Posted on 09/17/2015 11:47:34 AM PDT by Swordmaker
Last week Apple sucked up most of the air in the tech press with its newest gadgets, which included a long-awaited, new Apple TV. This week, Amazon has some TV box news of its own.
The e-commerce giant just announced a variety of updates to its Fire TV product line. The newest Fire TV set-top box, a flat, plastic box that plugs into your TV and offers a variety of internet video content, now supports 4K Ultra HD video, a claim that Apple can't make with its own set-top box. (You'll have to be watching 4K content, on a 4K TV, to really reap the benefits of this, but at least the option is there.)
Amazon has also brought "Alexa," the popular cloud-based assistant found in the enigmatic Echo speaker, to the Fire TV through its voice-enabled remote control. Amazon previously supported voice search in its Fire TV remotes, but it didn't include Alexa.
Alexa can queue up music through the TV, and in the future, will power simple searches — "Alexa, play episode three of 'Transparent'". Eventually, she'll let you reorder Amazon.com items through your TV set. But Alexa on Fire TV won't do everything she does on the Echo speaker, like set timers or alarms.
(Excerpt) Read more at theverge.com ...
Ping for your lists
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
"Fix it" means popping open the case, cutting part of the top out, and putting a heatsink on the processor chip. Total cost, $0 because I have the parts to do it.
Problem is, I'm not happy with the "speed" of the Roku anymore and not having any storage/expanded storage capabilities with it. Just read the spec's on the Amazon device and think I like it enough to give it a try.
Thanks. For later.
Does she look like this?:
Meh. hook an old computer to the TV... You'll never go back... Everything you can get through Roku or Amazon and so very much more. And you get the added advantage of super-configurable hardware and software with a full OS...
Mine is an old Vista era Acer that I paid 25 bucks for... added a USB wireless NIC and Wireless KB w/glidepad... less than 100 bucks in the whole operation... While I was going to sign up for Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon, I haven't, nor will I, as it's all out there for free, if you don't mind looking around... So no pay to play... no subscriptions, and the dough I am saving from dropping cable would buy me a very nice TV in a little over a year.
Cortana is awesome on my phone. My favorite feature is being able to say “Hey Cortana, next time I’m at Target remind me to get headphones”
she responds, “No problem. I’ll remind you when you’re at target to get headphones”
Then When I walk into target my phone alerts me and says “Get Headphones”.
An oldie but a goodie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=5&v=lcQmupwea8Q
So, is Cortana tracking your location in real time?
Ok...for the tech stups out there....includes me .....what exactly do all these things do??
I had a small form factor PC connected to my TV as an HTPC. Problem was, it was too big for where I wanted it to be, getting it "out of the way" meant putting it in a cabinet and cutting off the airflow, or booting and powering off the PC anytime I used it or was done using it.
Going to Roku solved all those problems from me quite easily, and since it's attached to the bottom of my tv via double-faced tape, it solves the "out of the way" and darn near un-noticeable.
I think I see where your heat problems are coming from.
It probably will call for heatsink modification.
This Site did an excellent job documenting how to do the heat sink mod. Easy, follow-along directions and pictures for how to do it for the non-technical/not alot of electronics repair crowd.
Since I did the mod on my original Roku, it's not locked up or frozen a single time. That Roku is out in my gazebo attached to a small 24" LED TV that I use to watch baseball games or football in the early to mid Fall.
I expect I'll repeat that mod on my Roku 3, but I'd really like a device that has an extra storage slot and a USB port on it for movies/photo's. The Amazon Fire fits that bill, I'll probably look at the Apple TV device too.
I have a similar problem in my bedroom - I have a small laptop running win7 with a busted monitor though... picked it up for nothing. It is thin enough to fit under the bottom edge of the TV I have in there, and if it is turned so that the DVD player is forward, I really have no need to access any other part (there are 2 USB slots on the same side. I won't turn it on and off much, letting it sleep so that I can turn it on with WakeOnLAN, or I'll have to mod it for a switch on that side... still a pretty good solution.
I'd like to find an IR activated switch so I could turn them on with a clicker, but I haven't found a suitable candidate yet.
Another really good option is a Rasberry Pi, if you don't mind Linux...
But to each their own.
I’d forgotten about Raspberry Pi .... I’ll have to investigate that. Thanks!
The new ROKU 3 has a voice prompt as well and offers complete listings over the entire available platforms. The Amazon Fire TV defaults on voice command or search features to Amazon Prime and Amazon Streaming only.
We have both Roku 3, Amazon Fire TV and the Fire TV stick.
Amazon has terrific service.
I like them both. Hard choice.
The only benefit right now is the new ROKU 3 is on sale for $89.99. Just got an e-mail on it.
The Amazon Fire TV, the Apple TV, and the Roku, are all set-top boxes that connect to the Internet via either Ethernet or WIFI to stream video content from a subscription from Netflix, Vudu, Apple's iTunes, Podcasts, AmazonPrime, Hulu, HBO Now, YouTube, Vimeo, various other streaming services, as well as rent on-demand movies and TV shows. Some of those services are now offering content that is not available from any other source, such as Amazon's Bosch based on John Connolly's novels featuring Heironymous Bosch, a LA Police Detective (Excellent). Some of the newer versions of these set-top boxes offer video gaming through downloadable apps available through an app store, access to the Web, buying services (Especially Amazon), and control of your appliances and house through your control panel. Some of the newer units have voice control and voice search for content.
The Apple TV allows mirroring of Apple devices including Mac computers, iPhones and iPads, as well as playing games available on those devices on a big screen TV with multiple players using multiple devices, through AirPlay. Games played on the device can be switched seamlessly to the big screen without losing place or interruption, and vice-verse. Similarly, movies resident on the storage or HDs of those devices can be played through Apple TV with sound and full 1080HD via AirPlay.
The Roku can do some of that from Android and iOS devices, but more limited through apps available on both platforms.
Same for the Amazon Fire. . .
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.