Tag: Apple TV

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Amazon Fire TV Stick

Amazon FireTVStick and Remote

Pretty interesting move by Amazon to release Fire TV Stick. It sells for $39.00 and comes with a free 30-day trial of Netflix and Amazon Prime. Existing Amazon Prime customers get $20 off Fire TV Stick.

Amazon is clearly positioning Fire TV Stick against Google Chromecast, which currently sells for under $30 at Amazon and Roku Streaming Stick, which currently sells for $49.00 at Amazon.

It’s all thanks to a dual-core processor with 6x the processing power of Roku Streaming Stick, a dedicated VideoCore4 GPU, and 8 GB of storage—4x that of Chromecast and 32x that of Roku Streaming Stick.

I have Google Chromecast which currently is not connected to any TV. I ordered Amazon Fire TV Stick out of curiosity. I do enjoy Amazon Fire TV, until I stopped using it in favor of Apple TV; blame it on HBO GO and iTunes Home Sharing.

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Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV

Just a few comparison photos of Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV.

Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV side by side

Amazon Fire TV has larger surface area than Apple TV.

Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV height differential

Amazon Fire TV is 0.3 inch shorter than Apple TV.

Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV stacked top view

Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV stacked front view

Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV stacked rear view

Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV both have:

  • HDMI out
  • Optical Audio out
  • Ethernet Port

Unlike Apple TV which has a built-in power supply, Amazon Fire TV requires an external power adapter.

Amazon Fire TV has a USB port that is currently serves no purpose, at least that’s what the User’s Guide says. Apple TV has a micro-USB for firmware update/restore.

Amazon Fire TV Manual USB Port

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Amazon Fire TV: Unboxed

After a long day, I finally had a chance to take the Amazon Fire TV out of its packaging.

Amazon Fire TV box

Amazon Fire TV packaging is definitely different than Apple TV’s in many ways.

Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV boxes

Amazon Fire TV comes with a remote, power adapter and 2 AAA batteries.

Amazon Fire TV and Accessories

Available ports on Apple Fire TV:

  • 5.5 mm DC Jack
  • Type A HDMI 1.4b output, w/HDCP
  • Optical Audio (TOSLINK)
  • 10/100 Ethernet
  • USB 2.0 Type A

Amazon Fire TV ports

The first generation of Amazon Fire TV comes with 5.49GB of storage.

About Amazon Fire TV

End of Amazon Fire TV: Unboxed

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Troubleshooting: Apple TV Status Light Stays On in Sleep Mode

I picked up an Apple TV on Tuesday, March 4, 2014. I needed one for instructional purpose and the $25 iTunes Gift Card was a pleasant bonus. I noticed that the status light on the Apple TV stays on even when it was supposed to be in sleep mode. Afterward I noticed that the Apple TV felt really warm. This is the third Apple TV I owned, the other two are still in use and do not behave like this one.

Apple TV Status Light Stays On

According to Apple Support document the status light on Apple TV (2nd and 3rd generation):

  • Glows – Apple TV is on
  • Is off – Apple TV is off or in standby
  • Flashes once – Apple TV is accepting a command from the remote
  • Flashes slowly – Apple TV is starting up

This particular Apple TV does not Flash in any way. The main concern is that this Apple TV actually stays on even though it is supposedly in sleep mode.

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iOS 7.1 beta

Apparently Apple seeded iOS 7.1 beta to developers earlier today.

UPDATE:
According to a few chatters, iOS 7.1 beta brings better performance in older iPad. For example, playing high bit-rate and high-resolution movie through Home Sharing no longer stutters.

iOS 7.1 beta

It is available for:

iPad:

  • iPad Air (Model A1474)
  • iPad Air (Model A1475)
  • iPad mini (Model A1489)
  • iPad mini (Model A1490)
  • iPad (4th generation Model A1458)
  • iPad (4th generation Model A1459)
  • iPad (4th generation Model A1460)
  • iPad mini (Model A1432)
  • iPad mini (Model A1454)
  • iPad mini (Model A1455)
  • iPad Wi-Fi (3rd generation)
  • iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular (model for ATT)
  • iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular (model for Verizon)
  • iPad 2 Wi-Fi (Rev A)
  • iPad 2 Wi-Fi
  • iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G (GSM)
  • iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G (CDMA)

iPhone:

  • iPhone 5s (Model A1453, A1533)
  • iPhone 5s (Model A1457, A1518, A1528, A1530)
  • iPhone 5c (Model A1456, A1532)
  • iPhone 5c (Model A1507, A1516, A1526, A1529)
  • iPhone 5 (Model A1428)
  • iPhone 5 (Model A1429)
  • iPhone 4s
  • iPhone 4 (GSM Rev A)
  • iPhone 4 (GSM)
  • iPhone 4 (CDMA)

iPod touch:

  • iPod touch (5th generation)

Apple TV

  • Apple TV Software beta (3rd generation Rev A)
  • Apple TV Software beta (3rd generation)
  • Apple TV Software beta (2nd generation)

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I’m assuming there would be a two-week cycle for iOS 7.1 beta releases.