My husband got this from our daughter for Father’s Day, and I set it up yesterday. I was very happy to be able to get the TV and AV receiver turned on. I didn’t expect this, because I didn’t use the IR cord because I have the cube by theTV and the receiver is in a closed cabinet nearby, but somehow it still works. However, I can’t get the TiVo box from our cable system to work with it, as our provider doesn’t show up in the set-up list. I really like how easy it is to switch the TV over to watch Fire TV or Acorn, when in the past it required multiple remotes and my husband never got the hang of it. I hope I can teach him the simple voice commands to do this. We are still learning basic things to use Alexa for and it’s all fun! Will have my son-in-law look it over when he has a minute to see if we can connect the TiVo.
I've seen a lot of criticisms for this but they all underplay the advanced Voice Control integration into apps & the IR Blaster aspect. This is IDEAL & genuinely life changing for your Grandmother, Aunty, family member who is technically inept but wants to stream TV, movies, music, etc. Use RUclips, Search Google, keep up with and all forms of Social Media and even post/respond on some, Call or Video-chat on Skype if they have a camera, and on it goes. Now 'Nanna' can see, listen to, contact or learn about basically anything that comes to mind. Such sophisticated voice controls in this intuitive Fire Interface is for some genuinely life changing. Thoroughly set it up for them once and they can take part of online society again, an aspect of society they were excluded from.
If they can get ITV, BBC and Channel 4 voice commands sorted this will be a must have for my family. My mum's blind and can't really use the remotes but loves to listen to shows on catchup. The Echo's have improved her life.
I understand having a roku or amazon fire tv thing if you dont have a smart tv. But if you can set up all these services via a smart tv arent these things pointless?
Thanks for the review! Unfortunately, halfway through my Echo accepted your instructions and turned off the TV I was watching your video on. So, maybe consider not using the keyword in your videos in the future 😀
Unfortunately, Comcast, with their Xfinity X1 box for TV does not offer native Alexa integration. Because of that, you cannot do things shown in the video, such as "Tune to CBS". (You can change the input from Fire TV Cube to cable.) The new X1 and remote have a pushbutton voice activated feature. Apparently Comcast does not wish to surrender this function to Amazon. This should probably be noted in the review, as Comcast has the largest number of television subscribers, at more than 22 million.
@@dandraewhite6339 LMFAAOOOOOOOOOOO.... so your brain thinks it makes sense to ask some random person that left a comment about Xfinity not being compatible 10 months ago(it is now, btw) about which HDMI cable you should use?? What in the actual eff, bro??? Google. Go educate yourself.
this reminds me of what xbox one tried to do with Kinect, basically a universal remote controlled through voice. And everyone LAMBASTED them for that, now Amazon is doing the same thing and people r saying it's so awesome.
Lmao!! Do you understand how long with a remote it would take to search for “die hard” after you figure out what streaming service even has it available?? Ya but those 2 seconds of delay after you speak it is just so frustrating. Smh
It is slow on some commands but it's pretty quick on others. Like when I tell it to turn on the TV it is way faster then when I had the Harmony connected to it.
I got one over the weekend to demo. The wait time after the wait word feels like an eternity compared to the other echo devices I have. Normally I say the wake word then what I want without pausing with 0 problems. This thing I have to say the wake word pause, wait for the beep, then talk. Also, I don't see that you can use follow-up mode like I have on all of my other devices. This feels half-baked, i'm sure it will get there but I am returning and waiting for V2 or some serious firmware changes.
I have it & I've sent my back to Amazon within the first month. The cube has a mind of it's own. I was watching Netflix & the movie stopped in the middle of the movie and the fire TV came on then it went to settings and was going back n forth on it's own. The 2nd one I got was slightly better but still having some small issues.
You might want to rethink that recommendation. I recently purchased and set up a Roku Ultra (2018) and it works great. My main app is RUclips TV which functions well on the Roku. I need a second streaming media player so I ordered the Amazon Fire TV Cube but I am cancelling it before it arrives. Unfortunately as a result of the Google/Amazon feud Amazon will not allow the RUclips TV app to work on Amazon products. I contacted technical (??) support at Amazon and the person said that the work around is to use one of the web browsers supplied with the Cube to use RUclips TV. He never tried it but his notes indicate that is the work around. I have an Amazon Fire Stick that I purchased 7 months ago but never used. I set it up and tried the work around. It allowed me to log into RUclips TV but then indicates I need to download the app to make it work - which of course is blocked by Amazon so it is a non starter. Since I believe the Cube will be the same, I cancelled my order and ordered another Roku Ultra. The added voice commands and the ability to control my receiver were attractive but I think I will wait until Amazon and Google decide to work together more amicably. Try it yourself and let me know if it works for you. It is a shame because RUclips TV has the best content for my needs.
Thanks for making my Echo have a meltdown! :D Seriously though, it's a shame this doesn't have an audio-out socket for connecting to my analogue speakers.
