Roku 3 vs Amazon Fire TV: My opinions and Review

[Cos]

Roku 3 vs Amazon Fire TV: Old Bull vs Young Bull and no Easy Decision

I have been using the Roku 2 since it first came out and added the Roku 3. When I thought the Roku 3 went DOA I picked up the Fire TV from Amazon and now that I have had a chance to play with both, I thought I would give my impressions.

Build Quality: (ROKU 3)
The newest version of Roku spots more rounded edges but is essential the same design and before
• Glossy Finish
• HDMI / Ethernet / Memory card Slot / USB on the side
• Tends to run a little bit on the warm side compared to the Fire TV
• Remote, while bulky, does add that nice headphone option and I like the feel of the buttons
• About 25% smaller form factor than the Fire TV
• 512MB Memory, improved CPU(Dual core 900Mhz) from previous generations
• Includes headset

Build Quality: (Amazon Fire TV)
• More traditional square design, bigger, but thinner than the Roku 3
• Comes with remote and power cord
• Ads TosLink Port for people who still don’t use HDMI
• No memory expansion slots
• Quad Core 1.7Ghz CPU with Andreno 320 CPU (Same GPU as Galaxy IV Phone)
• Mic and voice recognition built into remote
ADVANTAE: AMAZON FIRE TV

Remote Quality:
Voice Search vs Built in Headphones, what is more important to you
ADVANTAGE: TIE

SUPPORTED VIDEO FORMATS:
• Both Support the same video formats at 1080p 60FPS and can output Dolby Digital Plus 7.1(Limited to content providers) and not lossless
• Fire TV also supports MPEG4-SP, and VC1 which the Roku does not, so slight edge:
ADVATAGE FIRE: TV

SUPPORTED WI-FI
• Both units support a/b/g/n (Dual Band), but only the Kindle fire supports MIMO:
ADVANTAGE: FIRE TV

GAME FUNCTIONALITY:
• This is a complete runaway for the Amazon Fire TV, you have a full featured Android Gaming device capable of running a large library of games like a champ.
ADVANTAGE: FIRE TV

Supported Content:
Hands down this goes to the Roku 3 as the Fire TV has a lot of catching up to do in this area Having used the roku for a few years, the selection is insane on both published and what I like to call the “bootleg” channels. These are channels that are not really published on the normal menus but you can find via google searches…no its not porn, though I guess they have those too

Fire TV just can’t measure up in this area, but being the new kid on the block, they are growing. For me they were missing key apps like VUDU which I have amassed a significant library. Also I like to use Spotify because they have the best sound quality and excellent selection of music. No HBO Go and missing many more apps that Roku 3 has in spades. This may change over time, but it is going to take a long time to catch up
HUGE ADVANTAGE: ROKU 3

INTERFACE:
• Roku 3’s interface many have not changed much over time, but is;
o Simple to use
o Easy to customize
o Lots of flexibility
o Ability to search for movies over a ton of providers;
 i.e. Looking to Watch Lego Movie it will list all providers who have the movie and cost. They cover all the major providers like Amazon, Netflix, Vudu, M Go etc.
 This come in handy when some movies may be free on Netflix or Amazon Prime, but cost on other providers and have saved me some expense over time
• Amazon Fire TV
o I would describe it as a hot mess,
 Steeper learning curve, not as user friendly or customizable as Roku 3
 Adding apps is a little confusing at first and does take more time to do
 Searching for movies etc, does not cover all the different providers (pretty much Amazon Prime
o Voice Search works and it works well, but again does not cover all content providers
ADVANTAGE: ROKU 3

Performance:
• I don’t think it will surprise many that the Fire TV with its faster processor and more memory performs better
o Movies launch almost instantly, FF / RW work better
o Voice Search works extremely well
• That being said, the Roku 3 is no slouch, while not as fast as the Fire TV, it is still a very quick and usable interface and the difference in launching movies is not very significant
ADVANTAGE: FIRE TV

At the end of the day you have two different devices designed at delivering content, but doing it in very different ways which almost dictates that the end user determines what features are most important before picking up a device.


