Amazon Fire TV stick 2016 with VLC Stream wireless audio/video to TV from computer! Plays virtually any valid file format! Excellent quality video, audio, sync, even subtitles! Several good network video streaming solutions are available (see ) with the primary purpose of delivering content from the Internet, but streaming of local content (cell phone video, camera video, and other files) tends to be more difficult, often involving server software (e.g., ) on a computer, a problem for less technical users. What tends to work better for most people is a TV-centric (client-centric) solution rather than a server-centric solution, where the TV is used to select and play content files. That's now possible with the advent of for Amazon Fire TV and stick. VLC is an excellent free and open source app that can handle virtually any valid file format.
Just look for “Fire TV” in the Cast menu from Netflix’s iOS and Android apps. YouMap taps into the existing Google Cast buttons in apps such as CBS (left) and Pandora (right).
Installing VLC can be a bit tricky since is not yet listed in the Amazon Appstore on the new 2016 Amazon Fire TV stick, which means you have to sideload VLC for Android (on which Fire TV is based):. Download the latest ARMv7 of VLC for Android. (Look for small APK package link below Play and Fire buttons.). Follow the instructions in. (If you have an Android phone, that method is probably the easiest.) The second part of the process is to enable file sharing on a Windows and/or Mac computer, and share folders in which you will place files for streaming by VLC on your Fire TV. Mac:.
Windows:. Share files from network storage, like. To play files from your Fire TV:. Start the VLC app. Select Browsing. Select Local Network. Select source network device (computer, network storage).
Navigate to the audio or video file you want to play. If you need help, try. Tip: Fire TV is a great way to ' cut the cord' (cable) with the excellent Sony service.
We've been consistently impressed with Amazon's Fire TV since they first made their debut a few years ago, and regularly earn our Editors' Choice award. The $69.99 Fire TV lacks a few useful tricks and services, but 4K resolution with HDR10 and the power of Amazon's Alexa voice assistant with the included voice remote makes it one of the best media streamers available under $100, and our Editors' Choice.
For an even more full-featured Fire TV experience, the newer adds hands-free Alexa and home theater device controls to the mix for $50 more. Now It's a Dongle The Fire TV is no longer a small box designed to sit next to or in front of your TV (that's the Fire TV Cube's role now). It looks like a blocky, a 2.6-inch black plastic square 0.6-inch thick, making it easy to hide behind your screen.
It has a short, flat cable extending from one corner and ending in an HDMI plug. The opposite corner has a recess for the included micro USB cable, which plugs into a wall adapter for power.
The 1080p is smaller still, but not by much. It's really quite remarkable how much Amazon has managed to shrink its 4K streaming technology down from last year, a change we've also seen with the excellent. Besides the micro USB connector and HDMI plug, the Fire TV has no other connections and no physical controls. However, unlike the Streaming Stick+ you can make Ethernet an option on the Fire TV with an optional $14.99 Ethernet adapter. It's another small box on a short cable that plugs into the Fire TV's micro USB port, with its own micro USB port and an Ethernet port to provide both power and a wired network connection to the device. The Fire TV Cube uses a similar Ethernet adapter, but it's included as part of the device's price and isn't an additional expense. Alexa Voice Remote The remote is completely unchanged from the previous version.
It's a fairly flat, six-inch black wand with a circular navigation pad, playback controls, and Home, Back, Menu, and Alexa/Voice Search buttons. A pinhole microphone above the Alexa button lets you speak into the remote to search for content on the Fire TV or talk to Alexa.
Besides the microphone, the Fire TV's remote doesn't have any additional tricks, like the Roku Streaming Stick+'s ability to directly toggle power and change the volume on your TV with its IR emitter. You can also control the Fire TV with the Fire TV app for Android and iOS.
It provides all the functions of the remote, including voice search and Alexa. It also lets you enter text through a touch-screen keyboard. However, unlike the Roku app, there are no options for playing content from your mobile device or mirroring your screen. Fire TV Services and Compatibility Amazon's Fire TV OS is a heavily skinned version of Android with its own ecosystem and app store. It's a fairly robust system with most including (of course) Amazon Video and Amazon Music, Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix, PlayStation Vue, Sling TV, Spotify, and YouTube.
