Comparing streaming services

Streaming TV
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Continuing the discussion from [Which streaming service do you use? Tell us about your experience!]

In reading through Clark’s review of YouTube and other streaming and VOD services, I didn’t see any mention of Firestick/Fire TV (I’m not sure what the correct name for it is). I did see Amazon Fire mentioned once in a while – is that the same thing? Even if so, not much was said about it, and I’m wondering why not.

We made a onetime purchase (~$33) for the “stick” and connected it to our TV’s internet service and POW! We have everything we want to watch for FREE after that initial cost.

We can see TV programs, movies, local and national news channels, etc. Many of them can be located by using the YouTube app – not You Tube TV. What’s the difference between the free YouTube and YouTube TV anyway? Is it just that the free one has ads inserted into the shows? I can live with that if it saves me $60/month.

We can add VOD services like Netflix if we want, but for now, we have more than we ever had before, including my much-loved TCM, which a lot of services don’t have without some extra cost involved.

Our internet bill had been bundled with a required land line telephone we rarely if ever used plus DISH TV. The monthly bill for all that was $259/month! We discovered quite by accident that the land line is no longer required to have the internet service, so we unbundled that as well as DISH TV, and kept only the internet service. Then we attached the $33 Firestick to our TV and all else has been free from then on, leaving our monthly total bill now (for internet service only) at only $78.

I feel like I’m still learning about all this, so if I’m not understanding something, please someone tell me. Otherwise, I’m just trying to ask why Firestick hasn’t been discussed in your comparison of streaming services. Is it not considered to be a streaming service? If not, what IS it?

Thanks, I just joined this group and look forward to being in on some interesting and informative discussions here!

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Firestick is a Streaming DEVICE not a Service.

Compare Firestick to Roku, Google TV and Apple TV.
There is a lot free available to Streamers no matter the device.

But unless you get local channels over the air, your choices are more limited. Virtually No News or Sports.

Do you get Clarks Email. He just did one on the various streaming services. He compares what channels are available on each service. Streaming Services cost anywhere from $20 to $90 a month.

Youtube TV with unlimited DVR replaced both Comcast and TiVo for me.

As you said, there are lots of free channels… Tubi etc and Prime if you have Prime… but they are mostly limited to older Movies.

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Note the free trials. We did the 7 day Youtube TV and paid for a month in parallel with Comcast. We wanted to be sure we got it right. There are no contracts with streaming channels.

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You may not have heard, but this is National Cancel Your Steaming Subscriptions Month.