Amazon Fire TV – Previous Generation – Streaming Media Player. I am not a casual user of on- demand content and devices.

Having tried smart tv's from 3 brands, smart dvd/bluray players, Apple TV, WDTV, HTPC, Chromecast and too many other competing products to mention- -for streaming content, before this box you really had two options (for a simple to use box that doesn't require additional items or tweaking): First is Apple TV which is easy to use (interface) but Apple limits the content you can get greatly (including no Prime Streaming built in) and it lacks a lot in features as well and is slow. The reason for selecting Apple TV is if you have other apple products that unlock features (like Amazon's content). The second option you could consider was Roku- -which really means a Roku 3 box since it is heads and tails better than past Roku boxes in terms of remote and speed. Now Roku stands out with the most content and the most features of any box with the Roku 3. It is for that reason you will see me address the Roku 3 so often in this review.

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I have added quick summaries of other options to make sure everyone knows about the other options out there. WDTV: Are great for streaming your own content but not very user friendly.

Chromecast: Is very cheap at $3. Chrome's browser not at the same quality level.

This does allow you to browse the internet on your tv and is amazing for the cost but is more of a niche market than Fire. TV/Roku/Apple TV. But if you can live with the short comings, it is worth a look at 1/3 the price of these devices. Smart TVs: Most of these are FINE for occasional use but not nearly as pleasant to use daily like separate boxes.

Normally you pay $1. I have not found a smart tv that is decent and is also a good value for what you are getting.

The advantage is that you can use your TV remote to access the content. HTPC: These are desktop computers or Mac Minis or Android Sticks that you load software on to stream video to your TV. These can add content that no normal streaming box can access, without giving up quality but they are only recommended for something comfortable with technology that doesn't mind fixing the issues that come up from time to time. Video Game Consoles: Xbox/Playstations can access some of the content that streaming boxes do and have plenty of power to deliver the streams.

The downside is the cost (unless you already have one) and the interfaces. These consoles are not designed to stream video exclusively so the interfaces are decent but can be clunky.(You can use other options but frankly they aren't worth the hassle for the amount of hair pulling you would do.)Now this Amazon product has changed everything. It might not be the box for you.. SHOULD BE. This is a brand new category for Amazon and they got a lot right, but there are a few shortcomings (at least at launch) as well so read all of this to see what those are. Amazon's Fire TV box. Pros: + Nothing else is this fast.

While Roku 3 impressed the world, this raises the bar dramatically. With a quad core processor and 4 times the memory of any other streaming product, it speeds through menus, boots quicker, starts videos quicker and honestly has the muscle to not struggle with higher end resolutions and surround sound like other boxes can do at times. The best way I can explain it, you will have extra hours at the end of the year because this box is THAT much faster.+ Voice search is amazing. It really works. Less using a four directional keypad to enter in titles is a real time saver and makes you wonder why this wasn't done before but it is only for Amazon content and VEVO (music videos) (at least for now).

You can not use the voice search with Netflix for example.+ Ready for gaming, well at least once you spend another $4. The $4. 0 gaming controller feels a bit pricy for this type of gaming and really should be $2. That being said, this box has real games you would actually want to play instead of a VERY limited selection on Roku 3 but it is not a "REAL" console at $1. Gossip Girl Season 1 Episode 19 Online Free. Better image quality? I know you are thinking I am imagining things or have changed my setup but both myself and my wife have noticed that generally (in different apps) the video is slightly sharper and clearer.

We are using the exact same tv, settings, even the same HDMI cable that we used with the Roku 3 until we switched it for the Fire TV box. We have noticed that especially on poor quality feeds that the image quality is noticeably better than under the same feeds with Roku 3. Now I don't know if there is better graphic chips or if the bigger processor can do more tweaking while streaming but it seems to be something. As image quality is a huge deal for most folks (and normally us streamers have to suffer with "decent" quality) this is certainly worth noting. So far we have noticed this under Netflix, VEVO and Plex. Cons: - It lacks soul. Yes, soul. The Fire TV box and remote are built like a dvd player or appliance- -cold, fast, efficient.

Unlike Roku 3 where the box seems to have a bit of the personally of Ti. Vo- -it feels warmer, more inviting.

Everything about this box is business like, including the interface and the lack of options to change it.- The interface is more than merely "cold". It is simply less flashy/pretty than the Roku 3 interface. While fast, I am less tempted to wander around like I do on Roku 3. It seems like they are being pretty dependent on the voice search function which is great but it leaves you missing out on the random items you find along the way with the Roku 3 interface. I will update this more upon extended use.- The voice search only works for Amazon's own content (and VEVO) and not most 3rd party channels like Netflix.- The remote is not ready for gaming use, compared to the Roku 3 remote with gaming buttons when you turn the remote sideways and more sensors for detecting movements/motion.- Another feature about the remote I don't care for is the use of Bluetooth instead of WIFI.

