Last Updated on July 8, 2022
There are a lot of reasons why people want to update their old television.
Apps like Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+, and Amazon Prime give people a much wider range of content to explore. And while watching it on a phone or computer is nice, there’s nothing like watching it on the big screen.
Why watch whatever is randomly on the television when you can watch your favorite show on-demand instead? With so much streaming content out there, as well as people’s desire to watch everything on-demand, the FireStick is the answer to watching whatever you want, whenever you want.
For us, the FireStick is absolutely worth the money. It is incredibly affordable, super easy to install and use, and will completely transform your TV viewing experience.
It upgrades your TV into a smart television. From subscriptions, to apps, to services, you can connect everything to your television and have it be your command center. However, what are all the factors you need to consider?
We are going to outline what the Amazon FireStick can do for you and how it can upgrade your entertainment system. Then you can decide if it is worth a purchase.
Contents
So Many Streaming Options
The Amazon Fire TV Stick can support almost all of the major apps that have content.
These include:
- Amazon Prime Video
- Netflix
- Hulu
- Sling TV
- Crackle
- Pluto TV
- Tubi TV
- Amazon Music
- Pandora
- Spotify
- Youtube TV
- HBO Max
- Peacock
This is in addition to everything else your live TV has to offer, so running out of content to watch seems very unlikely.
For most of the above services though, you will need to have subscriptions to use them. But if you do, then they are fair game to use on the FireStick. You might notice that applications for music and not media such as Pandora and Spotify are able to be used as well, so you can play your favorite tunes from your television speakers without any trouble as well.
If you have more content apps and websites on your phone and at your fingertips than you know what to do with, then you will more than likely be able to stream them on your Amazon FireStick.
It’s Super Affordable
Another reason why the Amazon FireStick is worth the money is that it is incredibly cheap!
For a simple one-off payment of between $30 and $40 dollars, your normal TV can be transformed into a smart one. There are no monthly subscription fees; just set up and go.
Although remember, you will still have to pay a subscription fee for the streaming services you use. So if you want to access multiple services, bear in mind the extra costs. You can find certain free services, too, such as YouTube.
Multiple Options in the Four FireStick Generations
- 1st Generation – The first generation of the FireStick was able to be plugged into an HDMI port and was also bundled with a remote control that came with or without Alexa voice search.
- 2nd Generation – The second generation was released two years later and came with some technical updates as well.
- 3rd Generation – The third generation came with two types of remotes: the first came with included controls for the television, while the second only had buttons for the Amazon TV FireStick.
- 4th Generation – Finally, the fourth generation of FireStick was released in 2018, and it is the Fire TV Stick 4k, which supports 4K output and other updated technologies. It also has an updated voice remote and is backward compatible with previous Fire TV models. In 2021, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max was released, which includes an updated Alexa remote, Wi-Fi 6 support, and Dolby Atmos Support.
Still, no matter which generation of the FireStick you have, you still need to ask yourself if it is worth it for you.
Installation is Easy
While the specifics will change slightly depending on the generation of FireStick you get as well as your type of TV, the basics of the installation are the same. Once you take the FireStick out, you will need to find the HDMI ports on your TV and plug the FireStick into the HDMI port.
Then turn on your television and switch to the port you plugged your FireStick into before adding batteries too and turning on the remote control that came with the package. Hold the home button on the remote as it pairs with your TV, and then follow the directions on the television to walk you through setting up the account. It’s intuitive and only takes a few minutes.
Again, the specifics will change, but nearly all Amazon FireSticks need to be paired and plugged into the television anyway. That’s the easy part, and then you can configure the entire FireStick to your liking.
About the Creation of FireStick
Before the Amazon FireStick came the Fire TV. It was a micro-console that was connected to the television and then allowed you to stream various content through the box and connect it directly to the television. As long as your television had HDMI ports for the Fire TV box to connect to, and you had the apps to connect and stream to the TV, you were good to go.
However, the main problem with all three generations of the Fire TV, as well as the later Fire TV cube, was the size of the device. They were boxes, and while they were smaller than a standard DVD player, they could be bulky and often very hard to hide and conceal if you didn’t want the box and the wires to poke out and show while you were watching television.
Eventually, the designs for the Fire TV and Fire TV cube became condensed into the much smaller and dongle-like Amazon Fire TV Stick.
Do I Need An Amazon FireStick?
