Help me get the most out of my Fire TV
January 22, 2018 10:25 AM Subscribe
One of the only regrets I have about cutting the cord is that I lost access to a couple beloved programs from my local PBS Create and PBS World channels. There is no equivalent in the Amazon Fire TV store. One of them was Grand Sumo, which I randomly stumbled across on its home network of NHK World, which DOES have a Fire TV app. I am delighted! More hidden gems please!
Before you tell me to just get an HD antenna, I have one, but it's useless without a DVR since I have a tiny window to watch TV. And I'm not going to buy a DVR.
Shows that I used to watch include Rick Steves' Europe (I can find a season or two here and there, but pretty limited), any of the Jacques Pepin shows (ditto), New Scandinavian Cooking (nothing to be found unfortunately), and Rough Cut (ditto). I also miss having CSPAN for certain events, even though I know I can stream that through a webpage, that's a really janky system.
So what else should I grab that might be outside the mainstream? What cool international stations should I grab (France24 is not on here, unfortunately)? Can anyone figure out where to find my beloved New Scandinavian Cooking?
Before you tell me to just get an HD antenna, I have one, but it's useless without a DVR since I have a tiny window to watch TV. And I'm not going to buy a DVR.
Shows that I used to watch include Rick Steves' Europe (I can find a season or two here and there, but pretty limited), any of the Jacques Pepin shows (ditto), New Scandinavian Cooking (nothing to be found unfortunately), and Rough Cut (ditto). I also miss having CSPAN for certain events, even though I know I can stream that through a webpage, that's a really janky system.
So what else should I grab that might be outside the mainstream? What cool international stations should I grab (France24 is not on here, unfortunately)? Can anyone figure out where to find my beloved New Scandinavian Cooking?
Not sure this link will work as I’m on mobile, but... try this
posted by PorcineWithMe at 10:35 AM on January 22, 2018
posted by PorcineWithMe at 10:35 AM on January 22, 2018
Response by poster: I do have the PBS app! =
I don't know if it just might be my local affiliate, but the selection of shows on there is not phenomenal. And it looks like it only contains the programs regularly shown on the main PBS station, not the Create and/or World substations.
posted by JimBJ9 at 10:35 AM on January 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
I don't know if it just might be my local affiliate, but the selection of shows on there is not phenomenal. And it looks like it only contains the programs regularly shown on the main PBS station, not the Create and/or World substations.
posted by JimBJ9 at 10:35 AM on January 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
Bummer- it must be a local thing. My PBS app has more shows than I knew existed- including Rick Steves. But then, I’m in Palm Beach.
posted by PorcineWithMe at 10:37 AM on January 22, 2018
posted by PorcineWithMe at 10:37 AM on January 22, 2018
it must be a local thing.
Well. If that is the case, why not change you address on your PBS subscription to Palm Beach.....? Or use a VPN.
posted by Brockles at 10:43 AM on January 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
Well. If that is the case, why not change you address on your PBS subscription to Palm Beach.....? Or use a VPN.
posted by Brockles at 10:43 AM on January 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
It looks like you can subscribe to New Scandinavian cooking for $5 per month through the Vimeo app on Fire TV.
It looks like a large majority/all? of Rick Steve's Europe is available for free on his website. I don't have a Fire TV so I don't know the best way to watch these through that format - maybe if there is a youtube app?
posted by muddgirl at 10:45 AM on January 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
It looks like a large majority/all? of Rick Steve's Europe is available for free on his website. I don't have a Fire TV so I don't know the best way to watch these through that format - maybe if there is a youtube app?
posted by muddgirl at 10:45 AM on January 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
(Just FYI, if you wait til Thanksgiving, Tivo usually has a sale on their OTA DVRs that is lifetime service-included [i.e., no monthly fees] for like $200. As a cord-cutter, I have to say that the benefit I get from my HD antenna has been tremendously amplified by having a DVR. It is very simple to set up and use. It also serves as a set-top box for any other streaming services you may use, except the ones that directly replicate basic cable.)
posted by praemunire at 10:51 AM on January 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by praemunire at 10:51 AM on January 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
Not familiar with Fire TV, but I recently got a Roku Express stick, and you can get PBS shows, more if you are a PBS contributor. Roku requires broadband, and there are a bunch of channels with varying content. Roku provides several free movies every month. It has made cord-cutting quite nifty.
posted by theora55 at 10:51 AM on January 22, 2018
posted by theora55 at 10:51 AM on January 22, 2018
France 24 streams continuously on Youtube-- that's how I watch it. There should be a pretty easy way to send the image to your TV. I use the Youtube app on Roku and it is painless. Looks like it might be only slightly more difficult for you.
posted by seasparrow at 11:20 AM on January 22, 2018
posted by seasparrow at 11:20 AM on January 22, 2018
One more thing to check on the PBS app, just to be sure -- have you done a specific search for the shows you want? I have noticed that things I want to see don't always come up in any specific menu on there, but when I search, they are available.
posted by JanetLand at 11:43 AM on January 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by JanetLand at 11:43 AM on January 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
Maybe not through the Fire Stick, but I get access to hundreds of shows (i.e., Ken Burns Jazz....which is impossible to find generally) by donating $5/month to my local PBS station. I can watch through a browser. It's called PBS Passport, I think?
posted by kuanes at 11:44 AM on January 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by kuanes at 11:44 AM on January 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
$5 a month to Plex will get you DVR capabilities with your local channels.
posted by COD at 12:57 PM on January 22, 2018
posted by COD at 12:57 PM on January 22, 2018
(I used to watch a lot of Create TV too!)
