Best Firestick for IPTV: What Matters When You Buy One

Every current Fire TV Stick plays IPTV. The question is not whether a model works, but which one gives the smoothest picture on your TV, in your house, for the next few years. Amazon renames and refreshes the line-up often, so rather than a list that will be out of date by spring, this guide covers what to look at on the box, in the order it matters.

1. Match the stick to your TV

The single most useful question is what your TV can show.

• An HD TV (most TVs under about 43 inches, and most older sets) gets nothing extra from a 4K stick except a little more speed. An HD model is enough.
• A 4K TV is where a 4K stick earns its price. Look for the HDR formats your TV supports as well; a stick that matches them gives a noticeably better picture on the channels and films that use them.

Remember that 4K needs every link in the chain: a channel broadcast in 4K, a 4K stick, a 4K TV and enough connection. Most live channels are in HD, so a 4K stick mostly shows its value on films, series and the channels that broadcast in 4K.

2. Memory and storage

This is where older and cheaper sticks show their age, and it matters more than the processor for IPTV. Large channel lists and film libraries take memory to hold, and a stick that runs short starts closing apps or slowing down when you scroll.

Newer models have more of both. If you are choosing between two sticks at similar prices, the one with more memory will stay comfortable for longer.

If you already own an older stick, it is probably still fine. Our own app is about 3 MB and is built to stay light on sticks with little memory: it loads nothing while you move through the lists, only when you press OK. What helps an older stick most is freeing space: uninstall the apps you no longer use from Settings → Applications → Manage installed applications.

3. Wi-Fi, or better, a cable

Most of the stuttering people blame on their IPTV service is Wi-Fi between the router and the TV. Two things help:

• Newer Wi-Fi. Recent sticks support newer Wi-Fi standards, which cope much better in a busy house in the evening. They only help if your router supports the same standard.
• Ethernet. A wired connection is the steadiest picture you can get. Sticks do not have a network port, but Amazon and others sell a small Ethernet adapter that plugs into the stick’s power cable. If your router is near the TV, this is the best few pounds or dollars you will spend.

Wherever the stick sits, use the short HDMI extender that comes in the box. It moves the stick away from the metal back of the TV, which weakens Wi-Fi more than people expect.

4. Stick, Cube or a TV with Fire TV built in

• A stick is the cheapest, plugs straight into the TV and travels easily.
• A Fire TV Cube has more power, built-in voice control without the remote, and room to breathe; it suits a main living-room TV.
• A TV with Fire TV built in needs no extra device at all. Our app installs on it the same way as on a stick.

All three run our app with the same Downloader code, and the same login.

5. The remote

It sounds minor, but you will use it every day. Recent Fire TV remotes include buttons for the TV’s power and volume. If you are buying for someone who finds technology a chore, a remote that controls the TV too saves a second remote on the sofa.

Not a Fire TV person?

Android TV and Google TV devices, including many TVs sold with Google TV built in and the Nvidia Shield, run our own app too, installed with the same Downloader code. Samsung and LG smart TVs, Apple TV, iPhone and iPad use a player app with the login we send; the setup guide covers each one.

So which should you buy?

• HD TV, tight budget: the current HD stick.
• 4K TV: a 4K stick, ideally the one with the most memory you can justify.
• Main TV, router nearby: whichever model you choose, add the Ethernet adapter.
• Already own an older stick: keep it, clear some space, and try our app before you replace anything.

Once you have it, setting up StreamPlay4K on a Firestick takes about five minutes, and the Firestick page shows what the app does. The free trial of up to 24 hours is the quickest way to see how your own stick copes.

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Amazon, Fire TV and Fire TV Stick are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. StreamPlay4K is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Amazon.