Hooked up cube yesterday. Played with it for 3 hours. Good--but not good enough. Still need the remote for lots of things, such as turning on subtitles or correcting when Cube stalls or gets confused. Commands like "scroll right" are clumsy and slow compared to quick remote scrolling, up or down, left or right. Set up was painless (using supplied remote). Cube "hears" commands over background noise better than current Echo, but still have to speak loudly, at times. Not all cable boxes are currently compatible. (Our small town dsl cable company box was not recognized by cube, so I was forced to use my remote to change channels. I give it 3 stars. Not fast enough or fluid enough to replace my remote, which is what I want.
Kodi is so trash nowadays.....you are behind the times. i will not mention the new ones because i don't want it dead but do some research, the new stuff is much better.
@@CriticalErA Thanks for your opinion, Kodi works absolutely great for me. We enjoy watching movies 2-3-times a month, Im still running the build I installed over 6 months ago....maybe Kodi has improved beings everybody has moved on to other options. Not interested in other options for free movies/tv/sports
Sounds great but I'll stick with the regular 4K Fire TV (the new Chromecast-looking model) for a while, I honestly prefer remotes over voice commands half the time.
Hey bro if you don't mind. I have a question. It requires to pay a monthly fee to be able use this fire tv cube, thanks for your answer, God bless you.
Great review! I am waiting for mine to arrive today! I currently use a harmony hub (with an echo) to voice control my TV, which works great but this looks like a less frictionless way to go and will give me more voice control. I was surprised to see you mention that the Cube can attach to Apple TV and Roku (I have both and like you my favorite has been the Roku Ultra). My family collects all our movies that we buy on Apple TV (plus my son plays Sonic the Hedge Hog on ATV) and the Roku has the free TV channel that I like, so that would be two scenerios why this is a big deal. I am assuming it just switches inputs to those devices?? but still nice to be able to tell Alexa turn on Apple TV. Voice control of the TV entertainment center has always been the Hoy Grail of voice control for me and this really rounds out my smart home and everything I can do which has been a wonderful experience. I am gl!ad that a remote is still included which is still needed for sick days on the couch or when the kids are running around screaming in front of me in the living room, I have a sideclick remote ready to be attached to the Fire Cube remote for a all in one experience. This is the future I always wanted and now it is a reality! I think Amazon is really dominating the smart home space and I think this product will bring millions more into seeing the value of smart assistants.
with all the post production this video went through, would have been a GREAT idea to mute the activation word for the Amazon device. My echo dot is across the room and getting activated each time.
Great question, Mishary, but I think the potential here is to simplify the process for people who don't understand how to make a system work, or who don't know which remote does what.
Caleb Denison I guess it is a luxury product more than anything, anyways thank you Caleb for always giving us the best reviews, I always enjoy your TV reviews, keep it up!
Great review, this is my first alexa device and you showed me a few tricks. I have only had 2 real complaints so far. The first is that the video player does not like 50 hz videos, like British TV shows. The video plays back very jerky, so I hope that gets better. The second is when I tell it to play music, it often stops playing after one or two songs and switches to a different screen like the home screen. Very annoying, so I hope it gets better soon, because I think it is a keeper even though whenever I watch British TV I have to switch to my Roku.
Prefer just using the remote because in today’s age I use the fire stick more than main stream tv and with the remote u don’t have to say Alexa and it’s fast and feels more natural
I own one and bought one for my mom for Christmas. Totally regretting it now and might return hers. There is no way to customize your home page or remove much of the bloatware. So many things preinstalled you will likely never use that you can't remove or hide. For example I added STARZ to the device and now I can't remove show recommendations from that service after unsubscribing from the service which was a pain to do. You can't disable the featured content or the big promotional TV/Movie ad that is on the main page. They removed the "pin" option. You are left with move or "Move to front". It is a headache pairing it with many cable boxes and TV brands. You have to enable unknown sources for every app you install. You can't just enable it generally. Streaming from Steam Link is awful even with an ethernet cable. Low quality and serious lag. The same goes for Xbox Game Pass. If you install non store apps you won't have a thumbnail for it. If you are a perfectionist seeing an empty weird looking generic thumbnail will bother you. The remote is super slippery so you will need to get a grippy cover. I prefer my TCL Roku TV just the way it is. I can totally customize my home screen and name all of the inputs. It has everything I need and then some. Not sure why I bought a Cube. I'm just compulsive like that. Anyway I don't feel like packing it all up to return it so I'll likely just sell it after the new year. My moms will be easy to return because the Amazon mailing envelope it came in hasn't even been opened yet. I am not saying this channel got the Cube for free, but I do know Amazon or vendors of their products contact many of these influencers and offer them free products. I mean many channels say they give their honest opinion but let's face it, once someone gives you something at no cost unconscious bias has already been installed into your mind and how you review the products. Oddly you rarely hear reviewers mention the issues I have just mentioned. It's not even worth rooting since rooting really does not add much functionality or customization options. If you already have a smart TV, skip this rubbish device. This is the first time I have ever slagged an Amazon product and in the end it is just my opinion. Just think long and hard before buying this if you are already geared up for streaming in your home. All these Amazon devices do is add a data collection spy to your home and if you are already good for streaming just leave "well enough" alone. Don't over complicate your life.
