Firestick

[jennyjoan]

Having the firestick turning my TV into a Smart TV has been incredible. I enjoy many many documentaries and YouTube on the TV is ideal and I'm lucky in that most? of them have had subtitles. I haven't needed to tune into the others just yet.

Recommend it so much.

[AlwaysConfused]

Do you have cats, jennyjoan?

[jennyjoan]

no - just my dog - why?

[Buenchico]

I use a Now TV stick, which serves much the same purpose (in that it turns a 'non-smart' TV into a 'smart' one) and I certainly find it useful, even though I don't actually watch much TV. (I subscribe to Now TV's 'Entertainment' pass, giving me access to some Sky channels, together with others, such as National Geographic - which is probably what I watch most).

The ability to watch catch-up TV (without using my computer) is particularly handy though. It means that I don't need to throw out the Christmas edition of the Radio Times just yet ;-)

[AlwaysConfused]

Oh my cats used to love the firestick...cat tv on youtube. It would keep them entertained for hours. Maybe you could find something similar for dogs

[jennyjoan]

no Maxie aint interested in TV - only food and walks.

[Buenchico]

>>> Maybe you could find something similar for dogs

There's EIGHT HOURS of it here, with six and a half million views!

[Buenchico]

. . . and NINE HOURS of dog relaxation therapy here ; -)

[AlwaysConfused]

here's what my cats play with (daily polishing of the tv involved, though)

[AlwaysConfused]

and this....hilarious watching them running around the back of the tele to see where the mice have gone

[ummmm]

I didn't know a firestick could turn a TV into a smart.

[sherrardk]

I’ve got a fire stick, it’s brilliant. I hate watching stuff on my tablet (because I then can’t use my tablet to play pointless, childish games).

[maggiebee]

I have a firestick and pay a one-off annual fee for Amazon Prime. My son has my password so has installed it on his TV and in return I have Netflix and Disney channel which are part of his package. Win win

[sherrardk]

Maggie, turn your Amazon prime into Amazon family and your son can get free deliveries to his address (and neither of you can see what the others have bought). I use it with my son.

[Jackdaw33]

Can someone explain to a simple soul just what a Firestick is, how does it work, what does it do and how much does it cost?

[maggiebee]

Thanks for the heads up Sheet, will look into that.

[maggiebee]

Sherrardk - this phone has a mind of its own!

[Sunk]

Jackdaw
A Firestick is a digital tuner that you plug into one of your TVs HDMI slots.
It is £40. You can install Apps on your stick so all the catch-up services are on there. You can install apps for other services like SkyGo Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney, AppleTV and many others.
It is particularly useful if you have an older TV without the functionality built in.

[Jackdaw33]

Thank you Sunk. I confess to being little the wiser; I will need someone who has one to talk me through it, I'm not sure I really need one as I watch very little TV, but thanks all the same for your explanation.

[Buenchico]

Just to add to Sunk's post:

If your TV is already 'smart' (i.e. it can connect to the internet) you might have no use for an Amazon Fire TV stick, a Now TV stick, a Roku Streaming Stick or whatever (although they can still add extra functionality to 'smart' TVs, depending upon exactly what those TVs can already do without one, which varies across different TV models).

If your TV isn't 'smart', then plugging one of the above devices into an HDMI port on your telly will make it so, meaning that it can take signals from your home wi-fi router. You can then use the free apps on the device to watch catch-up TV services, such as BBC iPlayer ITV Hub, All 4, My 5 and UKTV Play. You can also use other free apps to access things like Youtube on your telly, instead of on your computer. Further, if you so choose, you can use subscription-based apps to watch services like Netflix and Disney+. (If you choose a Now TV stick you can subscribe to packages that give you access, via your router, to certain services that you'd otherwise need a Sky TV subscription to access).

[Jackdaw33]

Thank you Chico, more food for thought.