Key Difference – Amazon Fire Stick vs Fire TV
The key difference between Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV is that the Fire TV is more expensive and comes with powerful hardware, with more memory and high-performance games while the Amazon Firestick is cheaper and can be easily plugged into your TV’s HDMI port. Amazon Fire TV also supports 4K. It also comes with HDR support. Let us take a closer look at both, the Fire Stick and Fire TV, and see what they have to offer.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Amazon Fire Stick
3. What is Amazon Fire TV
4. Side by Side Comparison – Amazon Fire Stick vs Fire TV in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What is Amazon Fire Stick?
The Amazon fire stick is a flash drive like device that can plug into the HDMI port of your television. The flash drive like the device will let you stream media content over the WiFi such as YouTube, Netflix, HBO Go, Pandora, Hula and much more. The remote that comes with the device supports buttons as well as voice commands. The new version is also assisted by Alexa virtual assistant. It can turn any TV into a smart TV by plugging this device into a TV’s HDMI port. The Amazon Firestick was introduced in 2014, and its major competition includes Roku and Google Chrome Cast. Devices like Chromecast, Roku, and Amazon Firestick are new electronic brands that can be used to stream TV shows and movies onto your TV using an online source. Two versions of the Firestick were introduced in 2016. The newest version can with updated hardware and support from Alexa virtual assistant.
The first version of this device was powered by a Broadcom BCM28145 Dual Core 1.2 GHz processor. It had a memory of 1GB, Wifi and Bluetooth support and 8 GB storage. The video output that the device is able to provide is 720p or 1080p. The second generation was powered by a Mediatek 8127D Quad core Arm processor that has a speed of 1.3 GHz. The Memory stood at 1 GB RAM, and the storage is 8GB. The device was able to support Wifi and Bluetooth technologies.
Fig 01: Amazon Fire Stick
The device needs to be powered by an AC power supply or a USB connector. After the device is powered on, and the HDMI input is correctly set up, the Wifi can be set up to access the router. Once there is a successful connection to the wifi, videos can be streamed onto your TV. Your TV will be able to stream popular online streaming sites like Hulu, Netflix, HBO Go, Amazon instant video and many more.
What is Amazon Fire TV?
Amazon Fire TV is a streaming media player that uses content from the internet like games, music, and videos and display it on your television. Amazon Fire TV is supported by two models. The Amazon Fire TV consists of a small box and an HDMI cable while The Fire TV stick can be directly plugged into the HDMI of the television. Both the models work in a similar manner, but both come with differences.
The Fire TV can support thousands of apps, and you can stream videos and listen to music as well as play games on your TV and so many more other things. Amazon Fire TV is integrated tightly with Amazons streaming video service. You can watch a ton of content through popular service providers like Netflix, HBO GO, Hulu, Disney, Sling TV, YouTube, History, and PBS. It does not support apps for Google play videos and Apple iTunes. Buying the Amazon Fire TV does not give you access to watch content on it. You will need to have accounts with streaming services to gain access to the content.
Fig 02: Amazon Fire TV With Remote
Amazon Fire TV can supports a lot of audio and music apps as well. There are also paid and free games that are available with both devices. You can purchase a gaming controller for games that require such devices.
What is the Difference Between Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV?orm factor
Amazon Firestick vs Fire TV | |
| The Amazon fire stick is a flash drive like device that can plug into the HDMI port of the television. | Fire TV is a streaming media player that uses content from the internet and display it on the television. |
| HDR Support | |
| No | Yes |
| 4K Resolution | |
| No | Yes |
| Price | |
| Cheaper | Comparatively expensive |
| Games | |
| Over 1300 | Over 1700 |
| Channels | |
| Over 5400 | Over 5500 |
| Alexa Voice Control | |
| Yes | Yes |
| Form Factor | |
| HDMI dongle | Small set-top box |
| Released Date | |
| September 2016 | October 2017 |
| Memory | |
| 1GB | 2GB |
Summary – Amazon Fire Stick vs Fire TV
The Amazon fire stick can easily convert your TV into a smart TV. With the device, it will be able to play all types of content from movies, music to TV shows. Other than these features, the device can be used to play games and for voice controls with Alexa virtual assistant. Apps can be installed to enhance its ability and for further customization. Amazon also comes in the form of Fire TV which has an android TV both at costs more because it comes with better hardware. An Amazon Fire Stick may not be a good idea if you are a gamer. Buying a Fire TV while you do not have a 4K TV would be a waste as well. The Fire TV is versatile and provides high quality when compared with the fire stick. This can be described as the difference between Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV.
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Image Courtesy:
1.’Amazon Fire TV Stick HDMI’ By ubahnverleih – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2.’Amazon Fire TV with remote’ By Ixfd64 – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
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