This linked to my sound bar okay, but the volume won't raise to an acceptable level. It should blow me out of my skin at level 100 , but thats what I need to set the sound bar at to get an acceptable level. Any tips?
So I have a legacy Alexa hub in my family room now, should I ditch it and move to the cube? Having both would seem like a pain when trying to control one or the other. I use my Alexa for background music when reading. Also I have it control my lights and other equipment. Appears the Cube is more AV oriented.
How long dos it last, is there a chance that one day it would stop working for whatever reason. One of fire TV sticks died after 2 years of use, is there a chance that same thing would happen with this thing?
Thanks for having the first hands on review. I’m waiting for mine to come in the mail today! I have an A/V receiver that my fiancée can’t figure out for the life of her so this should help streamline input changes.
So no in depth external controls yet unless the maker gets on board. I have a Harmony hub that it controls my Marantz 7.2.4 AVR, Oppo 203, Optima 4k projector, Roku 4, Nexus Player (for my live TV unless this cube supports Homerun HD), my LG dedicated AC unit, and my Philips hue lights. Is there a supported database list we can see and what controls are offered. Right now my Google home relays my voice commands to my Harmony hub. I barely use my Alexa dot 2nd gen because of how capable the home has become. The cube is interesting but may not be able to function in my home theater.
so if i have a smart tv, that has its own apps and whatnot y'know? will it use the TV's native app loadout and control the TV that way, or does it pretty much stand by itself with ITS OWN set of apps and stuff? What i mean is, is this more a remote control that uses alexa to push buttons, or is it more like a streaming stick that uses voice to control it?
I really like the look of the cube and it's software just wish amazon would give all the other devices the same software as the cube. So the people already in alexa eco can get all these new features what do they expect us all to do get rid of the one we already have and replace them with a cube ?
When you tell the cube to play Netflix for example how will it know which imput to change ( for home theater receiver ) For example in order to get aufio player on my smart TV I have to switch the receiver to TV. But when I want to watch cable I have switch my imput to HDMI 1
He didn't even test how well it work with older receiver. Other reviewer mentioned that it does not work as flexible outside of cube like Xbox, cable box, receiver, etc. It does not have a universal IR blaster like the HArmony does. Something this reviewer obviously failed to mention. This reviewer review the product assuming you are in an Amazon wall garden environment. He even put down Roku.
Digital trends, does it have micro usb input? so if i buy a micro usb to usb adapter, can i increase the fire cube's internal memory and even add external hd?
Good review, but damn... couldn't you mute the "Alexa" commands in post edit???? It's hard to watch this video with Alexa chiming in every other second.
Slappy McPhee you're an idiot and probably don't even own any Alexa device. When they say "far field technology" they mean it. Devices in other rooms can hear and react. I'm not running around my house muting and unmuting all of my devices. This guy is the professional. He can either comform with the industry standard and either mute his "Alexa" command in post production like everyone else or he can not say it. So, please take your judgement and go off yourself
Do I need cable to be able to use this product? Because I already plugged in on the tv, and only movies seem to work! Not sports, not local channels ether. Any help I'll appreciate, and thanks.
How to connect all the entertainment devices? How does the Cube turn on the TV and other systems? i.e. Xbox, DVD player etc... I have a Samusng smart TV, can Cube turn it on and off? How? It have.build in IR?
Looks a winner. I'll probably wait until the 2nd generation. Are you able to download 3rd party apps like the Firestick? If so, I'd say I'm highly likely to purchase one.
I have bought the cube but we use a Sony soundbar, I had to connect the soundbar via bluetooth as i couldnt get it to work with the cube, now the soundbar will not work with normal tv I have not changed how the soundbar is plugged in (HDMI) the box is connected also by HDMI to the TV - we now find that the TV suddenly loses sound completely after a while and we have to switch on and off to get it back again. Any suggestions on how we can get the soundbar working on both normal TV and the Box?
Can i use the cube to control my internet on the computer. I have a client who is a senior citizen and he listens to old time radio station on the computer internet. or any other suggestions?
How do you set the fire TV cube to not change inputs when it turns the TV on. My default input is my TiVo when I turn my TV on, but if I say Alexa turn on the TV, it does so and then changes the input to the fire TV. Very annoying and I can't find the fix to not change the input when turning the TV on through the cube.
Great review and I agree. I'd stick to my plain old Fire Stick TV which I now use only as a back-up with my other non-smart old TV. Many other cheap but equally good streaming devices in the market. Cheers!
One thing I did different in my review vs this one, I tried to say "Alexa" a little less frequently or really fast so it doesn't freak out people's Echos like this one did mine. :=\
Travis McP this is KILLING ME. Other people at least mute the command. It almost doesn't matter how good his review is because he's triggering Alexa every 30 seconds. 🤬
Jeb Johnston because you can't change it for all Alexa devices. Example...I have a Harmon Kardon Allure, there is no "Computer" option. I've checked with Amazon. It's only for their direct products.
