Amazon Fire TV

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CX5P8FC/ref=tsm_1_tw_s_kin_n3er02

by ndrake • 12 years ago

388 379 12 years ago

impostervt• 12 years ago

And I just bought the new Roku Streaming stick...I'll be curious to see how they stack up. Amazon offers a comparison of FireTV to the Roku3, but not the Roku Streaming Stick. And the Stick is just $49.

karangoeluw• 12 years ago

This seems like a really good offering by Amazon. Now we'll just have to see if the competition lowers its prices or no.

notatoad3• 12 years ago

Why would they drop prices? At 99 this is just following the status quo.

bernardom• 12 years ago

So that answers my question of whether my Apple TV would ever get Amazon streaming.

ambirex• 12 years ago

Not necessarily, Roku, PS 3 & 4, Xbox 360 & One all have amazon streaming.

It probably has more to do with Apple than Amazon.

lvs• 12 years ago

But other Android devices, weirdly, do not.

opendais• 12 years ago

Eh, I'd believe that except for the fact Amazon basically limited its 'Android streaming' to its Fire line.

I think Amazon is trying to lock customers into thinking of Amazon products first whenever they search for anything Amazon sells.

josephlord• 12 years ago

My guess is that Apple insists that they are the only source for pay per view/purchased films/TV programs on the Apple TV and the Amazon won't just bring their subscription Prime service without the PPV side.

This guess is made without knowledge of the specific situation between Apple/Amazon but having dealt with some similar service providers (when working for an electronics company).

aroch4• 12 years ago

I think you mean "any device that isn't Amazon branded", since Android devices that aren't in the Kindle Fire family also can't watch Amazon streaming stuff.

Amazon is attempting vendor lockin.

schrodinger• 12 years ago

There is an ios app for Amazon streaming...

alttab12• 12 years ago

Blatantly false. I have a Sony Blu Ray player that has Amazon Instant Video on it and I use it along with Hulu and Netflix.

If this thing played Blu Rays, I could dump my DVD player, my XBOX 360 (my wife and I mostly only play casual games or Wii, this seems like a good fit), and my reliance on other gaming consoles.

Amazon wants all roads to lead back to Amazon. This strategy is clear. They have their Instant Video streaming service, as well as their Appstore on pretty much any device or platform they can get on. They want ubiquity, so they can attract streaming customers from other services and THEN, and only THEN, lock them in with original content or a better customer experience.

They haven't done "vendor lock in" the same way we think of when we think of Microsoft or Apple. In fact, they've made it pretty clear they want fully compatibility with Android, which almost assumes its helping Google in the process.

guyzero3• 12 years ago

There's an Amazon Instant Video app for Google TV.

paulyg4• 12 years ago

Ditto for Chromecast.

eclipxe10• 12 years ago

Congrats to the FireTV team!

theseanstewart2• 12 years ago

This looks really cool but I'll have to wait and see how it compares to the other devices that accomplish the same objectives. I would have liked to see it include gigabit ethernet instead of just 10/100. Interesting that they have a game controller available.

I've been looking for something to replace my Popcorn Hour, but I haven't been able to find anything in this price range that will play MKV files and allow playing movies over USB. Maybe this will be the answer?

oskee80• 12 years ago

Western Digital's WDTV Live can play any file you throw at it. http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=330

It supports many online services as well, but unfortunately no Prime Instant Video. I have yet to see a box that offers everything I want: Local and network media playback, Netflix, Prime.

However, I wish the WDTV had better specs and UI - it can be a little clunky.

theseanstewart2• 12 years ago

I've been holding off on the WDTV because of the UI and a few other issues I came across while researching it.

matt_heimer2• 12 years ago

Roku is close once you use Plex. You get local network playback + Netflix, Prime, Crackle, Hulu, Pandora which is what I want. The video quality, performance, bugs, and gaming support of the Roku suck though. I keep swapping my Roku for a Chromecast and back again.

I'd like a box that supports Prime, local network playback, and casual gaming/emulation. If Amazon would have released a Prime Video app I'd switch to some of those cheap Android PCs on an HDMI stick by now but they've been holding out probably to use as a carrot to get people locked into their app store.

I hate having to side-load apps but if I can on the FireTV and get local network playback working I very well might buy one.

Edit: Looks like it will have Plex and Miracast support.

pazimzadeh• 12 years ago

What I'm taking away from this is that Fire TV is the same as Roku and Apple TV.

As for the gaming capabilities, it'll be interesting to see if they can compete with Steam Machine.

luckyno13• 12 years ago

I don't think this device and a Steam Machine (just a PC with a badge on it) will be in the same realm of competition. This would most likely compete with the Ouya, where the Steam Machine would compete with the 5th gen consoles.

Igglyboo• 12 years ago

Well this is running android and Steam Machine is running full fledged linux(debian?). Comparing a set top box to a personal computer isn't really fair.

webology• 12 years ago

FireTV is built on Android and has a real controller for gaming. It won't compete with Steam Machines for high-end games but there's certainly enough hardware to pull off some great games and apps.

Pxtl7• 12 years ago

it'll be interesting to see if they can compete with Steam Machine

Of course not. Different market - Steam Machine will be an expensive flagship hardcore gamer device, while this is firmly casual.

The better question is whether gaming on this device can compete with a VitaStation or an Ouya... or even a Wii-U.

hswolff• 12 years ago

Does this support playing local media? It seems like no, but I couldn't find any explicit answer.

aroch4• 12 years ago

It might given the USB 2.0 Type A port.

eclipxe10• 12 years ago

I saw an icon for Plex, so maybe?

hox• 12 years ago

More than likely plex streaming, like roku has.

acgourley• 12 years ago

I'll be curious how good the screen mirroring is. Does anyone know if it's using a direct connection (like miracast) or an indirect over your normal wifi rounter (like apple tv mirroring)?

eclipxe10• 12 years ago

Miracast according to Press Release:

You can also wirelessly mirror your tablet display to your Fire TV with Kindle Fire, as well as other Miracast-enabled phones or tablets starting later this year. Fire TV supports standards like DIAL, so app developers can enable multi-screen experiences based on open technologies.

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-ne...

superqd• 12 years ago

So is everyone making these now? The only thing Amazon seems to have brought to this is voice command, assuming it has actually been brought.

mistermcgruff• 12 years ago

Not seeing HBO Go. That means no GoT on demand :-(

sailfast• 12 years ago

Agreed - I would be more excited about this if I did not have to decide between Amazon and HBO Go. Timeline for app deployment would be good to know.

Side note: if I were Jony Ive, I'd sue for design infringement - that remote is a blatant ripoff.

timfrietas• 12 years ago

It's apparently coming, but not part of launch: http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/02/hbo-go-sho-anytime-amazon...

dcc1• 12 years ago

Anyone know if this will work for nonUSAsians

eclipxe10• 12 years ago

Fire TV supports standards like DIAL[1], so app developers can enable multi-screen experiences based on open technologies.[2]

[1] http://www.dial-multiscreen.org/

[2] http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-ne...

aresant• 12 years ago

I think this represents the first device to support Amazon streaming in 1080p - as far as I know Roku etc are still limited to 720p?

benlm• 12 years ago

It's not actually clear whether Amazon Instant Video will stream at 1080p for any/all HD material, or if the device just supports 1080p for other services like Netflix. Does anyone know?

