At this price, does that really matter?
Check out the rest of my review to see where it ranks among thebest streaming devices.
As usual, however, you might bet that Amazon will routinely discount the rig.
At the time of this writing, it was offered as a Black Friday deal for only $17.99.
Its price is more or less on par with the competition.
The basic stick is rectangular and squared off, built from a relatively cheap black plastic.
Amazon does include a cable in the box that, again, you’ll likely never have to replace.
But still, it’s 2024, and the vast majority of other consumer products have moved to USB-C.
There’s really no excuse for Amazon not to have done the same.
MicroUSB aside, Amazon has included a decent selection of accessories in the box.
There’s the machine itself, along with a USB-A to MicroUSB cable and a USB-A power adapter.
A programmable button might have been nice too, though.
For example, I probably use Hulu more than Peacock and would have programmed Hulu access instead.
But it’s still a good selection of controls and hits four of the most used services.
Finally, I was prompted to select which streaming services I wanted to install.
That said, Fire TV isn’t necessarily difficult to navigate.
That would be frustrating for anyone with a reasonably modern WiFi router.
The sluggish performance on paper translated to real-life use too.
Time (in seconds) to load apps
These numbers aren’t great.
However, it’s not as crisp as it could be with native 4K support.
Apart from resolution, one major downside to the Fire TV Stick HD is its limited HDR support.
Unlike other Fire TV Stick devices, this one does not supportDolby Vision.
Thankfully, the equipment does support modern audio formats.
It can pass throughDolby Atmosaudio, allowing you to take full advantage of your Dolby Atmos system.
Alexa also works as it does on other devices.
It may not feel all that premium, but it works well, and the buttons are clicky enough.
On top of that, it’s pretty easy to navigate.
It has software controls along the top row with playback controls right under that.
The big upgrade for this version, however, is the Alexa support.
It worked well and is a super helpful addition to the Fire TV Stick HD.
Most people will find it easy to get used to using the remote.
If you have a 4K TV that supports Dolby Vision, then it’s a no-brainer.
As an added bonus, if you buy the higher-end gear, you’ll get faster performance.
