Fire TV Stick 4K streaming device with Alexa Voice Remote (includes TV controls) | Dolby Vision

I did a lot a LOT of research on this before purchasing as well as the new one and the Ruko as well. Reasons for the purchase: - We are Amazon Prime members. So it would go great with this service and others we already had. - It was between this one and the other newer one. But this one had a discount on it. But still did everything we needed. - For Our Needs and the features it had were better than those of the Ruko. - Also we LOVE LOVE LOVE the Amazing Customer Service we KNOW we get from Amazon. So that in it self had me leaning towards the Amazon Fire Stick. - It would go not only with services we already have but also future ones we plan on getting in the future. - Quality we can trust. I have purchased other Amazon Label products from Fire Tablets to Trash Bags and all have been just great and even more so for the price as well. Now other things since our purchase. One reason I so so LOVE it is that it solved a couple serious problems we were having. #1 We were having issues with our remote working very well that came with our VIZIO Tv that my nephew helped me pick out because I know nothing about smart TVs. I wanted good quality. But didn't get totally what I wanted from a TV (which isn't much because I don't watch TV myself on the TV, more of on my laptop). I would have to point the remote directly at the lower left hand corner of the TV with the remote the TV came with and even then I would have issues. I did contact them about this and even questioned on the Q&A area. and pretty much I was told I could purchase a new remote that would work with the TV but i would have the same issue. Also even if I bought the VIZIO in 2019 but it was a 2015 model there would be no upgrade in the Apps. So we would have to find another way of hooking up Disney+ to the TV. Which was me having to take my Laptop and using a HDMI cord and hookign it up and watching it from the browser. Which is what we did for nearly 3 months. Because the Company VIZIO from what I read online was only going to be updating the apps from the TVs that were 2016 or newer and not until this past January. Which maybe they did. MAn I spent alot on the TV and they not going to send out a update of the apps including Disney + but had the Hulu and ESPN. :0( very heart breaking. So the Amazon Fire Stick fixed both of these issues for us. I dont' have to give up my Laptop to the kids to watch Disney + on the Big TV as a Family even. But also i tested out the Fire stick and i can even point it at the ceiling and it STILL works. I can have the remote backwards as well and still USE IT!!!!! When you got munchkins this is a plus. Or Boys that want to be Monkey Butts. no matter if one of them stands or sits in front of the lower left corner of the TV the channel or volume can still be adjusted. and with these 2 sticker butts there is less arguments of them wanting the other one to move out of the way. hehehehe For this Momma with 2 Handful Boys this is a LOVE LOVE LOVE. Now also I dont' have to give up my Laptop. and can go back to multi tasking alot better. I use my laptop a LOT for Business, but also we are Homeschoolers and I also have my own classes I take online as well. So the Fire Stick came to the rescue to free up my laptop a bit. O.k. nothing is perfect. So there is only one thing I have a issue with but it is workable even if it can be a pain in the butt. and that is the parental control on there so no purchases are made. I keep having to punch in the code just to switch from say Amazon to HULU to Disney + even if we are not trying to purchase any thing. But Also some times even in the same app to go back to the home screen or something. Like Disney +. I'm so worried that i might get so use to just punching the code in so many dang times that I might end up just do it for one of the boys and not knowing and end up purchasing a movie or TV series i totally did not want to pay of it and over withdraw my bank account and get fees or something or a bill might not get paid. This totally needs to be fixed.