Roku used to use Bluetooth on their former high end box but instead replaced it with wifi to increase battery life and to add the headphone jack in the remote. It will likely take a few weeks of use to report battery life but this has me concerned.- No headphone jack function like Roku 3. Now to be honest, if you use that on the Roku 3 it can be a battery drain but it is a cool feature.- Missing some popular channels at launch. There is no M- Go and no Vudu. In addition, the channel count is much less than Roku's at launch. UPDATE: They now have HBO GO!)- Channels operate differently on Fire.

TV than the do on Roku 3. See my notes below for more information. Overall: This Fire TV box took so much from other company's products with only a few missing items. They focused on delivering smooth, fast performance with less frills than Roku 3 for the same price. While there are missing channels and features, the biggest failure for me PERSONALLY is the cost of the gaming controller. Without it, this box isn't ready for gaming but adding 4. Had Amazon included it with every Fire TV box, they would have sold a lot more games and had everyone calling the Roku 3 a poor value.

If you do not have any streaming box yet, I would HIGHLY recommend this box over every other product on the market right now. I don't make this endorsement lightly. I currently own 3 Roku 3 boxes because I liked them so much, until I used this Fire TV box. This box means Roku will have to really work on improving their product for Roku 4 or they will lose the high end market.

An update, my wife officially asked to replace the Roku 3 boxes with more Fire TV boxes tonight. Yes, these things are that good folks!)If you have a Roku 3 box, really look at the missing channels and features- -are they something you could give up for faster performance? Also look at my notes on the features of the various common apps.) If the answer is yes, then grab one of these and try it.

If no, wait to see if Amazon adds features/channels.

HD DVD - Wikipedia. Optical discs. Optical media types. Compact disc (CD): CD- DA, CD- ROM, CD- R, CD- RW, 5.

Music Disc, Super Audio CD (SACD), Photo CD, CD Video (CDV), Video CD (VCD), Super Video CD (SVCD), CD+G, CD- Text, CD- ROM XA, CD- i. DVD: DVD- R, DVD+R, DVD- R DL, DVD+R DL, DVD- R DS, DVD+R DS, DVD- RW, DVD+RW, DVD- RAM, DVD- D, DVD- A, HVD, Eco. Disc. Blu- ray Disc (BD): BD- R & BD- RE, Ultra HD Blu- ray. Blu- ray 3. DUniversal Media Disc (UMD)Enhanced Versatile Disc (EVD)Forward Versatile Disc (FVD)Holographic Versatile Disc (HVD)China Blue High- definition Disc (CBHD)HD DVD: HD DVD- R, HD DVD- RW, HD DVD- RAMHigh- Definition Versatile Multilayer Disc (HD VMD)VCDHDGD- ROMPersonal Video Disc (PVD)Mini. Disc (MD), Hi- MDLaser. Disc (LD), LD- ROM, LV- ROMVideo Single Disc (VSD)Ultra Density Optical (UDO)Stacked Volumetric Optical Disk (SVOD)Five dimensional disc (5. D DVD)Nintendo optical disc (NOD)Archival Disc.

Professional Disc. HD DVD (short for High Definition/Density Digital Versatile/Video Disc)[1] is a discontinued high- density optical disc format for storing data and playback of high- definition video.[2] Supported principally by Toshiba, HD DVD was envisioned to be the successor to the standard DVD format. On 1. 9 February 2. Blu- ray, Toshiba abandoned the format,[3] announcing it would no longer develop or manufacture HD DVD players and drives.[2] The HD DVD Promotion Group was dissolved on March 2. The HD DVD physical disc specifications (but not the codecs) were still in use as the basis for the China Blue High- definition Disc (CBHD) formerly called CH- DVD. Because all variants except 3× DVD and HD REC employed a blue laser with a shorter wavelength, HD DVD stored about 3. GB per layer compared to 4.

GB per layer). History[edit]In the late 1. HDTV sets started to enter a larger market, but there was no inexpensive way to record or play back HD content.

JVC's D- VHS and Sony's HDCAM formats could store that amount of data, but were neither popular nor well- known.[5] It was well known that using lasers with shorter wavelengths would yield optical storage with higher density. Shuji Nakamura invented practical blue laser diodes, but a lengthy patent lawsuit delayed commercial introduction.[6]Origins and competition from Blu- ray Disc[edit]Sony started two projects applying the new diodes: UDO (Ultra Density Optical) and DVR Blue together with Philips, a format of rewritable discs which would eventually become Blu- ray Disc (more specifically, BD- RE) and later on with Pioneer a format of read only discs (BD- ROM).[7] The two formats share several technologies (such as the AV codecs and the laser diode). In February 2. 00.

