You mean an Amazon Fire Stick?

It's a streaming device. It really depends on the speed of your internet and whether it can support a good quality stream if you should get one or not.

I have a roku and love it. I have used fire sticks and they are good too. I am rural but I have att internet. I am told that just 3 miles up the road I would be out of luck internet wise. I am not sure satellite internet would be fast enough for a fire stick but I admit I don't know.

We have a fire stick, we enjoy it for streaming. Much easier than plugging in a computer to the tv. But we have a local internet provider, not satellite. I imagine that if you get good streaming through your computer to the tv, you should get the same through the fire stick?

Fire Sticks allow you to access streaming content like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu, etc. We ditched our Satellite TV and now stream everything.

Many true sat internet providers limit download usage per month and often the limit isn't very high.

Streaming TV over the internet (which is what devices like Firestick, Roku, or newer smart tvs with no external devices needed as the software is built in, etc do) can consume as much as 1-3 GB per hour. For an internet connection that's limited, say to 15 GB per month (a friend has a house in the boondocks that was limited to 10), streaming TV content is really not feasible. If yours is like that, stick with a Dish or Direct TV service.

I‘m another Roku lover. Tried an Amazon stick given as a gift once but find the Roku to be much better. The Roku interface is easy to navigate and it has a really generous amount of apps. . I just replaced one that I‘ve been using since 2013 w/the Roku Ultra. It has a remote w/voice, works with a headset and it can control the tv. I cancelled my Dish Network service, signed up for youtube TV and have been so happy with it.

Regarding Elmer’s point about having enough data access, from what I understand, most current plans offer sufficient data to cover streaming, but if you have an older plan you may need to upgrade. I have Comcast‘s internet service and they have adjusted the data to support streaming over the years so it’s not been a problem for me, but depending on the plan you have a Satillite company would probably require you to upgrade your service. .

Ont_Gal, I just bought one first of January. On sale for $35.

I always plugged my laptop into my tv to stream anything, now it's done with the stick. It plugs into your HDMI plug in the tv.

You have to have subscriptions to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney, etc. It streams those with a subscription. It basically turns your tv into a Smart TV.

If your internet can handle streaming shows on your computer, it can handle the firestick.

It comes with built in Alexa so you can ask her for your tv shows

"I‘ve been using since 2013 w/the Roku Ultra. It has a remote w/voice"

I have the roku ultra and I love the voice option.

"Regarding Elmer’s point about having enough data access, from what I understand, most current plans offer sufficient data to cover streaming, but if you have an older plan you may need to upgrade. I have Comcast‘s internet service and they have adjusted the data to support streaming over the years so it’s not been a problem for me, but depending on the plan you have a Satillite company would probably require you to upgrade your service."

Satellite internet providers do not have the capacity nor the bandwidth to support the level of customer throughput that cable and telcom providers have in excess.

Just as a for instance, we don't watch a lot of TV/movies but what we do use usually falls in the 250-350 GB range. My Comcast service allows for something like 1 terabye (1000 GB) before they charge for the extra usage. I doubt that most satellite providers would include more than 50 GB per month.

Around here Amazon Fire sticks are a little bit cheaper than a basic Roku device, but I've used both and Roku is definitely a superior product. It just functions better than the Fire stick, and is easier to navigate. On Roku, you can build your own homescreen of favorite apps, check your connection, and search almost every app from 1 place for programs, movies and people. Roku also supports Amazon Prime as well as all the other premium streaming services. The Roku remote is designed better as well.

We also have a Roku TV which is pretty awesome too.

Thanks everyone.

Apparently, I am too stuck in the 70's to even begin to understand what you all have shared.

I tried, without any sort of success, to go into a few stores when in the city today, to no avail-couldn't walk in to ask questions regarding what might be the best way for us to go for this area.....however, I did receive emails from some very thoughtful ppl regarding what to look into and will as soon as (COVIDLY) possible.

Thanks again.

Step 1 - do you have a monthly usage limit from your internet provider? If not sure, ask. Please report back what you find out.

Ont_Gal, I bought mine for $35 at a local electronics store.

I can put whatever apps I want on my home screen that I use the most, along with the ones that are already there. Amazon Music, Tubi, Acorn, America's Test Kitchen, whatever floats your boat.

Elmer-I do have a limit, and if I can get speaking to a human, I'll find out more and let you know

If your TV has a port for HDMI, then you can plug either of the devices in. They're very easy to set up, IMPE. They also need to plug into an electrical outlet and then connect to wifi. You just need to be sure nothing is blocking the device from its remote.

Once it's plugged in and set up, then you only need to use the TV remote for powering and volume, or picture adjustment. The TV stays on the HDMI input setting.

A Roku Express costs $25-$30 here.