I had to move my echo to table next to couch in order for it to correctly hear commands without sound blocking it. turn your sound up like it would be for during a movie (i mean, you have a surround sound so obviously it's going to be higher volume) then do a video.
Let's say you have an Amazon Echo and the cube in your TV room and you give a command like "play The Walking Dead season 2 episode 1". What if the Echo takes control? Does it send the command to the cube? If not, then it seems I may expect problems controlling my TV. What say you all?
How well does the follow up feature work on this thing. Also can you set up more than one of these on your account and have the same commands with out changing the channel on a different tv. Kinda like adding lights to a Echo and saying turn on the light command to that echo which only turn on the light added to that echo.
Really love your contents, it would be great if you use other trigger word other than Alexa or just mute the trigger word... my echo devices are going off crazy
I don't know what Amazon is think not including different ports for the cube, no SPDIF, no Ethernet, no USB. Not everyone has some fancy high speed wireless connection in their homes, plus all streaming services advice people to connect the devices via Ethernet to avoid buffering. Amazon failed big time, maybe they'll improve on their next version or they probably remove the hdmi.
Android TV with Roku utlimate is the way to go in my experience. They only Amazon app I use is Amazon Prime. Which I can download on the Android TV, Roku and my Xbox one x.
Hello. Nice, professional review! One question, though. Can I control my DVR player with the Cube? Comcast Xfinity X1, I think. I record a lot of baseball games and it's always exactly 2 minutes for commercial breaks. I'd be really happy if I could say, "Alexa, fast forward two minutes" and have it do that for me automatically each time.
They should consider building in a review word for Alexa, and encouraging people to use that when reviewing products to avoid triggering Alexa's every few minutes. Also... as a data project, Amazon could probably work out by analysing the patterns of our devices... that we all watched this video...
My husband got this from our daughter for Father’s Day, and I set it up yesterday. I was very happy to be able to get the TV and AV receiver turned on. I didn’t expect this, because I didn’t use the IR cord because I have the cube by theTV and the receiver is in a closed cabinet nearby, but somehow it still works. However, I can’t get the TiVo box from our cable system to work with it, as our provider doesn’t show up in the set-up list. I really like how easy it is to switch the TV over to watch Fire TV or Acorn, when in the past it required multiple remotes and my husband never got the hang of it. I hope I can teach him the simple voice commands to do this. We are still learning basic things to use Alexa for and it’s all fun! Will have my son-in-law look it over when he has a minute to see if we can connect the TiVo.
I've seen a lot of criticisms for this but they all underplay the advanced Voice Control integration into apps & the IR Blaster aspect. This is IDEAL & genuinely life changing for your Grandmother, Aunty, family member who is technically inept but wants to stream TV, movies, music, etc. Use RUclips, Search Google, keep up with and all forms of Social Media and even post/respond on some, Call or Video-chat on Skype if they have a camera, and on it goes. Now 'Nanna' can see, listen to, contact or learn about basically anything that comes to mind. Such sophisticated voice controls in this intuitive Fire Interface is for some genuinely life changing. Thoroughly set it up for them once and they can take part of online society again, an aspect of society they were excluded from.
I would rather just use a remote the voice command sequence is way too time consuming.
My Alexa went off like 30 times cuz of you 😂😂
That is why I named mine Echo.
Yes very annoying.
mine too :0
Then put on headphones
Mine just did the same thing went off about 20 times lol
If they can get ITV, BBC and Channel 4 voice commands sorted this will be a must have for my family. My mum's blind and can't really use the remotes but loves to listen to shows on catchup. The Echo's have improved her life.
Hopefully soon the Cube can play the radio and music without it turning on the TV set.
The question is, can you listen to Amazon Music through the cube and have it play over the home theater system?
Hannah Sloane yes it does if your home theater is connected to your TV. It won't play it in just the cube. At least i never tried it like that.
would have liked and possibly watched more had you muted the wake word like many other reviews do. My echo show kept popping on
@@conedome6845 Um no it’s not. Most tech people mute it anyways because you don’t wanna get annoyed while viewing it and just click of the video.
My brain hurt, too much Alexa.....just gimme a remote+smart TV
I understand having a roku or amazon fire tv thing if you dont have a smart tv. But if you can set up all these services via a smart tv arent these things pointless?
Thanks for the review! Unfortunately, halfway through my Echo accepted your instructions and turned off the TV I was watching your video on. So, maybe consider not using the keyword in your videos in the future 😀
I remember Microsoft introducing this with the xbox one and everybody said it was stupid and now everyone is doing it and its awsome
I'm interested in this as a disability device. I hope they keep developing it for the sake of those with limited motor control
Unfortunately, Comcast, with their Xfinity X1 box for TV does not offer native Alexa integration. Because of that, you cannot do things shown in the video, such as "Tune to CBS". (You can change the input from Fire TV Cube to cable.) The new X1 and remote have a pushbutton voice activated feature. Apparently Comcast does not wish to surrender this function to Amazon. This should probably be noted in the review, as Comcast has the largest number of television subscribers, at more than 22 million.