The lack of iTunes on any non-Apple device is unsurprising, but unfortunately the Fire TV also omits Google Play Movies & TV, Google Play Music, and a few other on-demand streaming services like Vudu. And, while it's effectively running Android, you can't access the Google Play app store like you can with an Android TV device. Sideloading Android apps is technically possible through the developer options, but extremely unreliable. The previous Fire TV supported, and the new model builds on that with support. The Fire TV supports streaming video at up to 2160p (4K resolution) and 60 frames per second, and is compatible with HDR10 content. That means you can watch HDR video on Amazon, Netflix, and other services that use HDR10.
However, the Fire TV doesn't support Dolby Vision, the other major HDR standard. That can limit the availability of HDR content on certain streaming services. For Dolby Vision support, you need to look toward the or the, both of which also support HDR10. They each have their own trade-offs, though; the Chromecast Ultra lacks a remote or any on-screen menu system, while the Apple TV 4K is more than twice as expensive as the Fire TV. Amazon Alexa Like the previous Fire TV and the Fire TV Stick (and most other Amazon electronic products), the latest model features Amazon's Alexa voice assistant. It doesn't have hands-free voice controls activated by a wake-up word like devices, but if you hold down the Alexa button on the remote and speak into it, you can use it in all the same ways. It also has the added benefit of displaying the information you request visually, which you get on screen-equipped devices like the and, but not standalone Echo speakers.
If you have an Echo, Echo Dot, or another hands-free Alexa device, you can pair it with your Fire TV. This lets you directly control the Fire TV entirely through voice commands, similar to the Fire TV Cube. It can't serve as a universal remote for your other home theater components, since it lacks the Fire TV Cube's infrared emitters, but you can tell your Echo to open apps, play video or music, control playback, search for content, and display Alexa information through the Fire TV without touching your remote. You can also ask Alexa to look up any video or audio content by title, artist, director, genre, or other search term.
You can also jump straight into watching a movie or listening to music by telling Alexa to play it. The Fire TV prioritizes and streamlines playing content from Amazon Video and Amazon Music, but if you log into other services like Netflix, the search results and voice commands will extend to them. It's usually one extra step; loading The Man in the High Castle on Amazon Video was simply a matter of asking Alexa to play it, while loading Stranger Things on Netflix required a button press to confirm playback through Netflix. Alexa is also capable of answering basic questions, providing weather and sports updates, performing unit conversion, and other handy functions. You can link it with your Apple, Google, or Outlook calendar and check on upcoming appointments with your voice, for instance. And those are just the things Alexa can do out of the box; you can also add various that let you do everything from order pizza to a guided whiskey tasting.
Can also be controlled using the Fire TV and Alexa. Alexa supports most major home automation systems including Nest, Philips Hue, and Samsung SmartThings. The visual aspect of Alexa on the Fire TV also lets you bring up home security and doorbell cameras like the and watch live feeds or recordings on your TV. You can also control your home theater by voice if you have a. Streaming Media Performance I tested the Fire TV over a Wi-Fi connection. I watched episodes of The Man in the High Castle on Amazon Video, and House of Cards and Stranger Things on Netflix.
The Man in the High Castle loaded quickly, and started displaying 4K video in seconds, similar to the performance I saw with the Roku Streaming Stick+. The Netflix shows also started quickly and jumped into 4K resolution.
The playback testing is based on a 5GHz Wi-Fi connection to a Fios modem placed fairly close to the Fire TV, and your own experience may vary depending on your Wi-Fi environment. The option for an Ethernet connection is very welcome; even if the adapter is an extra $15, it still puts the Fire TV at $10 less than the Ethernet-equipped. Both devices, and the, are all very quick to both load streaming content and navigate menus. The Best Under $100 The Amazon Fire TV is one of the most most feature-rich media streamers you can get for the price. It isn't a perfect streaming platform; Fire TV still doesn't play nice with the Google Play Store (you should instead pick up a Roku Streaming Stick+ for Google Play media), and of course if your media is primarily on iTunes you need an Apple TV 4K.
Still, if you're not already committed to a particular streaming media ecosystem, don't need hands-free Alexa, and want to spend less than $100, the Fire TV is the 4K media hub to get and stands as an Editors' Choice for its functionality and affordability. If you're willing to spend more, the Fire TV Cube adds hands-free and universal remote features.
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