Amazon Fire TV Stick 4k and 4k Max Generation 2 (2023) Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 มิ.ย. 2024
- Buy one on Amazon: lon.tv/3qxkm (compensated affiliate link) - Amazon just released updated versions of the 4k Fire TV Sticks. Do you really need a Max though? We'll take a look at the Max in this review. See more streaming devices: • Set Top Video Players and subscribe! lon.tv/s
VIDEO INDEX:
00:00 - Intro
00:43 - Pricing
01:00 - Specs & Differences vs. 2nd Generation 4k Fire Stick
02:40 - Wifi 6E Speed Test
04:01 - HDR and Audio support
04:57 - Micro USB Port, Power Cord and HDMI Extender
05:55 - Ambient Experience
07:47 - General Performance, Netflix Test
08:35 - Netflix frame rate switching
09:52 - Free content offerings
11:29 - Alexa Integration - Smart Home Controls
12:13 - Game Streaming
14:41 - Native Fire TV Games & 32 Bit OS
16:12 - Fire Stick vs. Roku?
17:24 - Plex Client Performance
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Thank you Lon, was waiting for this review
Great video Lon!!! I did NOT know how to shut off the Ambient Experience until you just showed me. I just got my 4K max 2nd gen today 🤣🤫
Micro usb? Really? I think companies should be punished releaseing new products with old ports when everything now goes with type c.
Amazon probably doesn't want to mess with the manufacturing process or have an abundance of Micro USB ports
They did it so people use the supplied cable, and power adapter, and not some cheap cable from a Dollar tree, and then complain why it's not working. Roku did almost the same thing with their Roku 4K sticks using a mini USB B plug, and having the WiFi antenna external on the same cable as the power cable. Besides really once you get it setup plugging in a micro USB cable what? ONCE, and you don't touch it again till it needs to be replaced is not a deal, it's not something like your phone you are plugging stuff into on a daily basis
Exactly what I was about to post. Except the punishment part.
@@CommodoreFan64but mini usb is a better connector than micro usb. Micro USB is so prone to breaking, it just sucks.
@@tboatrig I'm not going to disagree, that Micro USB is worse, but again it's on a device most people ain't going to plug, and unplugging on the regular, so I don't see it to that big of an issue. Also I have a old Kindle Touch 4th Gen WiFi e-reader with a Micro USB port that I salvaged from e-waste putting in a new battery, and I've forgotten how many times I've plugged, and unplugged if over the last few years, and it works just fine. Just don't be rough with your stuff I guess.
Thanks for the video...Finally someone who can create a video without trying to sell or promote something...Well done! Just curious as to why you were referencing the difference between the 4k second generation against the 4k max (2) and not the 4k max against the 4k max (2)
In regards to the Live TV button/Guide 10:33 you ARE able to add other app sources such as Pluto, Tubi, etc. It seems amazon has put some time into this feature lately & its working better but still not as great as it could be though. My main complaint is that it only allows a limited amount of channels per source instead of allowing all so you miss a lot of really good content by using this guide rather than the native apps themselves.
You are the best tech reviewer ever. You explains everything from a to z. Keep up the good work 👍
Keep up the great work
Thanks for this review. I would love to get the cube to pair with my studio max speakers and subwoofer, but when I bought one there was some weird bug that wouldn't let me use Dolby atmos at all. With the last gen fire stick max i had no issue and was able to get Dolby atmos with the exact same equipment. So until they get their bugs worked out with the cube, the stick is the best i can do for this ecosystem.
The thing that bugs me on the fire sticks is the storage, to be more specific, the insistence of apps to be on the fires sticks internal memory. Even with a external 32 gig formatted to internal, I still get "Not enough room to update (Put App Name Here)" because it insists on using the internal physical memory on the fire stick.
I can't wait to try the new Fire Stick 4k Max later this year
DTS-HD MA & X do work if you use Kodi nightly and choose Kodi IEC packer as passthrough option in audio settings. Also works on Fire Cube 3.