Do u think an hdmi 2.0 cable will make the picture quality better for comcast HD cable that i have?
@@dandraewhite6339 LMFAAOOOOOOOOOOO.... so your brain thinks it makes sense to ask some random person that left a comment about Xfinity not being compatible 10 months ago(it is now, btw) about which HDMI cable you should use?? What in the actual eff, bro??? Google. Go educate yourself.
@@TheRealWickedMelon Shut up bitch lmao
Solid video. I only dropped one "Alexa" in my review to curb any viewer frustration. Now if "Echo" is you wake word... watch out! :)
Wish you could have gone into more of the app and other alexa features that it hopefully has
this reminds me of what xbox one tried to do with Kinect, basically a universal remote controlled through voice. And everyone LAMBASTED them for that, now Amazon is doing the same thing and people r saying it's so awesome.
It seems pretty slow to respond. Maybe I'll wait for the second version to come out
Its very responsive. You don't need to wait for it to beep before commanding
Voive command will always be slower than remote
Lmao!! Do you understand how long with a remote it would take to search for “die hard” after you figure out what streaming service even has it available?? Ya but those 2 seconds of delay after you speak it is just so frustrating. Smh
It is slow on some commands but it's pretty quick on others. Like when I tell it to turn on the TV it is way faster then when I had the Harmony connected to it.
I got one over the weekend to demo. The wait time after the wait word feels like an eternity compared to the other echo devices I have. Normally I say the wake word then what I want without pausing with 0 problems. This thing I have to say the wake word pause, wait for the beep, then talk. Also, I don't see that you can use follow-up mode like I have on all of my other devices. This feels half-baked, i'm sure it will get there but I am returning and waiting for V2 or some serious firmware changes.
I have it & I've sent my back to Amazon within the first month. The cube has a mind of it's own. I was watching Netflix & the movie stopped in the middle of the movie and the fire TV came on then it went to settings and was going back n forth on it's own. The 2nd one I got was slightly better but still having some small issues.
You might want to rethink that recommendation. I recently purchased and set up a Roku Ultra (2018) and it works great. My main app is RUclips TV which functions well on the Roku. I need a second streaming media player so I ordered the Amazon Fire TV Cube but I am cancelling it before it arrives. Unfortunately as a result of the Google/Amazon feud Amazon will not allow the RUclips TV app to work on Amazon products. I contacted technical (??) support at Amazon and the person said that the work around is to use one of the web browsers supplied with the Cube to use RUclips TV. He never tried it but his notes indicate that is the work around. I have an Amazon Fire Stick that I purchased 7 months ago but never used. I set it up and tried the work around. It allowed me to log into RUclips TV but then indicates I need to download the app to make it work - which of course is blocked by Amazon so it is a non starter. Since I believe the Cube will be the same, I cancelled my order and ordered another Roku Ultra. The added voice commands and the ability to control my receiver were attractive but I think I will wait until Amazon and Google decide to work together more amicably.
Try it yourself and let me know if it works for you. It is a shame because RUclips TV has the best content for my needs.
is this still an expensive paper weight, or has Amazon improved it greatly?
I don't use the TV features. I purchased the cube to stream High Res Music digitally into my DAC. The sound is absolutely stunning.
Thanks for making my Echo have a meltdown! :D
Seriously though, it's a shame this doesn't have an audio-out socket for connecting to my analogue speakers.
Hooked up cube yesterday. Played with it for 3 hours. Good--but not good enough. Still need the remote for lots of things, such as turning on subtitles or correcting when Cube stalls or gets confused. Commands like "scroll right" are clumsy and slow compared to quick remote scrolling, up or down, left or right. Set up was painless (using supplied remote). Cube "hears" commands over background noise better than current Echo, but still have to speak loudly, at times. Not all cable boxes are currently compatible. (Our small town dsl cable company box was not recognized by cube, so I was forced to use my remote to change channels. I give it 3 stars. Not fast enough or fluid enough to replace my remote, which is what I want.
Does it work on non smart TVs?
The box has a IR sensor I assume it will work
when you close the tv and have a ps4 plugged in does it put it in rest mode or turn in off ?
can you download the kodi app and alexa will respond to it? thats the only reason I buy amazon devices is to download kodi and watch movies
Kodi is so trash nowadays.....you are behind the times. i will not mention the new ones because i don't want it dead but do some research, the new stuff is much better.
@@CriticalErA Thanks for your opinion, Kodi works absolutely great for me. We enjoy watching movies 2-3-times a month, Im still running the build I installed over 6 months ago....maybe Kodi has improved beings everybody has moved on to other options. Not interested in other options for free movies/tv/sports
Your commercials are the best!!
