Amazon Fire TV is the latest to burst ontothe market of television streamers at $99, compared to Google’s Chromecast at $35.
Both the streaming devices have their own advantages and their drawbacks. It finally comes down to the features that the user is looking for and the tech system that he is a part of. Both the devices have standout features and are good at what they do, so it is difficult to go wrong with any of the two devices.
App Selection or Channel Stores
Chromecast offers the following in its channel store: Netflix; Hulu; HBO Go; YouTube: Play Movies: AllCast; WatchESPN; Red Bull TV; MLS Matchday; Play Music; Pandora: Radio: Songza. As for Amazon Fire TV, it offers the following channels: Netflix; Hulu; Showtime; Amazon Instant Video; YouTube; Piex: AllCast; NBA Game Time: WatchESPN; Pandora and iHeartRadio.
Stream quality
Google’s Chromecast is the best stick offering a great picture quality, regardless of the settings of the television. The colors are brighter and more vivid. Fire TV is also good but not better than Chromecast.
Performance
There is no interface for interacting in Chromecast, so the performance depends on the device from which the streaming is being done. The performance is consistent, simple, and quite fast, depending on the Internet connection. Fire TV has a lot of specifications and is very fast. Chromecast comes in the form of a streaming stick. It is smaller and can be easily plugged into the HDMI port of the television. It can also easily draw power from the USB port that is available. Amazon Fire TV is much more than just a streaming stick. It comes with a quad core processor combined with a RAM of 2 GB. Navigation through menus is much faster and so is loading of apps.
Chromecast and Fire Pros
Chromecast is simple and does what it is supposed to do. It offers support for Play Movies and Google Play Music, which is not possible in Amazon Fire TV. It also offers features of tab casting. As for Fire TV, it offers great support for gaming. The first game from the company, namely, SevZero, plays superbly. The microphone is built in the controller, which makes it easy for voice searching.
Chromecast and Fire Cons
Chromecast has a simple interface but it is not very easy to use, as a mobile device controls it. There is no unified way of interacting with the device, so the experience is not always good. For instance, HBO Go has a bad interface, making it difficult to interact. App selection is also not too good in Chromecast when compared to Fire TV.
With respect to Amazon Fire TV, the voice search abilities are good, but it makes searches of Amazon content alone. It is also quite difficult to search for games or new applications on Fire TV, as there is no location for searching, with everything being available for installation. The storage is also less at only 8 GB, which is quite good for a streaming device, but you cannot store too many games. Users will need at least 16GB in order to play games.
Verdict
The streaming platform is becoming more and more popular and the previous offer of cable providers offering a specific package is slowly dying. If you were looking for something that is affordable and simple, Chromecast would be the way to go. However, if you must have gaming and if you rely a lot on Amazon services, Fire TV is the way to go. There is no clear winner, as both the devices are great. It all depends on your usage patterns and personal priorities.
Related ItemsAmazon Fire TVChromecast
