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Roku's Fire TV Stick 4K is based on a 1TB

Aug. 14, 2017 by Devin Jones

Roku's Fire TV Stick 4K is based on a 1TB unit, and its pricing isn't entirely fair. It doesn't include an HDMI port, which means you'll need to buy a different, cheaper, or slightly better digital video converter. It does include an option to add an audio signal to your streaming channel, but that doesn't really solve the problem at all. It's also not a cheap option.

The Fire TV Stick 4K comes with a 64GB microSD card slot, which is limited to 128GB—that makes it a small, but potentially valuable, storage device. You'll get around two additional SD cards available through Apple's online store, though those are limited only by the number of cards you need. You'll also get a microSDHC and SDXC card slot, though this doesn't support the expansion cards of the Apple TV and Roku, which means you'll need at least one USB 3.0 port.

If you're looking to get the Fire TV Stick 4K to work with your Android or iOS devices, you'll have to spend some extra time with your TV. The Roku Play app doesn't support the Fire TV Stick 4K either, which means you'll have to download a different app to run it. There's a $50 retail cost for the Play app, though. If you're interested in downloading the Fire TV Stick 4K, you'll be able to do so through HomeKit, but it'll be limited to a single device.

If you're looking to stream video over a USB 3.0 stick, you'll have to purchase a video converter (which means it's not as useful for streaming video over Wi-Fi) or add-on-a-player, respectively, but that can be done through the Roku Store or through hardware partners. I prefer both platforms more than the Apple TV, though.

Even though streaming video over a USB 3.0 is not particularly good, the Fire TV Stick 4K does offer a fairly high quality audio, which I found to be good enough to support audio and video capture. I'd also recommend streaming through MP3s, because it's a popular streaming technology that the Fire TV Stick 4K does seem to have a hard time capturing. It's worth noting that the Fire TV Stick 4K only supports 4K video above 1920x1080p, though.

If you're just getting started, there's a free video playback and recording program available that you can use to stream your video over USB 3