4k Fire TV stick - PLEASE READ OP BEFORE ASKING QUESTIONS

muffler

Amazon have dropped the price of their 4k Fire TV stick to £34.99. Can't post a link as I'm on the phone but I'm sure you'll find it

MOD EDIT:
FAQ
Which firestick should I buy?
4K is not just for 4K. The 4K firestick is a better purchase than non 4K stick
But it won't shop to Ireland?
Use parcel wizard/motel/addresspal etc etc
What can I do with the firestick?
Well the world is your oyster but it depends on what you want to do with it. There are many apps, many free and most are legit.
Do I use my amazon account on it?
Yes you can and if you have prime, you get the benefits of prime. However US customers seem to get a lot more free via IMDB TV etc. You could set up a new amazon account with a US address solely for this purpose. Couple this with a VPN, your stick can give you a lot more options. However your UK prime account is then not available.
Should I use a VPN?
It seems fairly common place to use one nowadays. You can get VPN unlimited on a stack social deal for a lifetime price of $15. It auto runs when you start your firestick. It also allows you to watch UK catchup channels. You can easily change between US and UK as necessary.
If you are getting an error, ensure it is the US streaming picked and not a random US city.
A VPN gets around geoblocking e.g. You take the firestick on holidays to Italy. RTE player won't work as you are not in Ireland. The VPN makes the firestick think it's in Ireland and then RTE player works.
What are the essential apps?
Sub required: Netflix, Disney+, HULU, HBO Now, Sling TV, DirecTv & FuboTv & HBOMAX, eurosport player
Free: Crackle, Pluto, Tubi, BBC, All4, RTE, Virgin Media, UKTV Play, ITV Hub, My5,
What other Apps?
You will need mouse toggle and also orientation for some apps. Mouse toggle allows your remote to act like a mouse.
Where can I get these apps?
Some can be found using the amazon search or using downloader (can be downloaded from the main page). However you’ll notice that if you are a UK account, you can’t download crackle. If you are a US account, you can’t download UK catchup. So you can find them using filelinked.
The best place is to watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIPT30w39bA. Tanya is a great source of info for the firestick. Her videos are also great for showing you how to start with downloader, allowing apps to be installed outside of amazon store etc.
There are 3 main filelinked for firestick, Codes: Tanya 71607934, Average Ed 47713348 & Electrical MD 85810914
https://www.youtube.com/c/FireTVSticks
https://www.youtube.com/user/TechDoctorUK/
RTE Player
There are 2 APKs you can use. The newer version has live TV but you need the mouse toggle. It is available on downloader (v3.0.4: don’t use a newer one) or via one of the filelinked. The older version (v1) https://www.joujoujou.com/images/rte.apk doesn’t require mouse toggle but there’s no live TV option. You can put this URL into downloader which will download the apk to your firestick.
Whats the best price at moment?
It's probably easier looking up amazon or currys for a current price rather than asking it here.
Can I use my phone to install apps?
You can use easyfiretools. However start with filelinked and probably Tanya.

Roberto_gas

Has to be ordered through parcel motel or equivalent....good deal !

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Amazon-Fire-TV-Stick-4K-Ultra-Hd-With-Alexa-Voice-Remote-Streaming-Media-Player/dp/B079QB9BD7/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=fire+tv+stick&qid=1580896384&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&sr=8-2

Kintarō Hattori

For anyone on the fence, these are fantastic. They've revolutionized my TV viewing. You can use them for the following:

Netflix
Prime Video
BBC iPlayer
Channel 4 player
Channel 5 player
ITV player
YouTube

Obviously some of the above will require a VPN to access but that's easy to setup and use. I haven't used my Chromecast in a very long time.

maximoose

Lovely, bought one a few months ago and been waiting for a price drop to get another.

Little thing works an absolute dream for IPTV compared to other devices I've used - bargain

Roberto_gas

maximoose wrote: »

Lovely, bought one a few months ago and been waiting for a price drop to get another.

Little thing works an absolute dream for IPTV compared to other devices I've used - bargain

I have a samsung 4K TV and do not see any need for this ! Anyone who is in similar boat ?

MarkY91

muffler wrote: »

Amazon have dropped the price of their 4k Fire TV stick to £34.99. Can't post a link as I'm on the phone but I'm sure you'll find it

Thanks!..deal in for non 4k version too.

Loadedscream

Is it worth upgrading from the 2nd generation stick to this? I have a 4k tv but dont watch much 4k content. Is it much faster?

Mantis Toboggan

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

For anyone on the fence, these are fantastic. They've revolutionized my TV viewing. You can use them for the following:

Netflix
Prime Video
BBC iPlayer
Channel 4 player
Channel 5 player
ITV player
YouTube

Obviously some of the above will require a VPN to access but that's easy to setup and use. I haven't used my Chromecast in a very long time.