There are some people in the world who are content with basic cable or watching whatever their local antenna picks up on the television. If you are one of these people, then an Amazon FireStick probably is not going to be helpful for you.
However, if you are the type of person who has a dozen subscriptions to content and wants to watch shows spread across several different apps, services, platforms, and accounts, then an Amazon FireStick can help you out because you can stream all of that to your TV.
There’s nothing like pulling up Netflix, Hulu, or Disney+ on your phone and then streaming it to the television. You get full advantage of the surround sound, the bigger screen, and anything else your home theater might have to offer for you.
A FireStick is worth it, and you can even use most of them with Alexa to turn on subtitles, change channels, and even find movies in a certain genre if you don’t quite know what you want to watch.
However, one thing you should make sure to get is an Amazon FireStick Remote with volume controls for the television. Most FireStick remotes only come with controls for the FireStick itself, which means that whenever you are streaming something from the FireStick, you will be able to play, pause, fast forward, rewind, and use Alexa voice commands.
However, in order to change the volume on the show, you will need to use your TV remote to change the volume on the TV. This can be a bit of a hassle if you are the type of person to lose the remote or need to change the volume every few scenes.
So if you would rather have one remote for your FireStick and one remote for your television, making sure you have the volume controls attached to the FireStick remote is going to help keep you sane and make using the FireStick that much easier.
Should You Get The Fire Stick TV Lite?
In most cases, the normal Fire TV Stick is going to cost you around $40 dollars, but the cheapest advertised Fire TV Stick is the Fire Stick TV Lite which comes in at around $30 dollars. This is Amazon’s cheapest streamer, and while it doesn’t come with the power, volume, and mute buttons for the TV, you might not need them.
Still, the largest advantage that the Fire Stick TV Lite has over the normal Fire Stick or some of the similarly priced options (such as Roku’s $30 Roku express) is that it comes with integrated access to Alexa. If you enjoy speaking your television needs instead of typing them out or using the remote to select what you want to watch with the cursor, then it can be a massive advantage.
Aside from the access to Alexa and the slightly cheaper price tag, you don’t need to focus too hard on getting the Fire Stick TV Lite. That is unless you are on a budget and really like using Alexa to watch TV!
Should I Use The Amazon FireStick?
If you really don’t want to spend a lot of money on cable to get hundreds of channels and then only watch a small fraction of them, then an Amazon FireStick can be a fantastic way to give yourself control over what it is you really want to watch.
After all, the Fire TV stick connects to your home network and connects to your home Wi-Fi network. Watch and stream any content you find over the internet.
This gives you some amazing control over what you want to watch. If you are the type of person who is constantly watching television shows on a phone, computer, iPad, or another device, then it could be the best way to upgrade your television watching method. Additionally, the FireStick itself is very portable as well.
You don’t need to lug a cable box around or buy several of them just to have cable on every television in your entire home. Instead, you can unplug and replug the FireStick into any television that has a secure Wi-Fi connection and an HDMI port.
This can work if you are watching TV in the living room and want to continue the gripping drama in your bedroom or if you are heading out on vacation and want to bring your entertainment with you.
All you need is WIFI and an HDMI port, which most locations and televisions are bound to have, and the location then becomes just like your home TV. No need to worry about missing your favorite show while you are out of the house, which can be a relief if your show ends on a cliffhanger!
The FireStick is a great, cheap, and very easy-to-use way to bring your entire entertainment center (the internet and the television) together. So if you are a certified couch potato and enjoy binging the latest shows, then get an Amazon TV FireStick and watch your viewing experience change for the better!
A Recap Of The Amazon TV FireStick
An Amazon TV FireStick is a cheap and easy way to get all of your content streamed to your television from the internet. Whether you like to listen to your favorite tunes from Pandora, watch the next drama on Netflix, or catch up with your favorite sports teams on Hulu, you can do all of that without paying for subscriptions and services you don’t need for content you don’t watch.
Instead, you’ve got complete control of the content you pay for, as well as the content you are consuming. Plus, the FireStick is easy to install and allows you to pay for what you need and no more. If you want a 4K option and Alexa voice control, there’s a remote that gives it to you.
If you want a remote that has volume control for your TV without you needing to use another remote, you’ve got that too. The customization and selection are perfect, and after a few minutes of installation and a connected Amazon account, you are good to go,
So don’t be afraid to purchase your Amazon FireStick and start changing the way you watch TV. You will never go back to cable or standard television once you see how your viewing experience changes on the FireStick!
