When Amazon[1] launched its subscription-based streaming service Prime Video[2] in India late last year, one of our biggest gripes – apart from its confusing stance on censorship[3] – was the fact that there wasn’t a convenient way to get the experience on your big screen. You either had to rely on an Apple TV for its AirPlay feature, or fall back on hooking up your computer to your TV with an HDMI cable - not ideal at all.
The reason for that is Amazon’s choice to not play nice with others. It doesn’t make an app for Apple TV[4], and it doesn’t support Google’s Chromecast[5] on Android. Instead, the company prefers that users buy its own hardware – the Fire TV[6] lineup. You couldn’t buy one of these in India for the longest time, but that changed last week, with the arrival of the Fire TV Stick[7].
Amazon Fire TV Stick specifications and features
The Fire Stick looks like an oversized USB thumb drive, with an HDMI connector on one end and a Micro-USB socket on one side. You plug it directly into your TV, or use the included HDMI extension cable if it won’t fit. To power it, connect the included Micro-USB cable to one of your TV’s USB ports (or any other charger). On first boot, if it warns you that it can’t draw enough power, you should use the supplied mains adapter instead. If your TV is wall-mounted and doesn’t have recessed ports, you’ll have to deal with the ugliness of the power cable trailing out.
If you’re wondering why the device needs more power compared to a Chromecast -...