There’s a lot of competition when it comes to smart TV operating systems. They aren’t just a means for you to navigate to and from your favorite shows, movies, and live entertainment — they are dynamic hubs that integrate with a range of other products and services, promoting brand loyalty and encouraging you to engage with a lot of content that you might not otherwise be interested in. If you invest in a specific smart TV OS, you’re really investing in a whole identity and world of opportunity.
There is one system, however, that takes this idea too far, and makes the user experience untenable and miserable. I will not be investing in Fire TV now or in the future; I wouldn’t even use it if it were free. Here’s why.
Fire TV and Prime Video are filled with ads
Commercials are a big revenue stream
The biggest drawback to Fire TV is the abundance of ads. It’s hard to escape ads on any platform, even when you pay extra money to forgo them. But the ads that Fire TV pushes to your screen seem even more intrusive. There are ads and commercials before watching movies, and sometimes during shows you’re enjoying. There are also ads for Prime Video shows that will creep up, including banners on your home page.
This is all in part because Fire TV is part of a large online retail system that really wants you to buy things. And when you’re using Fire TV or Prime Video, there are going to be constant efforts to make you buy things.
Fire TV keeps you in Amazon’s ecosystem
So many options means it’s hard to break free
The operating system, Fire TV, as well as the streaming service, Prime Video, are only small parts of Amazon’s incredibly vast ecosystem of products and services offered to individuals and businesses around the globe. With both of these specific entertainment offerings, the goal is to bring you into the ecosystem with cheap prices and free trials, and then keep you there as you start to shop, adding on channels, services, and products.
If it’s always on sale, then it’s not a good deal.
It’s part of the reason why Fire TV sticks are seemingly always on sale. They are often shown with a price reduction, although savvy shoppers will note that such price drops are showcased to make the purchase seem more valuable. If it’s always on sale, then it’s not a good deal.
There are also more subtle ways Amazon keeps you engaged. Consider that when you finish a movie or show on Prime Video; the service gives you less time than any other to keep watching the credits before it automatically jumps to another title. Everything is designed to keep you within.
The Fire TV interface is clunky
A frustrating system lags behind others
Fire TV is perhaps the least enjoyable operating system to navigate. It feels bloated and clunky, making it difficult to navigate and find what you’re looking for. It also, of course, is preferential to Prime shows and services, so you’re always going to be forced to sift through those offerings first before you can actually find what you want.
Amazon also isn’t always kind to competitor’s products and services. Some apps or opportunities that are offered on other operating systems may not be available on Fire TV; or some features that exist now may be removed in the future. Fire TV seems designed to maximize your enjoyment of Amazon products; and if you don’t use them, then it tries to make not using them so frustrating that you give up and enlist.
Prime Video offers poor originals
Titles are designed by algorithms
A Fire TV investment is also a tacit endorsement of a lot of original programming that is increasingly mediocre. These are big-budget productions like G20 and Red One that are inane, action-packed movies made for watching in the background. These movies make the plot very clear by telling audiences what’s happening because they assume they aren’t fully paying attention.
Amazon and Apple share a lot of similarities when it comes to their entertainment endeavors, but at least the latter makes some attractive shows with talented stars that are worth watching, even if they are far from perfect. Amazon’s collection of originals seems tailored to search engine queries and profitable niches. And when one show works, it will produce more of the same; that’s why there are so many series that feel like they’re designed for your dad based on popular airport novels.
The future looks grim for Fire TV
More ads and interactive shopping will arrive
None of these issues appear to be getting better anytime soon. To start, ads are going to become more intrusive and insidious. Amazon has already announced its interest in allowing viewers to shop for what they see on screen, buying apparel, accessories, or devices in a particular scene with just a single click. You can see a handbag in a scene and then add it to your cart and buy immediately.
There’s no reason to believe that original titles will be of any quality; Amazon runs efficiently because of the data, and if it can make money producing shows and movies that feel like they’re made by AI, then it will continue to do that. Anything Prime Video puts out will surely be connected to other Amazon products and services, which will make watching a movie feel far more like shopping.