And what about lossless Dolby TrueHD with Atmos?
Works in both Kodi and Plex@@DjalmaVale
@@DjalmaVale Does it work?
@@Amay_Kumaryes!
I think you would have seen more network speed improvements with 6e if you were testing in an apartment complex where the other wi-fi channels are saturated. So the higher end unit may be worth it for someone in a crowded wi-fi area and their router supports 6e.
I'm surprised Amazon didn't plaster an ad on the side of your garage in the garden camera feed.
Your review was very informative and it’s nice to know that it is compatible with ac4 standard. I have a FireTV Recast, would it be possible to add the recast as a live source for the guide?
It should work but I don't have one to test unfortunately. I think it'll appear in that live channel guide.
Can you do a speed test comparing bootup speed, downloading app speed, opening up apps speed and playing streaming games vs reg 4k
Lon! , Thanks Much !.......
Still waiting for a new nvidia shield
Keep waiting 😂
How well does it handle TH-cam HDR 4k?
Lon, is that your garage on your property that you show at 12:08 on your video? That area above would it be a better studio for you than your basement?
I am on a fire tv cube 2. I am looking for Dolby true hd support for plex. Is this an upgrade or sidegrade? How does this fare when playing high bit rate video?
OT, do you mind reviewing the Google TV Chromecast HD versus the Amazon fire TV stick please, I’m trying to decide between the two which is the better option. New subscriber 🎉.
5:49 i have several cube 3rd gens and want the ambient experience!!!!
I am finding more and more regular DVDS just come with the basic stuff like an old VHS tape. So, in streaming we may see more and more basic sound and video options just my thoughts so far. I have a somewhat high-end DVD player from around 2006 or so and one thing I am learning is its 2023 and more DVDs don't have DTS for audio and just basic video that's barely 720p. That 4K Max should have high-end streaming but Netflix, Prime, and Disney plus don't even use most of the high-end Audio bitrate anymore. Does it do 4k or does it say and just go back to barely 1080p like some of the other streaming devices do today.
I bought one 4k max to test it, I used an older remote, didnt want to use the new one, and it wasnt responding properly when using downloader it wouldnt GO. Sideloaded apps dont show the icon, a couple of apps I tried downloading from my server, were downloaded as bin, not as apk, will keep my cube and my old 4k max
It's amazing how little the specs for the Fire TV Stick have changed over the years. I purchased the original Fire TV in 2014 which had 2 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage. The latest Fire TV Stick 4k Max has 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage. Obviously there is a difference in the specs of those components but still it really limits what is possible with Fire TV Stick in terms of side loading and having a large number of apps and games on the device.
CPU has changed too
Out of the reviews I have seen, this is super thorough. I will follow you. Thank you for your content.
Ambient Mode: Living your tv on all the time and using up it's screen life.
Your style of TV would, of course, determine if Ambient mode was ever enabled. If your Firestick is hooked up to an OLED, then I would be extra cautious.
It did it on my Vizio TV but only for TH-cam
will the Silk browser be faster on these? I use the browser to stream website only stuff and sometimes silk doesnt handle it too well.
How come Amazon can’t make a ethernet adapter for this devices that’s capable of Gigabit speed?? I mean come on Amazon…. It doesn’t seem like that would be a very hard thing to do!?!? Even if they had to charge a little bit more for it, i feel like it would still sell with no issues.
I know you mention it played 4K DV, HDR movies fine on Plex for you, but did it fix that 4K DV issue on certain movies where it'd have a black screen? Gladiator was one of those. Been waiting for an update on my Max from last year to pass through. Besides that, good review as always!
That was when there was HDR+/DV it would go black screen before? This was fixed about a month ago by a Plex side update.
@@stevenwankam747 I just tried pushing the newest on Amazon and still the same problem for me.
