Kindle Vs Tablet

[scottmandue]

Wife hollers to me from the other room the other night "my kindle is dying!".
Translation = "I will be buying a new kindle soon."
Primary purpose is to read books.
However we have a amazon prime account and she is hot to load movies over prime and watch them on our home theater via HDMI.

***Important note, we have very weak/poor internet service in my neighborhood thus I will not pay for sucky internet thus we have no WIFI/internet at home***

However my brother and mother have fast internet where I could upload movies.

So, criteria is a cheap device that has a HDMI output that will also serve as a book reader.
I'm pretty sure most tablets have the ability to add a Amazon kindle reader.

I am currently on Amazon searching how far up the Kindle food chain I have to go to get a HDMI output (apparently the low end models can't do it).

I think you can see where I'm going with this, if I am heading into a $200 Kindle now I may have some options on a tablet.

Thanks for your input!

[scottmandue]

For instance:
http://www.amazon.com/NeuTab-Lollipop-Bluetooth-Warranty-Certified/dp/B01DTINEDE/ref=sr_1_cc_5?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1462306015&sr=1-5-catcorr&keywords=kindle+with+HDMI+output

Never heard of that company, seeing as I will be tech support I want something easy to use and relaible.

Still searching.

[rusnak]

You use the Kindle with a TV? What's the HDMI output for?

Why not a MacBook Pro - the little one?

[Seahawk]

I have an old, never used Kindle you can have...it is old but works. Still in the box.

[stomachmonkey]

Couple of things to consider here.

Kindles are designed primarily as ebook readers and really excel at the task. They will render text that is easier to read under a greater variety of conditions and will result in less eyestrain during extended use than a tablet will.

Not everything available to stream from Amazon is also available as a download so maybe spot check your current wish list.

Also remember that unless you've got a place to dump downloaded movies you'll be using up drive space on the tablet.

An alternate to going for a high end tablet with HDMI would be a chromecast and a wireless router. You don't need internet to make use of WIFI. Get a router that will support DLNA broadcasting and a USB hard drive.

You can load all your movies onto the hard drive and stream from there.

[intakexhaust]

Was in the same predicament last month. But, she was open minded on getting a convertible laptop and also wanted a DVD player. Enough storage and travel capable without cloud stream, woo-fooey business.

Landed on an Amazon link for one of these. I don't know if it was partial luck but a bang under $400... just intro'd, production date code on laptop was Feb.

WELL WORTH a few hundred more and she LOVES it. I originally was hesitant on the ram specs, planned to up it, yet have found is plenty for all her task. Personally, I haven't been on it much but the Win 10 is growing on me for a touch screen.

Good luck
http://www.amazon.com/Asus-TP550LA-15-6in-Transformer-Book/dp/B019FV6G34/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462306922&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+tp550la-uh51t

BTW: This i5 can talk wireless to smart TV's - stream of course but also downloaded vids, pics, etc.. or just the same network. No hiccup. So if out at the cabin without i-net, simple wireless to the TV and she's all set.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Couple of things to consider here.

Kindles are designed primarily as ebook readers and really excel at the task. They will render text that is easier to read under a greater variety of conditions and will result in less eyestrain during extended use than a tablet will.

Not everything available to stream from Amazon is also available as a download so maybe spot check your current wish list.

Also remember that unless you've got a place to dump downloaded movies you'll be using up drive space on the tablet.

An alternate to going for a high end tablet with HDMI would be a chromecast and a wireless router. You don't need internet to make use of WIFI. Get a router that will support DLNA broadcasting and a USB hard drive.

You can load all your movies onto the hard drive and stream from there.

I like the idea of just using a USB drive,

Originally Posted by intakexhaust

Was in the same predicament last month. But, she was open minded on getting a convertible laptop and also wanted a DVD player. Enough storage and travel capable without cloud stream, woo-fooey business.

Digging around even finding $200 Laptops (we already have a DVD/BD player) with a HDMI out and a USB

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B016V2N5PW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2HD0AAXTSQAHG&coliid=ISWWC0J9WH7M8

I guess now I will need to look at DVD/BD players that will play off a USB drive.

[1990C4S]

Or get a smart-TV that takes a thumb drive.

[scottmandue]

I guess I should have added I am looking to do this on the cheap (under $200)

Samsung BD/DVD with USB input:
BD-J5700 $75

However that will not double as a book reader... however however wifey now says her kindle is "okay"...

