Amazon is preloading Netflix in the background on Fire TVs so that it launches faster

Posted by Elias Saba on — 13 Comments

I’ve spent a large part of today testing how fast every Fire TV model can launch apps for a performance benchmark article I plan to put up on Monday. Something I immediately noticed is that Netflix launches fast. Like, very fast. Actually, it launches too fast. From a fresh reboot of the device, most apps take several seconds to launch. Netflix, on the other hand, launches in 1 to 2 seconds every time. It shouldn’t be launching that fast when the device was just rebooted because there shouldn’t be any apps in memory (RAM). After a bunch of testing, I’ve determined that Amazon is preloading Netflix into memory on Fire TV devices before it is ever launched, making it load faster when/if you do decide to launch it. Amazon is not doing this for other apps, including Prime Video. Read more ›

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Netflix is now available on Amazon Echo Shows

Posted by Elias Saba on

Netflix has officially arrived on Amazon Echo Show smart displays. The integration was announced a few months ago and now all Echo Show models can stream Netflix directly. The service works on the 1st-gen Echo Show, 2nd-gen Echo Show, Echo Show 5, and Echo Show 8. The Echo Spot is the only Echo model with a screen that is not supported, which is no surprise considering its screen is so small. Read more ›

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Netflix will soon be available on Amazon Echo Shows

Posted by Elias Saba on — 3 Comments

Along with the plethora of things announced today by Amazon, among them is the news that Netflix is finally going to be available through Amazon Echo Show smart displays. The world’s most popular streaming service joins Prime Video and Hulu as the newest streaming service on Amazon’s displays, just a couple of months after Netflix became available on Google’s smart displays. Amazon says you will be able to use your voice to search Netflix for shows and movies, as well as control playback. It’s not known yet if all Echo Show models will receive Netflix or only select models. It was shown off on the new Echo Show 10 announced today, so it’ll obviously be available on that device, which makes sense since it can literally follow you around the room to keep the screen in view while watching content.

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How to watch select Netflix content for Free on Amazon Fire TV & Firestick

Posted by Elias Saba on — 8 Comments

Netflix has started offering a small selection of content for free. The good news is that you don’t need to create an account or log in to start watching. The bad news is that they’re not making it easy to watch the free content on your TV. If you install and launch the Netflix app on a Fire TV, you’re just greeted with the usual login/sign up screen and no way to get to the free content. Here is how to watch the free Netflix content on an Amazon Fire TV or Fire TV Stick. Read more ›

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Netflix is now available on Google’s Nest Hub smart display — Beating out Echo Show

Posted by Elias Saba on

The Nest Hub, and larger Nest Hub Max, smart displays from Google are the first of their kind to receive official support for Netflix streaming. Despite entering the smart display market over a year after Amazon, Google has beat out all of Amazon’s Echo Show models in supporting the largest streaming service. To watch Netflix on a Nest Hub, just say “Hey Google, open Netflix.” Read more ›

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Netflix drops AirPlay support for Apple TVs and smart TVs — Fire TV casting is not affected

Posted by Elias Saba on — 5 Comments

Netflix has confirmed to The Verge that they’ve dropped support for Apple AirPlay entirely. This means that iPhone and iPad users can no longer use their mobile device to cast Netflix content to Apple TVs, as well as smart TVs that will support the upcoming AirPlay 2 expansion that includes Samsung, LG, Vizio, and Sony TVs. This does not affect Fire TVs, so it’s still possible to use an iOS or Android device to start playing Netflix content on any Fire TV that has the Netflix app installed. Read more ›

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Netflix raises prices and Hulu lowers some prices while raising others

Posted by Elias Saba on — 15 Comments

Netflix has raised prices between 13 to 18 percent across all three of its subscription plans in the US. Their $10.99 HD streaming plan has increased to $12.99, while the $14.99 4K streaming plan has increased to $16.99. The basic SD plan has increased from $7.99 to $8.99. These prices go into effect immediately for new subscribers, while existing subscribers will see the price hike within a few months, depending on their billing cycle. Hulu has decided to lower the price of its ad-supported plan from $7.99 per month to $5.99. Their $11.99 “no commercial” plan will remain at its current price. What will increase is Hulu’s Live TV service, which is going from $39.99 to $44.99 per month. Hulu’s price changes go into effect on February 26th.

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Netflix now supports deep Alexa voice controls on Fire TV devices

Posted by Elias Saba on — 49 Comments

The Netflix update that many Fire TV owners have been waiting for has arrived. Netflix has just updated their Fire TV app with deeper support for Alexa voice controls. Where before it was only possible to use Alexa to launch the Netflix app, now you can use the voice assistant to jump directly into playing a movie or TV show, control advanced playback in the app, and perform voice searches within Netflix. Read more ›

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Alexa can now directly start Netflix content on the Amazon Fire TV

Posted by Elias Saba on — 17 Comments

Amazon added the ability for Alexa to start playing content on the Fire TV over a year ago, but it has been limited to movies and shows from Amazon Video. Last month, they announced that the feature would soon be extended to other services. That capability is starting to roll out because you can now ask Alexa to directly play content from Netflix on the Fire TV. Read more ›

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Netflix to raise prices for new and existing subscribers by up to $2 per month

Posted by Elias Saba on — 36 Comments

Netflix has just raised the price of their standard plan from $9.99 to $10.99 and has raised the price of their premium plan, which grants you 4K content, from $11.99 to $13.99. According to Mashable, come this November, those new prices will go into effect for everyone with no grandfather period. Read more ›

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