72deluxe10• 12 years ago

I have Amazon Instant Video on a Sony Bluray and it is 1080p.

Out of interest, it's not really instant. The application could be swifter to respond.

matthewaustin• 12 years ago

Prominently showing Game of Thrones content in the images, even though the Fire doesn't support HBO Go? Way to be deceptive, Amazon.

abhinavg• 12 years ago

Game of Thrones is also available on Amazon Instant Video.

eclipxe10• 12 years ago

Amazon Instant Video has GoT http://www.amazon.com/Winter-Is-Coming/dp/B007BVOEPI/ref=sr_...

landon• 12 years ago

They do sell the old episodes.

podman• 12 years ago

You can buy Game Of Thrones on Amazon. It's just not available for streaming through Amazon Prime. http://www.amazon.com/Winter-Is-Coming-HD/dp/B007BVMVDU

intherdfield• 12 years ago

Game of Thrones is available for streaming on Amazon Instant Video.

personZ4• 12 years ago

Aside from it being available via Amazon Instant, note that HBO Go is listed as a partner, announced as "coming soon". It is an act of remarkable honesty that Amazon put HBO Go with no checkbox, as most vendors would have put a checkbox with a superscript indicating that it was coming soon.

chocks• 12 years ago

curious if it'll support YouTube, didn't see on the list.

eclipxe10• 12 years ago

According to this[1] image it does

[1]http://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/adam/845b7c4fc5f114cefc63df4...

philsnow• 12 years ago

It's in the matrix farther down on the page as a checkbox, "sorted" below Crackle and Hulu Plus.

The YouTube logo is not in the big image describing "What's on Amazon FireTV?" [0], apparently it is one of the "plus many more".

[0] https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/kindle/d...

duked• 12 years ago

I was an early Ouya backer and was really really disappointed I sold it (like 1 month after I received it. This Amazon Fire TV may be what the Ouya was supposed to be, I mean I know it's more seen as a Roku/Apple TV competitor but for me if it runs Android then I can use it as a decent Emulation machine (RetroArch etc... )

I will buy one for sure

72deluxe10• 12 years ago

Why did you sell it?

mkempe5• 12 years ago

They're studying the mistakes of others, and paying attention to user reviews of competing products, so they can solve real pain points:

During its presentation, Amazon said that it has been paying close attention to the complaints of customers who have been using the other companies' devices through Amazon—namely that search is difficult, performance is laggy, and the ecosystems are closed—in order to build its own streaming device." [1]

For instance, what they're doing with the child-oriented mode is what I wish Apple had done with the iPad and iPhone, a long time ago.

[1] http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/04/amazon-reveals-video-...

dublinben• 12 years ago

That's pretty funny, as a long-time Roku user. The search couldn't be easier, whether you're inside a specific app, or using the cross platform search feature. Performance is snappier than these services on a desktop browser, and the ecosystem is as open as anyone could want.

fixedd3• 12 years ago

As a long-time Roku user I curse ours almost every day. Performance is slower than every other device we own (except the Chromecast). They constantly "reset" themselves while trying to navigate through the Netflix and Amazon listings. Videos will just sporadically stop playing or run into constant buffering issues. There are no parental controls. They didn't support DLNA until a few months ago.

com2kid• 12 years ago

Seriously? There is a lag moving between characters. Typing is painful. The UI is horrible.

I am getting ready to dump a good $500 on a brand new setup just to replace my Roku because it is so bloody painful to use.

paulyg4• 12 years ago

Yet Chromecast solves those issues too. Searching for content is done on website or on existing app, so its only difficult or slow as website or app is.

untog5• 12 years ago

Yes and no. Chromecast requires you having another device to use with it. Grabbing my phone, opening the Netflix app, choosing to Chromecast, searching for a show, hitting play then waiting ~30 seconds for the Chromecast to actually play is not a good user experience. I use my Roku almost exclusively now.

mashmac2• 12 years ago

Amazon FreeTime (coming next month, according to this page) is the most interesting piece for me - customized child safety settings for each child, with monthly subscriptions at $2.99 for children's TV shows.

It seems like Amazon recognized the popularity of streaming services for parents of young kids and is setting this up just for them...

j_s• 12 years ago

Kindle FreeTime Unlimited is available now. http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?&docId=1000863021

jyap• 12 years ago

Ugh it's $2.99 a month if you have Amazon Prime. Otherwise it's $4.99 month. That kinda changes the deal since $4.99 a month gets you closer in cost to other services.

mkempe5• 12 years ago

That is incredible. Makes me consider buying a Kindle Fire for my daughter (age 5) instead of letting her use a legacy iPad when my wife upgrades her iPad 2.

bryanlarsen2• 12 years ago

But not in Canada. Not surprising given that Amazon would have to negotiate redistribution rights with an almost completely different set of distributors, but annoying none the less.

mkempe5• 12 years ago

Further, the voice-driven interface is an interesting feature for young kids. Soon they'll expect to be able to talk to every machine in the house.

r00fus• 12 years ago

FreeTime is more along the lines of what Apple should have done instead of Guided Access for iOS7.

The only Amazon device I have is an old Kindle, but FreeTime would be used a lot if I had a Fire.

jggonz2• 12 years ago

I like the voice search idea, but I'm still hooked on the Chromecast / HDMI on a stick form factor. I just don't see the point in cables anymore.

The UI looks neat and I'm really impressed with Amazon's search results on my Roku, so this will probably improve on that.

If it wasn't so 'big' and 'expensive', I'd buy one.

swanson• 12 years ago

The side-by-side comparison with Roku/AppleTV actually looks pretty bad for Amazon Fire TV...

Same price, the only differences are that the Fire TV has voice search (don't care), a bunch of technical specs that the layperson doesn't care about, and a bunch of games (don't care). It's missing the checkbox for HBO GO (deal breaker for me personally).

I was expecting something like a monthly subscription for all-you-can-watch access to any TV show on Amazon Instant (not just the free Prime episodes). Kinda bummed because I really like Amazon as a content provider, but I'll be sticking with Roku for now.

ANH• 12 years ago

Eh, looks pretty good to me. Our wants are diametrically opposed: Voice search (do care -- Apple TV search is painful), tech specs (non line-of-sight remote -- Apple TV is line-of-sight), games (eh, might be a nice diversion for a few minutes after an episode of Walking Dead), and I don't have an HBO subscription.

tptacek• 12 years ago

I know the Apple TV came with a remote, but I never use it, because I have an iPhone. The RF remote isn't a huge win for people that use their phones to control the TV, which, as time goes on, will eventually be "everybody".

scottm01• 12 years ago

Agreed, I own a roku and a chromecast, there is literally nothing here that makes me regret either, and nothing that would make me choose the Fire TV over AppleTV if I did want to be tied closer to one ecosystem.

I guess I'm bummed that it means it's unlikely the prime video interface will get any better on Roku, but Prime Instant video quality is already so much worse for me then any other source it's not that big a loss.

Touche13• 12 years ago

and nothing that would make me choose the Fire TV over AppleTV if I did want to be tied closer to one ecosystem.