[jhynesrockmtn]

Have you looked at the various kindle fire models? My son is deploying in a few weeks. He wanted pictures to take with him. I bought a $50 kindle fire (android tablet) and loaded pics on a 32gig SD card. This way he can download books, use the tablet to browse web and skype and take/look at pics. I don't know what outputs his has but they have more expensive models with more features. My wife bought one to replace her kindle reader.

[scottmandue]

I already have a Fire (my wife insists ""IT IS NOT A KINDLE IT IS A FIRE!"... but we all know it is just a Kindle with another name.

How long would it take to stream a movie over WIFI? AFAIK I can't plug the Kindle.. I MEAN FIRE... directly into my computer to download a move onto it.

Also my Fire has 5gig memory of which 3gig is free... I'm thinking a movie is +/- 3 gig?
Yes, I could upload a movie, watch, delete, upload another movie.

But I'm thinking using a USB thumb drive will be faster and easier. (you can get a package four 8gig USB drives for $25 off Amazon)

[flipper35]

Doesn't the Fire have a micro SD slot? Put the movies on that and pop it in the Fire with and connect to the TV with a microHDMI cable.

My wife has a Fire and my daughter has a Galaxy Tab. With the Fire my wife just watches the movies on it directly and they look pretty good if a bit small. The Galaxy has software to transfer movies wireless and it works pretty well and she also has the movies put directly on the micro SD card when it transfers.

[emcon5]

Isn't Roku kind of an easy button for streaming Amazon to a HDMI port?

[flipper35]

Roku is a streaming device - required internet.

[VincentVega]

Thanks for this thread, I just ordered a Fire. Hard to beat for $40.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by flipper35

Roku is a streaming device - required internet.

We have friends that love their ROKU, but as flipper says it requires internet.

Originally Posted by VincentVega

Thanks for this thread, I just ordered a Fire. Hard to beat for $40.

I love my fire... for reading books... run down to starbucks or McDonalds and use their WIFI to surf the internet and check email... and playing games on the 7 inch screen is way better than playing on my phone.

I know internet is obligatory in this day and age... but we have smart phones and can do just about anything we need off the internet at home with our phones.

I an stubborn and would rather put the $60-$80 a month in the bank than pay for internet.

Besides our current Sony blueray player is starting to flake... the aforementioned Samsung will play DVD/BD/USB and will stream video via WIFI if/when I cave and get internet (all for $75).

As stomachmonkey points out the Kindle/Fire are great devices and can do movies... but not necessarily the best device for that use (I admit to being a A/V snob).

[Tishabet]

Full disclosure: I work for Amazon in the Kindle organization, I'm speaking in a personal capacity.

You are looking for a car that is sporty, seats 7, has 4wd and is a convertible. If you find something that checks all the boxes you are going to be compromising on each.

If your wife uses her kindle for reading and it needs to be replaced, get a new kindle e reader. No tablet or other device can match Kindle for low strain on the eyes, form factor, extraordinary battery life etc....and they're relatively cheap! Yes the Fire tablet can be used to read, yes Kindle apps are available for you to read on just about any other device you can imagine but at the end of the day the Kindle knocks it out of the park. I would blow your $60 on a new one, then spend your remaining $140 on a device to play downloadable video content... you will have many to chose from at that price point.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Tishabet

Full disclosure: I work for Amazon in the Kindle organization, I'm speaking in a personal capacity.

You are looking for a car that is sporty, seats 7, has 4wd and is a convertible. If you find something that checks all the boxes you are going to be compromising on each.

If your wife uses her kindle for reading and it needs to be replaced, get a new kindle e reader. No tablet or other device can match Kindle for low strain on the eyes, form factor, extraordinary battery life etc....and they're relatively cheap! Yes the Fire tablet can be used to read, yes Kindle apps are available for you to read on just about any other device you can imagine but at the end of the day the Kindle knocks it out of the park. I would blow your $60 on a new one, then spend your remaining $140 on a device to play downloadable video content... you will have many to chose from at that price point.

Totally agree, (you are preaching to the choir here, I started this thread to get data to persuade my wife away from the idea of using MY fire as a video streaming device) if you check my Amazon link above for $75 I can get a Samsung DVD/BD/USB/WIFI device and forget about messing with video input/output for another 10 years

BTW the Fire for $39 deal ends Saturday

She has a 10" kindle that seems to have miraculously healed itself.