Sounds great but I'll stick with the regular 4K Fire TV (the new Chromecast-looking model) for a while, I honestly prefer remotes over voice commands half the time.
ColonielLizardT4 exactly sometimes may not be in the mood for talking lol
Assholes it comes with a remote...smf
Then just use the fucking remote and put alexa on mute...duhhh
ColonielLizardT4 me too seems like way to much talking for me lol especially late at night or early am when everyone in the house is asleep
Hey bro if you don't mind. I have a question. It requires to pay a monthly fee to be able use this fire tv cube, thanks for your answer, God bless you.
Great review! I am waiting for mine to arrive today! I currently use a harmony hub (with an echo) to voice control my TV, which works great but this looks like a less frictionless way to go and will give me more voice control. I was surprised to see you mention that the Cube can attach to Apple TV and Roku (I have both and like you my favorite has been the Roku Ultra). My family collects all our movies that we buy on Apple TV (plus my son plays Sonic the Hedge Hog on ATV) and the Roku has the free TV channel that I like, so that would be two scenerios why this is a big deal. I am assuming it just switches inputs to those devices?? but still nice to be able to tell Alexa turn on Apple TV. Voice control of the TV entertainment center has always been the Hoy Grail of voice control for me and this really rounds out my smart home and everything I can do which has been a wonderful experience. I am gl!ad that a remote is still included which is still needed for sick days on the couch or when the kids are running around screaming in front of me in the living room, I have a sideclick remote ready to be attached to the Fire Cube remote for a all in one experience. This is the future I always wanted and now it is a reality! I think Amazon is really dominating the smart home space and I think this product will bring millions more into seeing the value of smart assistants.
with all the post production this video went through, would have been a GREAT idea to mute the activation word for the Amazon device. My echo dot is across the room and getting activated each time.
And? Did it honestly matter that much? No. Get over it.
Great review as always but are we really that lazy nowadays not wanting to grab a remote?
Mishary AlMesafer yes
There's a difference between lazy and convenience and I personally love being able to tell my TV to pause/unpause when I get up to grab a beer.
It's also convenient when you have buttery fingers from eating popcorn and not wanting to smear on your remotes
Great question, Mishary, but I think the potential here is to simplify the process for people who don't understand how to make a system work, or who don't know which remote does what.
Caleb Denison I guess it is a luxury product more than anything, anyways thank you Caleb for always giving us the best reviews, I always enjoy your TV reviews, keep it up!
Great review, this is my first alexa device and you showed me a few tricks. I have only had 2 real complaints so far. The first is that the video player does not like 50 hz videos, like British TV shows. The video plays back very jerky, so I hope that gets better. The second is when I tell it to play music, it often stops playing after one or two songs and switches to a different screen like the home screen. Very annoying, so I hope it gets better soon, because I think it is a keeper even though whenever I watch British TV I have to switch to my Roku.
Prefer just using the remote because in today’s age I use the fire stick more than main stream tv and with the remote u don’t have to say Alexa and it’s fast and feels more natural
I own one and bought one for my mom for Christmas. Totally regretting it now and might return hers. There is no way to customize your home page or remove much of the bloatware. So many things preinstalled you will likely never use that you can't remove or hide. For example I added STARZ to the device and now I can't remove show recommendations from that service after unsubscribing from the service which was a pain to do. You can't disable the featured content or the big promotional TV/Movie ad that is on the main page. They removed the "pin" option. You are left with move or "Move to front". It is a headache pairing it with many cable boxes and TV brands.
You have to enable unknown sources for every app you install. You can't just enable it generally. Streaming from Steam Link is awful even with an ethernet cable. Low quality and serious lag. The same goes for Xbox Game Pass. If you install non store apps you won't have a thumbnail for it. If you are a perfectionist seeing an empty weird looking generic thumbnail will bother you. The remote is super slippery so you will need to get a grippy cover.
I prefer my TCL Roku TV just the way it is. I can totally customize my home screen and name all of the inputs. It has everything I need and then some. Not sure why I bought a Cube. I'm just compulsive like that. Anyway I don't feel like packing it all up to return it so I'll likely just sell it after the new year. My moms will be easy to return because the Amazon mailing envelope it came in hasn't even been opened yet.
I am not saying this channel got the Cube for free, but I do know Amazon or vendors of their products contact many of these influencers and offer them free products. I mean many channels say they give their honest opinion but let's face it, once someone gives you something at no cost unconscious bias has already been installed into your mind and how you review the products. Oddly you rarely hear reviewers mention the issues I have just mentioned.
It's not even worth rooting since rooting really does not add much functionality or customization options. If you already have a smart TV, skip this rubbish device.
This is the first time I have ever slagged an Amazon product and in the end it is just my opinion. Just think long and hard before buying this if you are already geared up for streaming in your home. All these Amazon devices do is add a data collection spy to your home and if you are already good for streaming just leave "well enough" alone. Don't over complicate your life.
This linked to my sound bar okay, but the volume won't raise to an acceptable level. It should blow me out of my skin at level 100 , but thats what I need to set the sound bar at to get an acceptable level. Any tips?
