(Reposting from a now expired thread, just so people see it - this is my long post :smiley: )

For the real Tech spec check http://www.amazon.co.uk/All-New-Amazon-Fire-TV-Ultra/dp/B00UH2O6T2 and yes it does support h.265!


I've got a Fire TV 4K from launch. Yes, at first there were problems, but they've all been pretty much fixed now with the last update. The only problem I have is that the voice search doesn't always notice I'm talking even though I'm pressing the button. It's rare, but does happen. Another side note, is that the voice search only works with the Amazon menu, and doesn't include "Echo" functions, like the USA version does. It's like they're using the USA as a beta test for it, and should be coming to the UK in the future, so I'm told by an Amazon rep.

Netflix does do 5.1 audio now, and the audio is louder than it used to be.

Side loading is easy when you know how. Kodi works fine, at least for the stuff I use it for. The use of a fast microSD comes in handy as well. The only problem though is that not all apps will work from the SD card, so you have to be a bit picky. That's because of the way the programmers have done things, not the Fire TV's fault. (The same would happen on a phone/tablet)

The only real thing missing is "All 4", but that's rumoured to be heading to the Fire TV, since it can be used with a Chromecast now.

I of course have iPlayer, ITV Hub, Channel 5, UKTV Play, TVCatchup, Netflix, etc installed. (STV as well, if you live outside of Scotland, you can just find a postcode for Scotland and enter that to make it work).

I use on the Fire TV 4K, installed from Amazon:

Total Commander File Manager, is what it says it is, it's easy to use with the remote, unlike ES File Explorer. It'll also allow copying/deleting/etc with the microSD card. Unlike other file explorers.

Moonlight Game Streaming for use with a PC that has modern Nvidia gfx cards for remote game play. (You can also sideload this if you want the newest version, but the one that Amazon offers up works well enough)

Allcast, to make it a little easier to cast photos etc.

Sideloaded stuff,

Firestarter to allow me to double click the home button, to go directly into Netflix, but it can be used to bring up a menu for launching your installed and sideloaded apps. It can be used to autolaunch apps as well from booting. (Will also allow you to install Kodi with ease)

Kodi of course

Ftp Server by The Olive Tree Well for FTP stuff, this thing actually works with the remote and is free unlike the FTP servers that Amazon will show you. This comes in really handy, when you want to put your Emulator game files in the right place straight away instead of just to the Fire TV storage, then copying to the microSD card, you can do it directly!

Wukong Remote and Wukong input plugin. You guessed it, it's so you can use your phone/tablet as a remote / mouse / gamepad / etc.

And then of course you can stick on your favourite emulators.

For an Android phone/tablet to use with the Fire TV, (There might be iOS versions or apps like the following, but I've no clue since I don't own such a device)

The other half of Allcast

Apps2Fire to side load apps from your device to the Fire TV. It makes life a lot easier than messing about with a PC.

Wukong remote for what I explained above.

And of course Amazon's own Fire TV remote app.

I hope that helps someone? All of the above should work on the older version of the Fire TV as well, but some might not work so well on the "stick" because they just don't have the processing power needed.

Oh and while I remember, press and hold the HOME button, and you'll get the settings area a lot quicker for the device! It saves you having to scroll all the way down to the bottom on the Amazon front menu.

I hope all that makes some sense? :sunglasses:

I don't have a fire and do not think I'll be getting one, however people like you make life easier for a lot of us when we haven't got a clue... So bravo for the post!

very poor WiFi reception with the fire stick,any better with this?

I was wondering why a deal I posted a year ago started again until I read the comments

You will pick up the AFTV gen 1 cheaper now https://uk.webuy.com/product.php?sku=STVMAMAB00KQEJBSWA#.VovtEJOLSu4

I assumed you wanted kodi and this cant be installed on the apple tv.

Why is the Apple TV so bad? I've found out about HDMI SWITCHERs with a Opt Out that would transfer audio over to all of my devices so I can get an Amazon Fire TV current gen. Apple TV is £30/£60 new and Amazon TV is £65 but I need mirroring feature as well so which is best and why?

