The Fire Stick 4k is on sale again and my aging Chromecast v1 is having a lot of stuttering issues on Youtube (know problem and Google is not giving this device any updates anymore). I'm looking for a cheap replacement that can play Youtube, Netflix and that's pretty much it.
Is the interface really that bad? I saw a bunch of posts about this and of course the ads are kinda off putting... What's your take on this?
nexus broke, went to shield, sold shield and i now use firestick.
the downvotes here are funny, but yes a 4k firestick is a great device for the cost, especially on sale. it will do all the things you are asking, although their youtube interface isn't as polished as on shield (and at one point they took it off the amazon store)
it has ads on the home screen, but they're not the most obtrusive.
How much is the cheapest 4k Roku where you are? I don't love the Roku ads either but it is an improvement.
Id say it is, im thinking about buying one simply because both Android and Apple TV got screwed over in getting a 4K Superbowl stream (Apple got upscaled 4K, Android got 1080p). When NCAA basketball goes into tournaments, guessing the Shield and Apple TV 4K will get fucked again.
The 1080p stream I got from the Fox Sports app was still better than cable, which broadcast the Superbowl in glorious 720p resolution.
IMO whatever you buy now go CHEAP.
By fall of this year all new media streamers will support the new AV1 codec which will pretty much be the streaming standard for the next 10 years. That's when you should buy nicer stuff.
Def not worth spending $80-$150 on roku ultra/shield/etc since the hardware decoding is coming so soon.
You could add your own launcher if it really bothers you that much.
I have the 4k FS and its way snappier compared to the previous gen ones it plays all i need when i need it too. But i primarily us the shield pro 2017 and 2019 for everything.
The user interface is way better on the Shield, its more powerful, it uses the google play store and its continuously updated from Nvidia. You can also link your steam account and play your steam games. The FS is good if you are just watching netflix or prime, hulu. Plus its more portable which is good for hotel travel, etc.