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Fire TV Recast, over-the-air DVR, 1 TB, 150 hours, DVR for cord cutters
- Fire TV Recast is a DVR that lets you watch and record over-the-air TV at home with Fire TV or Echo Show, or on-the-go with a compatible mobile device—with no monthly fees.
- Enjoy live sports, local news, late night shows, and other can’t miss TV from channels available through an HD antenna (sold separately).
- Record up to 4 shows at once. Plus, store up to 150 hours of HD programming.
- With a compatible Alexa-enabled device, use your voice to search for shows, control the channel guide, and manage recordings.
- Enjoy your favorite entertainment anywhere—reliably stream your live and recorded shows in HD from Fire TV Recast to your compatible devices.
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Top Brand: Amazon
Fire TV Recast is a DVR that lets you watch and record over-the-air TV at home or on-the-go with no monthly fees.
Watch at home with a Fire TV device or Echo Show, or take your shows with you with the Fire TV mobile app on compatible iOS and Android devices or Fire tablets.
Make the most of free TV
Record your favorite shows and sports from channels available in your area through an HD antenna like ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, PBS, and The CW.
With 4 tuners, you can record up to 4 shows at once. Plus, store up to 150 hours of HD programming.
HD ANTENNA
The HD antenna connects to Fire TV Recast so you can access and record free over-the-air TV. The Fire TV mobile app helps you place the HD antenna for the best possible reception.
FIRE TV, ECHO SHOW, OR MOBILE DEVICE
Fire TV Recast works best with a Fire TV device, such as a Fire TV Stick or a Fire TV Edition television. You need at least 1 Fire TV device to watch on your television. You can also watch on an Echo Show or compatible mobile device. Your Fire TV device or Echo Show will need to be on the same network as Fire TV Recast.
Just ask Alexa
Pair Fire TV Recast with your Fire TV device or Echo Show and ask Alexa to search for shows, change over-the-air TV channels, control playback, plus browse, schedule, cancel, and delete recordings. Alexa is always getting smarter.
Which over-the-air live TV channels can I access and record via Fire TV Recast?
The channels you can access on your Fire TV Recast with a digital HD antenna will vary by your location, surroundings, distance to TV broadcast towers, terrain, and availability of local channels.
Will Fire TV Recast work with the Fire TV device I already own?
Yes – Fire TV Recast works with all generations of Fire TV streaming media players and Fire TV Edition televisions.
How many devices can I pair with Fire TV Recast?
You can pair Fire TV Recast with all of your compatible devices (such as Fire TV streaming media players, Fire TV Edition televisions, and Echo Show devices) as long as they are on the same network, and registered to the same Amazon account, as your Fire TV Recast. You can also pair with compatible mobile devices. You can watch live or recorded programs on any two of these devices simultaneously.
How many programs can I record at once?
With a 2-tuner Fire TV Recast, you can record up to 2 programs at once, and with a 4-tuner Fire TV Recast, you can record up to 4 programs at once.
Can I watch live and recorded TV, and schedule recordings when I’m not at home?
You can watch live or recorded programs, and you can record shows airing live, when you are on-the-go in the Fire TV mobile app using cellular or Wi-Fi connection.
What output resolution does Fire TV Recast support?
Fire TV Recast is capable of receiving all ATSC broadcast resolutions, including 1080i and 720p. When streaming to other devices, Fire TV Recast transcodes 1080i streams to a resolution up to 1440x720p using H.264 to ensure that all Fire TV streaming media players work with Fire TV Recast, and to deliver more reliable video streams over Wi-Fi.
What types of content can I record on my Fire TV Recast?
You can record any over-the-air live TV program that is available to you via a digital HD antenna connected to your Fire TV Recast. You cannot use Fire TV Recast to record live TV programs from any other source, such as cable or satellite boxes or streaming apps.
Where is the best place to put Fire TV Recast in my home?
Fire TV Recast is designed so that you can place it, together with the digital HD antenna connected to it, anywhere in your home (even in a different room or a different story) to optimize for antenna reception. As part of the set-up process in the Fire TV mobile app, we will tell you which direction to place your antenna to get the most channels for your location. It is recommended to place your antenna as high up as possible, against a window or outward facing wall that has a clear line of sight to your surroundings.
