Amazon has unveiled its latest Fire TV box that supports 4K, HDR, Dolby Atmos, and the Alexa voice system. It will launch next month for just $70 dollars.
Upgraded Fire TV
Amazon’s previous Fire TV was getting long in the tooth so the company today unveiled a new version to counter the Apple TV 4K.
The new media streamer is a significant upgrade over the previous version. Besides 4K resolution it now supports HDR (High Dynamic Range) video and Dolby Atmos sound. Amazon has chosen to put its weight behind one flavour of HDR, namely HDR10. There is no support for Dolby Vision.
- ”The all-new Fire TV delivers a great entertainment experience with the best picture quality on a Fire TV, 4K Ultra HD, HDR, and an unbeatable selection of content – all at an affordable price,” said Marc Whitten, VP, Amazon Fire TV.
The company says that it packs a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor, which is 40% more powerful than the Fire TV Stick. This is perhaps not the most telling comparison as it suggests that the new Fire TV is significantly less powerful than Apple TV 4K with its A10X and Nvidia Shield with its Tegra X1. However, those two devices are of course significantly more expensive.
Amazon recently rolled out a new user interface with enhanced Alexa voice controls and you can take advantage of all that with the built-in microphone in the remote control.
- ”Say “Find dramas,” and Alexa will show you results from apps like Netflix, Hulu, SHOWTIME, Amazon Video, and more,” the company said.
You can also pair the box to an Amazon Echo device in the home to gain hands-free voice controls.
The best thing about the new Fire TV is the price. At $70 dollars, the new Fire TV is the cheapest 4K device from Amazon to date. It is available for pre-order now and will begin shipping on October 25.
Fire TV (2017) specs
| Compact form factor (65 x 65 x 15 mm) |
| 4K UHD resolution up to 60fps |
| HDR support (HDR10) |
| HDMI 2.0a |
|
| Dolby Atmos support |
1.5 GHz quad-core processor (40% faster than Fire TV Stick)
Mali450 MP3 GPU |
| 2GB RAM |
| 8GB internal storage |
| Bluetooth 4.1 |
| Enjoy tens of thousands of channels, apps, and Alexa skills with access to over 500,000 movies and TV episodes from Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, Hulu, HBO, SHOWTIME, STARZ, and more |
| Use your voice to easily find, launch, and control content with your Alexa Voice Remote or pair Fire TV with an Echo device for hands-free content control. |
802.11ac Wi-Fi
Ethernet adapter optional |