Technology is cool, but I just don’t get the whole talking to a device thing, what’s wrong with a regular remote?
have u ever got all comfy on the sofa or in bed, look up and spotted the remote way across the room?
Do you know someone with a disability?
WTF why no audio out and why have they still not built in the ethernet port , Weird !
So I have a legacy Alexa hub in my family room now, should I ditch it and move to the cube? Having both would seem like a pain when trying to control one or the other. I use my Alexa for background music when reading. Also I have it control my lights and other equipment. Appears the Cube is more AV oriented.
Does fire cube play sound of online content or need to connect extra speakers?
How long dos it last, is there a chance that one day it would stop working for whatever reason. One of fire TV sticks died after 2 years of use, is there a chance that same thing would happen with this thing?
What is attached to the ARC HDMI on the back of the TV... the cube or the AV receiver?
Did yours bring an HDMI cable?
Thanks for having the first hands on review. I’m waiting for mine to come in the mail today! I have an A/V receiver that my fiancée can’t figure out for the life of her so this should help streamline input changes.
Michael Dust With the Fire Cube hopefully forever hahaha
Mark how do u like it, I got my wife one.
does it have youtubetv app? not regular youtube.com youtubetv
So no in depth external controls yet unless the maker gets on board. I have a Harmony hub that it controls my Marantz 7.2.4 AVR, Oppo 203, Optima 4k projector, Roku 4, Nexus Player (for my live TV unless this cube supports Homerun HD), my LG dedicated AC unit, and my Philips hue lights. Is there a supported database list we can see and what controls are offered. Right now my Google home relays my voice commands to my Harmony hub. I barely use my Alexa dot 2nd gen because of how capable the home has become. The cube is interesting but may not be able to function in my home theater.
so if i have a smart tv, that has its own apps and whatnot y'know? will it use the TV's native app loadout and control the TV that way, or does it pretty much stand by itself with ITS OWN set of apps and stuff? What i mean is, is this more a remote control that uses alexa to push buttons, or is it more like a streaming stick that uses voice to control it?
So the TV on commands work with any TV or only specific models?
We use our current fire tv as a gaming console. Does the cube support minecraft and other games with the gaming controller?
What tv do I need for this work good? Any smart tv works? Or specific ones are better ?
I really like the look of the cube and it's software just wish amazon would give all the other devices the same software as the cube. So the people already in alexa eco can get all these new features what do they expect us all to do get rid of the one we already have and replace them with a cube ?
When you tell the cube to play Netflix for example how will it know which imput to change ( for home theater receiver )
For example in order to get aufio player on my smart TV I have to switch the receiver to TV. But when I want to watch cable I have switch my imput to HDMI 1
Does the cube only have streaming media control or can you make it turn on and off other house functions like smart thermostats, alarms, etc?
does the cube have a speaker built-in?
Alexa: Dust the product being reviewed.
I liked that he showed what its basically going to look like in the home. It's a dust grabber.
zoiks 66 lol
SERIOUSLY
Tells me it's a regular guy that will give an honest review.
Great but when will this be available in the UK
Voice commands are wayyyyyy to slow
The Transplant Helper better wait for version 2
Too*
*too
Your mums slow.
How do I turn off the TV or change volume without using my voice?
So, can this play on a smart TV as well?
Can the tv sound be output through the Firetv Cube speaker?
He didn't even test how well it work with older receiver. Other reviewer mentioned that it does not work as flexible outside of cube like Xbox, cable box, receiver, etc. It does not have a universal IR blaster like the HArmony does. Something this reviewer obviously failed to mention. This reviewer review the product assuming you are in an Amazon wall garden environment. He even put down Roku.
Digital trends, does it have micro usb input? so if i buy a micro usb to usb adapter, can i increase the fire cube's internal memory and even add external hd?
So, with everything off, I can ask for “play The Crown on Netflix”, and it will turn on TV and load Netflix? Can Apple TV 4K do that?
Good review, but damn... couldn't you mute the "Alexa" commands in post edit???? It's hard to watch this video with Alexa chiming in every other second.
Me Xavier You are watching a review on an Alexa product....you might want to have the common sense to mute your products....lmao.....wow
Slappy McPhee you're an idiot and probably don't even own any Alexa device. When they say "far field technology" they mean it. Devices in other rooms can hear and react. I'm not running around my house muting and unmuting all of my devices. This guy is the professional. He can either comform with the industry standard and either mute his "Alexa" command in post production like everyone else or he can not say it.
So, please take your judgement and go off yourself
😂😂
Too bad it's so hard to mute an Amazon Echo...
? Where did this come from?
Out of nowhere.
Do I need cable to be able to use this product? Because I already plugged in on the tv, and only movies seem to work! Not sports, not local channels ether. Any help I'll appreciate, and thanks.
Question, can the fire TV be used for smart devices like the echo?