For more frequently asked questions, click here
Fire TV Recast technical details
Size |
7.1” x 7.1” x 2.9” (180 mm x 180 mm x 73 mm) |
Weight |
2.4 lbs (1066 g) |
Processor |
Dual Core |
ATSC Tuners |
4 Tuners |
Transcoders (for playback) |
2 |
Storage |
1 TB up to 150 hours of HDTV |
Memory |
2 GB |
Wi-Fi Connectivity |
2.4 G Wi-Fi 2x2 Wi-Fi b/g/n and 5 G Wi-Fi 2x2 Wi-Fi a/n/ac |
Voice support |
Fire TV Recast can be controlled using voice through supported Alexa endpoints like Echo Show, and the Alexa Voice Remote on Fire TV devices and Fire TV Edition televisions. |
Ports |
1 x Type A USB 3.0 (storage supported on compatible external hard drives only), TV Antenna Input, Gigabit Ethernet, Power |
System requirements |
Fire TV streaming media player, Fire TV Edition television, or Echo Show, and compatible mobile device. |
Output resolution supported |
Up to 1440x720p |
Setup requirements |
Fire TV mobile app (available on Amazon Appstore, Google Play Store, or iOS Appstore) on a Fire tablet (5th Gen or newer), an iOS device running iOS10 or higher, or an Android device running Android 5.0 or higher |
Required for playback |
Any one of the following: Fire TV, Fire TV Edition television, Echo Show, Fire tablet (5th Gen or newer), an iOS device running iOS10 or higher, an Android device running Android 5.0 or higher |
Warranty and service |
1-Year Limited Warranty and service included. Optional 2-Year and 3-Year Extended Warranty available for U.S. customers sold separately. Use of Fire TV is subject to the terms found here. |
Regional support |
Certain services may not be available outside the U.S. |
Accessibility features |
VoiceView screen reader enables access to the vast majority of Fire TV Recast features for users who are blind or visually impaired. Watch videos and TV shows with closed captioning displayed. Captions are not available for all content. Learn more here. |
Included in the box |
Fire TV Recast, 50W Power Supply, Quick Start Guide |
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Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the value of the digital device. They say it is very affordable compared to cable TV, has no ongoing fees or hidden costs. However, some customers have reported issues with image quality, signal quality, performance, connectivity, ease of setup, quality, and diffusion.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers like the value of the digital device. They mention that it has a very affordable monthly cost, and there are no ongoing fees or hidden costs. It is the best overall value device that they have tried so far.
"...Overall, its a great value product for what it does at a very reasonable price. I like that no subscription is necessary...." Read more
"...While the Recast seems to be the best value proposition overall for recording and watching OTA television..." Read more
"...it provides benefits like streaming to other household TVs at a very low price per TV...." Read more
"...There truly are no ongoing fees or hidden costs, no subscriptions, and no BS (yippee!).CONS-..." Read more
Customers are mixed about the performance of the digital device. Some mention that the Alexa voice recognition works well enough in setting-up the future, while others say that it completely ignores them and can cause issues in unexpected ways. The Search feature seems to be pretty good, but some customers say that they have issues setting up recordings.
"...So to make a long story short, while the recast is perfectly functional right out of the box I have a lot of hope that the changes Amazon made to..." Read more
"...par with what you get from Cable TV providers leased equipment and works well. I like that I can watch live or recorded TV on my iPad...." Read more
"...You can play, pause, rewind & fast forward, but you can't restart. There's no "instant replay" (usually a preset 10-20 second jump back), no slow-mo...." Read more
"...First, the tuner output from the Recast is only 720p. Its very good, but not as good as 1080p or 4K. For some images it is very acceptable, but..." Read more
Customers are mixed about the ease of setup of the digital device. Some mention that it's easy to set up and integrate seamlessly with the Fire TV, while others say that it was a bit painful and the interface was terrible.