So, yeah. I watched your whole vid. Thank you, it was detailed, and from what I see, accurate. I suppose I have to call myself "older" these days (60 yo), but I have to say I am above average in "keeping up". I have four 3rd gen firesticks. Never had a problem before. Recently, I tried to watch an 8 year old movie on Paramount plus, and I got audio, but no video. Just a black screen. So I threw some dough at it. Bought 4K 2nd Gen Firestick. It plays the movie. What gives?
Digital Rights Management (DRM). The HDMI Standard is too low on the older Fire TV compared to the newer one which does not work with the DRM used. Shame...
Can you still install custom launchers such as Projectivy?
My ordinary cheap fire sticks are really slow to load apps, initiate videos, and seem to give me audio sync issues. If I decide to continue outfitting my home with Amazons I may need to upgrade the fire sticks for faster CPUs.
Greetings, is Fire OS 8 based on Android 11? I have the first version of 4K Max with Fire OS 7, will you know if version 8 will arrive for 4K Max? I would appreciate your guidance and thank you
So if I have a 4k tv should I have match frame rate on or off on the firestick ? Which one gives a better picture ?
I want full PIP!! I miss it for being able to monitor multiple games at once. I have no idea why TV manfactures dropped PIP than maybe not many people used it. I suppose FireTV might not be powerful enough to support it.
Ugh this 100% I miss pip so much
Hi there, I am getting GREY ICONS when sodeloading third-party Apps - instead of the App Icons. Are you also getting this, and how can you fix to show the proper App Icon? Thanks
Does anyone know if Kodi works correctly on the new Fire TV Max Gen2, because on Fire TV Max Gen1 it is rubbish to play h264 (mp4) on Kodi, nor does VLC work correctly with H264.
So Is everything output in Dolby Atmos? Or just compatible apps?
Can tyis fully replace TV remote?
Thanks for the review. Can I install Kodi on this new Fire TV stick Max ?
Yes
Been looking to run a separate 6GHz only SSID on my router, local traffic in my neighborhood is getting a little congested, but the 6GHZ channels are free and clear.
The Fire Stick Max should've came with the Pro remote with backlight.
LonBall: does this product have volume leveling? The Apple one has it with headphones and speakers. Does this have it with speakers and/or headphones? Without that the movies get really loud and disturb my dog, Lauren.
what is the min speed for the 4k stick im getting just 30 mbps is that enough ?
Does it upscale lower resolution content like 720/1080p?
damn its happy to see the fire stick emote evolve with so many buttons compared to what it first started 5 years ago.
I wonder if the new 4K max can play UHD bluray rips with Plex.
Sure it can, I play them on my 1st Gen 4k Max no problem.
@@JoshS5811 Only if they're recompressed to a low bitrate. Straight rips don't work very well at all.
Max I have streamed is 81Mbps and it worked fine. I guess people are saying it has problems if over 100Mbps?
I don't know how everyone says this new version has double storage, just click on storage is showing 10.82 from 12.86 is available, if it was double should say from 16 G , I think if you have old version of 4k max you are fine , no need for upgrade, you can extend your storage and keep it running, no different, Amazon is after our money, like always
You have to set the router’s channel width to 160mhz on 6E to notice a speed difference. If it’s on 80mhz or less there will be no difference.
Is there any plans on talking about how Amazon is planning on defaulting to an ad-supported streaming and we're going to have to pay more for no ads? I can provide links if needed.
Sir can you give me a suggestion
I DON'T HV KNOWLEDGE OF GADGETS
In my home we don't have any future plan to buy any kind of TV
And i have old Epson ebx31 projector whoch is 1038x720 (like it says I don't know) and i want to use only phone mirror (to watch movie like once in a week) and sometimes live cricket match (very rarely) so if i buy fire stick 4k max will it project 4k or not and should go for plain fire like only cast from mobile device purpose and what about dolby atomos features (but i hv normal speaker) will it support or not i m confused about this sir kindly help me 😢🙏 or any other option
Someone plz help!! I jus got a firestick 4k Amazon & got it programmed for movies & live events / tv shows. But when I watch a movie the screen will freeze but the audio/sound of the movie will continue. It’s not a wifi/buffering issue because the duration is still going it’s just that the screen is frozen.
