Looks like this is the âoriginalâ version packaged with the remote that does not feature the volume up/down buttons. We really missed volume buttons, thankfully thatâs an option now, and looks like if you buy the cube here and get the remote on the mothership youâre still coming out ahead.
Thanks Ahulett. I didnât realize they released one without the volume and TV power buttons. I got this in November from Amazon for this price and it had the remote with TV buttons. You would be able to control TV volume and power by voice with this, but many times good olâ buttons are preferable.
I havenât spent much time fiddling with mine yet, but when I use it to play music it seems to send the audio to the TV and from there to the soundbar, so if the TV isnât already on, I donât get the music and sometimes it would be nice to play music without needing the TV on (though the graphics and lyrics are nice).
Pretty good deal. These were $ 89 if you pre-ordered when they first came out. The only thing I donât like is it lacks the ability to " drop in" to echo devices in the house. I keep hoping for an upgrade.
I bought this from HSN
Still havenât gotten it to play audio right
(no volume buttons on my remote)
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Subtotal: $59.99
Shipping and Handling: $3.50
Estimated Tax: $2.61
Order Total: $46.10
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Can this be used without having Internet access?
I have a Satellite system, but my only Internet access is through my phone.
Does it work with Plex?
You can use plex on this. We do.
Everytime ours loses internet access(because Centurylink) it makes the home screen empty saying to connect. That being said you can access apps like Plex to play local content via the settings > apps > manage and select launch this app in its menu.
Otherwise, it is a streaming device and will tell you that the TV is unavailable (something like that, I forget exactly) if you are trying to turn it on as Alexa needs to run your voice commands through Amazon servers. You could connect it to your phones data via tethering if supported.
No Dolby Vision is a deal-breaker.
We got ours via HSN as well for $42.40 (no s&h), porch pirates got the first one, first theft ever here in 15 years =/, HSN sent another one which we got.
We like it.
I have 3 fire TV cubes. 2 of them have the new remotes with the volume button, while on the other one I purchased this device for like $14 MYRIANN Amazon Fire TV Streaming Media Player Universal Remote Attachment. I also have the new 4K stick which is nice (but can be flaky with WiFi), but I still prefer the cube for total functionality. Even though it does not have Dolby Vision it does support the HDR 10 standard, and it works extremely well in doing so. The HDMI-CEC control works great, I love walking into the room, saying âAlexa TV on, tune to ABCâ, it then turns on my TV, receiver, puts them on the correct inputs, goes to my Hulu Live opens the ABC live channel and starts streaming- all without touching the remote. When Iâm done I just say TV off, and everything shuts down. Itâs like having a voice controlled Harmony remote built into the system. I donât think you are missing much by not having the new remote. The add-on attachment that I use actually gives you more buttons to learn to control more items. So instead of just controlling the volume, now I can also control source switching, channel up/down, switching surround modes⌠This add-on can be finicky though when learning, so if the button doesnât take when you program them all together, just go back and re-program those one by one that didnât work and they will learn fine.
We run both Alexa and Google Home (hate it) for lights controls, sometimes smart answers and a lot of streaming audio. Been on the fence on this Cube since we generally avoid first gen devices, especially when they arenât full-featured like this one. (Neutered remote, no calling/messaging).
That HSN mid-40âs price some of you got would have been very difficult to resist tho!
If youâre also considering a Fire TV stick, note the regular prices of those are not far below this but with a lot less functionality ($40/$50, HD/4K).
Be sure to check the compatibility of your TV/sound devices on the mothership home page.
For you over the air antenna TV users (us too), note: âYou cannot use your voice to change channels through an over-the-air HD antenna.â
In the meantime, weâre very happy with our Rokus.
The first one I bought would not work with my TCL 4K TV with ROKU (I had called Amazon and was advised to return for a replacement, but it turned out the problem was the TCL TV)!
Does this require a subscription to something? I saw the âbetter with Primeâ part. TIA
I bought one of these previously from Amazon and it has been great. For all intents and purposes, itâs Android TV. This means that it supports other Android apps as well. Apparently some can be sideloaded (including to the point of getting the Play Store on this), but I have not gone that far down the rabbit hole.
It works great with Plex for those who might be interested in going that route, and comes with the added benefit of functioning as an Alexa device (and Alexa can in turned be used to control just about everything youâre watching without ever picking up the remote). It can be also joined with Multi-Device Audio setups in Alexa. For those with AVRs, you can easily adjust the latency at the device level to account for audio delays.
Dolby Atmos is supported. However, The caveat of note here is that while the Fire TV does support UHD and HDR, it does not support Dolby Vision. Likewise, this appears to be the first generation Fire TV (which is what I have). Accordingly, it does not include the new Alexa Voice Remote (with volume switch built-in). Depending on your setup, this may or may not be of consequence to you.
I bought it when it first came out to replace the FireStick, which wasnât a good enough kodi device. This was just as bad, so I got an Nvidia Shield - happy now.
Better off getting 4k box for the future. Not much more.
I am cutting the cord to cable and have subscribed to Hulu Live. Currently, I can only watch Hulu Live on my iPad or laptop. So does this provide the App for Hulu Live of am I looking at purchasing a Roku Smart Stick?
Nice post, very helpful!