"...Continuing with the interface now. This is really very well integrated with the fire tv interface. I like that there isn't a separate apo to open...." Read more
"...I like that I can watch live or recorded TV on my iPad. Set up was a breeze and it has been easy to use...." Read more
"...think the Recast is too complicated or difficult to use, its not the most user friendly & its interface needs lots of improvements to even consider..." Read more
"...It was exceedingly easy to install and setup. I just installed a splitter at one of our TVs and ran an antenna lead into the Recast...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the quality of the digital device. Some mention that it allows them to view live TV, view and manage recordings, and set up recordings of series or episodes. The standout feature is its ability to watch and record over-the-air TV with no monthly fees, making it a great option for those looking for a budget-friendly digital device to watch TV at home. However, others say that they can't use the recording feature, the recordings are all blank, and the device is not reliable.
"...generation continued to deteriorate to the point that I could not view anything on the iPad even if I placed it right next to the WiFi router...." Read more
"...In comparison this box has been 100% reliable in both recording and playback so far...." Read more
"...connection, so it appears that it's recording, but the recordings are all blank. Amazon hasn't made any improvements to make this more user friendly...." Read more
"...very good, but not as good as 1080p or 4K. For some images it is very acceptable, but for others you do notice the resolution difference from HD or..." Read more
Customers are mixed about the signal quality of the digital device. Some mention that they receive 63 channels perfectly, while others say that the tuners do pick up channels well. The reception on most channels is acceptable, if not perfect, however, many channels have trouble. The device integrates the local channels with other services, like IMDBTV, Pluto, Tubi, and others. However, some customers say that this ability to block bad signal channels is very annoying, as is the signal, and doing this can weaken the signal strength. They also say that about once a week or so the device stops accessing their broadcast channels and they have to reboot it.
"...The RECAST is connected directly to the splitter. I receive 63 channels perfectly...." Read more
"...This inability to block bad signal channels and others is very annoying, as is the signal strength verification status only from a Fire TV since I..." Read more
"...When you go to the ON NOW menu, it gives you two lists of channels, those coming directly from your antenna, and another list of those on the Recast..." Read more
"...past behavior: select one channel to record on, but Recast actually selects a different channel. Very repeatable problem...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the image quality of the digital device. Some mention that the picture quality is plenty good for old shows and more than adequate for viewing, and the video quality is generally quite good. However, some customers say that the quality will suffer, pixelate, and is not as good as 1080p or 4K. For some images, it is very acceptable, but for others it is not.
"...They advertise that this box has the most reliable streaming over Wi-Fi of any OTA dvr and I'm convinced that this claim is entirely valid...." Read more
"...Its very good, but not as good as 1080p or 4K. For some images it is very acceptable, but for others you do notice the resolution difference from..." Read more
"...I receive 63 channels perfectly. The picture quality is noticeably better than what I get from U-Verse...." Read more
"...I have found that the buffering, bad picture, or pausing occurs more frequently when using the DVR as compared to watching a movie that you have..." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the connectivity of the digital device. Some mention that it has great wireless connectivity, while others say that it routinely loses connection with the Firestick.
"...The WiFi connectivity issues between the recast, my WiFi router and my iPad 7th generation continued to deteriorate to the point that I could not..." Read more
"...I like how easy it setup and how compatible it is with other Amazon Fire Family products...." Read more
"...It constantly loses its internet connection, so it appears that it's recording, but the recordings are all blank...." Read more
"...Also, you can not pick whether a program gets recorded on the external drive or on the DVR itself, nor can you see anywhere whether a program is on..." Read more
Customers are mixed about the diffusion of the digital device. Some mention that scanning channels was quick, the quality is good, and the channel changes are relatively quick. The rewind and fast-forward options are mostly good, but there is an irritating popup. However, some customers say that they can get occasional buffering issues, and that the processors are slow. They also mention that the bandwidth slowness and streaming issues are a problem. Overall, the product is a mixed bag and has mixed opinions from customers.