Well, Amazon is at least available on a variety of platforms whereas iTunes is only on Apple devices -- and will always only be available on Apple devices.

72deluxe10• 12 years ago

What's the prices for films on Apple TV? Can anyone enlighten me? When I last looked on iTunes, they wanted me to pay the equivalent of the price of DVD for a compressed download that I couldn't necessarily keep.

I'm in the UK. Is there some sort of subscription capability for a flat monthly fee? (Easier to budget for you see)

Touche13• 12 years ago

Looks like Roku with a better UI. I'll be getting one.

I was expecting something like a monthly subscription for all-you-can-watch access to any TV show on Amazon Instant (not just the free Prime episodes).

That would be prohibitively expensive. You're talking about basically every popular show on TV.

mark-r2• 12 years ago

I was actually impressed that they included the comparison chart, even though they didn't win every single category. Comparisons were the first question on my mind and they answered it without my having to go off page. Very sneaky of them, now people won't be so inclined to find independent comparisons that might be off-putting.

thatthatis• 12 years ago

And amazon customer service, which while not talked about often is truly top-notch.

For a person already invested in the amazon ecosystem, this doesn't have to be better than roku, it merely has to be about as good.

I own two rokus, but I also have amazon prime and my kid has a kindle fire. I will definitely consider this next time I need to upgrade (about once every 3-6 years judging by history)

bashcoder• 12 years ago

I suspect the missing checkmark beside HBO GO is more about putting pressure on HBO than on Amazon. It's got to be just about price and term, with Amazon showing strength by announcing without them.

But when both sides agree on price and ink the deal, HBO will get a premium announcement compared to the others. It will work out just fine.

aashaykumar92• 12 years ago

The competitive advantage seems to be in the Voice Search and in the gaming. If the gaming takes off, it'll be hard for anyone to compete. Everyone so far is talking about the Roku and Apple TV as competition, which they are, but what about the Xbox and PS4? Those offer gaming and other streaming services like Netflix too. And it seems as though Amazon is trying to be at the center of all of them.

notatoad3• 12 years ago

The problem is that gaming is hard. Look at the ouya disaster. If you want to build a successful gaming product, you need a big developer relations team and a bunch of good first party titles to kick things off. If amazon was really trying to build a gaming console here, they needed to announce with some compelling games. as it is, nobody is going to spend the extra 40 for the controller without any games and nobody is going to write games for a platform with no users.

angryasian4• 12 years ago

ouya only supported selected games. If this box supports all games along with emulators and top tier games, it may be a different outcome.

SlashmanX• 12 years ago

Any indication on whether or not it will run XBMC?

Osiris5• 12 years ago

I'm curious myself if this will be capable of running XBMC or another app for streaming content over a LAN. FireTV runs an Android variant, so it seems like it's plausible, but it depends on if you need to root it or if it will be an installable app.

abdophoto• 12 years ago

I keep thinking to myself "The second Apple puts out an SDK for the Apple TV, it's over"

If you're going to spend $99, you're probably going to wait for Apple or Google. If you want to spend less, you'll just get a Chromecast.

goatforce52• 12 years ago

I keep thinking "There will be an Apple TV SDK any second now."

I'm surprised it's taken them this long to release it.

johne20• 12 years ago

This device plus antenna input for over-the-air local HD channels combined with simple dvr functionality would be the ultimate cord-cutting device.

goatforce52• 12 years ago

Yes, something like:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouView

in North America would be great.

chrisgd2• 12 years ago

Exactly. Especially one without a monthly fee for service. It seems with the storage costs and the processing power here, Amazon could integrate that easily.

Edit: the really interesting part is that when searching for "DVR" in electronics, the first result is this device.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Del...

baggachipz2• 12 years ago

You mean like this?: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mohu/mohu-channels-pers...

limejuice• 12 years ago

I have a Sony BluRay player I bought for $70 which plays Blu Rays, Amazon video, Netflix, etc. Why would I want to pay $99 for this box.

alttab12• 12 years ago

Apps, games, better user experience. I have the same BluRay player and I would choose this over that. That said, I already have the BluRay player so there will need to be a game worth $140 for me to get this.

mkempe5• 12 years ago

I've thought for a while that a voice-interface was one of the features Steve Jobs saw as key to "cracking" TV.

Now Amazon has done it. I'm curious about what Apple may announce later this month.

WoodenChair• 12 years ago

I'm really not that impressed. This is just Apple TV for the Amazon eco-system with gaming lopped on. The majority of people don't care about the specs of their set-top box since that really doesn't affect the performance of streaming an HD video in this day and age. So the two differentiating features are:

- Voice Search

- Gaming

Are those enough of a value proposition? Probably not to make converts. I suspect the main buyers will be those who simply have bought into Amazon Instant Video as opposed to iTunes in the past. Let's see what Apple's next revision of Apple TV offers.

personZ4• 12 years ago

Smart TV saturation remains small, so I don't see it being a proposition where they need to convert people: If you put the Amazon Fire beside an Apple TV, for many people the Amazon device may very well represent a better choice.

As to the specs of the device, while it's certainly true that specs alone mean little (especially vague, close to meaningless specs like "quad core"), the hardware put a ceiling on what the device is capable of doing. And in this case right off the bat it can do voice search, which as an Apple TV user I would actually be a convert for: It is an act of pure brutality to search on the Apple TV device.

Even just that the remote does not use infra-red is a hugely compelling feature to me.

EDIT: given that I mentioned the specs being vague, I should correct that on Amazon's dev site they list specifics, and it has a powerful CPU/GPU combo. Actually the same SoC as the Nexus 7 (2013), running at a higher frequency.

caio1982• 12 years ago

There's a third feature that is not so obvious: competition. The more the better, for us customers.

mkempe5• 12 years ago

If you have kids, you get some love in your parent role, too: limits to what kids see, and caps by content types and times of day -- no more negotiating! And they're launching an all-you-can-eat content subscription designed for kids under 9, including e-books.

markkennedy• 12 years ago

This is a killer feature for parents. It's why I bought my daughter a Kindle tablet instead of an iPad. Having the same sort of controls available for the TV is why I'll buy this and ditch my Google TV (which, actually, I really like).

I'm hoping that controls will span both devices, so settings that are made on the tablet will also take effect on the TV.

lsaferite2• 12 years ago

This is the exact reason I just ordered one. I was on the fence about getting the HDX due to cost, but with this we can attach it to an old TV, get the subscription, and have a hopefully well thought out limit system built into the console.

Touche13• 12 years ago

I suspect the main buyers will be those who simply have bought into Amazon Instant Video as opposed to iTunes in the past.

But that includes anyone with Amazon Prime.

Let's see what Apple's next revision of Apple TV offers.

Is Apple's next revision of Apple TV going to let me watch iTunes content from non-Apple devices? You're glossing over this as insignificant when, for lots of us, it's a deal-breaker.

eddieroger• 12 years ago

For me, it's not. But that's just me. Besides, what happens when Amazon decides that it wants to focus on it's ecosystem and pulls their app from other devices?

