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Deal Expert
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Feb 24, 2008
15587 posts
7026 upvotes
Gatineau
TheShorterBus wrote: right!? at $49.99 you may as well buy a Chromecast, unless you need Amazon video or a dedicated remote. Which while valid reasons to choose it, $49.99 after like 2 years of not coming to the market, and still not having easy access to the dot or any of the other Amazon ecosystem hardware, why launch at this price.
This is the likely reason why they launched it at this $50 price -> http://www.aftvnews.com/fire-tv-stick-b ... -tv-stick/


Amazon released the Fire TV Stick Basic Edition a couple of days ago, making Fire TV hardware available in over 100 new countries for the first time. The Fire TV Stick Basic Edition takes the existing 2nd generation Fire TV Stick but replaces the Alexa voice remote with the non-voice remote that was included with the original 1st generation Fire TV Stick. Even though the Basic Edition package includes a cheaper remote and fewer features, at $49.99, it’s $10 more expensive than the $39.99 regular Fire TV Stick that comes with An Alexa voice remote. That shows us just how much Amazon subsidizes the regular Fire TV Stick and here’s why.

Subsidizing the Fire TV and Fire TV Stick means that Amazon sells these devices at a lower price point because they expect to continue to earn revenue after the device is purchased. That post-purchase revenue comes from numerous sources, like selling movies, TV shows, apps, and games, as well as displaying ads. This is how Amazon managed to introduce the original 1st generation Fire TV at $99 when analysts estimated that it had a manufacturing cost of $93.

The Fire TV Stick Basic Edition does not provide Amazon with the same post-purchase revenue potential, which is why it costs more for an inferior device. The main interface on the Basic Edition does not consist of movies and shows to entice you to spend money, like the regular Fire TV Stick. It does not even have a universal search feature to uncover additional content. Instead, the interface is just an app launcher and users must launch a streaming service app, like Amazon’s own standalone Prime Video app, to view content.

I know some of you reading this are thinking that’s exactly what you want from your own regular Fire TVs and Fire TV Sticks. A simple grid of apps, like the ones you’ll find on countless generic Android boxes from no-name manufacturers, certainly has some advantages, but what the Fire TV Stick Basic Edition shows us is that simplicity comes at a cost.

Back when Amazon was selling the 1st generation Fire TV Stick with a non-voice remote for $39.99, they introduced a new bundle that packed the same 1st generation Fire TV stick with a voice remote for $49.99. Since swapping in a voice remote increased the price by $10, we can estimate that a Fire TV Stick Basic Edition with a voice remote would cost at least $60. That tells us that the regular Fire TV Stick with a voice remote that Amazon sells for $39.99 to US customers is subsidized by at least $20.

I say “at least $20” because even at $49.99, the Fire TV Stick Basic Edition is likely also being subsidized. The purpose of the Fire TV Stick Basic Edition is not to sell streaming hardware at a profit. It is surely being released to sell the new global Prime Video subscription service, which in turn’s purpose is to sell Prime membership, which in turn’s purpose is to sell paper towels, and so on. Even though the Fire TV Stick Basic Edition doesn’t have as high of a post-purchase revenue potential as the regular Fire TV Stick, it’s still a part of Amazon’s interconnected web of products and services.

As a guy who’s just here to tinker with gadgets and write about them, the economics of Fire TV devices and a company like Amazon are way over my head. I’m just saying that the seemingly strange price of the Fire TV Stick Basic Edition is a clear example that there is a lot more going on with the Fire TV, and most other streaming devices, then simply a manufacturer making a device and selling it for a profit, like you might think.

Even Roku, which many think of as a “neutral player” since they don’t have a content store of their own, now makes only 19% of their profit from hardware sales. To stay competitive with hardware pricing, streaming devices need to be subsidized because nobody is going to pay $60+ for a 1080p streaming stick.


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djino
Newbie
Sep 23, 2014
17 posts
12 upvotes
Paradise
makes sense. I think it's at that point in manufacturing that the cost has drastically dropped. Pair that with the fact that manufacturing and cost of parts for "low end" computers with video out has gotten ridiculously cheap, especially with a company with the manufacturing numbers like Amazon would. I mean, It has a market, I purchased my parents a roku specifically because I knew they wouldn't want to use their mobile device as a remote. I use my PS4 for Amazon video, as Chromecast doesn't have that option (thanks to Amazon). I also image during Black Friday sales they may drop price also quite low for a time too.
Deal Addict
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Nov 27, 2003
1334 posts
978 upvotes
Ottawa
user12340 wrote: Too bad i already have 6 of them @ $31.00Cad each from like 2 years ago. Almost double and 2 years late.
Have you figured out a way to get Amazon Prime video to play on them in Canada without VPNs? I have one, and I can't change the location to Canada... therefore get some sort of location error when I try to play Prime videos.
Banned
Feb 27, 2012
269 posts
89 upvotes
MISSISSAUGA
deeznuts wrote: Have you figured out a way to get Amazon Prime video to play on them in Canada without VPNs? I have one, and I can't change the location to Canada... therefore get some sort of location error when I try to play Prime videos.
Only have a USA prime account. works fine but i never use them for that.
Deal Fanatic
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Nov 2, 2003
5265 posts
1623 upvotes
SK
deeznuts wrote: Have you figured out a way to get Amazon Prime video to play on them in Canada without VPNs? I have one, and I can't change the location to Canada... therefore get some sort of location error when I try to play Prime videos.
Here is what I did without a VPN or SmartDNS.
1. Create US Amazon account
2. Logout and back in to FireTV (I have a Gen 1 box, non-stick version)
3. With in your US Amazon account, add a credit card with a US Address and set as your default (CAREFUL: this will change you Canadian account default as well)
4. Now navigate to "Your Content and Devices"
5. Click "Settings" and change your "Country" to "United States"

I did this and it works for me and it's a YMMV solution.

