One of the best products that have come on the entertainment market in the last few years is Amazon’s Fire TV Edition – especially for seniors.
Why?
Simply because you can use Alexa to verbally control your television! And if you add Youtube TV to your subscriptions then you will be able to access many (if not all) of the stations you normally would have access to with regular cable television services.
And yes, you don’t HAVE to get a brand new television set to use Fire TV. If you have a television that has an HDMI input (most smart TV’s have this) then you can simply purchase a Fire TV Stick – plug it in and you’ve got yourself Fire TV.
But if you want or need a new television set I would strongly recommend to go ahead and get a Fire TV Edition which has Fire TV built in.
The range of sizes in these Fire TV’s span from 32 inch to 70 inch screens. If your room can accommodate a 70 inch screen – well that would be awesome but more homes would probably be able to do well enough with a 55 inch screen.
For seniors, I would recommend as large a screen as possible to accommodate any issues with vision.
Amazon’s Fire TV Edition – 55 inch screen
This television comes with a remote – extremely easy to install. When I purchased mine I simply plugged it in, connected my Alexa to it and that was that.
What Is Amazon Fire TV?
Okay, so if you have been watching television through a cable service then the Fire TV experience will be a little different.
But if you have been using a smart TV or Roku then you’ll be more familiar with what Fire TV is.
But I would say that if you’re not familiar with smart TV features – to think of Fire TV as a cable company (it isn’t but it’s the easiest way to explain it).
The main differences are…
- You can still use a remote to get to your channels but your list guide of what is currently on will be very different.
- You can use Alexa to verbally ask to turn your television on / off and to go to a specific show or movie.
- Fire TV itself does not provide you with all the stations you are used to from your standard cable service. You may have to pay extra for things like the Hallmark Movie station, HBO, Showtime, etc.
- In order to access Live TV and many local stations you will need to add Youtube TV to your list of services but this should certainly be less than what you’re paying for cable.
Benefit of Fire TV For Seniors
The biggest benefit of Amazon’s Fire TV for seniors is that they can control their television set with their voice via Alexa.
I personally have a Fire TV and I can simply say… “Alexa, turn on my television.” (I named it “my television” so Alexa knows what to turn on)
I can also say “Alexa, go to Columbo on my television.”
Pretty cool, right?
How To Set Up Fire TV With Alexa
The steps to set it up are very simple.
- Open your Amazon Alexa app and tap on More on the bottom right
- Tap on Settings
- Scroll down and tap on TV & Video
- Tap on the plus sign to the right of Fire TV
Follow the on screen instructions from there. Remember, you have to name your television so name it whatever you want to say when you want to turn it on or off.
Well, have fun with your Fire TV!