"...I have found that the buffering, bad picture, or pausing occurs more frequently when using the DVR as compared to watching a movie that you have..." Read more
"...Streaming is extremely reliable and I've had zero buffering even when both kids are home and making heavy use of the network...." Read more
"...I also found the response time of the firesticks to be very slow...." Read more
"...While the picture quality is good and the channel changes are relatively quick, there is an irritating popup every few minutes on most of the..." Read more
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Having read through the other reviews allow me to clarify a few things that other reviewers are having issues with. First off this is really a top notch product that works well right out of the box. In sure there is a built in preamp for the tuners and it's obviously of extremely high quality. I'm picking up all of the channels that my old hdhomerun could get plus wpxi out of Pittsburg, which is over 70 miles away. Mote importantly to me, many of the channels I am getting are just plain more reliable with this box than any other setup that I've tried. Streaming is extremely reliable and I've had zero buffering even when both kids are home and making heavy use of the network.
Let's talk interface for a minute. One reviewer mentioned that adding a channel to favorites did nothing except add a star next to it. This is not true. Any channels that you have favorited show up in their own section at the top of the channel guide. I'm currently using this to filter things out a bit as I have multiple options for CBS, NBC, ABC etc and added the one with the most reliable signal for each network to my favorites.
A couple other reviewers said that when you set a timer to record a series it will record all of the old episodes and doesn't have an option to record only the new episodes. This is also not exactly true, although the interface could use a little work here. When you select a show to record it will pop up a dialog asking if you want to record this episode or the entire series. It's true that it will by default record all episodes including any old ones in syndication. However, if you click the hamburger button again it pulls up the recording options screen where you can set it to record only new episodes, along with other options such a setting a buffer time before and after the recording in case the program begins early or ends late. This screen can also be found in the dvr tan under recording options.
What I would like to see, however, is a way to set the options I mentioned above globally. If that functionality is there I haven't found it yet. Instead I have had to go in and set options for every series I set to record, which is a little annoying.
Many people have mentioned that they are disappointed that playback is limited to 720p. I'm a little bit disappointed on this point as well, especially since there it's literally nothing in the product description mentioning this limitation. I considered taking off a star just for this. However, I'm convinced that this was a conscious design choiceby Amazon. They advertise that this box has the most reliable streaming over Wi-Fi of any OTA dvr and I'm convinced that this claim is entirely valid. My old setup used an hdhomerun tuner connected in the attic via a powerline adaptor, mythtv on my computer and kodi as a front-end. It was notoriously unreliable and not very easy to use by my girlfriend or the kids. 1080p channels would quickly saturate the network and as soon as a second recording tried to start it would fail. Playback of recordings involved buffering from time to time as well. In comparison this box has been 100% reliable in both recording and playback so far. So I understand the design choices Amazon made and tend to agree with them. Also, the picture quality is really very, very good and if I hadn't read about the resolution limit I wouldn't have known to look for it.
Continuing with the interface now. This is really very well integrated with the fire tv interface. I like that there isn't a separate apo to open. I have Pluto TV and a few of those channels now show up with my OTA channels now, too (pretty much all of the news channels). I would love it if the rest would be available here as well. My understanding is that PS Vue integrates here as well which I'm sure it's nice forthose using that service. Myself, I'm using Philo and still have to open the Philo app to access my cable channels. I'm hoping that they will get on the bandwagon here. I actually switched from Android TV to the fire sticks because of Philo, and was hesitant to do so because Android's live channels app was at that time something that I loved but that Amazon had no answer for. Well, if they can get a few more of the streaming services to integrate here it will be what the Live Channels app on Android TV promised but never delivered. So to make a long story short, while the recast is perfectly functional right out of the box I have a lot of hope that the changes Amazon made to accommodate it can open up an even more seamless experience in the future.
I think that a lot of the other reviewers were being unfair to this box. It's actually quite excellent and I've never seen a better rollout of a completely new electronics platform. The negatives that several people mentioned are in some cases things they could have solved by clicking around with their remote for a few seconds more. Amazon could polish the interface a little more, and I'm sure they will, but it's already usable now if you spend a minute to figure things out.
In short I highly recommend the Recast. It solved all of the problems I had with ota tv in our house.
Edit: a recent update added some functionality that I had been missing. When you choose to record a series it now asks if you want to record on that specific channel or on any available channel. This is important and I wish that it had been integrated right from the beginning.