You would be better getting the AFTV gen 1 as that has optical out.

Are you sure, I can't seem to find any? Planning on getting the Apple TV 3 which has the Opt out (£60), do you think this is a good move?

Im sure you can get USB-Optical out adaptors.

Anyone know of any decent deals on the fire stick. Can't find anything lower then £35

Anyone know how I can get an Optical out for this so it works on my home theatre setup?

I side loaded kodi, then installed Andy's Build V7, and that suits me fine. I did try 'The Beast', but didn't care for the backgound much, as well as something else, but can't recall it now. I also tried 'The Black Box' which I used for a week or so, and now using 'Andy's Build V7'.

There are some packages where add-ons have been bundled. Google "The Beast kodi" or "The Black Box kodi"

Have alook on youtube for kodi repos, addons and anything else you want; there's plenty of videos on them.

Hence COLD !

Yes, temperature should reflect current status of availability to purchase from link. Otherwise waste of my time and others to be flagged to a hot deal and disappointed to know its expired !

Is that how you think this site works?

Expire this, confirmed that price now £80 !!! Cold

It would seem so :disappointed:

79.99 from what I see. Deal finished?

Googled some answers:

FAT32 is the best you'll get unless you "root" the device. Can split the files using WINRAR and Kodi knows how to play split files. Probably best to stream the files from a networked drive.

No external HDD works with the Amazon Fire 4K, best you can get is a USB3.0 128G pen drive

It plays my himemade 4K videos downscaling them to 1080p nicely.

However a few concerns/issues:

1. Didn't seem to like an NTFS formatted microSD or USB Pen Drive
2. Formatted a 16G Pen drive as FAT32 and copied some files over, it played these OK from Kodi, but of course there is the 4G file limit issue on FAT32. Any way to get around this?
3. Tried it with a 1Tb portable HDD and it just made clicking sounds, so don't think the 1.4Amp power supply has enough juice?

good find, thank op.

I found this on CNet's review of the 4K Fire Box:
"The USB port allows Fire TV to play back media files from attached USB thumbdrives and other devices. I tested it briefly with the VLC player app and it worked well, although unlike the Nvidia Shield and Roku 4 , it wouldn't play back 4K files at 4K resolution, only 1080p. The same went for 4K files I had loaded on a microSD card: they only played back at 1080p on Fire TV. Amazon says 4K support of rolling out to more apps soon, however."

Source:- http://www.cnet.com/uk/products/amazon-fire-tv-2015/

I can play files from my first gen box from USB. I use VLC player & it plays practically anything. The use of USB to play files was introduced over 6 months ago through an update.

Good question would like to know the same answer myself.

Particularly also, if we can eventually obtain H265 content (which will be massive no doubt), will it be able to play it and it is possible to format the MicroSD as NTFS in this thing?

It states that USB file playback includes Video: H.263, H.264, MPEG4-SP, VC1. With the first gen fire boxes, you had to root them in order to play media files from a USB source. Then Amazon released firmware to prevent rooting on later models. Have Amazon now allowed media files to be played from USB in these next gen boxes without rooting?

So, what are the main advantages of this Amazon TV against a Amazon Fire Stick, is it worth the upgrade?

I hope it's better than the useless M8 box I bought

This better than a M8s plus android box?

Yeah, it should work fine, i think the Firestick will support 5.1 and even 7.1, perhaps just 5.1 for streaming though, if you load Kodi it should output 7.1, although i've not tested this, i went for the nVidia shield instead

Dave, I've worked in a voluntary capacity with different groups of people including elderly, ill, learning difficulties etc, and one of the first things I learned was there's a whole range of beautiful people who for whatever reason just need a bit of help - and most of them don't even know how to ask for that help.

I've read a lot of your posts, Dave, and I know you're a decent sort; hope everything's okay for you. God bless <3

It only does 4k at 30hz not the full 60 like an Nvidia Sheild console can do. Its the equivalent of how they used to misell HD tv ready tv's. People didn't like A. the fact you couldn't get HD unless you added a box to receive and B you only received 720p not the full HD 1080p you were expecting. This really isn't worth buying unless your an Amazon Prime subscriber, although some Sony TVs have Amazon 4K and Google Play built in.

