The first wave of digital media players is now old enough that streaming services are no longer willing to support them. According to PC World (via PC-WELT), Netflix plans to slash support for Amazon’s first-generation Fire TV streaming devices on June 3rd, permanently cutting them off from the biggest premium streaming service in the world.
Here are the Fire TV devices that will no longer be able to stream Netflix next month:
- Fire TV (2014)
- Fire TV Stick (2014)
- Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote (2016)
Netflix has reportedly begun to send emails to impacted subscribers, but we have yet to see an official announcement from the streamer. Considering that these devices are up to 11 years old, I’m willing to bet that this won’t affect a significant number of users.
That said, there are undoubtedly some stragglers who are content using an old Fire TV device, even after all this time. Unfortunately, those Fire TV users are going to have to choose between giving up Netflix and upgrading to a more modern device.
We don’t know why Netflix has decided to end support for these devices, but as PC World notes, it might be because Netflix is moving to newer standards, such as the AV1 codec for high-quality video compression. These older devices simply aren’t capable of streaming some new content at this point, so it’s easier for Netflix to dump them altogether.
Whatever the case, if you’re still holding on to your original Fire TV, it might be time to consider buying a new streaming stick. PC World points out that you might even be able to trade in your aging Fire TV for a discount on a newer model.