It seems that Wi-Fi 6E only makes a difference over Wi-Fi 6 when there is lots of interference, something that WiFi 6 already massively improves on over Wi-Fi 5.
Also with WiFi 6E is the ability to have 160mhz channels. If the channel width on the router is still set at 80mhz then you will see no difference in speed compared to 5ghz WiFi 6. On WiFi 6 it’s technically possible to get 160mhz but it’s very unstable in practice.
Can you connect a webcam?
Is there a way to fix the jailbroken apps with grey icons? Everyone is greyed out.
Unfortunately no.. it’s an issue with fire os
How long does it takes to be available in India ???
16gb is fine for fire stick. I have a 8gb and it runs out of storage fast with the bloatware n stuff
The Ambient Experience feature displays screensavers and can check on your deliveries. Thanks to its mediatek chip.
I can't believe they managed to make the UI even uglier. Stock Google TV is the way to go.
Yep, Google TV, or Roku is the way to go if there is an app/channel you need that's not on Google TV, infact on my main TV I have both an ONN 4K Google TV box, and a Roku 4K Stick just for that reason as plus some channels/apps work better on Roku like the Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Tubi, TuneIn(it's a very barebones unusable app on Google TV), and Peacock which get updated ahead of Google TV.
This is personal preference, that is what you think, to me google is so ugly compare to Amazon interface
@@alirezanikkhah2521 I've used Roku, Google TV, and Amazon, and I find Amazon to be the worst., but if you want to talk about a truly ugly interface you need to go back to some built into older LG TV's, Vizio TV's(slow as dog snot), and the old RCA branded Steaming boxes from the early to mid 2010's. Yeah I've been a cord cutter/shaver for a very long time!!
@@alirezanikkhah2521 Yep. Everyone has their preference.
Agreed. I don't care for the Amazon UI is biased towards Amazon content and is a complete mess. I used Wolf Launcher which was great until Amazon broke it in OS updates. By comparison, Wolf Launcher works on my Sony Android TV and I have complete control of the home screen.
I am currently watching this review on my Amazon Firecube! Though, I had to break out my phone to write this comment...
I will say that over the year, or so, that I've owned the Cube and Sticks they have treated me well. The only downsides are the remote, which not only has a crappy battery door (it pops off very easily after a while, I suggest buying a silicone sleeve for it), but can be easily misplaced due to its size. And the stupid thing is, it can sometimes cost LESS to purchase a whole new stick w/ remote vs. purchasing the remote separately.
The second issue involves the ads (that's them there, at 11:11). Every time you fire this thing up, and select your profile, you get sold to. Hateful, but I guess that's the world we live in.
Honestly, I wouldn't have even bothered with this ecosystem if it weren't for my Ring doorbell & cameras - it is très convenient to be able to see outside my residence from any tv in the house, which is a boon for my disabled mom.
I've noticed Roku is a bit better with the Ads, and then Android TVs can be even better, barring the Google Chromecast Android TV (called the "Chromecast with Google TV"). That Android TV comes with the "Google TV" version of Android TV which is basically the same as normal Android TV except with a bunch of Ads skinned as 'Recommendations'. (I've heard the recommendations can be good & well personalized, that doesn't change Apple et al. paying to have shows from their own streaming services put there.)
@@GeorgeN-ATX You do realize all the complaints you mentioned about GoogleTV can be fixed through toggling an option in the settings right? Go to Accounts page in settings and select apps only mode. this will get rid of all the "sponsored recommendations" you claim and literally just be apps on screen. Just like a roku....
You can block ads by changing the DNS servers through your router. Roku ads can also be blocked this way
@@BasicPixell I'm thinking that the option should be turned off by default, though, or made so incredibly visible that your average user would have no trouble finding it.
