It doesn’t seem to have gotten much attention, but the Fire TV Recast is quietly one of the most interesting gadgets Amazon’s come out with in a long time, and it’s back on sale today for up to $50 off.
This isn’t a streaming dongle that you plug into your TV like the rest of the Fire TV lineup. Instead, you plug any HDTV antenna into the Recast DVR, which in turn streams live and recorded shows to your Fire TV, your Amazon Echo Show, your Fire Tablet, or any iOS or Android device, no matter where you are in the world. That means you could possibly hide your antenna in a closet, instead of keeping it out on display in your living room. Or you could set one up at your parents’ house to stream local news and sports that you can’t get where you live. And unlike some other devices that perform a similar function, the Recast doesn’t have any monthly or annual fees.
Both the two-tuner 500GB and four-tuner 1TB models are on sale, but considering that we’re really only talking about a handful of worthwhile channels here (CBS, ABC, NBC, and Fox are the big ones), the cheaper model is probably all you need.