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shopper-X
Deal Addict
Dec 22, 2005
1289 posts
463 upvotes
Calgary
najibs wrote: Does this do Amazon video in 4k?

My American TCL ROku TV won't let me downlaod the Amazon Prime app and neither will my SOny Blu-ray player. If I airplay it through my iPad it doesn;t airplay in 4k. ANyone has advice on how to get Amazon Prime 4k in` canada?
Sign up for a free smart dns like getflix (free two week trial). Remove the tv from your Canadian Roku account. Create a US Roku account and add the tv to your US Roku account. https://getflix.zendesk.com/hc/en-gb/ar ... 29080-Roku
Deal Addict
Mar 8, 2007
1765 posts
835 upvotes
If you guys can get your hands on a fire tv box, do it. But I've seen tons of people complain about Kodi on a fire tv stick (1 and 2)

I have the fire tv box 1 and it still runs super well, but it's missing hevc. I'm trying to find a 2015 fire tv box. Apparently the one that came out this year is even slower than the first box when it comes to processing power. It has a gpu capable of hevc though. Don't know if I should just settle.

Mi box 3 feels clunkier/less reliable than the fire tv 1 box even. But it can do hevc.
Newbie
Nov 7, 2017
42 posts
12 upvotes
Vancouver
interesting.. but I do have a few concerns
1. Netflix will block me if they find out that im going over a VPN-DNS service source: https://globalnews.ca/news/2651298/netf ... -cry-foul/
2. Since ill be using a VPN over DNS service; wont it slow down my entire network to the sped of the VPN (usually it does) if I have a 100mbps line and my VPN supports upto 10mbps wont my entire network run on 10mbps now?

would love to know..
Deal Addict
Dec 19, 2015
4373 posts
2499 upvotes
Calgary, AB
I wonder if this means we can now connect Canadian Prime accounts to the Fire TV box. Rather frustrating that you can’t use Canadian Prime video on their own devices.
Sr. Member
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May 24, 2007
715 posts
881 upvotes
Kelowna
lead wrote: its mostly a ++1 to amp device. it may run into issues of a tv's usb which at best would only be 1 amp(if its a tv that clearly states 1 amp for external) but most likely its only just .5amp port which is basic usb. .

The second gen is a quad vs first gen that is a dual core. 1 amp is barely enough you should stick with the charger that came with it(2.0 amp) which is of above grade build quality anyway. I ran the first gen off the tv's usb and had too many hiccups to bother. The only player I have used that seemed to run off only .5 amp was the raspberry zero.
I was running it directly from the included charger and was always having to reboot it after a few days anyway last month. I changed tv's after I had reset the Fire Stick back to factory as was just playing with it via USB. Works well and haven't had any hiccups so I think it's fine, at least for the first gen Fire Stick. the newer one probably requires more.
Member
Nov 2, 2007
204 posts
130 upvotes
Toronto
I have a fire TV stick and gen 1 and gen 2 boxes. I used to love them but they are becoming so sluggish. Their updates get pushed and it really slows them down. And I think you need to root to stop the auto updates. It's really becoming unbearable. I'm hoping to invest in the Nvidia Shield.
Deal Addict
Nov 22, 2012
2008 posts
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VANCOUVER
jonnyk9 wrote: I have a fire TV stick and gen 1 and gen 2 boxes. I used to love them but they are becoming so sluggish. Their updates get pushed and it really slows them down. And I think you need to root to stop the auto updates. It's really becoming unbearable. I'm hoping to invest in the Nvidia Shield.
I disagree about the Fire TV 4K box.

It has not slowed down one bit... and I'm a self professed power user that pushes the box to the limits. I have a shield on order, but for other reasons, namely to play 4K 10bit HEVC.

The sticks, however, will always be slow.
Deal Guru
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Nov 21, 2002
12013 posts
4368 upvotes
Winnipeg
jonnyk9 wrote: I have a fire TV stick and gen 1 and gen 2 boxes. I used to love them but they are becoming so sluggish. Their updates get pushed and it really slows them down. And I think you need to root to stop the auto updates. It's really becoming unbearable. I'm hoping to invest in the Nvidia Shield.
anything with only 8gb of nand gets sluggish when it fills up but its really bad on android devices because basically half the nand is taken up by os. If you have kodi installed make sure you use a maintenance cleaner and clean all the temp files/cache and especially old thumbs. This gets real bad if you use addons as they scrape while you browse.

Also Uninstall any apps you don't use or clear their cache in app settings. The goal free up space

eg# Disable and clear the firetv HD image screen savior you don't need it nor even need to waste your bandwidth downloading random hd photos that fill up.
Member
Aug 8, 2008
455 posts
316 upvotes
I contacted Amazon support regarding Fire TV and Prime Video in Canada.

He said that only the FireTV that is currently sold in Canada will support Prime Video. However the issue has been escalated for US bought Fire TV's and should be fixed in a future upgrade. (no date as of yet)

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