Every time I think about getting a new streaming device, it’s hard not to go with the Fire Stick 4k Max. It’s fast, small, easy to set up, and it’ll often be on sale for under $40. I love quality but at the same time it’s hard to spend $90 more on an Apple TV that pretty much does the same thing.
does a stick bought in one country work in another country
So replacing a roku stick and roku 3 on two 720p 32” TV’s would you recommend this unit instead of the non 4K version?
Must. Touch. Stick. At. All times.
I think I'll stick with my Nvidia Shield Pro.
Did your older4k-max play 4K on a 1080p TV ???
uh...a 1080p tv cannot play more than 1080p
Can someone explain to me the benefit of a firestick? I have a smart tv and an account for Disney+, AP, Crave and Netflix. My tv has all these apps. What's the point of getting a firestick if any?
Reason #1: when your TV system gets slightly older(like one year). It will become clunky thus making you not wanting use it. Then fire stick is your answer. You can updated as needed to keep your "TV" feeling "new".
can this model like roku video settings
allow me to downgrade to 4 K 60
and stay they
most app let you choose the video settings
sideloading?
so easy one of the main reason you should get the firestick
Looks like Its got a lot of good features.
Fire stick was nothing but frustration for me for so many years. I am not going to buy another super responsive (for a day) fire stick again.
just bought 2023 LG 4k tv should i still buy firestick?
no need
using firesticks or roku would improve viewing angles of 4k tv?
So, again.. DTS-hd and dts-x working fine in the max , just need set correct audio setup in kodi. Please test it before made the conclusion.
Not with plex
@@LonSeidman Plex is irrelevant. Its a buggy app.
Apple TVv t4ww0w2222 k Max 2023?
One is 49.99 the other is 59.99 ??
These things can save you a fortune in the long run.
Apparently.
Problem with these cheap sticks is they’re just un-crappy enough to work for awhile but age-out in 18 months. My 2017 Apple TV 4K is still going strong and fully supported. You get what you pay for.
I've had my Roku 4K stick for a few years now, it just got the latest Roku OS update, same for my older Roku Express 3900X I have connected to a 27in CRT with composite cables I use as a 2nd TV in my game room, and for older retro console. Roku tends to support it's stuff for a very long time before they stop getting updates as their OS is very lightweight using a Linux base.
I feel you , you like to show off your apple box , but this stick is working fine and is much much cheaper than your device and believe me much better than yours plus you don't need to have any Android device but your Apple box without any other Apple product is mostly garbage, The time for show off spending more money is over The smart people today spending less for better stuff
@@mikedw6748im new to streaming sticks. so amazon firestick runs smooth with android? so its way better than roku and apple tv?
True, I've owned 4 different gen fire sticks, and even google tv one, they all get slow after the first year, even with factory reset.
You gotta get the cube to store movies, it hs the worst file system on the whole planet earth, a 4k movie is 26GB. Even trying to cast something never is good because an HDMI cable is 19GB, the TV is most likely better than the stick. Any computer could be upgraded to like a 2700K and it 70% faster than the library garbage box it came in. On paper the 2700k intel is just a Conroe at 32Nm, but its packed with workarounds, plenty for a movie or a 2080TI nvidia game box because windows 11, likle if you open the task manager, it uses all the extra regissters, there's like 100 hidden registers.
First impressions is one of disappointment. Pushing free given the price of the subscription is disgusting.
These subscription services are becoming more like Sky here in the UK. You are paying for advertising.
A subscription is not required for the free content
@@LonSeidman But they are pushing it to the point of annoyance.
NEEDS A AUTO SHUTDOWN FOR APPS....
Once they let you install ALL/MOST apps to external storage, I'll buy it. But fool me once amazon with the fire 4k max, not allowing me to install anything once I hit 1.5gb. But you cluckers won't fool me again until you get you crap together.
Same goes with the tablets. Up till 7.3.2.2, you could disable updates with firetoolbox. Well...If you're like me and accidentally updated with a factory reset. Basically turned the 2gb fire 10 into a paperweight. The OS eats so much ram now.
tl;dr just no. no no no no no. Get a roku, or if you need android, something with 32gb storage at the minimum.