Amazon Fire Stick

We hit Staples yesterday. I wanted to buy a HDMI cord to use with my laptop and the tv in the bedroom for streaming. We now have Amazon Prime (bought it when it was on sale the other week) and I did watch the first two episodes of The X Files on my iPad. 

Staples has the Fire Stick, ChromeCast, Roku Streaming Stick, etc. Since we have Prime, we went with the Fire Stick. Staples price is $39.99. With my Rewards coupons (I'm a big Staples customer), I was able to get the Stick for $23.31, including tax. Essentially what it does is, it turns your tv into a Smart TV (kind of). 

Hooking it up was easy. Simply put it together, plug it in to the HDMI port on the tv and then plug the other end into the electric recep. I had to put the Stick's MAC address into the router, then give the network password to the Stick. And voila! I watched six episodes of The X-Files last night.

Of course, nothing is ever really simple; there is a Blue Screen of Death with the Stick, as well as the Roku, ChromeCast, etc. And I got it last night. After Googling for a while, it seems that it's rather common and, with the Fire Stick, it happens quite a bit when using the extender to the HDMI plug that goes into the TV. I removed the extender, plugged it back in and it worked fine. I don't know if it will continue to work OK as it seems to be quite a common thing with these gizmos. But we'll see. 

Rick and I normally watch different types of tv shows and movies. But when we want to watch something together, he can either come back to the bedroom or we can connect the Fire Stick to the tv in the living room. Supposedly you can take it with you if you're traveling....it works on any HDTV. I'm going to download the remote control app to my cell phone, too. The app might be available now for iPhones, too.

We went to Staples for the HDMI cord. But since we already have the wireless network in the house, this made more sense in the long run. And it was actually quite a bit cheaper than buying a 12-foot cord. 

So far, I'm pleased. It wasn't expensive (cheaper than an HDMI cord) and it's doing the job. I thought I'd mention it just in case anybody was thinking of going that route. Comparison articles say Roku is better in the long run because it offers more. But since we already have Prime, we went with the Fire Stick. Watching movies and tv and streaming music and such will cut down the cost of our Prime considerably, we think. (Oh, and I've also signed up for the Kindle First, which allows you to grab a free new book before its normal release date. I took my first book on Saturday.)

Winchester, that sounds so great. I have been thinking of getting one of those things for my smart TV. It is not a new TV, around 6 years old. 

I would love to cut down on my cable bill.

Problem is, I am not sure if I know how to get it set up.

I do have wireless Comcast and a MacBook Pro laptop. I also have Amazon Prime.

If I am understanding, you just plug it into the TV, and electrical outlet and that is it? Just add the Mac address or is it the wireless router?(my airport)

Thanks for any help..

@Artiemom

I plugged the Fire Stick into the HDMI outlet on the tv (We have an older JVC HD tv....it's not a smart tv). Then I plugged the other end into the surge protector, which is plugged into the wall receptacle. Turned the tv on and turned it to the proper HDMI outlet (for the Stick, we used HDMI 2). Immediately, the main screen came on, which gave a small tutorial on the Stick. Then the different WI-FI networks came up and I chose mine; the MAC address came up, too, so I just copied that down on a sheet of paper. 

My wireless router is set up so that before anybody gets access, I need to put their MAC address into the router (I just do it online). Then once their MAC address is applied, they need the router's password, so I typed the password into the Stick on the tv screen (it's a point and click kind of keyboard...you point with the Stick's remote control). If you're using your airport's WI-FI, you may not even need to go that step. If you don't use a password or anything like that, you should be able to choose the airport's WI-FI and hit Connect. It may take minute or so and then, you're done. Honestly, it is easy. The onscreen instructions are easy to follow.

If you get the Blue Screen of Death, unplug it at the tv and then plug it back in. Sometimes that's all it takes. If you're using the extender (that's included because sometimes it's hard to plug in the Stick in to the HDMI plug), you may have to remove the extender...sometimes that's all it takes. But this is an ongoing problem, not just with the Stick, but also with ChromeCast and with the Roku Streaming Stick. Google it and you'll see what I'm talking about. It says something like "HDCP Unauthorized Content Disabled" on a blue screen. 

If you get one, I'll try to help you. But honestly, I had it going in about five minutes, if that.....once we got the blue screen problem figured out. (Oh, and I specifically asked two different people at Staples that, if I had a problem, could I return it and they both said that was fine. As a rule, Staples is really good about returning things. I even returned Norton software to them and got a refund back. I really like Staples.)

Thanks you so much...

I think when I get my tax refund, I will go out and buy one...If not sooner---there is a Staples about 4-5 miles form my apartment..very convenient.

I am thinking I will really like it....I know too much time on my hands....sigh...

I will keep you to that offer of helping me if I get stuck!!! LOL!!

We have 2 Roku players.  It's been a couple years since we had cable.  First we switched to a family friendly service; but they closed down.  So we got the Roku players.  We have Amazon Prime and Netflix.  I am very pleased! 

Tonight is probably the first time I'm truly sad not to have cable.  I wanted to see Grease Live.  It would be nice to watch the Olympics and the regular Weather Channel; but other than that I've not missed cable!  I was a big HGTV/DIY Network fan; but I'm ok without them.  

We do have the Roku's connected with HDMI cables and wireless internet.  If we ever upgrade the bedroom tv; we'll get another one for in there.  Right now we only use it for dvds.  

I think that, if I didn't use cable internet, we would get rid of cable completely. The cable bill is ridiculous, it's well over $100 and that's for a lower-tier, too, plus the internet. But we're too far out for DSL, so cable is our only option. Does Dish or Direct TV have internet? And how well does that work? Anybody know? 

