VIDEO: Our Amazon Fire TV Review Reveals When You'll Get a Discount

We get all handsy with the new Amazon Fire TV streaming box, and discover that it's a snappy device that might see a price cut or two in the future.
Published
Jeff Somogyi
BY:
Contributing Writer

Though we have compared all of today's set-top streamers by technical specifications, we recently got our hands on the new Amazon Fire TV and thought we'd give it a try. Not only does this video review take you through some feature highlights, but we'll also tell you when you can expect to see a discount.

At $99, the Fire TV isn't priced any cheaper than the Apple TV or Roku, but it's a pretty solid video streaming device with a few nice extras that others don't have. Of course, you'll get the most out of it if you're an Amazon Prime member, but even without the free video content that a subscription brings, the box works nicely as a movie rental box, with a huge selection of new films to rent.

One nice feature that we didn't get a chance to cover in the video was the gaming aspect of the device. You can use the Fire TV's included remote to play a modest (but growing) selection of titles from the Amazon App Store. But to get the best gaming experience, you'll need to buy the Amazon Fire Game Controller accessory (which costs an extra $39.99) to play the more advanced games (GTA titles, NBA 2K14, etc). We don't think anyone would rush out to buy this device because of gaming, but it's a nice additional perk.

Also not mentioned in the video review is the fact that the device can also display pictures you've uploaded to your Amazon Cloud Drive. We personally don't know anyone who's ever uploaded photos to that service, but if you do, it's just another little plus for you!

Readers, what do you guys think of the Amazon Fire TV? Do you want it, or is there another streaming device you like more? Tell us in the comments below.

Related DealNews Features:
Jeff Somogyi
Contributing Writer

Jeff Somogyi is constantly trying to come up with ways to surprise and delight audiences the world over. He takes humor seriously ... too seriously. (Honestly, we've never seen him laugh ... it's kinda creepy.)
DealNews may be compensated by companies mentioned in this article. Please note that, although prices sometimes fluctuate or expire unexpectedly, all products and deals mentioned in this feature were available at the lowest total price we could find at the time of publication (unless otherwise specified).

Comments

Leave a comment!

or Register
7 comments
lalalalalalal
I bought a TV on Amazon and got a $15 off code, but I already have a roku and chromecast, so the discount code is 2LW8-WW58RB-UT39AF ... I think it's only good for one use and expires Sept 20, 2014 ... 1st come 1st serve :)
August 20, 2014
dbdoshi
Coupon is going for $4.49. So, adding that to the Staples price, your out of pocket will be $79.18
June 15, 2014
dbdoshi
You can always buy a $30 off $80 Staples coupon from cn-usa website (paypal or google checkout). I just used one. Staples is selling at full price of $99. With the coupon and free shipping, the total comes out to $74.69 total with tax.
June 15, 2014
dealnews-rmontgomery (DealNews)
As a consolation for not being invited to Amazon's big announcement next week, they just offered us $20 off a Fire TV. Sold! Can hardly wait to see how great the Plex app runs on this speedy set-top box.

If you have a Fire TV, check out the Plex app: https://plex.tv/amazonfiretv
June 13, 2014
old_alex
I paid $80, via Memorial day 20% coupon at Staples (and free shipping), there are sometimes exclusions listed The kindle fire reading tabet was excluded but the fire tv was not, so i was able to use it for the fireTV.

I to have set it up with XBMC it is very snappy, I got it to see my DLNA server and can stream to the box. I also have my favi mini keyboard and mouse attached and they work fine. This makes typing in XBMC easy. It cannot be located on the master screen, Amazon restricts this to "Amazon approved apps only".

Add in USTV_VOD and you can stream from all the network sites any shows they have on their online website sans ads.

You can also sideload google market and download android apps (may or maynot work).
June 12, 2014
Melissa B
I got this about a week after it first came out ~ and we've used it consistently since! I'm a Prime member, so we watch TONS of freebies, but we also use it to watch our Netflix movies, and rent movies from Amazon. I watch for the weekend deals and usually rent those. No hiccups, EASY TO USE (NOT like my Playstation 3!) and love that you can get out of any screen by hitting home button.
June 10, 2014
michael bonebright (DealNews)
I, for one, love my Fire TV. We've side-loaded XBMC on it, so it's almost as good as our HTPC. It's zippy, so unbelievably zippy, and the voice recognition is good enough to understand my 2-yr-old screaming "ELMO!" at the top of her lungs. I'm not a fan of paying full price, but this thing was worth every penny.
June 10, 2014