72deluxe10• 12 years ago

If this is just going to be offering Prime videos, they really need to improve the quality of films they offer as else nobody will hang around. They offer ancient sci-fi films from the 1950s and also incessant horror films, neither of which I have an interest in watching.

All the films you'd want to watch have to be paid for now. Pretty glad I stuck with my Lovefilm disc renting option - far better choice, despite the fuel burn used by Royal Mail to get it to me.

cweiss• 12 years ago

"This is just Apple TV for the Amazon eco-system"

Which is not an insignificant demographic. There's a whole lot of folks who actually arent invested in the Apple ecosystem, this addresses a huge market segment, regardless of whether games are included.

livejamie• 12 years ago

You forgot Amazon Prime Video, which isn't available on Chromecast, etc.

adestefan• 12 years ago

If this Amazon box ever gets MLB.TV I'll buy one that day to replace my AppleTV. I don't watch enough movies or non-sports TV to make Netflix worth it to me, but having ties into what Amazon Prime streaming would be enough to pull me over.

cauterize• 12 years ago

Was very surprised to not see MLB.tv listed despite their willingness to support any device that has a screen.

firloop• 12 years ago

According to this page[1], it's coming soon to the Amazon Fire TV

[1] http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/subscriptions/index.jsp?content=produ...

drzaiusapelord2• 12 years ago

Voice Search

God yes. The level of stupidity of all the set-top boxes I've used is staggering. I sit there and use a tiny keyboard to type in B-R-E-A and get tons of hits for things nowhere close to Breaking Bad until I practically type out the whole title.

I'd love to be able to just say the title and be done with it. Heaven forbid I'm ever allowed to say "Season pass, bob's burgers, new episodes only," and walk away. I do similar things with my Nexus phone and google now. The tech is certainly here.

jdminhbg• 12 years ago

The level of stupidity of all the set-top boxes I've used is staggering. I sit there and use a tiny keyboard to type in B-R-E-A and get tons of hits for things nowhere close to Breaking Bad until I practically type out the whole title.

I'd settle for a non-braindead mobile or desktop client, I don't even need voice. I have a Sony Blu-Ray/Internet box whose remote app on iOS is literally the same up-down-left-right pad the remote has, but you have to swipe just right to get it to register. Why not just give me the same menu options the box has, but in a reasonable mobile device metaphor? I can't tap "Services" -> "Hulu" -> "TV Shows" -> type "SNL"; I have to navigate the set-top box's menu while trying to look at my phone at the same time. Mind-bogglingly bad.

lukifer• 12 years ago

This is just Apple TV for the Amazon eco-system with gaming lopped on.

I hate the word "just". The iPad is "just" a big iPod Touch. The new feature the client wants is "just" a simple checkbox. Etc.

Not only does that single word abstract away hundreds of person-years of work; it ignores the fact that products often gain market traction despite being "just" $existingThing + $minorChange, whether by reaching a tipping point of quality and experience, or through other intangibles like ecosystem, name recognition and marketing.

I love my AppleTV (mostly), but I'm keeping an eye on this thing (hopefully its software is higher quality than the Fire tablets).

nickonline• 12 years ago

I understand your gripe you just made with the word "just" and I'm not the OP.

I had a friend excitedly text me about this today so I looked it up. On the device's page [1] there is a 'compare to xyz' box they literally place 3 other devices that have existed for a while now and looking through this, it appears to me to be "just" amazon's attempt to get into this space without providing a lot of additional value.

Looking at the list they provide there each of the devices provide all the functionality I personally would ever want in a streaming hardware solution. They have "just" provided Apple TV for Amazon, they have not extended the paradigm as far as I can see.

[1] http://www.amazon.com/Amazon-CL1130-Fire-TV/dp/B00CX5P8FC

vlish• 12 years ago

I misread it as '$extingThing'. Twice. What's wrong with me, doctor?

cc4393• 12 years ago

The majority of people don't care about the specs of their set-top box since that really doesn't affect the performance of streaming an HD video in this day and age.

My Roku 3 might laugh at 1080p video but there's an advantage for Amazon if they can improve on the UI (fluidity and ease of navigation).

lovemenot• 12 years ago

Voice Search integrated with e-commerce could be the killer feature. Imagine saying "OK Amazon buy those shoes" that are currently displayed on your TV. One or two more steps to confirm the transaction orally and it's on its way. You've already got Prime and you trust that you'll get a competitive price from Amazon. So why not just buy right away?

72deluxe10• 12 years ago

That's a really great idea. Sadly I can see it being dangerous when the cat sits on the remote and my wife says "I would love to buy these shoes" and we get an Amazon box turn up.

Not dangerous for Amazon, just dangerous to me!

badman_ting• 12 years ago

I have a WD Live TV box that I've enjoyed so far. It has all these streaming services except Amazon Prime, and it will play all my AVI/MP4/MKV files, streaming over DLNA.

This has some sweet features though, the voice search sounds good and the horsepower should allow for an overall nicer experience (speed of booting, menus, graphical effects in apps, etc).

mindslight2• 12 years ago

Or simply stick with a Raspberry Pi, which is free of arbitrary manufacturer-imposted restrictions and comfortably off of the locked-down-software induced upgrade treadmill.

Osiris5• 12 years ago

RPI is a single-core @700mhz with 512MB RAM compared to quad-core, 2GB of RAM, so it's a significant bump up in hardware specs for not that much money.

I'm curious how long it will take people to root it.

mindslight2• 12 years ago

Sure, the hardware is faster, but for what purpose and at what cost? We're well into the a time where the capabilities of a device have much more to do with its software than its raw hardware specs.

When you root a proprietary environment, the best you can do is gain a leg-up within the ecosystem of the initial manufacturer. You're always swimming against an overall current of what the manufacturer implements, and paying a usability tax every time you use the device and things that should be easy are either a little harder, or have to be coped with on other devices.

jevinskie• 12 years ago

My mother can't operate a Raspberry Pi.

mikeryan2• 12 years ago

More information about the SDK has also been released here:

https://developer.amazon.com/public/community/post/Tx1K5ORNN...

rch• 12 years ago

enjoy best-selling titles from Mojang, EA, Disney...

Now that's an interesting order of emphasis.

robogrowth• 12 years ago

$35 and chromecast work for me.. don't see a need for this. Not only that I can just start playing any video and browse to 127.0.0.1:8888 and stream whatever I want via chromecast.

mmcclure• 12 years ago

I know this is a nitpick...I really do, but for some reason things like this in marketing copy really annoy me:

"Remote with no line of sight required" - not checked for Chromecast. While kind of true since Chromecast doesn't have a dedicated remote, but the devices used to control it absolutely don't require line of site.

dusing• 12 years ago

I agree, you could say the same thing for voice search since you can use voice search on your iphone/android to queue up videos to airplay/cast.

cheald• 12 years ago

And for "games" (many exist, though not of the sort that this device promises).

spinchange4• 12 years ago

Agree with both of you and also wanted to add, who cares about how much memory the Chromecast has vs. the other devices?

chrisdroukas• 12 years ago

The same is (sorta) true of Apple TV. You can use an iOS device as a remote via WiFi.

landhar2• 12 years ago

What I find most exciting is that this finally opens the doors for indie game developers to write games for the big screen.

