Apple TV or Amazon Firestick?

[D Walker]

Were you two sharing a room !

Actually -----No, snooze you lose!!!!

 

[Contigo]

AMAZON Fire TV 4K Smart Box - 8 GB Was £79.99 Now £64.99 @ Currys

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-and...n-fire-tv-4k-smart-box-8-gb-10139066-pdt.html

 

[conaero]

I might go for this Phil the FS is too slow, or wait and get the new quad core FS coming out.

 

[mjheathcote]

Interesting discussion on Radio 5 Live this morning on Kodi and illegal streaming.
If you missed it:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b086td6y#play

Jump to approximately 1:37:25

Conclusion: Very unlikely to get a knock on your door...

 

[Jkulin]

I've had Sky and subsequently Sky + for probably 18 years, it started at about £20pm and now I am paying about £65, but that includes two multi room boxes.

Many years ago I stopped the films as we never watched them, then my wife got ill so I started it up again so that she could enjoy the girly stuff during the rough times.

I've had an Apple TV for a few years, I find it really useful for playing music videos from my iTunes Library and for displaying pictures and videos when the family are round from our phones, but up until last week when my son logged into his Netflix account to watch a film that wasn't available on Sky, then I hadn't considered it for anything else.

I bought a fire stick about 18 months ago, loaded Kodi on it and configured it and that was it, when I browsed a few films it was pot luck on the quality or whether it locked up.

When the analogue TV ended I bought my wife a Humax Box, so she could watch and record as many films as she wanted without worying about filling up the Sky+ HD which at the time was only 500GB

For me these are my pre-requisites for entertainment: -

1. Must be able to record and pause/replay programs easily and without complications.
2. Must have HD, not fussed yet about 4K as none of our TV's support it.
3. Must be able to plug directly into our router rather than WiFi as it is so much faster and loads more reliable, most of our home is Cat5 and it makes things so much easier and faster..
4. Must be able to broadcast the stations around the home using something similar to a Sky Magic Eye.

On this basis, Sky+ would appear to meet all the criteria apart from the cost and monopoly on everything.

The Firestick needs stability and I don't want it to be just WiFi only, perhaps the FireBox needs looking into, does it support PVR and live pause and replay and Kodi?

The Apple again ties you in to their own structure and design, it does a great job for what I want it for but again lacks a PVR and Live Pause and replay.

The Humax, is fine if you just want a PVR and Pause/Replay from the freeview channels.

I don't watch a lot of live TV because of the hours I work, so I tend to record a load especially documentary series and the like and play back when I have time.

So what other options are there that offers everything sky does but cheaper.

 

[mjheathcote]

It isn't easy is it?
Currently have BT TV as part of our broadband package. Basic package but has Discovery and History channels etc for the car stuff. Works very well at recording, catchup etc but limited to one TV
Then we have our old Humax Freesat box. Again great at recording, big external plug in HDD, and with a custom firmware and the recorded stuff can be streamed to others TV's in the house that supports DNLA.
Then Amazon Tv with prime, great for Amazon content, YouTube and Kodi (not installed yet) but limited to the one TV (unless you physically move it).
So they all have their benefits, but non perfect!

 

[Contigo]

Yep it seems we need to have more than one option for the bigger picture (no pun intended).

 

[conaero]

Don't Breathe on Kodi, fantastic film. Found it on Exodus.

The other one we watched recently was H3ll or High Water, a great film too albeit with a rather portly Jeff Bridges.

Any others films you really like feel free to post here as I don't know what half of them are.

 

[dem maser]

I have been in all day watching films on the fire stick.....seen Hacksaw Ridge, T2, some from last year and finished off The Grand Tour...brilliant Maserati episode that

 

[Wack61]

Any others films you really like feel free to post here as I don't know what half of them are.

In Bruges is one of the best I've watched in a while

I looked to see what else the director had done, found an American review site for In Bruges, one of the comments said Colin Farrell plays a very convincing Irishman

 

[CatmanV2]

Don't Breathe on Kodi, fantastic film. Found it on Exodus.

.

Watched that on the plane. Hardly high art, but fun enough in its way

C

 

[Contigo]

The all new firestick ready for pre-order.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01ETRIFOW/?tag=ho01f-21

Benchmark comparison

http://www.aftvnews.com/benchmark-comparison-of-fire-tv-stick-2-to-all-other-fire-tv-models/

 

[Navcorr]

Interesting discussion on Radio 5 Live this morning on Kodi and illegal streaming.
If you missed it:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b086td6y#play

Jump to approximately 1:37:25

Conclusion: Very unlikely to get a knock on your door...

If in any doubt using a proxy server circumnavigates the risk.

 

[Contigo]

If in any doubt using a proxy server circumnavigates the risk.

Easier to install a VPN on Firestick for that.

https://seo-michael.co.uk/how-to-install-vpn-on-a-firestick-ipvanish-vpn/

 

[conaero]

Easier to install a VPN on Firestick for that.

https://seo-michael.co.uk/how-to-install-vpn-on-a-firestick-ipvanish-vpn/

I tried that on both FS1 running 17.2 and 2nd Gen Apple TV running Helix 15.2

Both times it failed.

I signed up to a VPN service but again, could not get that installed on my router.

So we have Kodi running an older version on a 5 year old Apple TV and the latest version running on a FS1.

The FS1 is pants and the Apple TV runs as it should but you cant get the latest version.

I think I would just get the Amazon Fire TV2 (not the stick) and have done with it, The FS1 is just not up to handling Kodi.

 

[Navcorr]

Easier to install a VPN on Firestick for that.

https://seo-michael.co.uk/how-to-install-vpn-on-a-firestick-ipvanish-vpn/

More ISPs are blocking VPN use now. Or detecting and limiting bandwidth.

 

[Navcorr]

Although Hola has proved to be pretty handy. Believe they charge for Apple users though.

 

[Steve GS]

Love my Apple TV. Dose what it says on the tin. And effortless to connect any other apple device to

 

[Contigo]

I tried that on both FS1 running 17.2 and 2nd Gen Apple TV running Helix 15.2

Both times it failed.

I signed up to a VPN service but again, could not get that installed on my router.

So we have Kodi running an older version on a 5 year old Apple TV and the latest version running on a FS1.

The FS1 is pants and the Apple TV runs as it should but you cant get the latest version.

I think I would just get the Amazon Fire TV2 (not the stick) and have done with it, The FS1 is just not up to handling Kodi.

Ours runs fine, a lot of it has to do with how good your internet/wifi connection/bandwidth is.

 

[conaero]

Ours runs fine, a lot of it has to do with how good your internet/wifi connection/bandwidth is.

Ours is good, its more to do with the FS1 loading Kodi.

Even though Kodi is up and running its non responsive for a good few minutes, its best to just leave it on and don't switch it off.

Mind you, for what it gives, I shouldn't complain.