Firestick`s

[#1]

Hi all, this is one thing i no nothing about.... my dad rings to say a friend has bought a firestick from argos for just under £40 and that he just plugs it into his tv and he can watch netflix,movies,sports etc...

He said its a one off payment when you buy the stick, but i dont understand how you get all these channels for free, does anyone know how it all works and what free and what is not ?

I just dont have a clue about it, and my dad wants to get one for another room in his house altho he already has skytv in the main sitting room.

To me it just looks like a way to make your tv into a smart tv and i dont see how you get movies and netflix for free???

[#2]

Sounds like one of those Amazon Fire Sticks?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Amazon-W87CUN-Fire-TV-Stick/dp/B00KAKUN3E

I guess you just plug it into a HDMI slot and away you go. Seperate Netflix/Amazon prime subscriptions apply of course.

Edit: So checking this out for myself it looks like its a dongle with a HDMI output that connects to your home WiFi. The operating system is Fire OS which is based on Android Jellybean which means it can install apps on it to stream videos like BBC iPlayer, All 4, ITV hub, Netflix, Amazon video, YouTube etc. You can also install games if you wanted to. Basically all the things you can do with an Android smartphone, you can mostly do on this too. Not a bad bit of kit when you compare the price point and what it can transform your TV into.

[#3 · Accepted solution]

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@St3 wrote:

Hi all, this is one thing i no nothing about.... my dad rings to say a friend has bought a firestick from argos for just under £40 and that he just plugs it into his tv and he can watch netflix,movies,sports etc...

He said its a one off payment when you buy the stick, but i dont understand how you get all these channels for free, does anyone know how it all works and what free and what is not ?

I just dont have a clue about it, and my dad wants to get one for another room in his house altho he already has skytv in the main sitting room.

To me it just looks like a way to make your tv into a smart tv and i dont see how you get movies and netflix for free???

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well it gives you access to netflix, movies, sports etc assuming you have a subscription to those services.

the stick itself doesn't give you that content, it merely gives you a means to get access to it.

[#4]

I've got the Amazon Fire TV (much the same as the stick - app wise) You can get a fair number of channels for free but if you want Amazon or Netflix you'll need to pay to watch their offerings. As the wife is foreign we put the app Kodi on the device and she streams live TV from her native land in HD for nothing. There are loads of apps in the amazon store to go browse through. If you're signed up for Prime you get Prime videos and music as part of the bargain. What the stick can do.

[#5]

@idonno are those free channels any good or is it just like freeview channels ?

[#6]

You can get the catch up services, BBC I Player and the like. Never used it to watch programs that are on Freeview as the TV itself already has that fitted. We tend to use it to watch Netflix, Prime, cooking videos, Youtube etc. But to access paid for stuff (Netflix etc) you need an account as a minimum. More info here  

[#7]

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@St3 wrote:

@idonno are those free channels any good or is it just like freeview channels ?

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There are some excellent programmes on freeview.

[#8]

Interesting.

I have chromecast plugged into my television which seems to work well enough so probably not worth changing it for one of these other than the fact that it needs a separate power source (it plugs into the wall) whereas this does not?

[#9]

chromecast can be powered from the USB port on your TV (should it have one).
firestick is powered via HDMI.

[#10]

@Minivanman, when I looked at the firestick on amazon it looked like it needed a power source.

[#11]

Not sure that's right, mine plugs into the mains like the firestick as shown in the post by  jaread83.

[#12]

yes, but the chromecast can take its power from the USB port on the TV as well.
providing you have a powered USB port on your TV obviously.

note that i said USB port on your TV, and not HDMI port on your TV.

[#13]

Ah right, only one way to find out I guess and yes, I did note you said USB and not HDMI.

Easily confused I know. 

[#14]

Looking up the Fire Stick, it seems to just be a USB cable, so unless the stick requires a 2Amp supply, then they should be okay with the USB port on a TV, if not then, s'not good power management...

[#15]

When I bought the chromecast it looked the same as well, just a plug in stick and I was surprised when I opened it to find it came with a plug in transformer. Not worry because I have plenty of sockets behind the television (although all those extra cables do irritate even though they are hidden) Little bit disingenuous of Amazon I thought not to show the complete kit but there you go, it makes it look smarter in the picture I guess.

At least it did not come with one of those bloody SCART leads, now they are irritating!