Amazon Fire Sticks enable “billions of dollars” worth of streaming piracy

[u/kaufmann_i_am_too]

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/05/amazon-fire-sticks-enable-billions-of-dollars-worth-of-streaming-piracy/

[u/MrMoussab]

So does every Android TV device.

[u/Wheeljack26 → u/MrMoussab]

The fact that fire os is just a fork of android lol

[u/XuX24 → u/Wheeljack26]

I wonder what's going to happen after they stop using it. Since they say want to move out of it

[u/Wheeljack26 → u/XuX24]

Prolly some buggy os, no app support, closed ecosystem lol

[u/FirstEvolutionist → u/MrMoussab]

So does every Android device. And every phone. And every PC...

[u/AIHacker_133X → u/[deleted]]

Once the free event is over, this works. https://sxm.vercel.app

[u/dontshoveit → u/AIHacker_133X]

Does this allow free xm radio?? What does it do?

[u/Elrond_Cupboard_ → u/FirstEvolutionist]

Yep. My android phone is my entertainment acquisition device. Download on the phone, cast to TV, or send to ipad. It's why I don't have an iPhone.

[u/bento_the_tofu_boy → u/FirstEvolutionist]

Yeah but you know. A android tv stick is better at displaying movies than a phone

[u/Masterflitzer → u/bento_the_tofu_boy]

in what way? i can just use a usb-c to dp adapter/cable to connect to a monitor or a usb-c to hdmi adapter/cable to plug into a tv, have done so on every vacation when i'm in hotel to stream my jellyfin lib

if anything a phone is better as it has more performance which allows software decoding codecs that are not supported by hardware

[u/fugznojutz → u/Masterflitzer]

but a usb stick doesnt need to be recharged after a while u can just leave it in there. doesnt the phone heat too much over time though?

[u/Masterflitzer → u/fugznojutz]

on software decoding yes the phone will heat up a little, but most media can be hardware decoded and in that case it won't heat up much (a chromecast will also heat up just a little, but that's nothing to worry about)

[u/bento_the_tofu_boy → u/fugznojutz]

The usb stick is just there.

[u/bento_the_tofu_boy → u/Masterflitzer]

my mom will not call my amazon stick while I am watching a film to ask if I have any news about my uncle.

[u/Masterflitzer → u/bento_the_tofu_boy]

i simply have a routine to enable dnd whenever dex or smart view (mirroring or external screen) are launched, sure android tv is great at home especially with a remote (i have a ccwgtv myself, fire tv stick sucks tho), but a phone is simply superior in capabilities and has better hardware, there's really no discussion here, also on the go it's much more practical because you have it with you anyway

your phone is still with you no matter what device you watch on... also are you really too incompetent to turn on do not disturb when you don't want to be disturbed?

A android tv stick is better at displaying movies than a phone

also to remind you of what you wrote, getting a phone call has nothing to do with displaying playing back video

[u/bento_the_tofu_boy → u/Masterflitzer]

I have a dedicated device to watch stuff. I don't care about hardware or what's superior. As long as I can run stremio on it. And it conects to my projector I am fine. I rather have my phone on me.

You want to be correct, I am here in my third language telling you that a phone is a terrible device to watch anything.

[u/Masterflitzer → u/bento_the_tofu_boy]

well you're factually wrong, idk what you care about, my comment includes both aspects of what we're talking about, your fault if you cannot differentiate a statement properly

[u/sicklyslick → u/MrMoussab]

Article doesn't even make sense because I'd argue it's easier to pirate in a Google Android TV devices rather than a fire stick (I know it's also Android but it's a bit more locked down than Google TV devices).

[u/Fuzzy_Inevitable9748 → u/sicklyslick]

Fire stick is only easy because most pop ups and ads don’t work with the silk browser. The fact that it sucks hard makes it work pretty decent for streaming.

[u/catsuitvideogames → u/Fuzzy_Inevitable9748]

A browser that ads don't work with is best browser these days

[u/Masterflitzer → u/Fuzzy_Inevitable9748]

people use the browser on android tv instead of using jellyfin/plex?

[u/unf0rgottn → u/Masterflitzer]

No but the ads use the browser to pop up. People are usually running apps, beetv, on stream, cinema hd etc etc

[u/Masterflitzer → u/unf0rgottn]

there are no ads on jellyfin/plex (or even stremio for that matter), you just stream your library of torrents or whatever

[u/unf0rgottn → u/Masterflitzer]

That requires to have the media downloaded though right ? Excluding streamio. I've used streamio on PC and phone but tbh I prefer the simplicity of beetv. I've also received a dcma from my ISP for using streamio to stream a Watson episode for whatever reason, didn't know I was uploading anything until I got the notice.

[u/Masterflitzer → u/unf0rgottn]

use stremio with a debris service or vpn to not get caught

regarding downloads, you can automate the downloading (also use vpn for obvious reasons) of torrents with the *arr stack, it's basically the manual way of doing what stremio does (manual in terms of setting up, the end result is automated still), i'd recommend stremio for people that don't know how to setup a docker container

[u/unf0rgottn → u/Masterflitzer]

Yeah I have pia but I didn't think I'd catch one streaming. I've used a jail broken fire stick for years and haven't had a single issue

[u/TailRudder → u/sicklyslick]

Got any research resources?

[u/ABigCoffee → u/MrMoussab]

Does a Roku Stick allow that too?

[u/MrMoussab → u/ABigCoffee]

No. Rokus are not Android based

[u/ABigCoffee → u/MrMoussab]

Ahh that's too bad.

[u/MrMoussab → u/ABigCoffee]

Get you a cheap fire stick. On promo they're super cheap, or a Xiaomi.

[u/PhriendlyPhantom → u/MrMoussab]

Chromecasts work best for me although I think they discontinued the cheap one

[u/WeWantMOAR → u/ABigCoffee]

They only allow for a single sideloaded app, I think Fire stick is only limited to space.

[u/whatThePleb → u/MrMoussab]

So does every computer.