With the right apps and a special cable, your tablet can actually outperform the Roku. Here’s how to set everything up.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
How to turn your Kindle Fire into the ultimate HD Roku box - CNET
A generous library of streaming-media apps Allows the Kindle Fire HD to give a Roku box a run for the money.
(Credit: Screenshot by Rick Broida / CNET)
When you bought your HD Kindle Fire tablet, you did not know you were getting a Roku box the part of the transaction. After a fashion, anyway.
See, like a lot of Android-powered tablets, the Fire HD Allows for mirroring to your TV. In other words, what you see on the small screen gets duplicated on the big one. That actually gives the Fire a big advantage over the Roku, as it is a lot more Allows viewing stuff – not just apps like Hulu and Netflix, but Also browser-based content, YouTube videos, and even games. Let’s take a look at how you can get your tablet is connected to your TV Roku duty.
First up, you’ll need an HDMI cable. This is the only real downside, the no one wants a cable snaking across Their floor, but for the moment there’s no wireless way to connect your Kindle Fire to your HD TV – not without some kind of box connected to the Latter, Which effectively defeats the whole purpose.
Make sure you buy the right kind of cable to connect your Kindle to your TV: HDMI to Micro HDMI.
(Credit: Amazon)
The cable you want
Should Have an HDMI connector at one end (for plugging into your TV) and a Micro-HDMI connector at the other (for plugging into your Kindle, natch). If you want to be able to kick back on the couch without having to hop up every time you need to pause, skip, or change apps, consider a 15-foot cable. At this writing, Amazon offers a 15-foot BlueRigger Micro-HDMI-to-HDMI cable for $ 9.99 (with free shipping for Amazon Prime subscribers).
Once you have the cable, connect it as described above, then switch your TV to the HDMI input Appropriate. In just a few seconds Should you see your Kindle Fire’s interface mirrored on the big screen.
Now it’s time to stock up on apps. Some good candidates include ABC, Crackle, HBO Go, Hulu Plus, Netflix, and U.S. TV and Radio Free, this last Allowing you to stream live TV channels (and doing a pretty darn good job of it).
YouTube on your TV, courtesy of your Kindle Fire HD. Roku boxes still do not offer the same-courtesy.
(Credit: Screenshot by Rick Broida / CNET)Of course, you can tap Also Amazon Instant Video for on-demand movies and TV shows, as well as if you’re a Prime subscriber. And if you want YouTube, the “channel” that still is not available via Roku, just fire it up in the Kindle’s browser.
Speaking of Which, the browser looks mighty nice blown up big. And you can use a Flash-enabled third-party browser like Dolphin to stream TV shows from the various networks’ sites: AMC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and so on. (Silk works with some of Them, but Dolphin is more consistent.) And do not forget big-screen Skype.
Once you’ve started enjoying the Roku-style goodness, be sure to crank down the brightness on your Fire to help extend its battery life. (Even better, if you do not mind another cord, just keep it plugged into the wall outlet.)
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