

The Streaming Stick Built on Firefox OS - alex_duf
http://www.matchstick.tv/

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sciurus
Previous discussion:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8388314](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8388314)

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SwellJoe
This looks awesome! I bought an Amazon Fire TV Stick when they were accepting
pre-orders at $19, and while it works well for that price (or even the $39
current retail price), I would much rather it be hacker-friendly. It doesn't
even have a web browser! I could see using it for all sorts of additional
projects, if it were more flexible...and given how much horsepower they've
crammed into it (it's comparable to a decent laptop from a decade, or so, ago,
and can even do 1080p video, which even modern laptops can't always do
reliably), I could imagine using it for all kinds of cool stuff.

Stuff like a project dashboard that users could update from their phone or
laptop, a party music playlist determined by partygoers, so many cool things a
tiny little device like this could make easier (it's not the only way it can
be done, but it's certainly nice having a tiny little dedicated device, and
would be better for being open).

In short, this looks really cool, and I'm actually really eager to start
developing for Firefox OS, even though I currently don't have any Firefox OS
devices.

Edit: Reading the other HN thread about this device raises a lot of concerns
about their dedication to Open Source and Open hardware. It seems to simply be
a marketing lie, which is troubling, and makes me far less interested in the
device (maybe not interested, at all, since I already have a proprietary HDMI
dongle in the form of the Fire Stick).

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RealGeek
I got a FireTV stick as well, and I am having a lot of fun hacking it.

You can sideload most Android apps including Chrome, Firefox and XBMC/Kodi
without rooting.

You can also install an AirPlay app and use it as an AirPlay receiver.

~~~
SwellJoe
Cool. I didn't know that it could side load apps. That kinda changes
everything. I didn't notice settings for that. I also got a Fire Phone during
the Christmas sale, and once I got Google Play Store on it, it became a _much_
better phone...almost good.

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lechevalierd3on
In the video there is no usb cable to power the device like the chromecast or
roku stick. I suppose it needs one too ? It's a shame that advertisement for
these devices "lie" about it.

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teach
The Chromecast does not require external power; it'll run off the power
supplied via the HDMI port. I'm pretty sure the Amazon FireTV Stick will, too.
I don't own a Roku Stick, so I can't comment.

They _prefer_ having external power because many HDMI ports don't supply
enough consistently, but don't require it.

~~~
dubcanada
HDMI provides about 50mA minimum. USB can provide up to 500mA or 900mA
depending on USB 2 or 3.

I am not 100% sure what the power requirements for a Chromecast are, I'm 100%
sure it is more then 50mA.

If you are plugging in your Chromecast to your TV without the USB and it is
working it's because you have a MHL-HDMI that provides up to 900mA of power.

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pbreit
Update #10 [1] will please travelers: AdHoc mode allows you to use it even
when you ordinarily can't get a TV stick to authenticate through the lame-o
hotel wifi.

[1]
[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/matchstick/matchstick-t...](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/matchstick/matchstick-
the-streaming-stick-built-on-firefox-os/posts/1040108)

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vanadium
You can get around some of the captive portals by MAC-spoofing the stick of
your choice through your laptop to authenticate (then switching back). It's a
pain in the arse, but it works in a pinch.

Ad-hoc will make most of that pain go away.

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mod
I got my dad a chromecast. He's tech-illiterate, for the most part--can check
his email, type in searches, but he doesn't really know where he's typing his
searches. He might want a youtube video but type it into google, the url bar,
youtube's search...which all work, but he's not seeing the difference.

Anyway, he loves it. He used to watch pool videos incessantly in a really bad
computer chair, now he can watch them on the couch. Probably average of 3
hours per day. He had some trouble with the interface, and he kept pointing
his iphone at the TV like it was a remote, when I showed him how to control it
via the phone.

Anyway, any chance this is simpler from that perspective? Or should he just
suck it up with the CC? (I think he's been doing fine now, honestly)

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bduerst
Probably just the CC, based on your use cases listed.

The use of Open Flint is interesting here, since it isn't tied to any major
digital retailer. Amazon prime video won't work over Chromecast because, well,
Amazon Prime competes with Google Play.

It's too bad that Flint is coming to the game this late - it would have been
great if they had been there at the beginning of the market and became more of
a standard.

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ChuckMcM
Waiting for them to ship mine. I'm looking forward to having something I can
actually put my own code on.

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priitmaxx
Does any one know when this is coming out?

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sciurus
Developer units have shipped. I haven't seen a date for a consumer release.

[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/matchstick/matchstick-t...](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/matchstick/matchstick-
the-streaming-stick-built-on-firefox-os/posts/1069012)

