How to Stream Netflix on Your Old TV
Goodbye unskippable ads, hello skip intro
Technology never disappoints. Every day yields more and more innovations that make our lives easier and us lazier. I wonder if anyone still watches the trusty old cable TV? I doubt it. With apps like Netflix and Prime Video in our TVs, our laptops, and our very hands in the form of mobile phones, streaming is the norm.
If you don’t have a smart TV but still want to avail the benefits of watching the latest season of Queer Eye on the big screen, Amazon has a solution for you (a bit uncanny how Amazon has a solution for most of our needs). The Amazon FireTV stick is basically a dongle that plugs into your TV to make it smart. You get apps like Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, Disney Hotstar, and many more. In fact, you can even use these for smart TV’s that don’t have the apps you need or even if the OS is obsolete. That’s the beauty of it. I bought the FireTV stick for Rs. 3,999 a few months ago. The price fluctuates depending on when there is a sale so do keep that in mind.
The main remote is simple, small, and easy to use with a minimalistic design. The firestick is a simple dongle design with an HDMI port on one side and a micro USB port on its side. Let’s come to its specifications. It comes with a 1.7GHz Quad-Core CPU, 8GB of internal storage Full HD 1080p output, Alexa voice assistant, Dual-band WiFi support, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Audio, and Dolby Digital+ support and it also supports Bluetooth 5.0.
All the apps and content get showcased in a tile format where some apps come pre-installed and others you can download from the app section. The best part of the Firestick is its optimization: smooth snappy, and extremely responsive. The Prime Video app is undoubtedly the smoothest on the firestick which makes sense because, well, Amazon. You can also change audio and add subtitles in the settings just like you would while streaming from your laptop. The best part is the enormous number of apps that are supported by the Firestick. I can watch anything from news to entertainment to sports to music. Not only that, there is a huge collection of games that one can install from the app section. Although some of them are playable via the firestick and some might require a gamepad, all of them play smoothly and lag-free thanks to its incredible processor that is the MediaTek MT8695D.
If all that wasn’t enough, you can even mirror your phone to your TV screen using the mirroring option in the settings. This lets you play content on your phone and display it on your TV using the firestick. Neat, isn’t it? The only drawback I would say is that this only works if you have an Android phone. Sorry, Apple fans. But worry not, you still get Bluetooth support so you can pair your favourite Bluetooth headphone and listen to your heart’s content. This is especially perfect for old TV’s that don’t have Bluetooth.
Since this is an Amazon device, it comes with built-in Alexa. All you have to do is press and hold the mic button on the remote to ask Alexa for general trivia, the weather, to blast some tunes, or anything else. I feel like the Amazon FireTV stick is a simple, budget-friendly solution to get all your favourite apps on the biggest screen at your home. If you’re a little tight on budget, you can consider going for the Firestick lite for just Rs. 2,999. And, if you have a 4K TV, you should certainly go for the Firestick 4K. Which also comes with Dolby Vision support and is currently selling for Rs. 6,999. This is a good investment if you want the luxury of watching your favourite TV shows and movies on a big screen.
