Amazon Fire TV Recast

I pre ordered this a couple weeks before the release and it arrived the day of the release. Points there for reliable shipment, for the option to make payments, and for crediting early buyers when they put it on sale. Having read through the other reviews allow me to clarify a few things that other reviewers are having issues with. First off this is really a top notch product that works well right out of the box. In sure there is a built in preamp for the tuners and it’s obviously of extremely high quality. I’m picking up all of the channels that my old hdhomerun could get plus wpxi out of pittsburg, which is over 70 miles away. Mote importantly to me, many of the channels i am getting are just plain more reliable with this box than any other setup that i’ve tried. Streaming is extremely reliable and i’ve had zero buffering even when both kids are home and making heavy use of the network. Let’s talk interface for a minute. One reviewer mentioned that adding a channel to favorites did nothing except add a star next to it.

I stumbled upon this device while looking through black friday deals. I wanted to cut one of my live streaming services and i thought this device would do it. I opted for the 4 tuner 1tb model as i figured this would hopefully future proof the device for the conceivable future. I ran into the first snag today, however, i went to turn three of my tvs in my home to the news as i moved about the house and i received an error that the tuners were busy. Thinking it was incorrect i called amazon support and they informed me that the 4 tuner model can only record 2 shows and watch 2 shows even if you are watching the same channel. I find this to be kind of a big flaw that they don’t mention in the description. I think ‘four tuners’ is false advertising as one would assume you could use all of them at the same time or any combination of watching or recording that adds up to 4. I won’t echo the other comments about the user interface on the fire tv devices being lacking. However with my criticism i think this device has a lot of potential and i look forward to seeing what it becomes as an early adopter.

The backstoryamost two years ago i ‘took the plunge’ and joined the cord-cutting ranks with a playstation vue subscription. I have been happy overall with vue, but the local channels have always been the question mark. The networks that are available do not work the same as the other vue channels (for example, in my area abc and nbc has content that is delayed by anywhere from a day to a week; it is impossible to predict what will be on when, and has been completely frustrating). I am a big olympics fan, so this last winter when the 2018 games were on nbc, i invested in a cheapie tv tuner and recorder that accepted an external usb drive to serve as a dvr. I had a 10-year old drive, plugged it in, and it sort of worked some of the time. The interface was terrible, the video and audio would be a couple of seconds out of synch, and the recording would mysteriously just stop sometimes, but it was good enough to limp through enjoying two weeks of olympics. So when i saw amazon was finally releasing a solution for the local channels problem, i was thrilled and immediately pre-orded the 1tb model. I don’t really need 4 tuners (which means the device can record 4 stations at the same time), but 150 hours of space is nice (and i have no doubt will fill up quickly). I have unboxed and setup the unit and been using it heavily for about a week. Pros- the unit is much smaller than expected; i had myself convinced it would be the size of a home theater receiver, but it is just 7′ x 7′ x 2′ (just a little bit bigger than a wii console, for example).

 the bottom line is recast works adequately as your very basic dvr but it has a long way to go to catch up to the spit and polish of a tivo product. 5 stars but i that may be a tad generous. I will post a video and screenshots tomorrow and keep updating this first impressions review. I was going to replace my tivo bolt and its ridiculous subscription fees when i purchased this recast along with a necessary media streaming product, a couple new fire tv 4k sticks. The tivo user interface whose priority is the tv broadcast and dvr features versus the fire tv which is much more leaning towards online streaming with a very secondary priority of the dvr functions. It tries to valiantly to make up for the inferior menu structure by the use of the alexa voice interface in the fire tv 4k stick but you can tell it still early in its development and the overall feel seems still a little awkward for me. I am sure that amazon will make great improvements in the interface and look and feel but for someone that knows what the competition has to offer for a 4k dvr solution, i think i would look long and hard at the tivo bolt ota before making a decision. My home entertainment system doesn’t use cable or satellite and currently uses an lg 65in oled tv, sony a/v amp, tivo bolt, roku 4k premium, harmony hub remote,, roof mounted hd antenna. We watch for the most part basic ota channels, and stream netflix, prime video and vudupros-very competitive pricing, responsive and doesn’t lag when operating the remote-very easy to setup including the new remote to be used as a universal control of my entertainment system.

I cut the cord some time ago and have been going back and forth between fire stick/cube and live t. The recast puts live tv in the fire stick or fire cube. So no more changing inputs on your tv. There are not many other options for a dvr capability for broadcast tv and absolutely nothing that will integrate cleanly into alexa and fire stick / fire cubes. It works great, but as a first version it’s a bit rough around the edges. Some usability testing would be good. For example: when i click on a recording that hasn’t finished recording yet i see the message: ‘tune to channel to view live broadcast, or watch from earliest recording. ‘ buttons: live, recording, dismiss (default). I’m not quite sure that statement is proper english, nor does making the option ‘dismiss’ the default which takes you back to the main screen.

Features and Spesification

• Enjoy live sports, local news, late night shows, and other can’t miss TV from channels available through an HD antenna (sold separately).
• Record up to 4 shows at once. Plus, store up to 150 hours of HD programming.
• With a compatible Alexa-enabled device, use your voice to search for shows, control the channel guide, and manage recordings.
• The most reliable video streams over Wi-Fi of any over-the-air DVR.
• Fire TV Recast is a DVR that lets you watch and record over-the-air TV at home with Fire TV or Echo Show, or on-the-go with a compatible mobile device—with no monthly fees.

Buy on Amazon