It is true that Steam was already doing that, but I think the audience of people with a PC plugged to a TV screen in the living room or that owns a Steam box is not as big as what the Fire TV owners might end up being

maxsilver• 12 years ago

For what it's worth, OUYA's strategy was literally "let indie game developers write games for the big screen", and they successfully launched that product more than half a year ago.

OUYA has lots and lots of their own problems, but they are the most polished version of the "get indie developers on TV" idea.

Or at least, they were, until today's FireTV launch.

itafroma• 12 years ago

this finally opens the doors for indie game developers to write games for the big screen

Sony has had extensive and widely-used support for indie game development for the PlayStation platforms for quite some time.[1]

Microsoft has has had so-so support for indie developers (choice between them essentially acting as your publisher or fending for yourself in the Xbox Live Indie Games wasteland), but they're trying to fix that with ID@Xbox.[2]

Then, of course, there's Ouya, if you're in to that sort of thing.[3] It's an Android platform too.

[1] http://us.playstation.com/develop/

[2] http://www.xbox.com/en-us/Developers/id

[3] https://www.ouya.tv

landhar2• 12 years ago

Everything you say is absolutely right.

What I meant to say however (and I apologize for the way I phrased it) is that this is makes it even easier for indie developers to reach a wide audience.

Not only do I expect that it will be fairly easy to port Android Tablet games to the Fire TV, I also think that the strategy of offering a TV box that has a Games marketplace as a bonus feature is a strategy that will allow Fire TVs to sell a lot more than Ouyas.

dengar007• 12 years ago

What if this could handle steam in-home streaming?

programminggeek• 12 years ago

This is pretty much what Google TV should have been all along, but Google cares too much about web search and not enough about what people actually want to do on a TV - watch shows and play games.

The gaming aspect of this will make it a winner. OUYA's big problem is that it didn't do streaming and was a bit clunky. Amazon has a big game library and just needs controller support.

As a parent, a $100 streaming box and game console that has cheap/free games is very appealing.

As a developer, the economics of game development for such a console is not so great, but maybe IAP would make it worthwhile.

keehun3• 12 years ago

I disagree that this will become a winner. No one wants to play crappy games on their TV, and Amazon can't become a winner with the small population of people who do.

runevault• 12 years ago

Amazon in theory is looking for more than just crappy games. They grabbed Double Helix and I have to assume that was part of this initiative, and they've recently released several well regarded games in Killer Instinct and Strider.

matt_heimer2• 12 years ago

Wrong audience, this is everything my Roku is but better. Better UI, better performance. Plus apps and maybe some games with a real controller. It is everything an OUYA is but better. And miracast support too.

sutterbomb• 12 years ago

Not sure if it will be a category winner, but if the gaming works, it will definitely be a winner for me. I haven't owned a gaming console in years, but I'd certainly do some casual gaming if there was a cheap option built into a streaming. I currently own and frequently use an older Roku, but if gaming reviews come are positive I will likely switch.

downandout2• 12 years ago

With screen mirroring, Apple TV offers the ability to play any game in the App Store on a TV wirelessly without having to buy a controller. That game library will likely always be larger than this one. Granted, you must have an iPhone or iPad, but I am surprised that Apple does not tout this feature more. I use it daily and it is pretty awesome.

bratsche• 12 years ago

If AppleTV let me watch Amazon Prime video it would be perfect. I use Amazon Prime and Hulu+ for TV, and right now the only device I have that lets me watch both is my PS3, and its UI sucks (plus it's constantly requiring me to download updates).

ambler02• 12 years ago

The lag is terrible with mirroring. Apple TV won't be viable for gaming until the game is played on the box itself and there is a low-latency controller.

skrowl• 12 years ago

Fire TV screen mirrors from Kindle Fire HDX tablets (smaller, lighter, cheaper than iPad). Not sure about other Android tablets (at least until XDA geeks get ahold of one).

bitcrusher2• 12 years ago

It's interesting how different perspectives work:

The gaming aspect of this will make it a winner. OUYA's big problem is that it didn't do streaming and was a bit clunky. Amazon has a big game library and just needs controller support.

I think the gaming aspects are the worst part and are entirely useless. Who wants to casual game with an underpowered box on a giant TV screen? Goofy games are fun on a 4-7" screen because expectations are low. On my TV I expect a crazy immersive experience, not "Candy Crush".

Perhaps they would have been better served by spending their time getting HBO-Go, Starz/Encore and Spotify all hooked into their little box. If they want to be the central hub for all things "media" and want to compel people to move off of their existing platform ( Roku and ATV ) it seems like they need to offer a more complete package.

alttab12• 12 years ago

I wouldn't knock it until you tried it. The graphics for games like Bard's Tale and many others are pretty damn good on mobile devices. We all have great mobile gaming experiences, wouldn't it be awesome if you could share that with anyone you had over on a big screen?

You may expect a "crazy immersive experience" but I would venture a guess that you are not the casual mobile gamer.

angryasian4• 12 years ago

Ouya's other problem was the selection of games. Most of the games on the play store have controller support. You're talking candy crush, I'm thinking emulators and titles like GTA, Modern Combat, Minecraft, and many other rpg and fps titles.

mikeryan2• 12 years ago

Perhaps they would have been better served by spending their time getting HBO-Go, Starz/Encore and Spotify all hooked into their little box

Give it time. These are usually 3rd party apps not built by the provider of the platform (as a note, my company just finished building Starz/Encore/Movieplex Play for Xbox 360). The important thing is that Amazon provides an Ecosystem,it just needs some time for all the other offerings to get on there.

The SDK just opened up to all third parties today as well https://developer.amazon.com/public/community/post/Tx1K5ORNN...

feverishaaron• 12 years ago

It would be a gateway console for little kids who want to play Angry Birds (which is basically all my 6 year old wants to do).

personZ4• 12 years ago

How is the simple inclusion of the feature the "worst aspect"? You don't have to play games on the device, of course. They didn't force the controller with the base purchase. Given that it's Android powered, I suspect they didn't have to spend much engineering effort on making it capable of playing games.

Also, don't sell mobile gaming short. There are current generation mobile chipsets capable of PS3 level graphics (especially given that many smartphones now have a resolution greater than that big television), and in this case they don't even have to live within the power bounds of a battery power deviced, opening up the high end (they claim it's a "dedicated" GPU, which is an odd phrasing in the era of SoCs).

PS3 level graphics are beyond satisfactory for a huge range of gaming genres (especially given that many of the PS3s limitations were courtesy of the 256MB/256MB memory limit).

Pxtl7• 12 years ago

Who wants to casual game with an underpowered box on a giant TV screen?

Over 100 million Nintendo Wii consoles were sold. Now, we can bicker about how many of those buyers were into casual games or not, but regardless:

The market exists.

chrisBob• 12 years ago

Why do you assume underpowered? My iPad 4, which is a few years old now has amazing graphics at higher than HD resolution. I don't know enough about the processors to compare them directly, but I don't see any reason to count out the Fire TV.

By making it easy to port Android apps they could do well with this.

robotresearcher• 12 years ago

"Who wants to casual game with an underpowered box on a giant TV screen?"

Young kids. There are lots of them about.