True but all those can be casted from the phone app.

johnmcdon

kaerobe wrote: »

Gahh... may have to buy my 3rd one!
Highly recommend. Great addition to a smart home too.
I use and find it flawless for BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, Hulu and Disney Plus.
Apple TV+ app, , Prime and Netflix are spot on.
Can sideload RTE player.

What VPN do you use?
Are they very costly.
Thanks

Zimmerframe

Loadedscream wrote: »

Is it worth upgrading from the 2nd generation stick to this? I have a 4k tv but dont watch much 4k content. Is it much faster?

imho a very worthwhile upgrade.

maximoose

I use VPN unlimited on mine, works perfectly for streaming apps and was €16 for a limetime sub

Berty

Loadedscream wrote: »

Is it worth upgrading from the 2nd generation stick to this? I have a 4k tv but dont watch much 4k content. Is it much faster?

Yes, it has more GB of RAM in it and has a volume button. Really handy being able to control the TV, with volume, with on/off functions with just the one remote.

Roberto_gas

Berty wrote: »

Yes, it has more GB of RAM in it and has a volume button. Really handy being able to control the TV, with volume, with on/off functions with just the one remote.

Agree on the RAM...i use SMART IPTV and its good as well !

Kintarō Hattori

Mantis Toboggan wrote: »

True but all those can be casted from the phone app.

For me that's just not as convenient.

antodeco

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

For anyone on the fence, these are fantastic. They've revolutionized my TV viewing. You can use them for the following:

Netflix
Prime Video
BBC iPlayer
Channel 4 player
Channel 5 player
ITV player
YouTube

Obviously some of the above will require a VPN to access but that's easy to setup and use. I haven't used my Chromecast in a very long time.

Any chance you can PM how to do this? Ive never used a VPN on the firestick so not sure what way it works!

shovel

Please could you copy the pm onto me as well
Thanks

perrier

Can these be powered by the TV usb ports?

jc77

kaerobe wrote: »

Can sideload RTE player.

Any chance of a PM to point me in direction of doing this please? I attempted before, but failed miserably.

Mountjoy Mugger

This is Bargain Alerts; not a hold my hand forum. Can ye not google this stuff?

brightkane

perrier wrote: »

Can these be powered by the TV usb ports?

Yes but in my experience with my tvs it was hit and miss. Got random shut downs and reboots and messages it wasnt getting enough power.

jc77

perrier wrote: »

Can these be powered by the TV usb ports?

Firestick connects to HDMI port & has a microUSB port which is best connected to mains (cable & plug is supplied with the stick)

muffler

Mountjoy Mugger wrote: »

This is Bargain Alerts; not a hold my hand forum. Can ye not google this stuff?

You should change your user name to Killjoy Mugger

mean gene

muffler wrote: »

Amazon have dropped the price of their 4k Fire TV stick to £34.99. Can't post a link as I'm on the phone but I'm sure you'll find it

got this for a non 4k tv doesn't work still in box

Berty

mean gene wrote: »

got this for a non 4k tv doesn't work still in box

I've 3 4K sticks , one on a 4KTV, 1 on a 1080P and the other on a 720P TV. No issues. Must be something else wrong on your end because the HDMI is generally universal and the OS is on the stick so the TV is just the display monitor essentially.

ablelocks

Mountjoy Mugger wrote: »

This is Bargain Alerts; not a hold my hand forum. Can ye not google this stuff?

i'd rather learn from someone on boards who has experience and is willing to share than to trust the random paid for adverts masquerading as how to's that clog the search results.

nearly everything techie i've learned over the years has been from a boardsie kind enough to share their knowledge.

isn't that the whole point of this place?

anyway, i tried and didn't completely trust the process the last time i tried to set up and use a vpn so would appreciate some guidance too.

thanks for the BA

celticbhoy27

Berty wrote: »

Yes, it has more GB of RAM in it and has a volume button. Really handy being able to control the TV, with volume, with on/off functions with just the one remote.

I have the 2nd generation. It has the volume buttons. I can control tv via it

bromley52

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

For anyone on the fence, these are fantastic. They've revolutionized my TV viewing. You can use them for the following:

Netflix
Prime Video
BBC iPlayer
Channel 4 player
Channel 5 player
ITV player
YouTube

Obviously some of the above will require a VPN to access but that's easy to setup and use. I haven't used my Chromecast in a very long time.

To add to the above you can use your own TVs remote to control 99% of the firestick. Your TV needs to support HDMI CEC.

mailburner

Mountjoy Mugger wrote: »

This is Bargain Alerts; not a hold my hand forum. Can ye not google this stuff?