To illustrate the importance of this feature, my attic mounted antenna picks up three different NBC affiliates. The strongest one is out of Youngstown, while I also pick up a weaker signal from Cleveland (the antenna is pointed at Youngstown) and a third, very unreliable channel out of Steubenville. I've had plump out a very small number of recordings ever fail, but when they did it was because the box tried to record one odd the weaker stations. This new setting prevents that happening.
My only wish now is that the new setting would integrate with the recording options menu. As of right now it is only available in a pop up right after you select a series to record. As such I went in and deleted all of my scheduled recordings and then re-entered them to make sure that the box knows my preference for which station to use, which was a fairly tedious process.
The only issue that I am experiencing is that when starting a recording or watching live TV on the iPad, it may take two attempts to get it to sync up and play. Also, it would be nice if the Recast had a signal strength/quality meter built in, so that one can keep an eye on TV reception performance or if one has an antenna on a rotator to point at various broadcast transmitters.
The build quality seems pretty solid and of good quality. Hopefully, we will get many years of use from the Recast and save a bundle of money in the process!
Update after a month and a half of use:
The issue with the connectivity with my IPAD seems to have improved after a Firmware update about a week ago. My wife is learning the remote functionality and the Fire TV interface slowly but surely, just like many people do when dealing with a different technology platform.
So far so good. I will update my review in December 2020.
UPDATE: after about 3 months of use the Recast is mostly working fine. I do have to note that there are a couple of annoyances that I think are warranted for comment.
Issue 1) I am experiencing periodic lip sync issues where the audio is out of sync with the persons lips. Usually what happens is that I am watching a channel and everything is fine, then I change the channel and the audio becomes out of sync. I have discovered that if I hit the rewind button that the problem usually corrects itself. A minor annoyance, but an annoyance non the less.
Issue 2) I am experiencing WiFi connectivity issues between the Recast and my 10.2” IPad where I am getting a message that the Recast is not connected to my Network. I can tell you that I experience this connection issue even if the IPad is next to the my ISP router which is brand new. To get the video to play on the IPad I have to close all open apps on the IPad. Then I have to reboot the IPad. I then have to open the Fire TV app, go to settings and sign out then sign back in. Then I have to close the Fire TV app and then open it back up to watch TV on the IPad. Note that this works 80% of the time, the other 20% of the time I just give up. This has to be a software problem that I hope Amazon will correct in the next update.
So, for me these issues are not a deal breaker.
I have yet to use a piece of tech gear that didn’t have its own issues.
Wish List for the next Recast:
1) ATSC 3.0 & ATSC 1.0 tuners built in.
HDMI output for a direct connection to a TV, sound bar or A/V receiver.
2). TV tuner signal strength and signal quality meter available off of the hamburger button.
3) WIFI signal strength meter.
4). WIFI 6 technology.
5). Commercial skip feature.
6) Skip back 30 seconds button.
7) A more intuitive menu system.
8) A hardwired coaxial connection from the Recast to a TV or coaxial splitter.
9) List recordings according to date, season and episode in a chronological order from oldest to newest.
10) Resolve the lip sync problem. It's annoying and detracts from an otherwise decent viewing experience.
Update Feb. 2, 2021
After approximately 10 months of use I have generally been pleased with the Amazon Recast 4 tuner model with the following exceptions:
1) The WiFi connectivity issues between the recast, my WiFi router and my iPad 7th generation continued to deteriorate to the point that I could not view anything on the iPad even if I placed it right next to the WiFi router. So, I went ahead and purchased the Netgear Ethernet powerline adapters to have a physical wired connection between the Recast and the ISP supplied modem/router. That was the trick to get the recast to be viewed on the iPad. Now it works consistently but I must first always close all open Apps on the iPad before I launch the Fire TV app, otherwise it will not connect. These issues will need to be resolved in future product models.
2) What I would suggest to the Amazon engineers who may be designing a New model of the Recast is that they include a coaxial cable output so that a customer could directly connect the Recast to a TV or in my case, to a coaxial splitter that would feed a TV signal directly to every room that has a coaxial cable output or connection. This would allow the native received signal to be sent at the original NTSC 720p or 1080i format and hopefully, in the new ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV 4K broadcast standard. This would give the consumer/purchaser every connection option to suit his/her connectivity circumstances. Please make that happen Amazon!