PS4 is very expensive. iPads are expensive, fragile, don't have user accounts, and you can't keep an eye on what's on screen from the kitchen while cooking dinner after school.

KRuchan• 12 years ago

The box has a snapdragon 600 chip in it, so not exactly underpowered. They also seem to be addressing the 'immersive' segment more than 'Candy Crush' type of games - they mention Asphalt 8 will be supported soon and Amazon has been hiring/acqui-hiring AAA-title devs for broader support since a while now.

wiremine• 12 years ago

Who wants to casual game with an underpowered box on a giant TV screen?

My 8 year old would eat it up. He LOVES his iPad games. If he can plan on the TV with his friends, he would be thrilled.

And I'd be fine dropping $99 for a box and < $5 for games.

cc4393• 12 years ago

The midrange SoCs found in boxes like this have a surprising amount of power. They are capable of powering games with graphical fidelity that falls somewhere in between the PS2 and PS3. Plus they aren't as RAM starved as those consoles.

The market has so far been defined by the capabilities of mobile devices. That means simplified controls and gameplay designed for short sessions. There's no technical reason for these limitations in the streaming box market, OUYA failed and Amazon might fail but the market still exists. Consumers have bought tens of millions of these devices just to watch TV, eventually someone will be able to expand to tap the couch gaming market. The price point is low, install base high, and the processing power is just sitting there and waiting.

ctdonath2• 12 years ago

Who wants to casual game with an underpowered box on a giant TV screen? Goofy games are fun on a 4-7" screen because expectations are low. On my TV I expect a crazy immersive experience, not "Candy Crush".

Infinity Blade, Real Racing, etc. show you CAN get "crazy immersive experience" (or near enough thereto that 95% of users won't notice a difference) on a "phone". Given an iPad Mini (retail replacement cost $250 so you know it costs less than that to make) take away the HD+ display, touchscreen, cellular radio, battery, speakers, mic, and most of the flash storage, and you've got a sub-$99 dual-core 64-bit box that ALL your iOS games - from Candy Crush to Infinity Blade III - can run on right now ... and anything you get for that big screen can, in turn, run on your phone when Mom says you have to get in the car and you want to take the in-progress game with you.

eloisant• 12 years ago

There are some big, immersive games on Android. Granted, they're very few now, simply because playing them on a touch screen is not great and playing with a controller on a phone is clunky.

But if the Fire TV gets enough traction there could be more "real" games on Android.

alttab12• 12 years ago

As a developer, the economics of game development have got to be pretty good, actually.

Most game development companies have a multi-platform approach. Either they accomplish this with cross-platform development tools, or target iOS, Android, and XBox/Consoles separately.

Amazon has already gone through motions to making getting your Android app onto their Kindle Fire devices smoother, so I imagine getting it onto the FireTV wouldn't be much different.

So the story goes, you have a successful game that is gainin traction on multiple platforms and you want to expand your user base. Add game controller support to your android version, and now you're in every Prime customer's living room? edit: This is of course if people purchase the device, so that's the starter.

hokkos• 12 years ago

The gaming part won't do anything, in France each internet provider give a box exactly like this one, with TV and games. Guess what, nobody play the games. The people that play games in front of their TV are gamers that want AAA experience.

alttab12• 12 years ago

I feel like that last part is an assumption. That's like saying people who want more out of their phones only want to do e-mail.

I have been aching for a large library of easy and casual games I can share with my wife forever. She doesn't care about the AAA games and I'm willing to give those up if it means we can play together.

Also, the standards for games these days is really low. I see children playing total crap all the time. Gone are the days you beg your mom to spend $60 buying you one game where upon you had to spend the next 6 months playing it before you would get another one. Parents will buy a game on their phone and hand it to their kid like its the pacifier of the 21st century.

Pxtl7• 12 years ago

To me the big questions is whether Amazon will release a first-party gaming peripheral for this device. If they make that kind of commitment to gaming, they'll have my attention. Even if it's a re-branded MadCatz PS3 controller, it would be an important move.

There are tons of dongles and sticks with gaming added as an afterthought. I'm interested in seeing somebody truly tackle the space Ouya promised to deliver - the low-cost Android gaming device.

eclipxe10• 12 years ago

Like this: http://www.amazon.com/Amazon-53-000894-Fire-Game-Controller/...

paulyg4• 12 years ago

If you look back at the timetable, Google realized the Chromecast was a better direction then Google TV and but all efforts into Chromecast. That's why I'm really disappointed Amazon choose to create yet another platform for companies to develop apps and games for instead of building on one already in place. Games work just fine on my phone and tablet. So does searching for content. I say that as a parent that has been doing a lot of Netflix->Chromecast streaming of kids shows & movies lately. I would like to buy some of the content that Amazon has and Netflix does not without plunking down $99 more and another boz to manage and another ecosystem.

zemo• 12 years ago

it's just an android sdk add-on: https://developer.amazon.com/sdk/asb/overview-gs.html

that's not quite the same as a whole new platform.

stevenp2• 12 years ago

For me, AirPlay is the killer Apple TV feature. Any time a new app comes out for iOS that supports streaming video, I know I'm going to be able to play it on my television. The local content provider apps on the device don't really matter that much to me. I can even stream Amazon Prime video to my Apple TV, so I'm having a hard time seeing why I would want this instead of waiting for the next generation Apple TV.

eclipxe10• 12 years ago

FireTV supports Miracast according to the PR: Miracast according to Press Release:

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-ne...

stevenp2• 12 years ago

Ah, this is one of the problems with isolated ecosystems, I guess. Until Apple opens up AirPlay (never), I'm stuck with whatever they give me. :/

smackfu4• 12 years ago

Any time a new app comes out for iOS that supports streaming video, I know I'm going to be able to play it on my television.

Unless they block Airplay, which is not unusual. Like Amazon Prime didn't allow streaming until recently. HBO Go also took a while to allow it.

http://venturebeat.com/2013/09/17/amazon-primes-ios-app-fina...

asabjorn• 12 years ago

I just bought the G-Box MX2 and it can do almost everything you request; play Netflix, local media, pandora, etc. However, Prime is not available on it since that is Amazon exclusive.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CH643A8/ref=oh_details_o...

lisnake• 12 years ago

XBMC have builtin AirPlay receiving capability. And you can install XBMC on pretty much any ARM/x86 based device

keehun3• 12 years ago

This is not good enough. What's the improvement that is worth $100?

barlescabbage• 12 years ago

Not enough differentiation, give us some other channels, live news, or broadcast TV and we'll buy it in a heartbeat. Otherwise your features are surprisingly irrelevant.

This is mostly bad news for Roku, before this, the paradigm was, Apple TV for iTunes, Roku for Amazon. During the holidays there were so many roku photos on amazon, I thought they owned them. I think Amazon will slowly strangle Roku. Amazon probably tried to buy Roku, they declined, so they said, "fine we'll make our on device and crush you" Typical Amazon.

declan4• 12 years ago

other channels, live news, or broadcast TV and we'll buy it in a heartbeat.

