Question for the tech geeks
Sep. 4th, 2016 01:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sg_wonderlandSo I usually try to buy myself something totally frivolous for my birthday and the shopping network nearly talked me into getting an Amazon Fire Stick. I got online and cruised around but couldn't find answers to two burning questions. So I'm hoping my peeps can help.
One, I cannot get the new digital channels on my TV. My cable company tells me that it is because my TV (four year old flat screen) does not recognize their upgrade to digital and that I would need to purchase either a newer TV or a converter box that will convert the signal. Wise to their ways and absolute lack of customer service, I called the local Radio Shack which sells TVs and asked them. Their tech told me that, yes, they had the boxes but he couldn't guarantee that it would work because their display TVs (all new and digital) are hooked to the same cable service and they cannot get the digital channels either. This would not bother me much except that I can no longer get PBS/BBC America which means no Sherlock or the new Victoria miniseries.
so, if I get the Fire Stick, will it get the digital channels?
Two, would I be able watch stuff from Amazon Prime on my TV instead of my Kindle? The problem with the Kindle is that watching Prime videos eats the battery up. As it is, I am charging my Kindle Fire every single night because I always run out of battery power since it is my main reading device.
The stick is less than 40 bucks so if it doesn't work, I'm not out alot of money. But I don't want to buy it if it doesn't solve at least one of my problems.
Help me, Obi Wan, you're my only hope!
One, I cannot get the new digital channels on my TV. My cable company tells me that it is because my TV (four year old flat screen) does not recognize their upgrade to digital and that I would need to purchase either a newer TV or a converter box that will convert the signal. Wise to their ways and absolute lack of customer service, I called the local Radio Shack which sells TVs and asked them. Their tech told me that, yes, they had the boxes but he couldn't guarantee that it would work because their display TVs (all new and digital) are hooked to the same cable service and they cannot get the digital channels either. This would not bother me much except that I can no longer get PBS/BBC America which means no Sherlock or the new Victoria miniseries.
so, if I get the Fire Stick, will it get the digital channels?
Two, would I be able watch stuff from Amazon Prime on my TV instead of my Kindle? The problem with the Kindle is that watching Prime videos eats the battery up. As it is, I am charging my Kindle Fire every single night because I always run out of battery power since it is my main reading device.
The stick is less than 40 bucks so if it doesn't work, I'm not out alot of money. But I don't want to buy it if it doesn't solve at least one of my problems.
Help me, Obi Wan, you're my only hope!
hope this is not too late
Date: 2016-09-16 08:32 pm (UTC)to quote him: "you can as sure as sh** get amazon stuff on an amazon product." (he looked it up to confirm it)
as to the BBC america is not available through an app. he found it streaming somewhere, but he can't get tit tor work for him.
you can get app for PBS & amazon stuff on roku. apparently you can get PBS on the fire stick.
you should tell the cable company that you talked to people with newer TVs & they can't get the digital stuff through that cable company.
he said you could try the DSL reports forums to see if other people are having similar problems. they might have useful work-arounds or something.
Re: hope this is not too late
Date: 2016-09-17 01:33 pm (UTC)I cannot get the BBCAmerica app to work for me either.