Amazon Fire TV Customer:
Someone who needs the latest technology and can be patient enough for the OS and content to mature. Puts a lot of value on the Voice Driven interface and consider using it as a gaming device, as you can purchase actual game controllers for it. Because it’s part of the Android Ecosystem, has a solid CPU/GPU with 2GB RAM, there is a lot of opportunity to grow.

ROKU 3 Customer:
Content is King and the Roku doesn’t fail to deliver. Like using its simplistic and easy customizable interface and much more established search tool. It is by far the most complete content streaming the device and has a lot of user support

Additional Notes:

I use Vudu a lot because at the time they were the only streaming service that did 7.1 Dolby Digital and was extremely disappointed when I discovered that FIRE TV didn’t have it.

What I uncovered that is many of the movies you buy are Ultra Violet and can be transferred over to FLIXSTER, which the FIRE TV has. I have tried this and been successful. Note that not all movies are Ultra Violet and very few TV programs, so you will miss some of the content

I am an Amazon Prime user and it was nice that the untit was delivered ready to start watching right away, I didn’t have to input my account information. Nice Little Touch!

• My TVs are smart TVs so it is starting to become less and less required to use one of the devices,

My personal preference right now is the ROKU 3, just because the content is there that I use. Spotify, Amazon, Netflix, Vudu M-Go, etc. While I could return the fire TV I have deiced to hang on to it and play around with it some more. Should it start to gain the apps that I use, It would become my full time streaming device. I can forgive the search and menu customizations for the voice recognition and quicker streaming.

 

[Lulimet]

Amazon says that Fire TV supports VC1 but it is actually false. It is a known fact among people that have sideloaded xbmc on the FTV. No support for VC1. A lot of people are ticked off about that because a lot of blurays made pre-2011 are VC1.
Also, for people who may be interested in the FTV and like to use the Plex app, the audio in the Plex app right now is broken. No DD or DTS if your files are MKV. You can get DD from MP4 files, but no DTS. So right now you can only get stereo sound from the Plex app. They know it is broken and have said they are working with Amazon to fix it but it's been almost two months now and no updates.

Thanks for the review.

 

[j_garcia]

Comparing it to my 2XS I also came to the same conclusion. Though the 3 is closer in specs, I'd still have chosen the FireTV as well. I'm extremely pleased with mine.

 

[Cos]

Good information on the VC1, I think with any new release there tends to be misinformation. I have not had the opportunity to use PLEX on the FTV and that is good to know.

A few other observations I forgot to add

Warranty on the FTV is 1 Year
Warranty on the Roku is 90 Days

90 Days to me is unacceptable in this day and age, but I will say that neither the Roku 2 or 3 have broken down so far. Minus the fact I had a bad HDMI cable, both are working like a champ.

FTV lacking VUDU
As I stated before that you could transfer movies that are Ultra Violet over to Flixster and it does work...BUT you go from 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus to 2.1 on Flixster. I was not happy to find that out and I hope that they add Vudu in the future, though I will not hold my breath because it's a direct competitor and is the only provider at this point to stream 7.1.

 

[afterlife2]

Cool re-view. I bumed into this website after looking for the free private ESPN channel for a member here and it has some other cool private channels(Cartoons, Movies, Health, Radio Stations, ect.): https://www.rokuchannels.tv/

 

[Lulimet]

WatchESPN is a free app but you need to have a cable subscription with ESPN included to be able to use it.

 

[KEW]

I just picked up a Roku3 when Walmart was selling them at $78. I'm happy with it; but really appreciate your review. You have confirmed the Fire TV does not offer anything that, for my purposes is a "Game changer".

In the what the heck were they thinking category is the layout of the new Roku remote! Every other remote I have (including earlier Roku) has the "up, down, right, and left" keys surrounding the "OK/Enter" button. For some reason the Roku3 has the ok/enter button located separately just below the down button. While I am not a touch typist on the computer keyboard, I have become a "touch typist" on remote controls when entering a name to search for and it has become second nature to hit enter in the center of the arrow buttons.
I will adapt soon enough, but still, WTF?

