Amazon Fire TV Recast works in conjunction with an over-the-air (OTA) digital antenna that complements Fire TV devices by streaming live local TV channels and providing DVR storage. So, if you use an Amazon Fire TV device like Fire TV Cube or Fire TV Stick 4K for Live TV streaming, then Amazon Fire TV Recast may be right for you. For the best results, use an over-the-top (OTT) cable-alternative service like fuboTV. That way, you can watch your favorite national programming like ESPN, HGTV, and NBC Sports Network with your cable-alternative service while picking up local channels and regional sports networks (RSNs) with Amazon Fire TV Recast. Find out how to get the most of your local channels with this Amazon Recast review.
But, what makes Amazon Fire TV so popular as a brand? Amazon Fire TV’s line of compact streaming devices along with voice control remotes are a coveted commodity among cord-cutters in the know. You can examine Amazon’s streaming devices, features, and pricing with our complete review. Or focus entirely on channels and packaging with our in-depth breakdown. And if you want to see how Amazon’s devices stack up next to Roku, we recommend our brand analysis. Does the Amazon Fire TV Stick seem like the right choice for you? Find out for sure with our top-down Amazon Fire TV Stick review.
Amazon Fire TV Recast pricing?
Like most digital antennas, the starting price is a little hefty — but luckily it’s only a 1-time cost. There are two versions of Amazon Fire TV — a 2-tuner model and a 4-tuner model. The 2-tuner model costs $229.99 and lets you watch and record 2 channels at once, while the 4-tuner model provides you with up to 4 channels to watch and record for $279.99.
Amazon Fire TV Recast is available on Amazon’s online marketplace for the prices featured above. And if you make the purchase with your Amazon account, you have the option to break up the cost into 5 monthly payments. So, that’s $46 for 5 months for the 2-tuner model and $56 for 5 months for the 4-tuner.
Amazon Fire TV Recast features
Amazon Fire TV Recast wields a variety of features that boost your live TV performance. Let’s take a closer look at all the hallmarks of Amazon’s digital antenna, along with its design and setup process.
Amazon Fire TV Recast design
By sheer design, Amazon Fire TV Recast is reminiscent of Amazon’s premium Fire TV Cube — only larger in scale and not a perfect cube. Its exact height-width-depth measurements are 2.9 x 7.2 x 7.2 inches.
The front and rear of the Fire TV Recast have a series of tiny holes for ventilation. There’s also a dot light indicator at the front, which shines a white while powered on, red when recording, and blue if there are issues with connection. The rear of the Fire TV Recast has a series of ports. These include a place for the power adapter, a coaxial antenna connector, an ethernet port, a USB port, and a button for pairing.
The Amazon Fire TV Recast isn’t a digital antenna itself, so you’ll need to purchase one separately. But you can find an effective digital antenna in the $20 range and connect it to your Fire TV Recast with the coaxial antenna connector.
Amazon Fire TV Recast setup process
Before you begin the setup process, you need to first download the Fire TV app, if you haven’t done so already. Then, place the Fire TV Recast near your router for the best Wi-Fi results. The Fire TV Recast doesn’t necessarily need to live near your TV, so if you’re connecting through an Ethernet cable, you can place it in a more advantageous area.
Next, pull up the Fire TV app and select the Set Up a New Fire TV Recast within the device list. Follow the prompts that take you step-by-step from plugging in your device to connecting it to Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Then, to finish up, link your Amazon account to your Fire TV Recast.
There’s no subscription or anything that you’ll need to worry about. Simply scan the OTA airwaves to pull in all the local channels available in your market area.
Amazon Fire TV Recast remote
The Fire TV app works as a remote for not only your Fire TV streaming device but also the Fire TV Recast. In fact, as we noted above, you’ll need to download the app in order to set up the Fire TV Recast. But once set up, you can use the voice remote that comes with Fire TV streaming devices to navigate to the DVR or Live TV tabs displayed on the main menu of your Fire TV. You can also use verbal search terms like, “Alexa, tune to CBS,” in order to pull up the CBS affiliate that’s specific to your region.
Amazon Fire TV Recast streaming quality
The quality of streaming hinges on the broadcasting strength of the channels. So, if a channel televises a show in standard definition (SD), it’ll be fuzzier than the news or game that’s televised in high definition (HD) 720p-1080i. If you’re experiencing pixelated images, you can always try to move your antenna to a stronger signal location.
Amazon Fire TV Recast DVR storage
Some cable-alternative streaming services like Sling TV provide you with cloud DVR storage. Amazon Fire TV Recast is a bit different since it’s a device. So, instead of cloud DVR, the Fire TV Recast uses hardware storage to save your recordings. This actually gives you more freedom over your recordings, meaning you can save videos for as long as you wish. The 2-tuner model contains 500 GB (75 hours) of DVR storage, whereas the 4-tuner model packs in 1 TB (150 hours).
The final cut
Amazon Fire TV Recast works with your Fire TV streaming device and an OTA digital antenna to deliver you local channels and RSNs. It’s powerless without a streaming device and digital antenna, so you’ll need all three for it to work. But for a one time cost, you’ll be sure to get your money’s worth in the long run if you’re a fan of your hometown team or prefer local news coverage.
Want to learn more about Amazon Fire TV devices? See where we rank Amazon Fire TV Stick with our side-by-side comparison. And if you’re a stickler for 4K streaming, we also cover the best way to stream 4K content on Amazon Prime Video.
Did you know that you can watch live NFL games on Thursday nights with Amazon Prime Video? Find out all that and more with our complete Amazon Prime Video review.
Here in this article, we examine how to watch Amazon Prime Video on Roku devices. And if you don’t have Amazon Prime Video yet, what are you waiting for? We tell you exactly how you can take advantage of Amazon Prime Video’s free trial.