Do you face any issues with the picture quality while playing 4k videos? Confused about upgrading to the 4k Fire TV stick vs. the new non 4k edition

4k Videos on the stock android in one of our TV's play so dark that we switch to Full HD videos

I too recently invested in a HD Firestick (for my in laws) and a 4K one for myself. I am very satisfied with both the devices. The remote is a joy to use and of the perfect size. Alexa assistant works near flawlessly.
The interface is very easy to use, especially for the not too tech savvy ones.
I'm a very satisfied customer!

Voted for Amazon fire TV stick. I have been using this for the past 1 year and it is simply flawless. It comes with preloaded streaming apps such as netflix, prime etc. Regular updates are also easier to get. It can be operated through fire TV remote app in phone while the remote is not working, It is a very useful feature. You don't need the inbuilt IR sensor in your phone to operate the remote app.

Fire stick any day for me. Using one for two years almost. Bought it when it was first launched. The service from Amazon is top class. Easy to set up and you’re good to go !

Have never had a chance to try Chromecast or Apple TV. Such is my good experience with the Fire.

Between the firestick 4k and Apple TV 4k do you see any difference in the picture quality ? Specially low light scenes ? I often feel that the blacks bleed terribly on firestick and its much better on the apple TV. Wondering if its just me or others can see it too

Voted fire tv stick. I own two fire sticks - one regular, another 4k. I have a FHD Samsung non-smart 43inch TV for living room, which has the regular firestick, using since 2018 (from the time I gave up cable connection). And 4k one used in my media room with a projector.

If nvidia shield was an option, easily available in India, would have been the choice for media room.

Reasons for fire tv stick,

- usability of device as stand alone, unlike chromecast
- performance, UX is faster than many low cost smart tvs, fire stick 4k is even better and faster
- price, its value for money
- Though I hardly use them for local network streaming, it supports all required AV format (with side loaded app)

Just to give you a value for money aspect, Samsung used to sell 43 and 49 inch non-smart TV for quite a cheap price. I got one in 2018, a 43 inch for 27K and a regular fire stick on sale was 2999, so you get a branded 43 inch TV with wholesome smart features less than 30K.

Now dynamics has changed for smart TV pricing, but fire stick is still value for money for its feature, performance vs price when compared with any other media player and moreover availability of reliable media player is hard to come by.

I have a FireTV stick (1080p), a 3rd gen Apple TV and a MiBox 3 (1080p) at home. Of the lot I prefer using the MiBox 3. It has recently received a update to Android 9 and now has the full complement of apps including Netflix, Prime, Hotstar, Spotify, Kodi etc. Till the Android 9 update came along the MiBox3 did not allow installation of a app for Prime via the Play store (though sideloading worked for a while).

Now, with Android 9 everything works great.

New wifi enabled set top boxes from Airtel DTH/Tata sky have pre-installed hotstar, prime video, etc. These are competent accessories with chromecast built in.

At 1999/- these are very useable and cheap. I have got one, and have been happy.

Voted for TV's own apps. I have an LG 4K TV which now has all of the apps I need minus Apple TV. However, the quality of the apps continue to leave much to be desired in some cases such as Prime. Prime app is very buggy while the Disney+Hotstar has improved in leaps and bounds post the Disney takeover. Hotstar app was just horrible to use.

I have a Chromecast too but the degree of video quality degradation during casting was so high that I have not used it for the past 24 months (except to watch nice wall papers).

Only problem i see with these hybrid boxes are the need for an active DTH subscription. In future if i decide to do away with DTH and move to OTT completely (very likely) i simply can't and risk myself being stuck with a dead box as they lock up the non-DTH features as well in case of an in-active account. Which i felt was morally wrong. But these boxes completely make sense if DTH is a must have for someone for the foreseeable future.

That being said, i myself had a Chromecast and recently purchased an Android TV. Which IMHO put this streaming wars discussion to rest and Chromecast has been warming my cupboard drawer ever since.

Being a tech nerd, i've played around with most of the 'smart' TV's and streaming boxes, in this last 10 years. I would rank the popular one's as below strictly on OTT basis,

1. Fire TV Stick 4k
2. Mi TV Box 4k / Google Chromecast (2020, with remote)
3. Certified 'Android' smart tv
4. Samsung smart tv's with Tizen OS
5. Chromecast (Classic)

I would conclude by saying this and feel my experiences have come around a full circle - "Give me a plain old dumb TV with a nice screen & speakers and let me figure out the 'smart' part"

I have both a Firestick and Chromecast at home but prefer the Firestick anyday. The remote makes it much easier to access and its interface is quite easy and intuitive to use. One can download as many apps as one wants. The Chromecast casts quite seamlessly from the phone as well but then the same option is available on the Firecast as well. So, in my opinion, Firestick is a clear winner!

Our society just got XStream this month and complimentary XStream DTH is offered in our pack (technically, it's a 1500 refundable deposit). But the sales guy said, it is free only if we do a minimum recharge of 300/month. True?

We cut the cord ages ago but have Prime, Netflix, Voot and Apple TV+. Might even get SonyLiv.

The advantage you get with Airtel Xstream and TataSky Binge plus (or FTV stick only Binge) is worth considering. You do not own the HW and it is their responsibility to keep SW and apps up to date so that you can keep watching content. Airtel and TataSky will try to keep it running for years or give free HW upgrades because the subscription money you pay is their bread and butter. They pay way more upfront HW cost than they charge for installation so they do not reach break even in a year.

The only disadvantage is boxes are not portable and currently they do not have Prime and Netflix at discounted billing included in subscription fee. It is still a good worth for heavy Paytv and OTT users who watch other Indian content.

We were on Apple TV initially and then switched to Chromecast. And the TV we got a few months back (Sony KD-65X800G) got this built-in Chromecast and all the basic apps – YouTube, Netflix, Prime etc. So the Chromecast dongle is effectively left unused. The Apple TV is still connected and is used when I have to Airplay some videos/photos from my phone to TV, or to watch some content on Apple TV+.

Voted for apps on my smart tv.

I have a Mi Smart TV in which we get the Mi UI and Android TV as well.
It comes with prime, hotstar, sony liv, zee5, netfilx and most other apps preloaded.
Has chromecast also builtin. Can stream using phone and also cast my screen from all appliances on the same network.

Being a techie I have side loaded aptiode tv too.
Also, have loaded airtel TV, oreo TV and other apps.

Till date have not missed a single app or setting that I could not load.

So, am pretty happy with it as everything works smooth and flawless.

Was contemplating Fire stick initially, but then after proper configuration never felt need of anything else.