Amazon Announces Fire TV Stick 4K With Dolby Vision, Atmos, and HDR10+ for $50

[Mayostudent]

I purchased the Apple TV 4k and the Fire TV cube on the same day. I couldn’t decide which one I wanted so I figured I would get both and try both out for a couple weeks.

Which one did I keep? The Cube. With all the added features it has for controller my home automation and now my home theater it was a no-brainer for me. It’s simply a better device for me.

I also like the overall experience better too. I also hated the Apple TV 4k remote.

As for streaming 4k, it’s fine for me. I have 1gig coming into my place and it works pretty slick but I still prefer owning the physical discs whenever possible. My system is full Atmos (7.1.2) so again I prefer a good physical disc.

I think we still have a long way to go with these streaming devices for many of us but I do like the direction they are going.

Cheers!

 

[HylianKnight]

Apple's device and OS is much better imo, not enough to justify the huge price difference for most users.

The majority of people probably use the same few apps like Netflix, YouTube, HBO, and if they can get access to the apps on the much cheaper device, why go for the very expensive ATV?

Just wish apple would drop the dang price. Among other things, I’d really like to be able to use Apple Music on my home tv and audio system.

 

[BeardMan7]

Perhaps this is not about selling this to you?

Like "I already have a car, so all car manufacturers everywhere should stop making cars." Maybe someone else wants to buy a car?

And doesn't pretty much everyone now have a phone? So should even Apple stop making new phones?

I know this is hard to believe, but there are people out there that don't revolve around Apple... that don't see anything from Apple as the one and only right thing for all and that all competitive things are junk/garbage/abominations/faulty/etc.

Furthermore, maybe you are single living alone or have only 1 TV at your home. Some homes might have a TV in every room. A sports bar might have 50 TVs to feed. 5, 10 or 50 TVs can be a relatively steep cost vs. 5, 10 or 50 of these things running pretty much the very same app(s) most of the time.

Again, there is a whole world of TV owners beyond the garden's walls. Some of them don't give a hoot about how far and away superior Apple is in every single way that a comparison can be struck. Instead, they might want 90% or 80% or 50% of what the masterpiece that is TV can do for a fraction of the TV price. Or they have 5+ other TVs to feed at home and would rather do so and have enough left over to buy that brand new iPhone.

I happen to have BOTH TV and FireTVs on TVs in my home. Most used apps feel/play/seem IDENTICAL or so close it's not even obvious which box is currently feeding a video to the screen. That's making no passionate argument for FireTV but pointing out that it's pretty great for what it is... especially for those that might rather get most of the benefits without spending so much. Personally, I hope most of the benefits of TV4K at this price point means Apple will push to build a much better TV to clarify WHY it costs so much more, beyond an Apple brand mark stamped on it. If so, we consumers- Apple worshipers or not- benefit from Apple feeling some push to do more. Indifference and complacency begs Apple to do nothing.

Oh my, so many words about my Apple TV. With 1 device (Apple TV) I don't need 2 devices for each TV to watch Prime Video and iTunes Movies, that's all. Also with the Prime Video app on my smart TV I could watch Prime Video (also in 4K) without to use/buy an Apple TV or an Amazon Fire TV stick.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

FireTV is NOT about ONLY Prime Video just like TV is not ONLY about iTunes video. Neither is a single purpose or single use (service) device.

Furthermore, it's not only about hooking these to single TVs. Some people have many TVs in their home. Maybe they don't want to spend upwards of $200 per TV for most TV-like features. This offers a much cheaper option for them. In my case, TV on the "main" TV, FireTV on a TV in a kid's room. The kid doesn't care one bit about Apple vs. Amazon: apps like Netflix is still Netflix to them.

Those who are perfectly happy with TV are not the market for this thing. But there are countless millions of TVs that have neither attached to them now. This thing appears to have the bulk of the bigger features of TV for about 20%-25% of the price. Like Alexa speakers vs. HomePod, sometimes cheaper options deliver (good) enough to make them preferable to paying up for what only some of us can argue is the very best one. And bigger features at much cheaper price seems to be the play here. Sometimes the money wins such contests... especially in CE tech... where even Apple worshippers on this very site will sweat the massive question of whether to pay the extra $20 for a 64GB TV vs. the 32GB version. TWENTY dollars.

 

[Juicy Box]

Sometimes the money wins such contests... especially in CE tech... where even Apple worshippers on this very site will sweat the massive question of whether to pay the extra $20 for a 64GB TV vs. the 32GB version. TWENTY dollars.

I really don't get this either.

My advice for this debate is get the 64GB ATV unless you can get a really good deal on a 32GB one.

There are threads on here all the time of people asking if the 32GB ATV4K is going to be enough storage, which in most cases, it probably is. But, if the person is paying full retail, the extra amount for a 64GB ATV spread out over the life of the ATV is about 1 penny a day.

 

[mi7chy]

Yes - in fact Apple TV (4k version especially) is one of the very best YTTV hardware options.

Actually, all Apple devices are the worst for YouTube since they don't support VP9 license free codec for 8K/4K HDR.

It's a political issue rather than technical one but Apple seem to have gotten their head out of their ass as they seem to be onboard with adopting the next generation VP9 which is AV1.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Actually, all Apple devices are the worst for YouTube since they don't support VP9 license free codec for 8K/4K HDR.

It's a political issue rather than technical one but Apple seem to have gotten their head out of their ass as they seem to be onboard with adopting the next generation VP9 which is AV1.

I’m specifically talking about YouTube TV and the hardware power that makes it start streaming very quickly and just respond and behave in a very snappy fashion and consistently stay at full picture quality… Codec and remote issues aside it’s literally one of the best options.

I tested literally every single option when outfitting two different vacation houses for people with YouTube TV. For raw performance the Apple TV 4K was as good as it gets along with Nvidia shield.