How to connect all the entertainment devices? How does the Cube turn on the TV and other systems? i.e. Xbox, DVD player etc... I have a Samusng smart TV, can Cube turn it on and off? How? It have.build in IR?
Looks a winner. I'll probably wait until the 2nd generation. Are you able to download 3rd party apps like the Firestick? If so, I'd say I'm highly likely to purchase one.
Can u use it to watch normal tv if u don’t have satellite!!
im about to get another roku ultra, but i saw this .... biggest concern is ... does it have youtubetv ??
Is there a browser in to the device?
Have you tried using external Hard.
Is there a way to connect a OTA antenna and access it thru fire main page like on the fire tv tv edition
I have bought the cube but we use a Sony soundbar, I had to connect the soundbar via bluetooth as i couldnt get it to work with the cube, now the soundbar will not work with normal tv I have not changed how the soundbar is plugged in (HDMI) the box is connected also by HDMI to the TV - we now find that the TV suddenly loses sound completely after a while and we have to switch on and off to get it back again. Any suggestions on how we can get the soundbar working on both normal TV and the Box?
Can I watch European soccer on the Fire cube, it consists Sky sports and Nbscn?
I have the fire stick TV edition would the cube still work
Can i use the cube to control my internet on the computer. I have a client who is a senior citizen and he listens to old time radio station on the computer internet. or any other suggestions?
Can I have the same functionality with an echo show 8 and firestick?
How do you set the fire TV cube to not change inputs when it turns the TV on. My default input is my TiVo when I turn my TV on, but if I say Alexa turn on the TV, it does so and then changes the input to the fire TV. Very annoying and I can't find the fix to not change the input when turning the TV on through the cube.
Do you have to plug it in to the tv or can it connect wireless
Great review and I agree. I'd stick to my plain old Fire Stick TV which I now use only as a back-up with my other non-smart old TV. Many other cheap but equally good streaming devices in the market. Cheers!
One thing I did different in my review vs this one, I tried to say "Alexa" a little less frequently or really fast so it doesn't freak out people's Echos like this one did mine. :=\
Travis McP this is KILLING ME. Other people at least mute the command. It almost doesn't matter how good his review is because he's triggering Alexa every 30 seconds. 🤬
Why not just change it? Personally, I have mine set to Computer...
Jeb Johnston because you can't change it for all Alexa devices. Example...I have a Harmon Kardon Allure, there is no "Computer" option. I've checked with Amazon. It's only for their direct products.
You are watching a review on an Alexa product....you might want to have the common sense to mute your products....lmao.....wow
Yep, I changed mine to Fire Cube to Echo because the Echo Dot in my kitchen was confused. :-)
Does it work with Over the air tv. What about slingtv & Fubotv?
What about your cable box?
Can you ask it to play music? Or a particular song?
Can you control more than one tv ...? Just curious
I had to move my echo to table next to couch in order for it to correctly hear commands without sound blocking it. turn your sound up like it would be for during a movie (i mean, you have a surround sound so obviously it's going to be higher volume) then do a video.
Let's say you have an Amazon Echo and the cube in your TV room and you give a command like "play The Walking Dead season 2 episode 1". What if the Echo takes control? Does it send the command to the cube? If not, then it seems I may expect problems controlling my TV. What say you all?
Can you download android apps on this for instance Kodi?
How well does the follow up feature work on this thing. Also can you set up more than one of these on your account and have the same commands with out changing the channel on a different tv. Kinda like adding lights to a Echo and saying turn on the light command to that echo which only turn on the light added to that echo.
Really love your contents, it would be great if you use other trigger word other than Alexa or just mute the trigger word... my echo devices are going off crazy
I don't know what Amazon is think not including different ports for the cube, no SPDIF, no Ethernet, no USB. Not everyone has some fancy high speed wireless connection in their homes, plus all streaming services advice people to connect the devices via Ethernet to avoid buffering. Amazon failed big time, maybe they'll improve on their next version or they probably remove the hdmi.
My Echo kept going off multiple times during this video. LOL!! 😆
Isn't it a bit slow..it would be better with an air remote or Kinect like functionality
Android TV with Roku utlimate is the way to go in my experience. They only Amazon app I use is Amazon Prime. Which I can download on the Android TV, Roku and my Xbox one x.
Hello. Nice, professional review! One question, though. Can I control my DVR player with the Cube? Comcast Xfinity X1, I think. I record a lot of baseball games and it's always exactly 2 minutes for commercial breaks. I'd be really happy if I could say, "Alexa, fast forward two minutes" and have it do that for me automatically each time.
Do you need to have cable?
Does the Apple TV app work on this??
They should consider building in a review word for Alexa, and encouraging people to use that when reviewing products to avoid triggering Alexa's every few minutes.
Also... as a data project, Amazon could probably work out by analysing the patterns of our devices... that we all watched this video...
This is a pain in the ass to watch in any of my rooms because it turns on my echo when he says Alexa
why wouldn't they clean the dust off of it before they shot the close ups
Is the fire tv cube faster than the fire tv 4k?
Could this work for my computer?