IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) the Fire TV Stick and Roku

I cut the cord on cable tv a little over a year ago. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made. There are probably few left who don't understand the value of IPTV (Internet Protocol Television). And the Fire TV Stick is (arguably) the best internet tv streaming device in the market. The amount, variety and quality of tv programming available by streaming IPTV is phenomenal. Going from cable tv to streaming IPTV is like switching from AM to FM radio. From scratchy 78 RPM records to compact discs. From analog to digital. It's like going from a small, drippy garden hose to a firehose.
It's a cornucopia - in high definition.
A menu of not just hundreds of tv channels .. but TENS of THOUSANDS.
FREE movies and documentaries from all over the world. Not just hundreds of choices but TENS of THOUSANDS.
Instead of a magazine .. you have a library.
It's almost overwhelming.
Some of my favorite viewing includes ALL the Ken Burns documentaries (available on-demand from PBS for an extra $5 a month), Gator sports, college football, science, technology, travel, nature, God and Faith, space, astronomy and the cosmos.
Whether you are interested in News (US and International), Movies (all genres, new or old, American and International), Sports, Entertainment (everything under the sun), Education and Learning, History, Music, the Arts, Culture, Travel, Pop Culture, Anthropology, Literature, Mathematics, Astronomy and the Cosmos, Quantum Physics, Medicine and Health, Naturopathic, Holistic and Herbal Medicine, Mental Health, Philosophy, Faith and Religion, Nature, Mysterious Ancient Technologies, Global Wonders, Cars, Real Estate, Documentaries of all kinds, Military, Politics, International Studies, Law and Government, Racial Politics, Computer Science, Archeology, Agriculture, Economics, Employment, Crime, Courts and the Legal System, Food and Cooking, Restaurants, Home and Family, Children, Gerontology, Ted Talks, Pets and Animals, on and on and on. TV channels and movies from all over the world. If you're interested in it, you'll find programs about it streaming IPTV.
There is some excellent information in the thread "Cord cutting: A beginner's guide" - but this new thread is needed. This thread takes things a step further. If you haven't jumped in - what are you waiting for ?
What is IPTV ?
IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) refers to a means of distributing both live TV and stored video (on-demand or pay-per-view) to the end user in the same fashion in which internet content is sent, and over the exact same network. It’s a different way of distributing broadcast-quality content to consumers. Broadcast quality content, in this case, indicates all the features consumers have come to expect from their digital television service provider, including all your beloved channels in High Definition quality.
From the user’s perspective, IPTV provides a similar experience to conventional cable or satellite. Switch on the TV, use the remote to select a channel, and enjoy the program. However, since IPTV uses the Internet Protocol to deliver digital content, service providers have realized they can integrate different services across platforms, which brings a convergence of voice, data, and television over the same network, all using the same language, through one provider.
IPTV refers to the delivery of TV over IP networks. It lets you stream the source media without any interruption. Cable TV broadcasters normally send out the signals and the viewer receives them. In other words, the viewers are only able to watch whatever is being broadcasted. They never get to dictate what is on and when. The viewer can only watch what’s available.
Things are different with IPTV. It sends TV shows or movies through the standard internet connection. This technology uses video-on-demand features to let you view a range of shows. There is a whole complex network architecture behind how it works but let's not get into that.
What’s important is you don’t watch the content being broadcasted. You tell the provider what you want to watch and they send it to you right away. Cool, right?
Cable TV, on the other hand, requires the help of a technician for setup and installation. A cable box is required as well, which your cable provider will send to your place along with a technician.
IPTV is simple to set up. All you have to do is download software and use the Internet to watch the content. No need to wait for a technician to come and visit your place, and install the connection. No extra equipment for setup is needed either.
IPTV can distribute content to all connected devices better than traditional TV.
If you already know how to operate a modern TV, you will have no problem adjusting to IPTV.
If you want more channels, IPTV will be your best entertainment fix.
IPTV lets you choose the channels you want to see and that also includes global networks. You have more room for customizing your packages as well. Plus, you are paying for the channels you would like to watch, nothing more and nothing less.
IPTV comes with features like pause, video recording, media players, weather information, music on demand, and even start over TV. Cable TV has advanced too but it usually doesn’t support features such as video recording or starting over. So, if you would like to have more control and enjoy advanced features, IPTV is what you need.
IPTV Services May Be Classified Into Three Main Categories

• Live media and live television, with or without related interactivity
• Video on Demand (VOD): open and view items in a stored media listing
• Time-shifted media: e.g. catch-up TV (watch a show that played days or hours ago) and start-over TV (watch the live show from the start)

There's a learning curve with this technology. There are new concepts and a new lexicon. If you're new to all this you'll need to learn about

• High Speed Internet Service
• Internet Service Provider (ISP) throttling
• Streaming
• Buffering and ways to avoid it
• FireStick (Fire TV Stick) vs other devices
• Jailbreaking (Unlocking) the FireStick
• Sideloading Apps
  
• Internal Memory on the FireStick and how to expand it
• Going beyond the Amazon App Store
• Streaming copyrighted content
  
• VPN (Virtual Private Network)
• VPN Protocol Settings
• DNS (Domain Name System)
• 4K, 8K, HD, UHD TV resolution

I've learned a thing or two about all this during the last year. I'm certainly not an expert but I'm willing to help you answer questions. Probably save you some time, money and headaches.
There are some great websites I can point you toward.
I highly recommend you cut the cable and start streaming IPTV. There's a big world out there. And a big universe.

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Before I cut the cord and jumped into Internet Protocol Television I had a TON of questions. And then more questions AFTER I jumped in.
Figuring everything out and learning about streaming IPTV and menu choices, available services, technologies, devices, the lexicon, consumer advice, cost and value was a big learning curve. I had to read a lot of stuff and figure it all out, pretty much by myself.
I'll be glad to help if anyone has questions.
Save you some time, money and headaches.
There are some great websites I can point you toward.

 

Step 1. High speed internet
Step 2. Firestick (or Roku)
Step 3. YouTubeTV or pick one of the others
Then read the links.
It's really not that complicated.
It's just a little complicated.
The rewards are immense and effusive.

 

My streaming tv internet download speed runs between 20 - 80 Mbps depending on the load and time of day. That's WITH a VPN, which I always use and highly recommend.

Excellent article from Consumer Reports
Is Your Internet Fast Enough for Streaming?

My high speed internet service is CenturyLink - $65 a month
CenturyLink Speed Test | HighSpeedInternet.com.

 

I just spent some time on Tubi.
Unbelievable.
It's not ALL great but when you have THAT MANY MENU CHOICES - Wowsa !
You're bound to find a few dozen things that tickle your fancy.
I was amazed at their many documentaries, movies and tv shows from the 1930's 40's 50's and 60's.

 

Back to the FireStick.
I just installed this memory expansion hack.
Cost me less than $20 for a 64GB SanDisk Ultra USB 3.0 Flash Drive and an OTG Cable and solved the limited internal storage issue on the FireStick.
This works on the Third Generation FireStick too (which I have)
TROYPOINT is great.

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This is another hot hack for cleaning up and speeding up the Firestick

 

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Free Ad Blocker for your FireStick


Excellent tech support from Curiosity Cafe
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