Two notable early access deals.
As reported on Amazon
• Fire TV - 50% off RRP on both the Fire TV Stick Lite and Fire TV Cube
[Prime] Amazon Fire TV Cube $109
[Prime] Amazon Fire TV Stick (2023) Lite $29
Likely all the Amazon Fire Stick Range will be on special, but not confirmed on the available link.
CamelCamelCamel.
Firecube. Only thing it's missing is DV profile 7.
P7 done well is so rare. Please look at this spreadsheet. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jBIGF8XTVi9VmDBZ8a5h…
What device do you recommend?
Still nvidia shield pro?
@hessels92: Yes. I would use that for streaming and upscaling. This fire cube is also great for streaming and upscaling but if you are going to rip blurays and download dv movies the ugoos AM6B Plus. This isn't my spreadsheet but I trust it and I'm buying all my devices based off it.
/ Where do you buy this from seems to be many different models all with similar names
UGOOS
AM6B plus
AM6 plus
Minix u22x-j max
@hessels92: Step by step instuctions for your DV p7 viewing pleasure
https://www.reddit.com/r/PleX/comments/1ajszn9/remux_lovers_…
@hessels92: Many of those are discontinued. AM6B plus is the current device being sold it seems and I think there is an Amazon cube that has the chip. From what I have seen the amlogic chip inside (Amlogic S922XJ) is completely unrestricted and allows any dv profile to work without many issues. Shield has so many issues if you want to use it for P7 movies. I'm not an expert but I think it's the best device and I have seen many other people talk about this specific chip and AM6B plus device. Also coreelec is the software you need to use so the device is fully unlocked. The stock android is trash and isn't even android TV so you can't stream 4k l1 shows.
@HaydosK: Firecube 2nd gen has the chip. However it needs to be on an older firmware to unlock bootloader and boot into coreelec.
@HaydosK: Thanks, I collected remuxs for a while now I mostly stream them via stremio so unsure how worth it this would be? The storage required to keep collecting just didn't seem worth the benefit anymore. Are you mostly ripping your own?
@hessels92: I don't actually have a AM6B plus. I have a fire cube 3rd gen, ub820, lg ubk90 and a ccwgtv. I mostly download all my movies because I don't have a drive that's capable of ripping my 4k bluray's And I have a blu-ray player for the movies I own currently. I don't just use it for ones I own though, I also download movies that aren't Available in Australia like new Disney remuxes and some dv streaming content. Also I'm not a hoarder. I just download what I want and play it once. In the future I plan to buy a 4k bluray drive so I can rip my own discs and have easy access to my favorite movies and a AM6B plus when I find a good place and price to buy it at. I don't know how stremio works but if it has a Kodi addon it should work with coreelec + AM6B plus.
@OzFrugie: Got it today. Setup is a pain but I have got everything working. Just need to find some Dolby vision test files to see if that's working. Will probably know tomorrow
@HaydosK: Thanks mate. Interested to know how it performs and whether worth getting it rathet than shield pro esp with extra setup for coreelec.
Btw where did you buy it from and how much?
@OzFrugie: I got it from AliExpress. $142 USD with fees and shipping. Also got an upgraded remote for an extra $10. So about $150 USD ($240 aud).
It seems to have some glitches with one video I played from some of free add-ons. Don't really rely on add-ons for content with drm because it can't really do anything over 1080p. YouTube, Vimeo and IPTV seems to work great though. Just wish it had av1 support. Its hard for me to say if you should get it over the shield. I don't think this is even competing with the shield. It wins any day for local playback but for streaming and app support the shield will win. I dont love android tv. Google TV is way better and that's why I bought the gcwgtv. I wish we had 3rd party Google tv devices like onn in Australia and not just in the US and from some Chinese boxes. If you don't play local files there is no point in getting the am6b+. What do you use mostly? Streaming or local files? Also what streaming do you do?
@HaydosK: At the moment, I hook up my gaming pc to my LG OLED TV and play mkv's stored in my Synology NAS where it has PlexServer.
My PC uses Kodi v20 as a player, connected to PlexServer via PlexKodiConnect plugin.
With this setup, DV doesnt play because PC cant decode DV (?), and fall back to normal HDR.
I would like to be able to play DV so I am thinking Nvidia Shield Pro or now AM6B+
As for streaming, I usually use the native apps on my LG WebOS. Mostly Amazon Prime, Youtube and Optus Sport.
Are streaming services better using external device like Shield Pro vs native apps on LG WebOS?