Rick complains about the cable bill every month. But he watches The Weather Channel every weekday morning while he's getting ready for work and I know he would miss it if we got rid of cable. Me, I can honestly say that, other than a few shows and our nightly local and national news, I'm good. I just don't really watch that much tv anymore, although the Fire Stick may change that.

Mooch, I looked at Roku and Chromecast, too. There was another one in there, too, but I don't remember what it was. Comparison-wise, Roku seems to beat out both Chromecast and Fire Stick. My BIL uses Netflix, but he has the DVDs mailed all the time; he doesn't stream anything. But I figured that since we had Prime, I'd stick with Amazon. I'm very pleased, although I'd have probably been pleased with any of them. 

What really amazed us on Saturday was the clarity of watching episodes on the iPad. I was on the couch with my head in Rick's lap and the iPad in its case on my stomach. We watched two episodes that way. The clarity is very impressive (not so much the sound though, on the iPad, but it suffices).

I'm on episode 13 of Season 1 of the X-Files. I watched a few more episodes last night (and otherwise, I would have had the tv on for background, but that would have been it). Gosh, I hope I don't turn into a "bed" potato!   

@Artiemom, yes, if you buy it, I'll do what I can to get you through it. But it is really easy. Let me know and I can PM you with my phone number.

This is really interesting. I may have to check into it. :bigthumb:

If you already have the wireless network and if you're already using Prime or Netflix or anything like that, the Stick is fairly cheap.....they all are fairly cheap. And if it means the difference between watching a TV show on your iPad or your computer or watching it on your TV? I'd go with the TV any time. And no wires. I really like that there are no wires (other than the wire that goes from the tv to the electrical recep). You just turn your TV on. Just my   

I don't believe the Fire Stick was out yet when we got the Rokus.  I like the option of switching between Amazon, Netflix and Hulu or whatever combination you like.  Even having 2 is cheaper than cable.  We switched when the cable bill kept creeping up and the channel options kept changing.  We'd get a channel for a while and then suddenly 'oops...this is part of the next tier."  It felt like they were doing it on purpose to try to get us to purchase the next tier in services.   We only watched maybe 10-15 of the hundreds of channels anyway!  We got rid of our home phone through them at the same time and purchased a magic jack.  

I talked to people who use the different streaming services and some people said they have had all 3 of those (^) at some point or another.  I like that Amazon has things for rent or sale if you want.  I don't often rent movies that way; but it's an option if I really want to see something.  

Having little kids in the house; we get a lot of use out of both. There are plenty of educational documentaries on Netflix too.  I think Amazon was the one who has classic Mr Rogers too.  Both have plenty of options for us.  I still buy some movies on DVD; if it's something I REALLY like.  Because things change on Netflix and Amazon.  If I really like a movie; I'll watch it a lot.  So it's worth it for me.

I do stream things on my Kindle fire.  It's nice to be able to put headphones on and watch a grown-up movie that way.    

Artiemom said:

 
Thanks you so much...

I think when I get my tax refund, I will go out and buy one...If not sooner---there is a Staples about 4-5 miles form my apartment..very convenient.

I am thinking I will really like it....I know too much time on my hands....sigh...

I will keep you to that offer of helping me if I get stuck!!! LOL!!

Click to expand...

Amazon has it cheaper than Staples unless you have rewards like Pam does. They have it for $34.99 right now. I have the Fire box. I don't really use it much. I had it on the TV stand behind the big TV in the living room. That area is also known as the Fortress of Solitude. One of Sophie's hiding places. She does not appreciate foreign objects in the FOS so she pushed the Fire box and the surge protector that was also back there onto the floor. 

Kat0121 said:

 
Amazon has it cheaper than Staples unless you have rewards like Pam does. They have it for $34.99 right now. I have the Fire box. I don't really use it much. I had it on the TV stand behind the big TV in the living room. That area is also known as the Fortress of Solitude. One of Sophie's hiding places. She does not appreciate foreign objects in the FOS so she pushed the Fire box and the surge protector that was also back there onto the floor. 

Click to expand...

   Sophie must be a real hoot. Our Hydrox used to push stuff to the floor, too, when it was in his space.

Not only the Stick cheaper at Amazon, since you have Prime, you have no shipping. So you're still saving!

Winchester said:

 
 

 Sophie must be a real hoot. Our Hydrox used to push stuff to the floor, too, when it was in his space.

Not only the Stick cheaper at Amazon, since you have Prime, you have no shipping. So you're still saving!

Click to expand...

Yep. She's a character all right. She does the same thing when my stuff is on the kitchen table. She will scratch at it until I move it. If I don't respond fast enough, it gets pushed onto the floor. With her paw or if it's heavy, she'll back into it and push it with her fluffy butt. That's how she pushed the surge protector off. 

Winchester said:

If you already have the wireless network and if you're already using Prime or Netflix or anything like that, the Stick is fairly cheap.....they all are fairly cheap. And if it means the difference between watching a TV show on your iPad or your computer or watching it on your TV? I'd go with the TV any time. And no wires. I really like that there are no wires (other than the wire that goes from the tv to the electrical recep). You just turn your TV on. Just my :2cts:  

Click to expand...

This is what is making it sound attractive to me. :lol3:

I am still enjoying the fire stick. I watched a few episodes of the X-Files on Sunday night while the guys were watching the Super Bowl. No issues with the Blue Screen; everything went well. Turn the tv on, switch it over to the proper HDMI channel, turn on the stick and I was watching the X-Files. Just that quickly. 

I am very pleased.

Kinda related but not totally- maybe a step relation? 

The Kindle Fire is on sale right now for $39.99. $10.00 cheaper than the pre Christmas price.  It  makes a nice Valentine's day gift. I got one for DD. It's a really nice tablet for the price. I have one and love it

That's a good deal, even with the Special Offers.