A lot of folks will find this stuff daunting and will more than likely
give up after reading a few lines of a tutorial

It's easy when you know though

mailburner

got two of these on black friday

outside of an nividea shield these are unbelievable value for money and miles
better than most android boxes (some at near double the price)


I use it for netflix, prime and youtube mainly...havent used a vpn yet as I'm not overly interested in the itv/bbc player though I do have the rte player

Brilliant for iptv also

Sleeper12

Cheaper than a VPN
https://www.getflix.com.au/pricing

https://www.thevpnlab.com/reviews/getflix-review/

Harcrid

Do you guys need a VPN to watch Amazon Prime content on the 4K fire stick? I have one That I got last year and it won’t play any Prime content due to location issues. When I contacted Amazon about it they said I would need a basic Firestick in order to be able to watch Prime in Ireland.

Sleeper12

OmegaGene wrote:

Getflix is great I’ve been with them for 2 years without a hitch

I've had it 2 years or so. I could only use it on mobile devices until recently. Smart TV & Virgin router wouldn't let me set DNS. Virgin router started acting up recently on WIFI so bought Google Wi-Fi. This let me set the DNS. I now have all my US stuff like HULU & HBO running alongside UK iplayer hub etc without having to switch a VPN on & off. The 2 year plan is a bargain

EDEB1305

kaerobe wrote: »

Can sideload RTE player.

How do you do this?? Cheers

holidaysong

Do I need to change my billing address to UK in order to use VPN On BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub etc.

I have a VPN already, but have no interest in Amazon Prime.

okla

For RTE player the last 3 posts here explain how to install. It works a treat and the best part is there's no ads

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=112155555

BBMcQ

For Amazon Prime I just got into Amazon chat and they fixed it instantly. I wasn’t asked where I was or anything. They just flicked a switch.

bittihuduga

OmegaGene wrote: »

Virgin are a pain in the hoop alright, I find getflix smart dns better than a vpn as it’s harder for iplayer etc to detect
Setting the dns on the router is handy but some people think it’s risky running all your traffic through getflix but I’ve never had an issue

can you set dns on virgin media router? i thought you couldn't.

Sleeper12

bittihuduga wrote:

can you set dns on virgin media router? i thought you couldn't.

I wasn't able to for years until I added Google wi-fi

torrevieja

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

For anyone on the fence, these are fantastic. They've revolutionized my TV viewing. You can use them for the following:

Netflix
Prime Video
BBC iPlayer
Channel 4 player
Channel 5 player
ITV player
YouTube

Obviously some of the above will require a VPN to access but that's easy to setup and use. I haven't used my Chromecast in a very long time.

i cant get BBC iplayer to work here im using vpn

Poolboy19

torrevieja wrote: »

i cant get BBC iplayer to work here im using vpn

Try using your VPN and watching BBC iPlayer through Firefox, it's the only way I can watch it with fire stick

PeterDuggan

Can this stick play movies stored on a networked pc? Do it have Kodi? Thanks.

fergiesfolly

PeterDuggan wrote: »

Can this stick play movies stored on a networked pc? Do it have Kodi? Thanks.

I don't have Kodi on mine, but I've seen YouTube videos where it's installed.
Honestly, most the questions asked here would be answered in Google and YouTube. It's where I got all my info and was fairly straightforward.

Apt8

OmegaGene wrote: »

It’s pot luck with them on chat tbh some people have had to make numerous attempts and others get lucky like yourself

If you go on after 10pm or before 7am you have better luck because that's when the Cork and Edinburgh sites are closed. Reps in other sites are more agreeable because they want a positive survey.

PeterDuggan

Has anyone specific experience that it can play movies stored on a networked pc please?

blastman

PeterDuggan wrote: »

Has anyone specific experience that it can play movies stored on a networked pc please?

You can do this with Plex

normanbond

I bought a ROKU streaming stick on Amazon black friday for £30
Anyone got tips or a link to help me load apps?
Tnx

NyOmnishambles

PeterDuggan wrote: »

Has anyone specific experience that it can play movies stored on a networked pc please?

A few options have been mentioned above, another I have used is to install Kodi, it works just fine for that and other purposes

I will throw up a link to a tutorial later as it has a handy method of side loading apps

But Plex mentioned above is a very good option

Kav_Piero

Anyone know if it’s possible to side load the Now Tv App on the Firestick?

Nforce

PeterDuggan wrote: »

Has anyone specific experience that it can play movies stored on a networked pc please?

Possible to do this too using ES File Explorer on the FireStick. You don't have a nice GUI ,however, if that is of concern

MarkY91

All this VPN, specific apps, playing movies etc..just get yourselves and android box

MarkY91

OmegaGene wrote: »

Why bother when this does the same thing ?
I have the nvidia shield and the 4k stick and there’s feck all difference tbh

They could download stuff from the app store instead of having to ask here how to sideload apps???