Amazon Fire TV vs Roku 3

Serious Business 11 replies 459 views
justincredible's avatar
justincredible
Posts: 32,056
Dec 1, 2014 7:59pm
Looking to buy one of these devices, curious if anyone has either one and what your thoughts are on it.

I have it narrowed down to the Fire TV and Roku 3 as they are the only two major players that have Amazon Prime support. Amazon is having a killer sale on the Fire TV right now ($69 down from $99). The Roku 3 is $85 but has a few features that the Fire doesn't, namely unified search and the ability to plug in headphones to the remote to watch without disturbing others.

I already jumped on the Fire TV stick when it first went on sale (only $19 for prime members) but I won't be getting it until January.
sherm03's avatar
sherm03
Posts: 7,349
Dec 1, 2014 8:02pm
I'm not as familiar with Amazon Fire TV. But didn't Amazon release an Android app for viewing? If so, why not just save some money and go with a Chromecast assuming that the Amazon Android player has Chromecast support?
justincredible's avatar
justincredible
Posts: 32,056
Dec 1, 2014 8:03pm
sherm03;1680828 wrote:I'm not as familiar with Amazon Fire TV. But didn't Amazon release an Android app for viewing? If so, why not just save some money and go with a Chromecast assuming that the Amazon Android player has Chromecast support?
Not a fan of the chromecast anyway, but there isn't an Amazon Prime app for it.
lhslep134's avatar
lhslep134
Posts: 9,774
Dec 1, 2014 8:06pm
After doing comparisons I ended up getting the Roku 3 a few months ago and I love it. It's got all the apps I want and the universal search is clutch.

Hope that helps.
sherm03's avatar
sherm03
Posts: 7,349
Dec 1, 2014 8:07pm
justincredible;1680829 wrote:Not a fan of the chromecast anyway, but there isn't an Amazon Prime app for it.
Gotcha. I don't know enough about either of them. But having the headphone plug in is a pretty cool idea.
justincredible's avatar
justincredible
Posts: 32,056
Dec 1, 2014 8:10pm
lhslep134;1680832 wrote:After doing comparisons I ended up getting the Roku 3 a few months ago and I love it. It's got all the apps I want and the universal search is clutch.

Hope that helps.
It does. The main reason I am considering the Fire TV at this point is that the price dropped $30 since this morning, otherwise I would have bought the Roku 3 this evening.
like_that's avatar
like_that
Posts: 26,625
Dec 1, 2014 8:15pm
I believe they are giving free months of Hulu for a purchase of either.
justincredible's avatar
justincredible
Posts: 32,056
Dec 1, 2014 8:22pm
like_that;1680840 wrote:I believe they are giving free months of Hulu for a purchase of either.
I see the Roku 3 gets 3 months of Hulu Plus for free. Not seeing the same deal for the Fire TV.
like_that's avatar
like_that
Posts: 26,625
Dec 1, 2014 8:26pm
justincredible;1680842 wrote:I see the Roku 3 gets 3 months of Hulu Plus for free. Not seeing the same deal for the Fire TV.
Nvm, I was thinking of the chrome cast. The fire has a bundle deal for amazon prime though if you don't already have that.
lhslep134's avatar
lhslep134
Posts: 9,774
Dec 1, 2014 8:51pm
justincredible;1680836 wrote:It does. The main reason I am considering the Fire TV at this point is that the price dropped $30 since this morning, otherwise I would have bought the Roku 3 this evening.
I forgot to add that the plug-in headphones are also clutch. I like to fall asleep with the TV on and the ability to mute it for others while still listening is a pretty nifty feature.
iclfan2's avatar
iclfan2
Posts: 6,360
Dec 1, 2014 9:18pm
I have the roku and like it a lot. Have no comparison to the fire and would probably rather have the Apple TV so that I could mirror my computer (mainly for browns games).


"Get busy livin, or get busy dyin"
sherm03's avatar
sherm03
Posts: 7,349
Dec 1, 2014 11:05pm
What's the portability like for the Roku? I'd like to have something that I can bring with me. I have tried to bring my Chromecast with me on trips, but because the way that hotel WiFi is set up where you have to connect and then enter login information on a website, it won't work. Does the Roku have easier connectivity to multi-step WiFi connections?