FIRST PERCEPTIONS & INITIAL REVIEW: I used Prime Day's HALF-PRICE(!) savings to upgrade my 2-year-old Fire TV Stick to the current Fire TV (Pendant). Installation and setup were trivial. Wow! What a difference!! I was expecting a slight performance improvement and hoping for a reduction in the the number of Stick glitches -- mainly, hangups in accessing Amazon Prime Video and Netflix content, and random dropouts and overall slow performance of MLB.tv. What I am seeing with the new Pendant is nothing short of amazing!!! The PERCEIVED performance improvement is around 5-to-1. (I was going to say 10-to-1, but I think the mind plays tricks on you when a timed event goes from "really slow" to something that seems "normal".) A good example of this performance improvement is when returning to the Home screen from any other app screen. With the Stick, I'd hit the Home button, then wait...and wait...and wait...and after 5-10 seconds, I'd finally get back to the Home screen. With the Pendant, I hit the Home button, and a second or two later I'm back to the Home screen. Performance of the Pendant is equally impressive when loading apps. Compared to the Stick, all apps load much faster. And once in the app, content also loads much faster. Sure, I still see the rotating "loading" icon, but it's there for a shorter time -- and the Pendant has yet to hang up while loading content, which cannot be said for the Stick. Also, the Stick would frequently fail to open the MLB.tv app, and once loaded and viewing a game, it would sometimes crash and go back to the Home screen. With the Pendant, not only does the MLB.tv app load faster, but I have yet to see the problems associated with running this app on the Stick -- no app load failures and no app crashes.
My original Fire TV Stick did NOT have Alexa Voice Remote, so I am just getting my first look and feel of this feature. I hope it will be a huge time saver when I'm searching for new content; i.e., no more using the search box. BTW, you don't have to start a voice command with "Alexa..."
If you look at the CURRENT product comparison between the Stick and the Pendant, there is nothing that jumps out that would point to such a perceived improvement in product performance. However, I do not have the product details for my 2-year-old Stick so I really can't do a proper one-to-one comparison. I suspect an improvement in the wireless (wi-fi) interface is the biggest reason for improved performance.
My first impressions of the new Fire TV (Pendant) make this one of the happiest upgrades to my home entertainment system.
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Don't Buy - Go with the fire TV stick or upcoming fire TV stick 4K
10/03/2018 Update:I guess Amazon is MDing this product and has decided to put efforts elsewhere. Oh well, I guess I can't expect an upgrade discount for fire stick 4k which is apparently replacing this product - sigh.While I am not sure that the two are related, I was wondering why my picture quality had suddenly dropped when using the 4K Ultra. I have noticed this for the last few weeks. The picture quality now seems to fade in and out. At first I thought it was just me, but then I swapped out with the fire stick and the quality improved greatly. I also tried with an older vintage Roku and one of those Google devices I can't mention by name due to Amazon's review algorithms which are annoying by-the-way. I guess Amazon doesn't want true and unbiased reviews when it's one of their products being compared to a competitor's product - just being funny as I don't know how the bozo's program their algorithms other than to know that there are certain key words not to use based on previous experience and editing of reviews. Alas, I digress - my apologies to anyone reading which is doubtful since this product is being abandoned by Amazon.The net-net is don't buy this product - go with the fire TV stick or upcoming fire TV stick 4K instead. Both are cheaper and hopefully the new 4K is better.========================================================================================================Update: I feel compelled to add an update as I am very surprised by all the negative reviews on Amazon that I have seen thus far since this product was released. While I cannot speak directly to other reviewers comments or their experiences, I can't help but wonder why they are having such negative experiences while mine are just the opposite. This is a great product based on my experience and I use it frequently not just with Amazon content, but with other content as well. There are three probable reasons some others are having difficulties: 1) they received a defective device or they need to reset the device; 2) there's an issue with the way they have configured or are trying to use the device, and 3) their expectations are beyond the device's current capabilities. There are a few nuances with the product which made it fall short of a 5 star review, but it's definitely between 4 and 5.The 4K Ultra works great for what it is, which is a video streaming device that can be voice controlled. It's basically an Apple TV and Google CC alternative. In that regard it is a very competitive to the other two streaming devices. Having used all three, I would say that there are pros and cons to each. The biggest con for me on the 4K Ultra and other Amazon streaming video devices is the lack of an app for YouTube. Using one of the browser apps to access is a bit lame and a nuisance, but will work. In my case, I have other alternatives which work better than the Amazon recommended mitigation.I am very