@OzFrugie: I recommend using the built in apps for streaming. It cuts out the possibly of incorrect Dolby vision implementations and it looks good to me. Also depending on what TV you have you might be able to get away with installing the Kodi webos app. Only problem is you need to use some dev tools and refresh it every few months. Unless you are using a c9 based of that spreadsheet it won't work with fel. And I think it would be worth getting the am6b+ for your Plex server. You are kinda correct when you said your PC can't play Dolby vision. It can but you have to use a specific player and it doesn't play anywhere near as good as the am6b+. I think built in streaming with Kodi if that works with all your files would work but if you want the best use the built in apps + the am6b+ with core elec and Plex add on.
@HaydosK: Great insights @HaydosK, thank you!
I am using LG G3 TV at home.
I heard about Kodi for WebOS for the latest Kodi Omega v21, but apparently there are (still) lots of bugs? Do you use it?
It's a shame LG TV cannot play DV in mkv container natively.
Looks like you convince me to get AM6B+.. I just hope the device will last long since it's kind of no-name brand vs something from Nvidia..
Do you mind sharing the link you purchased the device from?
I am not sure if I can trust all sellers in AliExpress (?). How long was the delivery btw?
For the Coreelec install, is it difficult or easy as long as following the instructions (in reddit?)?
I never use coreelec before but from what I can gather, it's pretty much Kodi, right? So, all addons will work, particularly PlexKodiConnect addon so it can read from my PlexServer.
@OzFrugie: I haven't used Kodi for webos because it just feels like a pain. And yeah I think there are still bugs. Unfortunately they have to block dv playback. this is why you have to go through so many hoops.
I really don't want to get you into something that's too risky. Even if it only lasts a few years the next Nvidia shield should be out by then and will hopefully fix all the issues with the current one. The seller I got it from was the one with the best reviews and amount of sales. It also had a flash sale. Probably not the cheapest but I just wanted to get it asap to test and have something to do lol. I'm guessing coupons and cashback could get it way cheaper. Got it It 8 days. I don't know if I even recommend the seller I got it from. The box was very beaten up and the inside of the box was also all broken. The device and accessories seemed to be brand new. I expect this stuff from AliExpress. I don't think you can buy directly from ugoos. I did see an "official ugoos" seller on AliExpress but i have no way of knowing it's actually them.
Coreelec is easy to install but it does take time. From what I have seen the best install guide is on the coreelec forum but I think the remux reddit post is also good.
From what I have seen coreelec is Linux with Kodi on top. I can't confirm it will work with everything but all the add-ons I have tried work and Plex is definitely an addon because I have seen it.
@HaydosK: Got my amb6+ box but havent opened it.
By the way, whats the best setup to connect this box?
Is it better to connect to my Samsung Q990B soundbar or straight to my LG G3 TV?
Also, is connecting via ethernet recommended vs via wifi? Though I read somewhere that the ethernet on this box has issues?
@OzFrugie: I don't know much about sound bars but I know LG can't decode DTS audio so you might need to feed it directly into your soundbar but you should try and use earc first and see if DTS plays well.
The Ethernet problem I saw was if you use a 10 gigabit network. I only have 1 gigabit and have no issues. If you do have issues buy a 1 gigabit switch and see if that works or use the WiFi if you have a good setup because I think the box does wifi 6 and should be fast enough for any streaming.
@HaydosK: Cheers mate. Just wondering if there is a disadvantage of connecting to soundbar vs directly to TV?
If connecting to soundbar, does it still passthrough all profiles of DV incl FEL?
@OzFrugie: You should use earc if it works with dts because that will allow you to feed your audio from any signal into the soundbar instead of just one and you don't have to worry about passthrough problems. I think if it does HDMI 2.1 passthrough you should be fine but you should test it with content if you go with the directly into the soundbar approach.
My advice
EARC if dts works
Soundbar if it doesn't work with earc
If Dts doesn't work and the passthrough doesn't allow Dolby vision you should replug it back into the TV and go into setting and change dts passthrough to off and let the device decode DTS to 7.1 because Dolby vision is worth more than dts imo
Looked up your model and it seems to work with Dolby vision passthrough but yeah try earc first. I also saw it does wireless dolby Atmos? Is that a Samsung exclusive thing?m
@HaydosK: Thank you. I had a bit of a read and apparently LG G3 supports DTS/X from G3 series onwards.
So looks like best to plug straight to my TV.
Samsung Q990B only supports HDMI 2.0 though (LG G3 is on 2.1) but I assume no issue since if connect my AM6B+ to TV, the soundbar will just receive max. Atmos or DTSX which should be fully supported by HDMI 2.0 bandwidth, right?