Blu- ray Disc,[8] and the Blu- ray Disc Association was founded by the nine initial members. The DVD Forum (chaired by Sony) was deeply split over whether to go with the more expensive blue lasers or not. Although today's Blu- ray Discs appear virtually identical to a standard DVD, when the Blu- ray Discs were initially developed they required a protective caddy to avoid mis- handling by the consumer (early CD- Rs also featured a protective caddy for the same purpose.) The Blu- ray Disc prototype's caddy was both expensive and physically different from DVD, posing several problems.[9] In March 2. Warner Bros. and other motion picture studios that involved compressing HD content onto dual- layer DVD- 9 discs.[1.

In spite of this decision, the DVD Forum's Steering Committee announced in April that it was pursuing its own blue- laser high- definition solution. In August, Toshiba and NEC announced their competing standard Advanced Optical Disc.[1. It was adopted by the DVD forum and renamed to HD DVD the next year.[1.

The HD DVD Promotion Group was a group of manufacturers and media studios formed to exchange thoughts and ideas to help promote the format worldwide.[1. Its members comprised Toshiba as the Chair Company and Secretary, Memory- Tech Corporation and NEC as Vice- Chair companies, and Sanyo Electric as Auditors; there were 6. The HD DVD promotion group was officially dissolved on March 2. Toshiba's announcement on February 1. HD DVD players and drives. Attempts to avoid a format war[edit]Much like the VHS vs. Betamaxvideotape format war during the late 1.

HD DVD was competing with a rival format—in this case, Blu- ray Disc. In 2. 00. 8, major content manufacturers and key retailers began withdrawing their support for the format. In an attempt to avoid a costly format war, the Blu- ray Disc Association and DVD Forum attempted to negotiate a compromise in early 2. One of the issues was that Blu- ray Disc companies wanted to use a Java- based platform for interactivity (BD- J based on Sun Microsystems' Java TV standards), while HD DVD companies wanted to use Microsoft's "i. HD" (which became HDi).[1. Another problem was the physical formats of the discs themselves.[1.

The negotiations proceeded slowly and ultimately stalled.[1. On August 2. 2, 2. Blu- ray Disc Association and DVD Forum announced that the negotiations to unify their standards had failed.[1. Rumors surfaced that talks had stalled; publicly, the same reasons of physical format incompatibility were cited.[1. By the end of September that year, Microsoft and Intel jointly announced their support for HD DVD.[2. Hewlett- Packard (HP) attempted to broker a compromise between the Blu- ray Disc Association and Microsoft by demanding that Blu- ray Disc use Microsoft's HDi instead of BD- J and threatening to support HD DVD instead.[2. The Blu- ray Disc Association did not agree to HP's demands.[2.

In November 2. 00. Microsoft released an HD DVD player for their Xbox 3.

It came packaged with King Kong and could only play movies. On March 3. 1, 2. Toshiba released their first consumer- based HD DVD player in Japan at ¥1.

US$9. 34).[2. 4] HD DVD was released in the United States on April 1. The first HD DVD titles were released on April 1. They were The Last Samurai, Million Dollar Baby, and The Phantom of the Opera by Warner Home Video and Serenity by Universal Studios.[2. The first independent HD film released on HD DVD was One Six Right.[2. Sales developments[edit]In December 2. Toshiba reported that roughly 1. Toshiba branded HD DVD players had been sold in the United States, along with 1.

HD DVD add- on units for the Xbox 3. On April 1. 7, 2.

HD DVD titles were released,[2. HD DVD group reported that they had sold 1. HD DVD units in the United States.[3. In the middle of 2. HD DVD Recorders were released in Japan.[3. In November 2. 00. Toshiba HD- A2 was the first high definition player to be sold at a sale price of less than US$1.

HD- A3 models. These closeout sales lasted less than a day each due to both limited quantities and high demand at that price point. In the same month, the HD DVD promotion group announced that 7. HD DVD players had been sold, which included stand- alone players and the Xbox 3. In January 2. 00. Toshiba announced that close to one million dedicated HD DVD players had been sold.[3. As of June 2. 4, 2.

HD DVD titles had been released in the US.[3. As of April 2. 9, 2.

HD DVD titles had been released in Japan.[3. Approximately 2. 32 were released in the UK.[citation needed]Decline[edit]On January 4, 2.

Warner Bros. publicly announced it would stop supporting HD DVD by June 2. HD titles only on Blu- ray Disc.[3. This was followed by news of Netflix phasing out support for the format, and Best Buy's decision to recommend Blu- ray Disc over HD DVD in its retail locations and to remove HD DVD players as part of its ongoing "HDTV advantage" promotion. Finally, retailer Wal- Mart announced that it would be supporting only Blu- ray Disc by June 2. On February 1. 9, 2.

Toshiba announced plans to discontinue development, marketing and manufacturing of HD DVD players while still providing product support and after- sale service to consumers of the format (including firmware updates). The company cited "recent major changes in the market".[3.