This firestick is great but not perfect. I had this Firestick device for about 6 months and replaced it for my Xbox, which I only used to watch movies and Youtuber LOL. I wanted this Firestick device for streaming and this is super quick access to everything!!! Netflix, Hulu, Premium channel apps (IE: HBO, Cinemax, Crackle), Youtube, all the popular apps are already pre-installed on this stick (expect Kodi). So if you want to plug this into your tv's HDMI port and get started in under 10 minutes, you definitely can. FREE CHANNELS? Although everything is pre-installed, this does NOT include any "free" subscriptions, you have to pay for everything. Unless you have Amazon Prime (where you can watch Prime Video for free), you will not have access to anything "free" unless you go on Youtube or use the free trails some apps offer. My firestick came with a free 3-month trial with SlingTV, live tv subscription, which I did not use so I don't know if that's worth it or not. If you want to install Kodi (VPN protection needed) you can but I would watch a Youtube video on how to install that since I haven't done this. ALEXA VOICE FUNCTION??? Alexa, the digital voice personal assistant, acts "right" most of the time but she does have her glitches LOL. I would say 70% of the time she listens and is accurate but sometimes she is so off it's comical. You press/hold-in the mic button at the top of the control to reach Alexa. Alexa is only able to find/play music and movies (that are usually included in Amazon's Prime Video or Paid Music services), open the pre-installed apps or authorized apps (Amazon has approved). So you can ask Alexa to open downloaded games, Youtube, play a song, find a movie, search the internet (in Amazon's own internet browser called "silk), order/find stuff on Amazon.com, do basic task (close, open a program, turn off, go to sleep, etc) and ask her questions like you can with Google (Example: Who, what, when, where, and why questions). However, she can do anything too advance like open settings, provide too many additional options for your questions, or make any phone calls or turn on/off lights (but you can buy other Alexa operated devices that do so you can do them from this Firestick device too). THE CONTROLLER The controller is the most glitchy of it all. Sometimes it freezes and some buttons simply don't work until you unplug to reset the Firestick device. I had the Firestick for 2 weeks before I had problems with the controller and had issues with the Firestick device not connecting (remote to the device). So there was a lot of unplugging to reset the device, which only required you to disconnect the device not literally reprogram the remote/device again (I only had to program the remote once in 6 months). The batteries (two AAA) included have NOT died in the remote yet... so yeah LOL. THE BLUETOOTH CONNECTION??? Every single time, you have to reconnect/repair your Bluetooth devices (if you turn them off) to the Firestick device. This is super annoying but only takes a few seconds to do. However, there ARE times that the Bluetooth devices (IE: wireless headphones) do NOT want to connect until you unplug the Firestick device. Again you only have to unplug for a few seconds and replug then you are good. Once you replug the firestick, magically the Bluetooth device reconnects WITHOUT having to pair it again.... STRANGE. The Bluetooth connection stays connected until your device turns off, so there is a strong connection WHEN connected. THE WIFI CONNECTION???? I have this Firestick device connected to a WiFi modem and have NO ISSUES AT ALL with a lost internet connection. I've had more issues with my Xbox losing its wireless internet connection than this Firestick. So I would rate the wifi connection great. THE SET-UP / WIRING So the Firestick needs to be plugged into your tv directly via an HDMI port. Then the other end of the connected Firestick device needs to be plugged into the wall for power. You have a decent amount of cord but you want to put this directly into the wall and not into a cheap extension cord (power surge also will work). Obviously, you need to have your tv plugged in and then the Firestick plugged into the wall to work properly. Then you need to connect your wifi, sign in to your Amazon account, connect your remote, and you're basically done. This was easy to do, self-explanatory and you don't need the manual as its all prompted step-by-step on your tv screen. OVERALL I would recommend this Firestick device as you're getting a lot for $50 (even though cheaper during black Friday and on Prime Day), especially conveniences and a space-saving device. This makes your tv's color quality significantly better (especially if you don't already have a 4k tv) and it makes you want to watch all your movies on this device (instead of your computer). It's a lot more simply than streaming from your computer and takes up a lot less energy/space. This device is for the beginner too and it's not hard to set up. The Bluetooth is descent (paired with Sony headphones) and the wireless connection is strong. I would reorder again if need be, especially if they have better remote control and an upgrade to Alexa (which are glitchy). I'm not a tech person (I'm a female but so what LOL) but I think this is a great product and better than the $400 RVEAL device I bought in the past. I would recommend $50 without question. I hope this helps :)