You can by side loading it by why bother when android allows it to be downloaded from the official app store

Oops! Didn't realise that there was a 4K Fire TV.
Advised someone buying a new TV the other day not to get a smart TV, but to get a Fire stick, as they have Amazon Prime - in fact if I'd known, I'd have given them my Fire stick, and got the 4K for myself.
Hot deal!

How does this compare to Apple TV?

​what is kodi?

Yes. They should always add optical port. That was a big mistake for them.It's still digital after all

Hdmi receivers are cheap now. Especially on gumtree. My issue is that the 5.1 on it is only dolby digital. I prefer dts sound steering better.
When I watched daredevil via fit tv and yamaha receiver I had voice coming out of all 3 front speakers instead of just centre speaker

Yeah was afraid that might be the problem :disappointed: Do you know any good 4K monitors that do support it?

Why not look at the links that display and all will become clear? Or hey, type your question into Youtube and you'll even be able to watch a video showing you how to do it, I mean, you do know the Internet is just a massive ball of data waiting to be interrogated don't you?

Great thanks for taking the time to provide that useless answer

Is there anyway to get Kodi onto it now?

https://seo-michael.co.uk/:wink:

Has any one got any good kodi add ons

Can you get free Netflix, Sky sports and Sky movies.

How does it work

Can anyone recommend a Bluetooth mouse to work with Showbox or other apps that do not work with the official Amazon firestick remote?

I don't have a 4k TV and don't think I'll be getting one anytime soon. I would make use of a optical out, so I think I'll hunt down a 1st gen Fire TV box.
Have some heat though, it's a great price.:neutral_face:

wukong remote works as a mouse input on Android.

I would have been all over this until, in looking around at all the 4k Smart TVs, I realised that they all have Netflix & Amazon Video on them as apps, so I'm at a loss to see the use for this box. If you have a 1080p screen then why wouldn't you just add the Fire TV stick? Maybe I'm missing the point, but why bother about 4k if you don't have a 4k screen to show it on?

Not sure if already mentioned but Amazon are doing it for the same price. I ordered one earlier today and posted the deal but someone has removed it.

i use this device with my Fire Stick and get 5.1 optical to my 15yr old Pioneer Amp - works perfectly!

No, the problem is your monitor doesn't have HDCP 2.2 so no copyrighted 4k material will work.

Not bad. Could've done with all the links to the apps. :wink:

​What he just said!
Can I second that as well please. That is such useful information.
Very thankful for this....people actually took time to say thanks.
I'm thinking about getting one as well but I have a Tronsmart Rk3688 which is still quite new. Would the Fire TV be any faster? I only use Kodi and some TV apps for my box anyway.

Just ordered the Sumvision Cyclone X4. Is this worth the extra £33?

shame amazon took out kodi as a app from the store.

Yes, you have to look at the spec on Amazon website to see mention of H.265, yet Currys' spec specifically excludes it. Strange.

Had one of these for a while and I have no issues playing 4k from Netflix and Amazon prime.

Exactly. They even state in the comments they went back to Amazon for more info on the HDMI socket. Their article was posted on information from another website so was second hand info.

You would lose the 4K then though, unless you used a 4K capable 1 HDMI in and 2 HDMI out splitter box before it.

It does seem strange that the early 1080p models had optical out yet the newer model discards it.

To be fair, there's nothing to watch on ITV player anyway. Although it says there is ITV Hub, probably the same thing.

This supports Netflix, Amazon Video, Spotify Connect, VLC (you can upload movies on to it and put on the sdcard or use a usb device), Kodi with all it has to offer, BT sport, Sky Go, BBC iPlayer, Plex, Youtube, Demand 5, Sky News, BBC News among others.

You can also install Firestarter as a launcher (without root) which removes all the Amazon crap.

It's not too shabby at all.