Not sure what wireless Atmos thing you mentioned with the soundbar. But my rear speakers are wirelessly connected to the main soundbar unit, which is handy
@OzFrugie: Ok perfect. Like you said just keep using it directly plugged into the TV. And yeah there is no issue with the HDMI 2.0. no audio even touches that amount of data and I just wouldn't use passthrough for any gaming devices because It passes the specs of 2.0. if you never use passthrough it won't even matter. Passthrough is probably for compatibility with non earc tvs. But like I said I don't really know much about soundbars
@OzFrugie: Few other things I wanted to say. The shield is probably the best for lower quality content. It has apparently great upscaling and lots of power for other android apps. If you stick to the built-in streaming apps I recommend using smooth gradation in the TV settings. Don't use it for HQ 1080p or 4k but if you stream and you notice lots of artifacts and colour issues it will smooth that out and make everything look less blocky.
@HaydosK: I set my LG Smooth Gradation to Low for all types of content.
It was actually set by the professional calibrator that I hired
Lol coreelec. Awful. Satan's favourite tv interface os.
Written by a geek with no idea about user experience.
Fire cube all the way; you can install apk files so I get YouTube with ad blocker and sponsor skip.
Out of interest can you do the same with the stick as well.
Yes definitely, I got all the apps from my cube to my stick for portability and accounts on the go. Do be aware of Amazon wanting to introduce a completely new OS much later on but I'd just refuse to update.
See for a lot I agree other options but I AirPlay ALOT especially phone laptop or phone and also use my phone as a remote so Apple TV keeps winning for me and my use case
Also I find apps on Apple TV are way more stable than any other device
I've never tried the cube, but I have 3 4k stick Max's and recently got some apple TV's and they are so much better. The only thing I prefer is how the Amazon devices handle controlling other equipment. I hate using hdmi cec to control things and have no choice with the Apple TV's. Its almost enough for me to want to try one of these, but the 4k Max isn't that far behind the cube and it was very annoying. Freezing and crashing apps, Kayo was unusable (don't use it much but when I do I'd like to be able to watch a full f1 session without it freezing, which they simply cannot do).
So yeah, it's a tough choice, if Apple handled other devices nicer I'd say it's a no brainer, I'd still probably go for it over the Amazon options though depending on your needs.
14 days or 21 days?
Access some epic early deals from the Amazon Devices ranges from 9 July to 21 July while stocks last…
14 Days
I love the CUBE, its so much faster than Firestick. Got it just for that reason ! So quick in the menus.
Got the Firestick 4K Max and is so buttery smooth and flawless in operation. I wonder just how much more smoother is the Cube can be? Do I really need to get this? After all, both devices main function are to stream and the Firestick already does it with aplomb. Though for $109… Mmm.
Same processing power as the cube inc wifi6e etc. just no remoteless voice, ethernet, optical audio and HDMI passthrough.
What does the hdmi pass through mean?
Plugging another device (eg DVD player, game console, etc) into the Fire Cube. I have an old Chromecast plugged into my Fire Cube to handle casting audio to my soundbar as part of a Google Home speaker group.
that isn't correct… the Cube IS more powerful…
the Stick 4k Max has a quad core 2ghz cpu w/ 750mhz gpu and the Cube has an octo core 2ghz cpu w/ 800mhz gpu
Have both. Can confirm the cube is (slightly) more powerful
Lol I just ordered an Apple TV today, oh well if it doesn't prove to be a good improvement over my fire sticks I'll grab a cube.
Anyone got one able to comment if the Kayo app is usable on it? It's rubbish on the fire stick.
Unless you need APKs (which you don’t if you’ve got a good *arr + Plex setup and YouTube Premium for a few bucks via a VPN) the AppleTV is much much better.
Kayo app is usable on it
Can’t speak for the app specifically, but in general apps are much better on AppleTV. The SDKs Apple provide devs are much better resulting in much more polished apps than the shit UX you get on Android based devices.
yeah I primarily use Plex (which I find dies and requires a force stop at least once a week or so on my 4K Max sticks), Netflix, YouTube, Prime and Kayo for the F1… Most work OK, but was enough to piss me off to try the Apple TV which is apparently arriving tomorrow… Kayo is utterly useless on the 4K stick… I have to use my TV apps for it (Sony Android, 2019 model I think it is)
Most work OK, but was enough to piss me off
Yep. Sums up why I switched to Apple TVs all through the house years ago. Android based ones are “ok” but considering it’s a device I use daily I want better than just “ok”.
I got a FireTV out of interest a year or so ago on special out of curiosity. Same “ok” experience…but with more ads.
I switched to the Apple TV Ethernet version from the 4k max, mostly due to the "annoying ecommendations" on the amazon home screen and the Ethernet port which I wanted for Steam Link. I'm not an Apple fan but the UI is much cleaner and smoother on the apple tv; Kayo also works relatively well. I also moved away from Kodi and Plex to Infuse which is a much smoother experience for me (had lots of connection issues to Plex server, had to regularly restart it). Very happy with the Apple TV.
