So my old smart tv was really struggling. Too often my TV was freezing or forcing reboots and I just had a feeling it had to do with the processor being a little old and not being able to keep up with running all my subscriptions and apps. It's a 65 inch, so replacing it entirely would be out of my budget at this time.
The fire cube gave my TV a second life!
Now if you've ever owned an alexa device, you probably know the first time powering on and setting up your device takes ages. Well that was especially true in my experience with the fire cube. PLEASE NOTE! it does require an ARC HDMI!! Sometimes you have to turn on ARC in your TV settings, and it's usually a dedicated HDMI port. This was my first problem.
After I got that figured out, it probably took about 30 minutes to allow my cube to update and work at full capacity.
But once the initial set up was done, I did have a few minor bugs for the first week. Sometimes I'd turn the TV off with the cube remote and audio would continue to play and I'd have to manually turn off the cube with it's physical button. This only happened two or three times.
However, since pairing my alexa studios, this problem hasn't reoccured.
Now I do have a switch that will trip my breaker if it accedntly gets flipped, and my cube and wifi are on the same breaker. So I do have to delete and repair my home theater when this happens, for some reason it completely ruins the connection and I'm not sure if it's because all my devices go offline, or if the cube can't reestablish connection on its own.
Now, with all the quirks mentioned and dealt with. I love my fire cube!! Paired with my alexa studios watching TV or listening to music on my speaker group is awesome! There's one quirk about the home theater that irks me, but that's already been mentioned in my review for the studios.
As for the cube itself though, I don't have any of the old issues I was having with my smart tv! Actually browsing different apps and my overall experience is much easier and intuitive! I love that I can use my voice to talk to the remote, or any of my alexa devices set to control the cube to immediately open an app or go straight to a movie or show. I got the remote Pro and I love the additional 2 custom buttons, along with the light up feature in the dark. And the "find remote" function works perfectly!! No more arguing over who lost the remote! Lol
My partner was extremely skeptical about adding another alexa device to our home, he's not as tech savvy as I am, and he prefers to use his phone for smart controls. But even he has really enjoyed the fire cube! And honestly, that says a lot about this device!
Initial setup may be rocky depending on person to person, but once it's running at full capacity, it's an excellent device for upgrading an existing TV that isn't smart, giving a second life to a smart TV that's having difficulty, and even for the home theater set up.
If your buying a cube or fire stick for the theater set up, 1000% recommend two alexa studios. THIS WILL REPLACE ANY EXISTING AUDIO SET UP YOU HAVE THOUGH!!! theater mode cannot be paired with existing soundbars or other speakers.... Honestly not happy about that part... However!! The sound and quality I got from switching was worth it for me, though I had hoped to enhance my set up and not replace it...
With that said, this is a perfect addition to your smart home journey.
( would not recommend standard alexa speakers for home theater, even a cheap soundbar out performs two Alexas, but in my opinion, the alexa studios are a great trade even without the optional sub woofer.)
The cube is capable of being a standalone alexa device if you don't have other devices, and on its own, the cube will play audio through a soundbar, TV, and I believe even an auxiliary audio source if you choose not to do a home theater with Alexa but don't quote me on that last one because I didn't try it.
The cube can also easily pair to Bluetooth devices, so at night, I like to use my wireless earbuds without being too noisy.
Like I said the cube can be a stand alone alexa device if you don't have any other alexa devices, so if your on the fence about a smart assistant, this could be a really great way to break into that, while still having a device that can do more than just being a smart assistant.
Carbon emissions from the lifecycle of this product were reduced compared to similar products or previous models.
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Reducing CO2
The Reducing CO2 label applies to products certified by the Carbon Trust, that are lowering their carbon emissions year after year for the full lifecycle of the product. The Carbon Trust was formed in 2001 and introduced the world’s first carbon label in 2007. It produces its certifications to global leading and independently verified standards. The Carbon Trust has a mission to accelerate the move to a sustainable, low carbon economy.