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Amazon says that Fire TV supports VC1 but it is actually false. It is a known fact among people that have sideloaded xbmc on the FTV. No support for VC1. A lot of people are ticked off about that because a lot of blurays made pre-2011 are VC1.
Also, for people who may be interested in the FTV and like to use the Plex app, the audio in the Plex app right now is broken. No DD or DTS if your files are MKV. You can get DD from MP4 files, but no DTS. So right now you can only get stereo sound from the Plex app. They know it is broken and have said they are working with Amazon to fix it but it's been almost two months now and no updates.

Thanks for the review.

FireTv doesn't support HD audio pass through so why worry about lack of vc1 support?

Asus Chromebox with haswell celeron with openelec should play all Blu-ray codecs and pass through of HD audio.

 

[nogaro]

I have HBOgo and Spotify on FTV. Perhaps they were added after you wrote your review. I don't use VUDU, so I haven't checked that.

 

[nogaro]

Hmmm...I'm looking at my FireTV Stick and don't see HBO GO. I could've sworn I saw it on FTV.

Edit: just checked Amazon and it is available on FTV, but not on the stick.

 

[Cos]

I have HBOgo and Spotify on FTV. Perhaps they were added after you wrote your review. I don't use VUDU, so I haven't checked that.

When I initially reviewed the FTV it did not have HBOgo or Spotify.

There are key differences between the two as it relates to HBOgo and Spotify

Roku:

- Now Supports Comcast (xfinity) w/HBOgo.
- Spotify is full app you can play directly from the Roku device

FireTV

- HBOgo is currently being blocked by Xfinity(Comcast) and Charter
- Spotify only works if you have your cell phone and ipad where you can stream from that
- No VUDU still

 

[bears_t2]

Just got our Roku3 and so far we are loving it. I still don't have all the channels configured but everyday I'm working on it. I just saw the 3d channel for Netflix and thought it would have more selections. Are there any other places to see 3D on other channels?

 

[Cos]

3D channel for Netflix on Roku 3?? How did I miss this. It was my understanding that the roku was not supporting 3D. I am going to have to go check it out.

- Do'h no 3D Roku 3 support for Netflix? at least no option on mine

 

[bears_t2]

I searched 3d on Netflix and saw a few shows that were suppose to be in 3d about 15 or so i saw if I remember right, things like Sammy the turtle and Bewoulf but I didn't watch any of them.

 

[rnatalli]

I went with the Roku 3 over Fire TV because it will accept IR commands and I didn't want to give up my Harmony 650 quite yet. I also really like Roku's search which works globally unlike Fire TV. Fire TV certainly has potential though if they can get more content going.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

If wonder is there difference between Roku3/FTV Plex clients in terms of features and performance
I start to like my FreeNAS/Plex server plugin quite a lot.

I shouldn't said something a long time ago, with side loaded kodi on FireTV you could find A LOT of plugins which provide tons of content, which should be comparable to Roku's "special" channels.

 

[3db]

I've had a ROKU3 for the last two years and I find fast enough that a speed improvement leaves little to be desired. My only beef with the Roku is that it doesn't natively support streaming of media stored on hard drives on my network. I use the WD for that. The WD is a turtle compared to the other streamers but it will play any format (both video and audio) under the sun. If Roku3 had WD streaming abilities, then the ROKU would be very difficult to beat.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

3db, while plex is not quite as universal as wd live, it would play most common formats.
It's also great to be able to stream your own media to mobile devices and share your libraries with friends.
Plex is two pieces solution : server plus clients. There is one for almost anything

 

[3db]

3db, while plex is not quite as universal as wd live, it would play most common formats.
It's also great to be able to stream your own media to mobile devices and share your libraries with friends.
Plex is two pieces solution : server plus clients. There is one for almost anything

I able to stream both video and music to my Android and music to my Playbook...Playbook doesn't like the ISO format that I've chosen to store my video files.

I'm also able to mirror the screen of my Android to both the Roku and the WD using Miracast.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I store my "backups" as mkvs and I don't cast - it's not as robust as direct stream. Fire Stick with Plex do the job.
I'm ok with stick's wireless remote to control it
Also plex takes care of transcoding if needed.

wait.... BLACKBERRY BLAYBOOK ???? Are you running WebOS on IT???