Tempted by the Cube but… I have a mate going to the US and the Onn 4K Pro streamer from Walmart is getting some strong reviews
Would the firestick lite run kayo ok? Or should I go the cube. Also want to use ethernet so imagine I'd have to buy an adaptor for the sticks but not the cubes?
No, Kayo is dogshit on even the stick 4k Max, no chance on a lesser model. I can't comment on if it would be better in the cube unfortunately, but given how bad it is on the Max I am not hopeful.
Most likely just a bad app
I used it to run 9now for State of Origin game one and I think its upscaling ruined it and made the play blurry. Had to swap back to the 9now app thru my TV. Works great for my own content off Jellyfin though.
Does the cube work as a speaker out when you watch shows? Got a an outside old tv and I think it would sound better tv speakers
Not on its own unfortunately. I believe you can directly pair it to echo speakers but the cube just acts as a hub with no audio coming from that device.
Ah thanks, thats a shame!
How is Firecube TV compared to my aging NVIDIA shield 2017? Is it an upgrade or downgrade? Just mainly for streamio and apk stuff. Not like its slowing down for me…
Stick with Nvidia if it’s not broken don’t worry about it
The cube is more powerful (CPU), but it doesn't really matter especially since you aren't having any issues.
I have the Firestick 4k Max, Firecube and 2019 Nvidia Shield and Chromecast with Google TV 4k.
The Shield is snappier than Firecube. Firecube still plenty fast and responsive.
The Firecube is excellent for voice control to turn on and off the TV.
Firestick 4k Max snappier than chromecast.
Lol another new box to list on our paperwork :/
I’m having buffering issues using Britishtv.org on the fire stick max, would the cube fix the issue would it be internet server related?
would the cube fix the issue
Only if the issue is your current hardware is struggling to decode. Which is very unlikely.
would it be internet server related?
Most likely network related. Either your network, your Internet service or the IPTV’s bandwidth.
No binge 4k on the firecube,
Why?
Don't think it runs Foxtel app either from memory
There is a native binge app for the firecube but you'll be getting HD only as the device is not yet supported for 4k. It could be made to work with sideloading Android Tv binge app which would let you view 4k content but a recent update broke that version of the app.
Foxtel runs on stick but not cube?
my TV's user interface lags a lot. Could I use any of these to get a better UI experience?
That's what it's designed for. Recommend getting a fire stick max orthis if your tv has an HDMI port
Thanks for that, appreciate it. I'll do a bit more research into that model.
So I'm a noob. I've got an Android (Google TV) with Adgaurd installed to essentially stop all tracking and ads (it's magical). Is there any point in a fire stick/cube if all the streaming apps are on my TV? I'm probably not the target market for this product but I'm intrigued to know what it is actually used for if not streaming & taking to Alexa sometimes. Genui question, what's it good for?
It does the same thing, but better.
It’s like having a really slow computer and a fast computer. They’re both “the same” and do “the same things” but the one with the higher specs will give you a better experience.
That and the FireTV is likely to get more software updates, for ongoing app compatibility and security.
Just came here looking for Stick deals after reading this too.
Worth going for the 4K Stick though for a 4K tv, I assume…
I don't know much about these, but I wonder how they lock down the app to Fire TV devices only…
Can the app not just get sideloaded to another Android device?
Or are these devices running on a non-Android OS now?
EDIT: Looks like this feature will only be on the 4K devices anyway, at least for starters
Would the cube work well with the TCL c855?
I want to use stremio etc.
I would prefer not to use TCL proprietary apps as I don't want them data mining me. (Yes, I know Jeff will do it too). That's one reason I was considering using the cube. Also suspect remote and UI may be better?
Will stremio still work if Amazon decides to update to their own OS?
According the the amazon page provided, it's the 16th of July to the 21st of July.
Webpage has changed the details. When posted the deal the details were clear, now they have been removed from webpage.
Awesome… set a reminder when this was first advertised a few weks ago… Never used the Amazon App before always purchased online through my PC… They have a Promo for first purchase on the App take a further $20 off… So got the Fire TV Cube for $89…
Thanks OP
Just picked one up. My 2nd Gen 4K Max was starting to get very laggy, hopefully the 2x performance will help.
It's a shame that the ethernet port is only 100mbps, I was hoping for gigabit. Oh well, at least it will be more stable.
Probably won't need more than 100mbps if you're streaming 4k content anyways.
Pricematched at JB today. They need to see you are a prime member before applying Pricematch
jb seems changed their price already
With the cube do you still have to push the button on the remote to activate alexa or is it enough to just say 'hey alexa'
![[Prime] Amazon Fire TV Cube $109, Amazon Fire TV Stick (2023) Lite $29 Delivered @ Amazon AU](https://files.ozbargain.com.au/n/00/853200.jpg?h=a5631f22)
Cube TV vs apple thoughts??