happy with all the extended capabilities that I have been able to utilize by integrating the 4K Ultra into my smart network. As I mentioned in my previous write-up below, the only learning curves I have encountered thus far has been with integrating some of my home automation devices and interacting with external Alexa equipped devices which I use to control the 4K Ultra - I have had a few vocabulary issues so you have to be careful about how you phrase a request. These have been minor and I have been able to overcome relatively quickly. This is a great product in my opinion, especially for the price. I think those having issues would probably have a better experience by stepping back, calming down and contacting Amazon support and clearly articulating their respective issue/s. Hopefully Amazon will be able to assist those that have encountered so many issues with integrating and operating their device.======================================================================================================Since I already had an Alexa ecosystem and integrated Arlo Cameras I decided to give the new 4K Ultra Fire TV a shot even though I debated going for the Apple TV 4K given that I am a big iTunes user. Given that the 4K Ultra Fire TV is more budget friendly, my already existing Alexa ecosystem and the with the added ability to view live video feeds from my Arlo cameras I went with it. I think it was a very good choice on my part.Product Summary:Included in the overall price is:* 4K Ultra Fire TV with a standard HDMI male connector to plug into your TV (see attached photo)* Alexa Voice handheld Remote* Power adapter* USB cable (which has a micro USB connector on one side which plugs into the 4K Ultra while the other plugs into the power adapter)* Quick start guide* Product guide* 2 AAA batteries for the handheld remoteThe 4K Ultra is a dongle type streamer much like the Chomecast which fits discreetly behind your TV (see attached photo). It's very portable so you can take it with you when you go on trips. The handheld remote is not the greatest, but it's definitely OK and you can do everything you need with it. If you have a small Bluetooth keyboard or an Alexa device you really don't need the remote. I do everything hands free through my Echo device which is great. The Amazon search function is not so great so I typically use a bluetooth keyboard instead of the handheld remote.Product Setup:Everything was super easy to setup for basic operation. There are extra steps involved if you are planning to control with a separate Alexa compatible device. Connecting and loading your apps and getting it working takes mere minutes. It might take a bit longer if you have a huge number of apps you want to download. You also have to link the 4K Ultra to your external Alexa compatible device(s) if you want to use to control your 4K Ultra (NOTE: you will need to use your Alexa App on your phone or tablet to do this).The thing that took me the longest was getting the vocabulary correct with my external Alexa device to get the desired outcome on the 4K Ultra. For example, I had problems at first when I asked Alexa to play a movie title. Alexa would perform the wrong action said play followed by the title of the movie or TV show. Use the keyword "watch" instead and you should be fine. You may run into a few other nuances, but if you've had an Alexa device for a bit of time and use it to control different devices you will be familiar with the drill.Potential Product Drawbacks:The only potential drawback some may have is that while the 4K Ultra Fire TV is a big improvement to the Fire TV stick, I would say that it’s maybe not quite as much an improvement when compared to the Fire TV (which is currently not available). There was a small loss of some functionality when compared to the Fire TV such as no builtin microSD or USB ports which allowed you to load more apps, content, watch content from connected devices or connect external devices such as a keyboard. However, I do not see any of this to be an issue unless you use a very large number of apps. The biggest drawback for some may be the lack of a microSD slot or USB ports - so that means no direct memory expansion or direct connection for external USB access like the Fire TV. But the latter is easy overcome this using the VLC, Kodi or PLEX. If you're really determined you can always use an extender cable and port adapter and plug that into the 4K Ultra. I haven't tried this personally, but it should work.The 4K Ultra comes with dual-band (2.4 and 5.0 GHz) 80211 ac Wi-Fi 2X2 MIMO builtin. If you want to use a wired Ethernet connection, you’ll need to dish out an additionally $15 for a 10/100 Ethernet adapter. The likelihood is that you already have a reasonable wireless signal at your location using Wi-Fi so a wired Ethernet connection is really unnecessary and there is little to be gained with a 10/100 hardwired Ethernet connection. No worries if you do not have a 802.11ac router as the Wi-Fi standard is backwards compatible with earlier versions of 802.11. Chances are that you already have 802.11g or better on whatever Wi-Fi router you have.If any of these eliminated ports, or the lack of wired Ethernet, are deal breakers for you, then you might want to hold off - rumors are that Amazon is working on a Fire TV Cube which I would suspect to be available shortly. Another drawback, if you're a big iTunes user, is that there is no ITunes App, which I don't expect the Cube to address either.Brief comparison of 4K Ultra vs Apple TV 4K:The Amazon 4K Ultra Fire TV and the Apple TV 4K of course both offer 