Modern home televisions can do so much more than show TV programs and movies on cable. You can watch streaming services, listen to music, play video games, and enjoy social media on an Amazon Fire TV or another smart television.
The Amazon Fire TV is a brand of smart TV that opens directly into Amazon Prime Video. From Amazon Prime, you can go to other streaming services or media devices. Smart TVs, including Amazon Fire TV, offer Netflix, Hulu, and Paramount+ as options you can access through its home screen.
Smart TVs give you easy access to all types of media choices. Keep reading to learn all the differences between Amazon Fire TV and other smart TVs.
What Is A Smart TV?
A smart TV connects to the internet through your home or office WiFi. Once connected you can download from an app store the free and paid streaming services you want to watch from the home screen.
You can still watch cable television, connect your gaming console, or watch live broadcast channels with the attached equipment.
What Is An Amazon Fire TV?
The Amazon Fire TV is a type of smart TV. If you are a big fan of Amazon Prime Video, this TV will be great for you. The home screen offers lots of Amazon Prime content as well as buttons to view other streaming services.
With buttons for gaming, cable television, or your DVD you can access all of your media content.
How Do You Connect A Smart TV?
Follow the instruction booklet directions for your Smart TV. You will need your home WiFi's name and password.
Go step by step through the connection instructions. In the set-up, you will see available Wifi networks. Click on your home WiFi network and input the password.
Once connected to your home WiFi network, your smart TV will either take you through adding other media equipment or go straight to an app store where you can download apps to connect to streaming services.
Click here to see this Amazon Fire TV on Amazon.com.
How Do You Connect An Amazon Fire TV?
You can connect your Amazon Fire TV the same way as you would any smart TV by following the instruction booklet directions.
Instead of an app store, the Amazon Fire TV will take you to the Amazon Prime TV log-on. Here you will add your Amazon account email and password.
Next, you can go to the Amazon Prime Video options for choosing streaming services. You can also use the set-up to add your gaming console, your cable television, and any media players like DVD players.
What Are The Advantages Of A Smart TV?
The advantages of a smart TV are many. Number one is the ability to reach all your media options with a couple of clicks of the remote.
Many remotes even work by voice. You can say "Play The Mandalorian Season 3 on Disney+" to your smart TV remote, and the TV will begin playing your most recent episode of The Mandalorian.
Here are the main advantages of a Smart TV:
- From the Home Screen, you can easily click DVD, cable TV, gaming console, etc.
- Watch any free or paid streaming service you choose
- See rental or purchased movies on your preferred streaming service
- Explore your socials like TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.
- Catch live sports (SlingTV, Amazon Prime, ESPN+)
- Play your video games both from a gaming console or 100% online
- Many can be controlled by an app on your cell phone
Can I Buy Movies On A Smart TV?
Yes, you can buy digital movies on any smart TV. You can buy movies with different apps, including Vudu (Fandango), Amazon Prime Video, Google TV, Apple TV+, and Roku.
You will need accounts with the sites that hold your credit card information. You can add parental controls to many of the services as well.
Are All Streaming Services On All Smart TVs?
Some smart TVs have affiliations to some of the streaming services so they may not load some competing streaming services.
Today, most smart TVs do have access to all streaming services, but it is worth it to be careful when buying.
What Are The Advantages Of An Amazon Fire TV?
An Amazon Fire TV can do anything most other smart TVs can do. The main advantage of a Fire TV is the seamless interaction with all of the Amazon Prime Video content and Amazon shopping.
You must have an Amazon Prime account to get the most benefits of an Amazon Fire TV.
Which Is Better: Smart TV Or Fire TV?
If you watch a lot of Amazon Prime's content, then an Amazon Fire TV may be the best choice for you. Having all your Amazon movie purchases and free Amazon content right from the home screen makes it a great choice.
A different smart TV may be a better choice if you use the TV more for gaming, or one of the other major streamers like Hulu, Netflix, Paramount+, or Disney+.
Which Is Better For Gaming: Smart TV Or Fire TV?
The best TV for playing video games will depend on the model of a smart TV or Fire TV you choose. For gaming, look for a TV with:
- A fast refresh rate (120 Hz or higher)
- Low input lag (so your button pushing connects fast)
- Picture quality with a 4K resolution or higher
What Is The Point Of A Fire TV If You Have A Smart TV?
Since the Fire TV is a smart TV, you may decide it is a better choice to stick with the smart TV you have.
The main reason to switch is if your other household users get confused with all the options for clicking from the Home Screen.
Some users prefer to just have their favorite movies and TV shows on the first Home Screen rather than having to click the Amazon Prime box on the screen to get to Amazon Prime Video.
Is A Fire TV Worth It?
An Amazon Fire TV is a great choice if you want a streaming smart TV and want easy access to Amazon Prime Video.
If you love shopping on Amazon, the Fire TV makes this easy. With a voice remote, you can shop easily by asking for what you want without any slow TV typing.
Click here to see this Fire Stick 4K on Amazon.com.
Is A Fire Stick The Same As A Fire TV?
No, these are different. The Amazon Fire Stick turns any TV with a USB port into a streaming smart TV.
Amazon created the first Fire TV stick in the early 2010s. They brought the Amazon Fire TV to market in 2021.
The Fire TV Stick is a micro-console (tiny computer) that connects to WiFi and brings streaming content to older-model TVs.
The Amazon Fire Stick comes in 5 models:
- Fire Stick Lite
- Fire Stick
- Fire Stick 4K
- Fire Stick 4K Max
- Fire Stick Cube
Do I Need An Amazon Fire Stick If I Have A Fire TV?
You do not need any of the Amazon Fire Stick options if you have a Fire TV. Amazon makes all of these products, so they already have the same Home Screen interface as well as the same access to other streaming services.
Do I Need An Amazon Fire Stick if I Have A Smart TV?
No, you don't need a Fire Stick if you already have a Smart TV. But you may want one if you really like the Amazon Prime Video Home Screen for accessing Prime Video content quickly.
You may also want one if you have an older model smart TV and want faster streaming as the higher-end Fire Sticks or Fire Cube can be super fast.
Click here to see this Amazon Fire TV Cube on Amazon.com.
Which Is Better: A Fire TV Cube Or A Smart TV?
You will need to compare the technical specs of your smart TV with those of the Fire TV Cube to know which meets your needs.
Many of the latest smart TVs have great storage and processor speeds to compete and surpass the Fire TV Cube.
You get the fastest streaming power of any Amazon Fire TV stick with the Amazon Fire TV Cube. The cube has 16 GB of storage space, a fast octa-core processor, and Alexa voice control.
This may be better for gaming than your older smart TV.
In Summary
All Amazon Fire TVs are Smart TVs. The Fire TV is the best choice if you want easy access to all your Amazon Prime Video content. A different smart TV may be the better choice if you prefer other streaming services or want a TV that brings gaming to life.
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