Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

*I apologize for the length of this review, yet due to my own experience, I believe a little more detail was necessary. At first, I was ready to low rate this product too, so I wonder if possibly some of the lower ratings are not deserved. Thank You* *I specifically bought this for use with my Kindle Fire HDX and nothing else, so I cannot review, with regards to, how well it works with any other tablet, notebook, or phone. This review is solely based on my experience using it with a Kindle HDX alone.* The LED TV's we have are not "smart," which is how I prefer them, and so was unable to take advantage of the 'Second Screen' function on my Kindle HDX. However, I was really curious about being able to mirror to the TV, and Amazon's info page about mirroring led me to this, as an alternative. Additionally, there are people in the family who are hard-of-hearing, and currently, many of the Amazon Prime movies played through our smart Bluray player do not have Closed Captioning available. So what does that have to do with a Kindle HDX and the PTV3000? Well, as I had no desire to go deaf trying to watch a movie with the sound so loud it shakes the paint from the walls, something else was needed. Pretty much everything I watched on the Kindle directly had CC available, so an idea surged past the dense layers of my skull, which was a feat in itself. I could just mirror the Kindle and have CC at the touch of a button when needed. The box arrived and I happily opened it up to see the tiny PTV3000 staring back at me. After I got done running and yelling "It is Possessed!" I opened it up and saw this very small and very thin little black box along with a USB cable and the instructions. Going against my guy instincts about hooking everything up and asking why it does not work first, I read them and went about it slowly. Hooking it up was easy. USB cable into the TV for power and an HDMI cable which you have to buy separate. It says to update the firmware, which I did, yet the instructions can be a little unclear (at least to me) and I was sure this "stupid thing was a waste of money and didn't work." Make sure you have your Kindle HDX with you, because you need it to do the update. Because I see quite a few lesser reviews, I am including the process explained as simply as possible to help anyone who may have had a similar issue. Your Kindle will need to be connected to your home WiFi network to do this. Step 1. On your Kindle, open silk and go to the Netgear website listed in step 1 on the second page of the PTV3000 instruction booklet. This is the page you want to be on: [...] Step 2. In the search field type "ptv3000" and it will bring up a list with all different versions. Step 3. The version at the top is normally the newest, click on it and it will start downloading to your Kindle. When it is done downloading you can go to step 4 below. (I know some people say you need a laptop to do the download, but I did it all from my Kindle HDX.) Step 4. Press and hold the button on the PTV3000 for 7 seconds (I think the little light on it flashes, sorry I cannot clearly remember). Step 5. On your Kindle, go to "Settings then down to "Wireless" and you will see a Push2TV network available. Connect to it. Step 6. Get back to the home page on your Kindle and open the Silk Browser again. Step 7. In the address bar type the address shown on page 2 of the little instruction book for the PTV3000. Cannot find the booklet, but looks something like //111.111.1.1 Step 8. Upload the firmware and install it. This is where I believe the instruction book pretty much stops. The TV shows ready to connect and "this stupid PTV little box was not connecting...piece of junk, does not work, sending it back. I connected it just like it said to the WiFi Push2TV network and nothing." Before hurling the adorable, but now upsetting me, box at the wall, I took a breath, stepped back and thought about what I did wrong. Nope, followed all the instructions, and nothing...screen saying ready to connect staring back at me and no Push2TV WIFI network connecting...and nothing. I decided to do a search on the web for answers, and since the computer was upstairs, and I had the Kindle with me, I would just use it. So, I RE-CONNECTED to my home Wi-Fi network and then proceeded to let out a long sigh and shook my head murmuring "you idiot" to myself. I was trying to mirror the Kindle by connecting to the Push2TV WIFI network and that is JUST used to update the firmware. The Push2TV WIFI network is you connecting the Kindle and the PTV3000 box and is ONLY used to update the firmware NOT to mirror. Yes, the instructions were kind of meh regarding this possiblity, but it was not the product not working. Step 9. If you have not done so, reconnect your Kindle to your home WiFi network. Step 10. Look back at the TV which should have the PTV3000 screen saying "Ready To Connect" and give it a smile. If you don't see that screen, make sure your PTV is plugged into an outlet, or the USB connection on your TV or A/V receiver, and that the HDMI cable is connected and your screen is switched to the right input Step 11. On your Kindle HDX, go to Settings>Display & Sounds>Display Mirroring. Step 12. Let it search and when PTV3000 shows up, just click on it and let it connect. TV screen will show connecting and, once connected, your Kindle will be mirrored onto your TV. Step 13. When you are done mirroring, make sure to go back into your Kindle settings and hit "Stop Mirroring." All that being said, how does it work? I have had this for about two months now and have used it on multiple TV's and even through an A/V Receiver. It is used 3-4 times a week with an average of 2 hours each time. The longest continuous use was a 6 hour Game of Thrones marathon. It has worked and performed beautifully every time. The TV's I have are 720p and 1080p and the picture looks perfect, just as good as anything incoming from the cablebox HD or SD and just as good as it does on the Kindle screen. The sound is also sent through the PTV3000 to the TV and/or receiver...yay HDMI and no different from the sound on cable. In fact, I use this on a TV in one room specifically because there is no cable box and mirroring the Kindle is how it gets cable (android app our cable company offers) and movies from Amazon Prime. When you first start a movie, there may be some slight pixelation, but I have never had it last more than a few seconds and then the picture clears up instantly. Due to the 3 star average on this item, I went back and forth for a long time on whether to purchase it. I wrote this review to, hopefully, help others who may have similar feelings, may have returned it and now see they might have done what I did initially. This is not a $10 product that people may see some meh reviews, and still go ahead and order because the money risk is low, this is a little bit bigger investment. For me, this PTV3000 has been one of the best purchases I have made on Amazon. It opened new possibilities for my Kindle and saves me money on renting another cable box. I love this product and I really do feel it deserves much higher average ratings than it has received. At the very least, anyone who was directed to this for their Kindle HDX because it is certified for it. If you really want to mirror your Kindle HDX and have been on the fence due to the reviews, please try it. I do highly recommend it and I am still amazed to this day at how gorgeous the picture remains using this little box. And by the way, it does put the CC on the TV with Prime. .