The Amazon Fire TV Stick represents a worthy opponent for the Chromecast, which has had so much luck in recent years with the first edition but in particular with the second edition, also thanks to the introduction of new interesting features (as we will see later). But what differentiates the two devices "> Chromecast Ultra, the top model among the dongles offered by Google.
- Ultra HD resolution support : if we own a 4K TV, one of the cheapest devices that we can connect to take advantage of the services that offer 4K content is precisely the Chromecast Ultra. Thanks to it we will have access to 4K content from Netflix, YouTube and the (few) other sites that provide support for this resolution. If we have a Full HD TV, the choice of the Chromecast Ultra is indifferent, because the maximum resolution will always be 1080p.
- HDR support : another technology that goes hand in hand with Ultra HD is HDR, which offers a wider range of colors so you can see content with a quality never seen before. Chromecast Ultra is one of the few devices to be compatible with HDR and to present such a low price!
- Smartphone and tablet integration : Chromecast Ultra integrates well with any smartphone or tablet in circulation, both with Android operating system and with iOS operating system. We can use the smartphone as a sort of remote control, and write in the search fields using the device keyboard directly, without having to go crazy selecting the letters with an uncomfortable remote control. To this we add the numerous apps that integrate Google Cast and you're done!
- Ease of use : once connected to the WiFi network Chromecast Ultra is the easiest device to use even for novice users. We open the multimedia app on the portable device that we want to transmit to the TV, click on the Cast icon and send the audio / video stream: difficult to find a faster method currently.
- Browser transmission support or full screen of the PC : using the menu Send Google Chrome we can send the contents of a card or even the entire screen of the PC to the TV, without any problem.
Defects of Chromecast Ultra
After seeing the merits, we must not overlook the flaws of Chromecast Ultra, which can tip the scales in favor of the opponent.- It does not work without the Internet : the operating system inserted in the Chromecast does not allow it to work without constant Internet access, limiting use only in scenarios where there is always network coverage.
- Limited audio codec support: Chromecast supports all major audio codecs used on the web, but does not support direct decoding of DTS and Dolby audio (also known as AC-3). In this case most of the MKVs downloadable from the Internet cannot be played on the dongle, except in cases where the TV supports DTS decoding by passthrough or by transcoding during transmission (we will have to use a powerful server for encoding from a PC or NAS, such as Plex ).
- Lack of support for AVI files : although this multimedia container is slowly disappearing from the Web, there are still many films available in this format and not natively managed by Chromecast. In reality, thanks to Plex or other similar programs, it is possible to watch any type of film with the Chromecast, even if all this requires real-time coding.
- Absence of native apps : we cannot install any app inside the Chromecast, which therefore acts as a simple receiver of content from portable devices or from the PC (via Cast Google Chrome tab).
- High price : compared to the simple Chromecast 2 (which only supports 1080p and is sold for € 39) the price of the Chromecast Ultra is decidedly high (€ 79), despite the many qualities available.
Pros of Amazon Fire TV Stick
Now it's the turn of the merits of the Fire TV Stick 4K UHD, the most expensive and new model offered among the Amazon dongles:- Native App Support : we can install apps directly inside the Fire Stick, which offers a real configurable and customizable operating system (based on Android), with numerous compatible multimedia apps.
- Dedicated internal memory : the Fire Stick includes 8 GB of internal memory, which we can use to save some video or audio files that can be played on the TV.
- Support for any multimedia file : thanks to the installation of Android apps, we can easily reproduce any audio and video file, even in AVI format or with particular audio codecs such as AC-3 or the new Dolby Atmos.
- It works without Internet : if we want to play a video or audio file without Internet access, simply load it into the internal memory and use one of the dedicated playback apps to view them on the TV.
- Dedicated app store : the Fire Stick allows you to install additional apps by taking them from the dedicated Amazon store. We can thus customize the experience of the Fire Stick to make it suitable for any scenario of use. For the best, it is also possible to install APK apps not present in the store, so as to also add apps that are not compatible with the Fire Stick.
- Voice remote control : the new remote control has a button to access Alexa's voice commands, so you can open an app, multimedia content or simply stop and resume playback using only your voice! Obviously we will have to be connected to the Internet in order to take advantage of Alexa's voice commands, otherwise we will have to use the (uncomfortable) buttons to navigate, type the text or open the apps.
- Competitive price : the Fire Stick without Amazon Prime account currently costs € 59.99, which is € 20 less than the Chromecast Ultra.
Defects of Amazon Fire TV Stick
After seeing the merits, let's move on to the defects of the Amazon Fire TV Stick:- Inconvenient remote control : the remote control is convenient only if used with voice commands; without it becomes very uncomfortable, since we will have to use it to manage the majority of the apps without being able to use the smartphone in its place (currently only YouTube on Fire can be managed with its namesake app present on a smartphone or tablet).
- Closed operating system : Amazon imposes specific limits on the apps that can be installed on the Fire Stick, heavily limiting the multimedia possibilities or the expansion of features not present within the operating system.
- Lack of support for Now TV or Sky Go : Currently the Now TV and Sky Go apps are not available in the official store and, even by installing the APKs of these apps, we will not be able to make them work in any way. This is a serious limitation for those who want to use the dongle as a total streaming playback station, where they can watch Netflix, Now TV, Infinity, Sky Go and the streams of TV channels (Rai and Mediaset) in one place.
- Difficult for beginners : only with good computer skills it is possible to unlock the device and install other apps via APK (as seen above).
Conclusions
Summing up I can say that there is currently no real winner between the two products, which can be purchased in practically all scenarios of use fully respecting user requests. Personally I keep them both, because one is convenient to transmit videos from websites open on the PC while the Fire TV is convenient for Netflix and Amazon Prime Videos, to have them within reach of the remote control at any time.If we really need to provide a reason for choosing between the two, we recommend that you rely on these parameters:
- Use for beginners : better to focus on the Chromecast Ultra, being more immediate and easier to understand and use.
- Use for expert users : in this case the Fire TV Stick 4K can take away from you great satisfactions, especially learning to use all the tricks to install new apps and to add remote control from smartphone.
On the Amazon Fire TV Stick instead we saw the Amazon Fire TV Stick guide with tricks, apps and hidden functions and how to add Netflix, YouTube and apps on TV with Amazon Fire Stick ).
