO.


"The Sopranos, The Wire, Deadwood, Six Feet Under, Rome, Eastbown & Down, Enlightened, and Flight of the Conchords; and select seasons of Boardwalk Empire, True Blood, and Treme."


The Wire, The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, and Rome were on my To Watch list. Also True Blood and Treme and I guess eventually the whole seasons will be there. This is just fantastic.

otmetrud

Fantastic news, a few of them I have on DVD, a few of them will be added post haste to my watch list.

Where is Curb Your Enthusiasm?