This is one set-top box you won't mind cramming into your crowded entertainment setup. Amazon just announced the new Amazon Fire TV -- and it's a major upgrade over last year's debut model.
The biggest news is that the new Amazon Fire TV now has support for 4K Ultra HD. It's the perfect (and perfectly affordable) addition to your 4K TV setup, since it can add in all sorts of 4K content from Netflix, Amazon Video and Prime Video. Currently, popular shows like Transparent, Better Call Saul, and Orphan Black, and movies such as Captain Phillips, Men in Black 3, and Moneyball are streaming in 4K, with more being added regularly.
This box also has support for High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), which can deliver better quality with less bandwidth. The company says that Fire TV customers will get even more 1080p TV shows and movies from Amazon Video than ever before, all in the coming months.
In addition to the voice search options from the previous Amazon Fire TV, the company is adding in Alexa. This is the same cloud-based voice technology that's behind the Amazon Echo. Besides asking for weather, sports scores, traffic, music and more, you can ask "Alexa, play some jazz" or "Alexa, play Hunger Games: Catching Fire." However, this isn't just a perk for new customers. Amazon is planning to add Alexa to all existing Fire TV and Fire TV Stick products through a free, over-the-air software update.
Other features on the new Amazon Fire TV include Dolby Audio, a MediaTek 64-bit quad-core processor, a dedicated GPU, super-fast 802.11ac MIMO WiFi, and 8GB of on-device storage that can be expanded up to 128GB via the microSD card slot. There's also something called Mayday Screen Sharing, which can put Mayday-powered customer service on your screen 24x7, 365 days a year.
If you're a gamer, you can also purchase the optional Fire TV Game Controller. This new add-on features voice search, an audio jack for private listening with Dolby enhancements, better controls, and a battery life that boasts up to 90 hours of gameplay. For the true gamer, Amazon is releasing a separate Amazon Fire TV Gaming Edition, which includes the Amazon Fire TV, a Game Controller, a 32GB microSD card, and two games (Disney's Ducktales and Yacht Club's Shovel Knight). That is priced at $139.99.
Amazon also announced a new Amazon Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote. Just speak into the included remote and you can search for movies and TV shows, as well as a particular actor, director or genre. This pint-sized streaming solution also has Alexa, as well as a dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, Dolby Audio, and WiFi.
Of course, all Amazon Fire devices include access to over 3,000 channels, apps and games, including popular services such as Amazon Video, Netflix, Hulu, HBO Now, Sling TV, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, and much more.
"The team has packed an incredible amount of technology and innovation into a tiny package," said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com's founder and CEO. "The new Fire TV includes 4K support, more processing power, Alexa integration, the largest selection, and exclusive features -- for less than $100. The new Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote brings voice search and Alexa integration for less than $50. These are powerful devices at incredible prices."
The new Amazon Fire TV is now available for pre-order for $99, with shipments starting on October 5. The Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote will follow on October 22. That's also available for pre-order, priced at just $49.99.
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