I agree with a separate device, but the Firestick UI looks like somebody at Amazon saw the YouView UI and decided to escalate it from merely inconvenient to just plain unworkable 😢
Roku devices have a clean and straightforward UI, and model for model are cheaper than the Amazon devices, except maybe when they are having one of their regular Firesales.
‘Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful’ Wm Morris
@Roy I love my Amazon Firesticks HD and glad I got them over18 months ago and have got used to using them. Needed them as my 2013 and 2014 Samsung full HD smart TVs no long support the latest apps and now Youtube is no longer supported on the TVs. Plus Youview for apps although ok is now not great. Plus the Amazon Firesticks seem to do minor software updates as will as remote updates at lest once or twice a month. My sister uses the Amazon Firestick 4k I got her well over a year ago over 90% of the time. Even though her Samsung 4k smart TV from 2020 still supports most of the newer apps and comes with Samsung Plus.
Apps, just apps. With nothing to offer by way of content of its own, you just get an uncluttered list of apps that you have chosen from the Channel Store (Streaming Channels). You put them in the sequence that you want, and they stay like that.
Settings is straightforward and clear.
Open an app, and it’s whatever the app provider offers. Here’s something from Prime Video:- So everything you can get from Amazon on the FireStick is there if you want it; but only if you choose to look at it, it isn’t thrust upon you.
One consideration with Roku Express is that it isn’t a stick (though Roku do do a stick), and it’s IR, so it needs line of sight. You can see it neatly placed bottom left in this image though, under The Way, attached with the double-sided sticky tape Roku supply.
Now let’s look at the FireStick display:- Daisy Jones and the Six again, this time from the Prime Video app on the FireStick. (I’m not concerned with any PQ differences, as this is on a different TV from the above. PQ is as good as can be on both devices, as far as I’m concerned). Why is there the Prime Video app on the Firestick, though, when all the content is on the root UI? Maybe it’s for people used to the app on other devices, and Amazon are worried they won’t get on so well with the Firestick UI 😛 But here’s where we come in on the Firestick. The top row is Recents, the second your favourite apps, but you wouldn’t know that unless you knew it.
But I’m sure you’re familiar with the mishmash of stuff you get in the next 20 rows, though I will just highlight 13 and 14, the sponsored and recommended stuff, if you get that far:- And here’s what’s in Settings, or as much of it as fits on one screen. For extra credit, where, behind which of these ‘doors’ can you check your Firestick has the latest software, and update it if not? I’ve made it easier by halving the number of doors…. However, here’s the Firestick making not a bad fist of a Roku-like display, if that’s what you are familiar with, like me, and you can find it…
‘Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful’ Wm Morris
@Roy good post and review and from that the firestick UI dose look at little more cluttered then the Roku and I agree some people may not like the UI looking to cluttered. Do like how the fire stick remote now has short cut buttons for the like of Prime, Netflix and Disney +. All 3 of which I do at times use. It’s the 2021 HD versions of the Firesticks that I have.
All my Firestick remotes seem to be devoid of shortcut buttons, but the only recent one is for a Firestick Lite, with a rather limited remote. The Roku has Netflix, Spotify, Apple TV+ and Rakuten. Does anyone ever use Rakuten?
My LG Magic remote seems to have a button for OVIES, despite me never pressing it; I think it’s been rubbing against the remote holder 😢
‘Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful’ Wm Morris
@roy your right about dose anyone use Rakuten. I have seen it on my sisters Samsung TV when you press the Samsung plus but have never used it. Seems a strange choice for a short cut button.
Comments
Unless, that is, if you have the new TalkTalk TV hub.
Just to let you know that using all caps is regarded as SHOUTING by convention, and is best avoided if you can.
..relying on the youview box for apps means you miss out on Disney..Apple..
YouTube and literally dozens of others
plus having a firestick means you can feast on Pluto to your hearts delight.
I agree with a separate device, but the Firestick UI looks like somebody at Amazon saw the YouView UI and decided to escalate it from merely inconvenient to just plain unworkable 😢
Roku devices have a clean and straightforward UI, and model for model are cheaper than the Amazon devices, except maybe when they are having one of their regular Firesales.
Needed them as my 2013 and 2014 Samsung full HD smart TVs no long support the latest apps and now Youtube is no longer supported on the TVs. Plus Youview for apps although ok is now not great. Plus the Amazon Firesticks seem to do minor software updates as will as remote updates at lest once or twice a month.
My sister uses the Amazon Firestick 4k I got her well over a year ago over 90% of the time. Even though her Samsung 4k smart TV from 2020 still supports most of the newer apps and comes with Samsung Plus.
Here’s the very clean UI of Roku:-
One consideration with Roku Express is that it isn’t a stick (though Roku do do a stick), and it’s IR, so it needs line of sight. You can see it neatly placed bottom left in this image though, under The Way, attached with the double-sided sticky tape Roku supply.
Now let’s look at the FireStick display:-
But I’m sure you’re familiar with the mishmash of stuff you get in the next 20 rows, though I will just highlight 13 and 14, the sponsored and recommended stuff, if you get that far:-
Do like how the fire stick remote now has short cut buttons for the like of Prime, Netflix and Disney +. All 3 of which I do at times use.
It’s the 2021 HD versions of the Firesticks that I have.
All my Firestick remotes seem to be devoid of shortcut buttons, but the only recent one is for a Firestick Lite, with a rather limited remote. The Roku has Netflix, Spotify, Apple TV+ and Rakuten. Does anyone ever use Rakuten?
My LG Magic remote seems to have a button for OVIES, despite me never pressing it; I think it’s been rubbing against the remote holder 😢
press the Samsung plus but have never used it. Seems a strange choice for a short cut button.