What to watch on the Amazon Fire TV Box

When I learned there was a TV set top box coming to market from Amazon, I signed up immediately, keen to take advantage of the saving- it cost £59.99 at the early bird rate*- and try out the future of television. We don’t have Smart TVs at The Cottage. To be honest we struggle to get internet some days, despite the fact that high speed broadband has already come to our corner of the Kent countryside. But my grumble about my exchange not yet being switched on should be saved for another day.

The box is the work of minutes to install. It’s small- smaller than a CD case- and discreet and has an even smaller remote. It’s the kind of thing that slots seamlessly into your life and makes you wonder how life ever worked before it arrived. Once hooked up to your wifi you have access to the full range of online streaming services you ,ay already be familiar with- Netflix, Spotify and BBC iPlayer- as well as those you may not have used before. In addition there are other apps and games, and you can even stream your own photographs. This little box packs a really big punch.

DH and I watch very little live TV. Our default position is the stack of box sets next to the TV- series from the US, France and Scandinavia that we order online and watch in clusters on weekends and holidays. Now that we have the option of watching online through the Fire Box, we have even taken the box and HDMI cable on holiday with us so we can enjoy great ad-free TV whilst we are away.

You can access titles through the Amazon Instant video store- movies and TV series are available through instant streaming or to download for varying costs and can be streamed to devices as well as through your Fire TV Box. Items are stored in your online video library so you can pick up exactly where you left off.

If you have an Amazon Prime subscription- £79.00 for what used to be guaranteed next day delivery- then you have access to a greater range of titles, all of which bear the Prime banner. If you don’t want to commit to the cost of that after a free 30 day trial, there is also an option to take out Prime Instant Video subscription at £5.99 per month.

So if you are thinking of getting hooked up with an Amazon Fire TV box- or indeed 1GB Amazon Fire stick which is launching in a few days**- let me share with you some of the things that we have loved watching.

Bosch: the detective series set in California is based on the eponymous character in Michael Connelly novels which DH and I have both enjoyed. The jazz-loving detective- played by Titus Welliver- is cast really well, there are plenty of faces you would recognise from series like The Wire and plenty of Police politics mixed in with the story line. I also have to congratulate Jason Gedrick on his portrayal of the genuinely creepy Waites. We are waiting with baited breath for the second series, which has just been announced.

Scandal: this is all me– it’s not something DH would watch, not that I have offered him that option. I have heard many bloggers talk of Scandal but missed it when on Sky. Handy then that I spend so much time working on my laptop- I can stream and enjoy all whilst “working” and I am utterly gripped by the series from ABC. So much so that I have abandoned The West Wing- on it’s third rerun in my life- to focus on the President in this series played by Tony Goldwyn. The fast-paced and raunchy in parts series about a professional fixer and her team of gladiators in suits. There are three series to enjoy.

Crossing Lines: something I discovered on Netflix when in Canada last summer, I was delighted to find that we could get the second series on Amazon when we were back home in the UK. Crossing Lines is the story of a multi-national Police team, focussed on investigating the increasing number of cross-border crimes happening in the EU. The cast includes notables such a William Fitchner (Prison Break) and Donald Sutherland.

The Protectors: a Danish series based on the activities of the PET Police Protection team, this follows the new intake of bodyguards- The Protectors- as they begin their work with the Secret Service.  Jasmina, Jonas and Rasmus, together with the team, put their lives on hold, and sometimes on the line, to do the toughest of jobs.

Salamander: a Belgian crime series which begins with a bank heist and ends up reaching the halls of power. Really intense drama that doesn’t spare any of the characters. Well worth a watch.

*Amazon Fire Box costs £79.99

** Amazon Fire Stick available to Prime customers for a special pre-order price of £19 but will cost £35.