Agreed! Does anyone know of any device that offers live streaming news from CNN, Fox, etc.? The Roku store doesn't list CNN; it does list Fox News but only "video clips" and not a full 24/7 live stream of the television channel: http://www.roku.com/channels/#search/cnn/by-popular

declan4• 12 years ago

This is a reasonable answer to Apple TV.

If you have videos on or subscriptions to iTunes, Netflix, and Amazon Prime (as I do), there's no box I'm aware of that will let you watch all three. So you end up using your Apple TV and then Roku or another box -- the Playstation 3 in my living room takes a long time to boot, and a long time to load the Netflix app, draws quite a bit of power, and is overkill for merely watching streaming video. The Amazon Fire TV, assuming it's fast enough, will add another device to my living room cabinet but make it a lot faster to switch to watching Amazon Prime videos.

Ideally Apple would allow Amazon to add Prime Streaming to the Apple TV box, or Roku would get the iTunes library. Then I could have an all-in-one box. But we all know that's not going to happen...

alexeisadeski33• 12 years ago

Apple TV lets you watch all three (iTunes, Netflix, and Amazon Prime).

Airplay is a thing.

brewdad• 12 years ago

Amazon Prime is not on Apple TV. That's why I have a Roku sitting next to my Apple TV.

Touche13• 12 years ago

* Requires $500+ companion device.

drzaiusapelord2• 12 years ago

So, the solution to the shortcomings of Apple devices is yet more Apple devices? Oh, ok.

declan4• 12 years ago

Ah, but I want to be able to view Amazon Prime without resorting to an Airplay workaround. For my living room use case Airplay isn't an option; I'm looking for an integrated unit.

chrisgd2• 12 years ago

What is everyone using for a DVR? Why doesn't this include some time of recording, storage and pausing capabilities? The DVR provided by the cable companies are laggy and the Tivo one charges a monthly fee for what equates to updating program guides, but not accounting for shows actually running over.

sureshv• 12 years ago

Does it have a headphone jack on the remote ala the Roku 3? It's probably one of the more useful features on the new Roku box.

Edmond• 12 years ago

well if this works as advertised it seems the end of cable could very near.

walkon• 12 years ago

Do these convex/rounded remotes that this and the Roku have bother anyone else? They seem to slide off the couch easier and if I set it down on a flat surface, it rocks back and forth for several seconds.

Pxtl7• 12 years ago

How hackable will the android on this thing be? Will you be able to connect bluetooth-based gamepads to it?

fjabre• 12 years ago

this is a me too product

dusty642• 12 years ago

That it is.

blueash• 12 years ago

Any idea how many controllers the system will support?

mrfusion• 12 years ago

Is it missing YouTube? Also, if it easy to buy newly released movies like you can with iTunes on the Apple TV?

_superposition_• 12 years ago

Cant wait to jailbreak this and run xbmc on it.

NextUserName• 12 years ago

Tech specs here: https://developer.amazon.com/sdk/asb/device-specs.html

tehwebguy3• 12 years ago

I think this will be huge.

It will only take one great game for this thing to pop. With a system that enough users will have in the living room someone is going to put together a fun free-to-play FPS and that will be enough for it to be the clear winner over AppleTV / Chromecast.

Voice search is a big deal if it works the way I think it does. TV is easy, everyone knows how to use one and how to find what they want to watch. Navigating between Netflix, Hulu, Instant, iTunes, Cruncyroll, NBC ... is a pain. Even on my AppleTV navigating Netflix alone is the worst.

totallymike• 12 years ago

Interestingly enough, the 'What is Fire TV' video heavily features HBO content (Game of Thrones, Veep, etc), but doesn't support HBO Go?

drawkbox• 12 years ago

Impressive, they beat Apple TV and Google to the app/game punch. This could be big. Disappointed in Apple doing nothing with TV apps/games, all the while having years of lead time.

Dwolb• 12 years ago

Does Amazon see the future?

Content delivery platform for commercials/suggestions + shipping infrastructure to deliver products + drone delivery for last mile = Commercials with immediate product purchase ability.

Amazon can even broadcast a commercial in a geographic area, know the percentage of users who will immediately want the commercial's product, and pre-emptively unleash drones to a geographic location to drop off the product within seconds.

ChuckMcM• 12 years ago

I am kind of surprised the Roku manages to stay independent in all the 'tv' efforts. They have a really nice player and now a nice 'stick' player. Also a pretty easy to use SDK. So why re-build all or much of that for a proprietary box? Any thoughts on that strategy?

Zelphyr• 12 years ago

Roku, as I understand it, derives their revenue from hardware sales. So they have such an incentive to get you to upgrade hardware that they will actually take away content[1] in an effort to force you to do so.

My guess is Amazon is doing the opposite. They're probably practically giving away the hardware in hopes they'll realize more profits on the content you buy. And a device like this is just a small piece of a larger puzzle for Amazon and with their previous hardware experience its not a giant leap for them to produce a proprietary box.

For Roku, their device line is the puzzle. So sure, they have an easy to use SDK[2] it is also proprietary. I'm guessing Amazon built the Fire TV on Android so new apps are really just Android apps.

[1]: They did this last year and as a result I will never buy another Roku product again.

[2]: I'm still dumbfounded that they based it on Visual Basic. Carl Sassenrath is an employee now. In my opinion they'd do well to scrap their existing VB-style SDK and base the next generation on Rebol.

baggachipz2• 12 years ago

Tut tut, brightscript ;)

I looked into writing for Roku, cracked open some docs, and that was the end of that.

timdierks• 12 years ago

I have difficulty envisioning exactly how this market is going to develop. None of the products (AppleTV, Roku, Google, Amazon) are differentiated enough to imagine someone who's pretty happy with their box switching, particularly given various ways you'd get locked into particular features or media (e.g., if the average AppleTV user has bought a bunch of movies from iTunes, they're unlikely to switch to Amazon even if they like the games).

At the price point, you can imagine people owning more than one device to get access to different feature silos, but the huge duplication of features (e.g. every device having Netflix) makes this feel wasteful. Furthermore, I think people quickly run into a limitation on how many HDMI ports their TV has. If you're going to have a cable box and DVD/BluRay player connected, you need to have 3 ports to be able to connect one of these devices at all, and you can't plausibly have more than two. (I don't know how many HDMI ports TVs have in the market, but 2, 3, and 4 seems to cover the consumer space in a very small sampling of Amazon availability.)

If I were building one of these devices, I would include an HDMI switch with pass-through so I don't consume an HDMI port. In the absence of that, it's not clear at all to me what the shape of market adoption looks like.

wmeredith• 12 years ago

For less than a $100 bucks I make pick this up to put alongside my Apple TV just so I can watch Amazon video without airplay.

brandonbica• 12 years ago

To me it looks like the biggest comparison is Apple TV (and Roku which I'm less familiar with). It's just an incremental version of the Apple TV for the Amazon ecosystem and to me that's the biggest disappointment. I would have much preferred that they go in the direction of incremental improvement over the Chromecast which would make this industry much more exciting in my opinion.

UncleChis• 12 years ago

Do they try not to mention Youtube? Only in the comparison chart!

jstalin• 12 years ago

I love it, but I don't see that there is an app for non-kindle devices for managing or playing video for the Fire TV. The thing I like about chromecast is the ability to browse and play video from my ipad. But of course chromecast doesn't have amazon prime, so I have to switch to my roku to watch Walking Dead.

