Notice from Amazon Prime re Sony Blu-ray (system, reviews, phone)

[loves2read]

I got email today from Amazon
Anyone else using Sony BluRay get one?

Amazon will no longer be supporting the Prime Video app on your Sony Blu-ray Disc Player / Sony Network Media Player / Sony Blu-ray Disc Home Theater System / Sony AV Receiver as of September 26, 2019. We are continually upgrading our service and this occasionally means we can no longer support certain device models.

So supporting could mean any Amazon updates won’t be passed along to the Sony BluRay which is how I lost YouTube on one tv (not big loss for me cause I didn’t watch it)

Now I have two of them—one in a house in TX and one in house in FL==bought several years apart and we use them for streaming Amazon and other platforms

I am not sure if this is policy in general that Amazon is throwing at ALL Sony BluRay players
There was an offer to but a FireStick which I would never use and the note that there are other steaming devices Amazon will honor

[gguerra]

Originally Posted by loves2read

There was an offer to but a FireStick which I would never use and the note that there are other steaming devices Amazon will honor

You have it backward, it's the Bluray player you should abandon and not use for streaming, use it just to play discs.

The Fire Stick or a Roku is superior to anything built-in to devices such as a TV or Bluray player.

You can install apps and games and the devices get updated on a regular basis.

It's like night and day and you can't even complain about the price.

I just got a 4k fire stick for $25, half of the regular price of $50. This was on Prime Day not long ago.

It is very fast and the picture quality is excellent.

[loves2read]

I know about Roku and streaming
We had to get a new tv right after I posted that comment and it is smart—
The one that broke was smart to but my husband preferred to used the HDMI source and use the blu ray for streaming

I wouldn’t use a FireStick is you paid me
I think Bezos is mining that data for all its worth...

[bigbear99]

Originally Posted by loves2read

I wouldn’t use a FireStick is you paid me
I think Bezos is mining that data for all its worth...

Only Bezos? What about your ISP? Your cable provider? Your smart TV maker? Your credit card company? Your pharmacy? Not to mention your grocery (you thought those cards that give you sale prices were a gift?), and anywhere else you use a "loyalty" card. Oh yes, warranty registrations are a goldmine too. Then there are public records like property records, DMV, court records of all kinds, phone numbers.

Want me to go on?

[loves2read]

Read the reviews on Amazon for brands that use the FireStick platform
Think it is more than “data” mining
My daughter wanted smaller smart tv for their bedroom
Got a TCL

[gguerra]

Originally Posted by loves2read

I know about Roku and streaming
We had to get a new tv right after I posted that comment and it is smart—
The one that broke was smart to but my husband preferred to used the HDMI source and use the blu ray for streaming

I wouldn’t use a FireStick is you paid me
I think Bezos is mining that data for all its worth...

So Roku doesn't do this?

I got news for you, everybody mines data, the list is quite long. See bigbear's post. I could provide many more examples. Also, what could they be mining on a Fire Stick. The kind of shows you like and watch? They are not selling and I am not buying anything that I don't want. There is nothing to mine, period. I like Firesticks because they work well, are inexpensive and I can install any app I want, regardless of whether they are on the appstore. The main app this would apply to would be Kodi. You can't do that with a Roku, sorry.

[Tek_Freek]

I am flabbergasted at the paranoia that is running rampant regarding "data mining".

[bigbear99]

Originally Posted by Tek_Freek

I am flabbergasted at the paranoia that is running rampant regarding "data mining".

I agree. For decades, literally, data aggregators have been doing their thing, combining data from credit bureaus (equifax et al) with public records data and who knows what else, and selling various slices. So what's so worse about FB, Google and the rest of the apps we use?

[Tek_Freek]

Originally Posted by bigbear99

I agree. For decades, literally, data aggregators have been doing their thing, combining data from credit bureaus (equifax et al) with public records data and who knows what else, and selling various slices. So what's so worse about FB, Google and the rest of the apps we use?

Everyone talks about it on the Internet. Before the paranoids had access to the Internet they were clueless. Now they're going crazy.

[whogoesthere]

Amazon, Facebook and Google have taken data mining to another level...I understand the wariness (as long as the Bezos hate isn't some Trump thing)...even with the wariness I have firesticks and would recommend one to the OP as its a good streamer and is inexpensive ....only issue is I think Roku is better as long as you are not trying to load kodi or something of that nature...so get one of the Roku sticks...Roku monitors you too so search how to turn off (or more likely tone down) tracking (settings - privacy - advertising - check limit ad tracking)