I love Jacques Pépin's shows -- a lot of his older shows are viewable for free on the KQED site and youtube channel. (I've watched/rewatched almost all of them over the years -- in fact I just watched a couple this past weekend.) I don't have a Fire TV but based on some quick searching it looks like you can access YouTube on it?
- "Essential Pépin" - the KQED site had all 26 episodes last time I checked (some are not on youtube). Their youtube playlist for this only has 10 episodes.
- "More Fast Food My Way" - all 26 episodes, also on this youtube playlist. Video quality isn't as good on this one since it was uploaded earlier, but still, they're free.
The episodes of his last series "Heart and Soul" aren't free but if they're not available via PBS Passport membership, they're available for $19.99 (for the whole season) on Amazon instant video.
Oh and in case you can see it via your PBS app or if you do the PBS Passport membership: you might enjoy the "American Masters" documentary episode from last year called "Jacques Pépin: The Art of Craft" (the linked page also has free clips).
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 2:07 AM on January 23, 2018
I love Jacques Pépin's shows -- a lot of his older shows are viewable for free on the KQED site and youtube channel. (I've watched/rewatched almost all of them over the years -- in fact I just watched a couple this past weekend.) I don't have a Fire TV but based on some quick searching it looks like you can access YouTube on it?
- "Essential Pépin" - the KQED site had all 26 episodes last time I checked (some are not on youtube). Their youtube playlist for this only has 10 episodes.
- "More Fast Food My Way" - all 26 episodes, also on this youtube playlist. Video quality isn't as good on this one since it was uploaded earlier, but still, they're free.
The episodes of his last series "Heart and Soul" aren't free but if they're not available via PBS Passport membership, they're available for $19.99 (for the whole season) on Amazon instant video.
Oh and in case you can see it via your PBS app or if you do the PBS Passport membership: you might enjoy the "American Masters" documentary episode from last year called "Jacques Pépin: The Art of Craft" (the linked page also has free clips).
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 2:07 AM on January 23, 2018
Response by poster: Thanks folks!
Yes, I've got a PBS Passport membership. I get as much out of PBS and NPR that I can.
I realize this makes me look like a huge doofus, but man... I'm just not willing to go searching through youtube and websites for shows. I want it nice and integrated and streamlined. I'll wait until they get things figured out and develop themselves an app or put their library on an existing service with an app. I just want to hopefully not be in a situation where a show that I'd love to be watching actually exists, but I'm unaware of it because of Fire TV's poor search features (like Grand Sumo on NHK World).
Good call on NSC through Vimeo. I'm not sure if I want to watch it as much as I want to keep $5 per month, but that's good to know. Thanks!
As for Plex, I use the hell out of Plex for local streaming stuff (and have a lifetime membership due to early adoption), but I'm not sure the DVR thing would work for me. I looked into it a while back and I needed to buy another device or a different antenna or something like that and I just threw my hands up.
posted by JimBJ9 at 5:35 AM on January 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
Yes, I've got a PBS Passport membership. I get as much out of PBS and NPR that I can.
I realize this makes me look like a huge doofus, but man... I'm just not willing to go searching through youtube and websites for shows. I want it nice and integrated and streamlined. I'll wait until they get things figured out and develop themselves an app or put their library on an existing service with an app. I just want to hopefully not be in a situation where a show that I'd love to be watching actually exists, but I'm unaware of it because of Fire TV's poor search features (like Grand Sumo on NHK World).
Good call on NSC through Vimeo. I'm not sure if I want to watch it as much as I want to keep $5 per month, but that's good to know. Thanks!
As for Plex, I use the hell out of Plex for local streaming stuff (and have a lifetime membership due to early adoption), but I'm not sure the DVR thing would work for me. I looked into it a while back and I needed to buy another device or a different antenna or something like that and I just threw my hands up.
posted by JimBJ9 at 5:35 AM on January 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
In case it helps you (or anyone else who might read this question in the future), the YouTube app for the fire stick no longer works, because Google and Amazon are fighting. But, there is a Firefox app for the fire stick, and if you launch it, one of the first places it thinks you might want to go is ----YouTube.
posted by wittgenstein at 12:49 PM on January 24, 2018
posted by wittgenstein at 12:49 PM on January 24, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by PorcineWithMe at 10:33 AM on January 22, 2018 [1 favorite]