If Fire TV has an app to manage it for ipad or android, then it's pretty much the perfect device.

snsr• 12 years ago

Maybe not exactly what you're looking for, but this is referenced elsewhere in the thread -

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/amazon-instant-video/id54551...

suyash2• 12 years ago

Android Developers who want to jump into this opportunity: https://developer.amazon.com/sdk/asb.html & https://developer.amazon.com/public/community/blog/author/Mi...

suyash2• 12 years ago

It would be interesting to know if the Fire TV is running on X86 or ARM processor. Anyone know?

guyzero3• 12 years ago

Processor type is on the Amazon product page. ARM.

eclipxe10• 12 years ago

ARM. https://developer.amazon.com/sdk/asb/device-specs.html

whoisnatelam4• 12 years ago

Check out the post about the additional details and comments for specs: http://bit.ly/1pLH83y Interesting to see what they are doing.

whoisnatelam4• 12 years ago

You can check out all the specs here for any developer looking for it: http://bit.ly/1pLH83y

thewordis• 12 years ago

Fire TV lacks iTunes and Google Play. Apple TV lacks Google Play and Amazon Prime Instant Video. Chromecast lacks iTunes and Amazon Prime Instant Video.

And now we have a million and one ways to watch Netflix.

whoisnatelam4• 12 years ago

Looks like we can develop for this. If you're an Android developer you should check out all the specs and docs here: http://bit.ly/1pLH83y

allenwu9326• 12 years ago

This is pretty cool. Makes sense to port over my apps. Seems pretty straight forward. We basically just need to change UI and game controller functions...

dgrant• 12 years ago

Anyone know if this supports DLNA?

chadgeidel• 12 years ago

They list "Plex" (DLNA server) in their "streaming services" list. It would be nice to know if there are other servers supported.

cavilling_elite• 12 years ago

No rechargeable remote? Should of had a simple dock on top to charge the remote and another dock purchased with the game pad. No need for batteries.

jpatel3• 12 years ago

Just another Roku, Google TV, Apple TV

eshvk2• 12 years ago

So I just bought a new TV that has Amazon Prime, Netflix, Voice search integrated into it. I don't play games. Is there any point in me getting this vs getting an Apple TV or a Chromecast? The only thing I would use an Apple TV (all computers in my house are macs) for is to screenshare wirelessly. I believe Chromecast lets me do that for specific apps.

clauretano• 12 years ago

Chromecast lets you "cast" a tab from chrome, but the performance will be subpar. Very subpar. Don't try to watch a video with that or anything. If your macs are all modern enough (sandy bridge or newer) AirPlay display mirroring/extending works pretty well. The latency is noticeable but not the end of the world if you're using it to consume content. You won't want to full screen a 1080p video in VLC though, the framerate will be good but not perfect. There's an app Beamer that can be used for things like that. For most video files it won't need to transcode the whole thing, rather it'll just demux and maybe transcode the audio to AAC (appletv can natively play common video formats).

eshvk2• 12 years ago

So if I ever want to full screen a 1080p video which is pretty all I would ever do on a Mac and a TV, I should just hook it up using HDMI?

bluthru• 12 years ago

The lady in the photo looks like she's confusing the remote for a candy bar.

theorique2• 12 years ago

Pretty cool: http://firetv.com

OlivierLi• 12 years ago

Warning: the link above is highly NSFW.

theorique2• 12 years ago

Sorry, should have mentioned that bit. AMZN has just bid the value of that domain through the roof though.

ycaspirant2• 12 years ago

Why is this priced on par with Apple TV? That's like pricing a Kindle on par with an iPad. I always thought that unlike Apple, Amazon's strategy was to sell really cheap hardware so that you can consume more content.

vladgur• 12 years ago

oh my, it looks like it supports mkv containers.

dataminded• 12 years ago

How many remotes will this support? If I can hook up 2-4 controllers to it then it will be in my house soon.

sib• 12 years ago

It supports a total of seven controllers and remotes:

"Amazon Fire TV allows up to 7 remotes and game controllers to be connected at one time. Each game controller can be associated with a player ID, opening up multi-player gaming in the living room. Games can even use different combinations of input types (remotes and game controllers) to make multi-player gaming easy for everyone."

https://developer.amazon.com/public/solutions/devices/fire-t...

tejbirwason• 12 years ago

Glad to finally see Amazon announce this. Also I can finally share with family and friends about what I worked on during my internship at Broadcom. It took longer than expected for Amazon to finally release it which makes me think they went through multiple chip design iterations after I finished my internship at Broadcom last year. So long in fact that I thought it would never see the light of day. Excited to see how customers respond, this is definitely going to shake things up. Glad I had a small role in bringing this to life.

Flenser2• 12 years ago

The main chips are listed as

   SOC Platform   Qualcomm Snapdragon 8064
   Processor      Qualcomm Krait 300, quad-core to 1.7 Ghz
   GPU            Qualcomm Adreno 320

what Broadcom tech does it use?

abjorn• 12 years ago

Or you could just buy a Roku?

yblu• 12 years ago

I had a Roku and returned it. Amzn Fire TV doesn't seem much better. I'm sticking with PS3 for now, the only thing that can stream Youtube, Netflix, Amazon Instance Video and what not.

Osiris5• 12 years ago

I ordered one with 1-day shipping.

I'm heading to Sunnyvale for a week and I'm tempted to take it with me to see how it works over the hotel WiFi.

shurcooL• 12 years ago

For gaming, this would be an ideal place to have an OnLive client.

shirro• 12 years ago

I love chromecast (have two imported) and for my use the lack of features such as remote/ui are a huge bonus over the slow dysfunctional bloatware crap in "smart" televisions. I want my screen to be just another display device I can send stuff too rather than the focus. That would probably change if I wanted my tv dongle to double as a games console but at current price/performance I don't see acceptable big screen gaming happening in a sub $100 device for awhile yet.

I think people are going to go with price rather than features for tv and Chromecast/Roku and a mountain of clones will take most of the sales. People who want to play games aren't going to do it on a $100 box from Amazon. They will stick to Xbox One/PS4 or a Steam box.

I imagine Amazon are thinking they can rely on content to sell these but I don't know that they are that strong an offering. However this turns out the real winners are going to be Netflix.

Splendor• 12 years ago

I don't want another box and remote. I would rather have an Amazon Video app with Chromecast functionality for Android.

revelation• 12 years ago

Alpha House

And there it is, as a dropdown appears with only one entry you still have to select, and then continue to travel three menus deep to get to a point where video appears.

What are they thinking?

periferral• 12 years ago

The one thing about the Roku I like a lot is the headset on the remote. I love that! I can be in a room with my headset and not disturb my wife sleeping and enjoy the show.

The lack on the headset jack on the remote on this for me would be a non-starter. Other than that, nothing to write home about. I can't see anything here that would make me switch from the Roku.

benhebert• 12 years ago

Ouch no HBO Go.

dusty642• 12 years ago

There is a trick to enter diagnostic/device mode and enter CLI debug. Email dusty64@hushmail.com

Amazon Fire TV

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