# Firestick Fire TV Smart TV etc?



## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Going to see a pal tomorrow who has just cancelled his Sky subs (Too expensive or something). He has a big smart TV but asked me what the best subscription is for streaming movies etc.

Im not really up to speed to be honest as I get all mine through "other" channels.

Do you only need a Fire TV stick if you dont have a smart TV? Whats the best thing to go for? Hes a numpty so nothing complicated.

I was just going to check out if netflix was on his TV and get him to sub up for that.


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## randonneur (Jan 25, 2007)

I was given a Firestick for Christmas and only just got round to setting it up. The TV I have plugged it into is just an ordinary TV with Freeview built in, nothing special, the Firestick works great and even got my Sony Bluetooth headphones working with it. I haven't subscribed to any of the Apps on it as yet but will look closer at this another time.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Thanks. As far as I am aware you dont need one if you have a fancy TV. Ill go and have a look at what he has and take it from there. I hardly ever bother with an actual TV So dont keep up with these things really.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Do keep us posted. I am so fed up with the mainstream channels now. Never thought I would say it. We used to watch BBC almost exclusively, so much so that it was a running family joke that we knew nothing about new products coming to market because we never saw a commercial. Now I have to get busy with the video recorder to catch something decent to watch for when we sit down in the evening. Winter used to be great tv but not any more


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

We have a 'fancy' big and smart TV but anytime I try and get it connected to the net or anything but Freesat, I get asked how long an I going to be messing about cos there is something on regular TV that MUST be watched immediately. So I give up and this has been going on for years now.
Isn't 200 channels enough??

Ray.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I have a Roku stick one of the members gave me FOC, it works quite well, I don't know if a firestick is any better or not, but if you want to watch Netflix etc, you need to subscribe, it does give access to freeview channels too, but a 20 PVR will do that and record.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

But it all depends on internet speed and half of us don't have the fast service to watch without buffering or connection problems.
It's all a ploy of manufacturers trying to squeeze more cash from us for questionable benefits.

Ray.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

3rd world countries sometimes get a faster internet than we do here, cable is best if you can get it.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Thanks

I think he has a reasonable internet connection. about 10mbps which is pretty good for round here. I Dont think Netflix is very much so it might be the way to go for him if his TV has an app for it otherwise he will need a Fire TV thing I guess. I think there is also Amazon Prime. Not sure which has the best movies. I always thought both were mainly about series rather than Films.

Theres a case of beer in it probably if I get it working this morning.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

In case some don't know you can share your Netflix account with family, I don't pay for it Lizs son has an account, ditto for Amazon Prime, I just sign in with his details, I can watch on phone, tablet, PC or the Roku stick, sticks are a bit slow though to get going.


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## randonneur (Jan 25, 2007)

Kev_n_Liz said:


> In case some don't know you can share your Netflix account with family, I don't pay for it Lizs son has an account, ditto for Amazon Prime, I just sign in with his details, I can watch on phone, tablet, PC or the Roku stick, sticks are a bit slow though to get going.


Interesting, will investigate.:nerd:


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

randonneur said:


> Interesting, will investigate.:nerd:


Also, Sam has Netflix on two devices, we also had it on my PC, the Roku stick, and two tablets and a phone, when I added the phone, I got a exceeded device count message (or similar) but they offer an upgrade for £2 per month.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Ok an update. What a rats nest nightmare I got myself into last night. My pal lives in a huge house on the River Tees and has TVs all over the place. They are all somehow connected to a stack of boxes including a Sky box with cables going everywhere. It transpires that for no apparent reason every so often the main TV which is a Panasonic Vierra TX-L42D26B starts howling!  I discovered that all the TVs do if they are tuned into the sky box. Somehow they must be also connected to a normal TV Aerial somewhere as when you select DVB you get the normal freeview channels, no screaming. I reckon its a fault with the skybox as its only when connected to that it happens and he wants to dump that anyway as its too expensive.

It turns out however that this so called smart TV which is a Panasonic Vierra TX-L42D26B is not so smart as it does not appear to have any apps on it. It does have four HDMI ports and and Ethernet port and a USB port so I am guessing we need either a plug in Roku Stick or a Fire TV stick thing and a subscription for something. Netflix?

I think however he is hoping to get the latest block buster movies either as part of a subscription or pay per view but I was under the impression that Netflix is perhaps not the best subscription for movies I dunno. Are we then back to Sky for that?

On the plus side he has gone on the wagon and I Came away with a sack full of the contents of his drinks cabinet and beer fridge.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Ahhhh Haaaa, now you see why KISS is best Barry.
One Freesat remote and off we go.

Ray.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

raynipper said:


> Ahhhh Haaaa, now you see why KISS is best Barry.
> One Freesat remote and off we go.
> 
> Ray.


I agree. My Pal though is gadget and tech bonkers but of course never understands how any of it works. He just gets stuff, adds it onto an already complex system and eventually when it all comes crashing down calls me. He doesnt pay me anymore since he retired as he is a "poor" pensioner apparently so I just get paid in booze now it seems but ive liberated him of all that now, he'll thank me later. Ill probably come away with a quad bike or dinghy next I dunno.


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