How did you get itv player my fire stick doesn't have it

Would this work with the Firestick? Though am I right in thinking it does not support 5.1?

i've been thinking about getting an android box recently for sky sports etc ( eg thru kodi ) , should i just get this ?

any one tested Kodi on Fire box?

Amazon have price matched it seems.

Ahh, I see what you were getting at now. But since Netflix and Amazon only offer DD+ at best, it's a little overkill for anything right now in Amazon's eyes. We all know they're made down to a price, and gives room for Amazon to bring out a 3rd version (or more). If you want Kodi at it's best, people should go buy/build a real HTPC.

Can I use Amazon 4K on this for my Samsung monitor? Its this one: http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/it/monitor/uhd-monitor/LU28D590DS/XU

I can't get Netflix in 4K working through my SHIELD box because of my HDMI limitation although I CAN output HDMI 30Hz. Is it hopeless after all? :disappointed:

Still no x265 / HEVC support mentioned in spec? Is that a simple erroneous omission, or indication of reality?

Would be all over this if it had an optical out

John Lewis price matched. getting mine there

I'm guess this can't output at 24fps?

Not HD lossless audio, ( ie TrueHD, DTS Master, Atmos, DTSX, Aura 3D)

That article on 4k.com may be out of date, if you read the reviews on amazon, for a 4K signal to be sent to your 4K TV it MUST have HDMI 2 and HDCP 2.2, otherwise it sends a 1080p signal. A lot of early 4K TVs don't have support this so best check your TV first..

Oh yes, finally. But wonder why it's not listed in spec?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/All-New-Amazon-Fire-TV-Ultra/dp/B00UH2O6T2 states
"...All-new Amazon Fire TV is built to support High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC)..."

Good deal

Is this like an Android TV box where you can load apps from Google Play Store ? Do you need additional subscriptions etc.

But it seems it does support HDCP 2.3 as it runs both Prime and Netflix in 4k and as both only stream at 30hz currently and HDR support is still a long time away the additional hardware isn't needed so probably wasn't put in so they could keep the pricing keen.

Paid this price for the older fire tv box in tesco 3 weeks ago, so obviously gutted.

Hot deal.

Not really, The NVidia Shield fully supports 4k 60hz, the Fire TV is obviously built to a price.

How does this compare to the older Amazon Fire TV box? Only had a few month for Kodak and enjoying using now n then.
Just at this price is there a big jump in specs and features?
Might get bout £40 for older one (though only had 2 months) so bout £25 for upgrade. Or no difference for Kodi.

Oh, seems 4k is still in early adopter phase then! thanks mate

Awesome box, purchased from Amazon instead as they gave me £5 credit due to a messed up overnight delivery.

Didn't buy it for me, and the person it's for will be none the wiser (I think) so it is probably not worth the bother.

Bit the bullet though and bought one for myself. Just hoping that a) Amazon don't put out a 'kodi killer' update, and b) this does not have the buffer issues of a pi or the older version.

Anyone else had trouble paying? My browser never made it to a confirmation screen, but I have had 2 confirmation emails.

Am not ...it's the fact the 4K AFTV doesn't support new hdmi 2.0 version or the 2.0a standard necessary for 4K Ultra HD.

65 quid and it can't even pass Hdmi audio

It doesn't even support 60hz 4k so I wouldn't get wound up about HDR....

Does anyone know if the plex app is 4k or is it amazon only?
Thinking of ditching my htpc that is not 4k with this.

no optical out, shame.

Can you explain to a novice, if my mum wants to ditch Virgin she can buy this and it will turn her tv into a smart one. She then subscribes to netflix and amazon prime? is that correct? any other charges?

Crucially it doesn't seem to have the HEVC- 265 codec unless I have missed something. That makes a huge difference.

Glad I stuck through the black Friday deals and didn't buy the USB stick version, this box will be way better and has dedicated Ethernet

Was choosing between this and the minix x8-h plus....bought the minix but this is a good price for a powerful box.....

