Firestick general discussion thread

EnzoScifo

those are the previous generation

wassie

Theres not a huge difference in specs between the 1st & 2nd Gen 4k Max sticks as its an incremental upgrade.

Marginally faster CPU & GPU, Wifi 6E vs 6 and more storage. If you only use the stick for streaming apps then storage is not an issue - if you want it for gaming then bigger storage is useful.

Both versions supporting Dolby Atmos, HDR, and Dolby Vision, up to 4K Ultra HD picture quality, and Alexa Home Theater integration

cathy427

Is anyone that uses getflix having problems with apps tonight? For me Prime is working but bbc and itv are not.

Sleeper12

All working fine for me.

Sometimes when apps act up you can rectify it by logging into the getflix account and update IP address. Even if they have the correct IP address it needs updating every now and then

cathy427

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121869254#Comment_121869254

Thanks for that.

Tried that and no joy. Also tried rebooting the broadband.

Weird when prime is working via getflix

S.M.B.

Has anyone got any recommendations for a decent media center that reads from local storage as opposed to using a separate server like plex.

Looking for something with a lot of the same bells and whistles that come with with something like plex where you can get a high quality user interface but on top of a small collection of ripped digital content stored on a USB stick.

moonboy52

Sideloading KODI and adding a Skin if desired, i reckon

S.M.B.

As soon as I posted that I thought Kodi may be my best bet. I've never actually used it in the past so I'm not sure what capabilities it has. Will have a dig around.

Setting up a plex or plex-like server seems overkill but it may be the only way to get exactly what I'm looking for.

Edit: looks like Kodi should do the job.

Wanderer78

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121876725#Comment_121876725

...havent used it in years, but always enjoyed messing around with it, powerful app

S.M.B.

Yeah, I've always associated Kodi with IPTV and have never needed it for that purpose.

After a little bit of playing around last night I managed to get something up and running so I'm confident that off the back of some changes I'll have a setup that meets my needs.

I'll need to have a proper look at the available skins as after dipping my toes in last night I can tell there's a vast range in quality, even some of the highly regarded skins are not quite what I'm looking for.

dougm1970

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121868463#Comment_121868463

yes. changing to holland dns from getflix list fixed it for me

batistuta9

Itv x working for anyone. Tried it recently& won't go beyond the splash screen, just closes itself

Nowso

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121884952#Comment_121884952

change location if you can in uk

batistuta9

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121885121#Comment_121885121

Tried a couple & 2 vpns. Think it might actually be the app from reading some of the reviews of it.

Nowso

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121885136#Comment_121885136

force stop and clear cache on the app if you havnt

Nowso

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121885183#Comment_121885183

Just used 2 different vpn on firestick 4k max 2nd gen and both worked fine

Nigzcurran

We are having the same issue with itvx. Splash screen and then stops

Nowso

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121885467#Comment_121885467

force stop clear cache try another location

wassie

Confirmed working for me ok with NordVPN.

Check also that you have the latest version 2.8.0 (info in Application -> Manage Apps).

This workaround is also from the Amazon forums.

https://uk.amazonforum.com/s/question/0D56Q0000CmBctZSQS/itvx-app

Quick update with a possible solution for some:-

Browsing the ITV X streaming issues on Fire TV Stick 4K 2nd gen topic in this forum, I noted that in a posting by RichT999 they had changed their firestick display resolution from Automatic to 1080p 60Hz and were then able to watch the previously problematic content.

I have just tried this and it seems to have resolved the issues I was having. Not ideal on a 4K tv but provides a temporary fix and hopefully a proper fix will be found. Meantime, I guesss you can choose to either to set display back to auto when not using ITVx or leave it on full time but then all content limited to 1080p. On checking my other, functioning fire stick (which had been attached to an older TV) I found that its display was already set at 1080p 60Hz. Changing it to Automatic "broke" it just like my other stick and reverting to 1080p "unbroke" it.

Nigzcurran

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121886380#Comment_121886380

That interesting about the display settings because I've been having that issue with the peacock app. They actually broadcast a load of 4k stuff but when my firestick is set to auto/4k the ratio on peacock goes crazy and the screen looks like it far too small for the pic. Only way to fix is to set the firestick to 1080p which is a pain

TheDriver

I stopped using itvx ages ago, constant loop of ads etc. i use stv instead, same content and more stable

Iseedeadpixels

Does the virgin tv app work like the android version or is it the dumbed down version i.e no live tv.

Nowso

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121892035#Comment_121892035

the Virgin app has live tv and pretty decent quality same as android

Iseedeadpixels

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121892049#Comment_121892049

Oh cool thanks I'll have to download it later cheers.

Nigzcurran

Yeah my missus is using virgin player for big brother and it seems to work very well

batistuta9

If you only use it the odd time, viewing it with the silk browser will let you fast forward through the ads

batistuta9

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121885467#Comment_121885467

Which stick have you? I was trying on the older 4k, don't use it that often but it looks like a issue with the app rather than VPN. Can see it in the reviews & that Amazon forum someone linked there

muffler

We have 2 firesticks in the house. On one of them we can only watch a very limited amount of Amazon Prime video content probably like most people. However on the other the full compliment of Prime shows is available to watch. Several years ago I rang the prime support team and asked them to change my region to UK and I'm fairly sure that's why all their programming is now available on one of the firesticks.

So this might work for others. While I have several genuine NI addresses registered to my account I don't see any problems with setting up a dummy or fake NI or UK address and then contact the Prime team to get the region changed. Worth a shot anyhow. All to gain and nothing to lose.

Nowso

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121892679#Comment_121892679

why dont you run both sticks on the account with Full prime . if it is the same u might need to re register the one that hasnt

muffler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121892765#Comment_121892765

It's probably a case of letting sleeping dogs lie. Strictly speaking I'm not supposed to have access to most of the Prime content so having it on one is fine. Both firesticks are registered to the account which is a little puzzling.