4K capability as well as integration into their respective ecosystems and HDR. HDR, or high dynamic range, offers better contrast and brightness. While both devices support HDR10, the 4K Ultra doesn’t support Dolby Vision HDR. Since most HDR capable TVs support HDR10, the vast majority of users should be just fine.The 4K ultra supports Dolby Atmos for sound while the Apple does not currently. I believe that Dolby Atoms is superior to Dolby 7.1 surround which is what Apple TV currently supports, although Apple is planning to add support for Dolby Atoms in the future.The 4K Ultra comes with 2GB RAM vs 3GB RAM on the Apple 4K TV. The 4K Ultra comes with 8GB while the Apple device also comes with more onboard storage for apps and content, but the need for the 32 or 64GB flash memory on the AppleTV is questionable and you will pay a premium for it.4K Ultra Product Capabilities:The picture quality and sound are great, most likely due to the added HDR10 and Dolby Atmos capabilities. Watching 4k is magnificent in my opinion. Between Amazon, Netflix and YouTube there is a pretty nice 4K selection to choose from.Using Alexa, the 4K Ultra can control smart home enabled devices such as lights, thermostats, ceiling fans, cameras, security system and other compatible devices. You can view camera feeds from external cameras directly on your TV (this is something that I really like), play music, listen to audio books, check the weather, access media devices accessible through PLEX, VLC or Kodi, and much more. You can pretty much tailor it to address a lot of different needs.One thing that I really like it that it supports smart home cameras to view live video feeds via Alexa from any compatible smart home cameras simply by saying, “Alexa, show <camera name>". I don't believe this is unique to the 4K Ultra, but it is a functionality that is available with it and as I mentioned something which I personal like and use quite a bit.The 4K Ultra comes with 8GB which some may feel limits their capabilities. However, this should be more than sufficient for the majority of people. I use a lot of Apps and still had plenty of storage left over once they were all loaded. Additional or personal content can can be played from Amazon cloud storage, PLEX, VLC (my personal favorite) or Kodi (although I didn't see that this was one of Amazon's currently support apps). Amazon also offers free cloud storage for any Amazon content with the purchase of the 4K Ultra.A large number of reviews complain about the loss of ports on the Fire TV 4K Ultra because they could no longer plug in external devices hosting their own multimedia content. This is not a problem, just use VLC, Plex or Kodi. I installed the VLC app on the 4K Ultra and started watching video content off my NAS and computer immediately. You can also access movies from any network drives or storage you might have.If you're a cord cutter, but still like to access local over-the-air channels, you can also watch by connecting a digital HD antenna to your TV. If you don’t already have an antenna, Amazon has you covered with a low cost AmazonBasics thin antenna (I have no idea as to the quality nor does it really have anything to do with the 4K Ultra, but it's worth mentioning). You don’t have to use the Amazon antenna for over-the-air (OTA) channels. If you already have, or wish to go with something different, then you can skip the Amazon antenna. Better yet for serious cord cutters who still want access to local OTA content, the 4K Ultra also supports Tablo which allows you to digitally schedule, capture and record over-the-air content to watch now or later (the AppleTV supports Tablo as well) via an Ethernet connection (wireless or wired).Now there could be reasons you might want to go with the Apple TV, Roku or Chromecast streamers, but if you’re already committed to Alexa, have Amazon Prime, or don't consider a lack of ITunes access a deal breaker, then new 4K Ultra Fire TV is the way to go.You can use the included handheld remote to control the Amazon 4K Ultra Fire TV or substitute any of your existing Alexa capable devices (e.g., Echo, DOT or the new Sonos One) for hands-free control. You just need to link whatever device/s you want to use to your 4K Ultra in the Alexa App.The handheld remote has Alexa builtin. Like other Alexa enabled devices, the 4K Fire TV can control smart home enabled lights, outlets, fans, door locks, video cameras, thermostats, and other compatible devices. It can also allows you to play music and view camera feeds on your TV. You can even put together Apps for devices to interact with your Alexa handheld using IFTTT. Setting up apps on IFTTT are relatively easy and doesn’t require any programming knowledge. One thing you should know is that the handheld remote is not a replacement for other device or TV remotes. This is no different than other devices such as the Apple TV or Roku. If truth be known, I personally don't care for the handheld remote, but it is an option for those that don't have an external Alexa device.A couple of subtle features that I really like are the VoiceView screen reader and the screen magnifier as it allows me better control without having to put on my glasses.Techie Stuff:The 4K Ultra sports an Amlogic S905Z System on Chip (SOC) which integrates a Quad core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU up to 1.5GHz as well as a triple cluster ARM Mali450 graphics engine. Sorry, I know most people could care less, but being a techie girl I had to mention it for the few that might be interested.I hope you enjoy your 4K Ultra as much as I have.