In what way do you mean? On what it can be used for? Everything I stated in my first post, I personally can't think of anything else to use it for. :smiley: Sure you can use it to turn your TV into a big clock, but that's a bit of a waste.

bit expensive? but on a serious note what does the fully loaded one offer?

Thks OP for tips etc

how much is the fully loaded one :stuck_out_tongue:

Thank you! :smiley:

I don't have a fire and do not think I'll be getting one, however people like you make life easier for a lot of us when we haven't got a clue... So bravo for the post!

Have searched for itv before on it I think maybe the app catalogue is different for the stick, will look at arc cheers

Thats well informative mate, thanx. :-)

I forget, what App u can use on this to allow these Amazon Fire TV Boxes to be sideloaded with Kodi, what is it please?. :-)

do you need amazon prime to have this?

(Reposting from a now expired thread, just so people see it - this is my long post :smiley: )

For the real Tech spec check http://www.amazon.co.uk/All-New-Amazon-Fire-TV-Ultra/dp/B00UH2O6T2 and yes it does support h.265!


I've got a Fire TV 4K from launch. Yes, at first there were problems, but they've all been pretty much fixed now with the last update. The only problem I have is that the voice search doesn't always notice I'm talking even though I'm pressing the button. It's rare, but does happen. Another side note, is that the voice search only works with the Amazon menu, and doesn't include "Echo" functions, like the USA version does. It's like they're using the USA as a beta test for it, and should be coming to the UK in the future, so I'm told by an Amazon rep.

Netflix does do 5.1 audio now, and the audio is louder than it used to be.

Side loading is easy when you know how. Kodi works fine, at least for the stuff I use it for. The use of a fast microSD comes in handy as well. The only problem though is that not all apps will work from the SD card, so you have to be a bit picky. That's because of the way the programmers have done things, not the Fire TV's fault. (The same would happen on a phone/tablet)

The only real thing missing is "All 4", but that's rumoured to be heading to the Fire TV, since it can be used with a Chromecast now.

I of course have iPlayer, ITV Hub, Channel 5, UKTV Play, TVCatchup, Netflix, etc installed. (STV as well, if you live outside of Scotland, you can just find a postcode for Scotland and enter that to make it work).

I use on the Fire TV 4K, installed from Amazon:

Total Commander File Manager, is what it says it is, it's easy to use with the remote, unlike ES File Explorer. It'll also allow copying/deleting/etc with the microSD card. Unlike other file explorers.

Moonlight Game Streaming for use with a PC that has modern Nvidia gfx cards for remote game play. (You can also sideload this if you want the newest version, but the one that Amazon offers up works well enough)

Allcast, to make it a little easier to cast photos etc.

Sideloaded stuff,

Firestarter to allow me to double click the home button, to go directly into Netflix, but it can be used to bring up a menu for launching your installed and sideloaded apps. It can be used to autolaunch apps as well from booting. (Will also allow you to install Kodi with ease)

Kodi of course

Ftp Server by The Olive Tree Well for FTP stuff, this thing actually works with the remote and is free unlike the FTP servers that Amazon will show you. This comes in really handy, when you want to put your Emulator game files in the right place straight away instead of just to the Fire TV storage, then copying to the microSD card, you can do it directly!

Wukong Remote and Wukong input plugin. You guessed it, it's so you can use your phone/tablet as a remote / mouse / gamepad / etc.

And then of course you can stick on your favourite emulators.

For an Android phone/tablet to use with the Fire TV, (There might be iOS versions or apps like the following, but I've no clue since I don't own such a device)

The other half of Allcast

Apps2Fire to side load apps from your device to the Fire TV. It makes life a lot easier than messing about with a PC.

Wukong remote for what I explained above.

And of course Amazon's own Fire TV remote app.

I hope that helps someone? All of the above should work on the older version of the Fire TV as well, but some might not work so well on the "stick" because they just don't have the processing power needed.

Oh and while I remember, press and hold the HOME button, and you'll get the settings area a lot quicker for the device! It saves you having to scroll all the way down to the bottom on the Amazon front menu.

I hope all that makes some sense? :sunglasses: