Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K adds HDR and remote control with infrared device control

It's been two years since Amazon reorganized the Fire TV Stick, an HDMI dongle running a entertainment-centric variant of the retailer's Fire OS operating system, and the following months saw the launch of Google Chromecast Ultra and Streaming Stick + of Roku. Both drive resolutions up to 4K and support HDR (High Dynamic Range) standards, giving them a head start on the Seattle company's long-standing hardware. But the retailer is fighting today.

This morning, Amazon launched the Fire TV Stick 4K, a full refresh of Fire TV Stick support for 4K Ultra HD (UHD) in HDR formats, including Dolby Vision and HDR10 +. That's not all, he also announced today a new Alexa Voice Remote control using "multidirectional" infrared technology, Bluetooth, as well as a cloud-based backend to control TVs, receivers, switches HDMI, etc.

"We listened to our customers and pushed to provide the complete 4K solution that they are looking for, all in a compact form," said Marc Whitten, vice president of Amazon Fire TV, in a statement.

Fire TV Stick 4K

The new Fire Stick TV 4K looks identical to its predecessors from the outside, but it's a different story under the hood. Whitten said the team had designed an "entirely new" antenna technology that, combined with an 802.11ac Wi-Fi chip, optimized the "best streaming experience" while minimizing the effects of congestion of the wireless connection. Joining the radio is an upgraded, 1.7GHz, quad-core processor, claimed by Amazon, 80% more "powerful" than the standard Fire Fire Stick chip.

Like the Fire TV Cube, the previous-generation Fire TV Edition TVs, and the Fire TV Edition TVs from Toshiba and Insignia, the Fire TV Stick 4K takes full advantage of Amazon's thousands of Amazon Appstore channels, apps, and skills. (Of the Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, Starz, Showtime, CBS All Acess and other companies, there are more than 500,000 free-to-watch movies and TV shows, says Amazon.) And when it's associated with Fire TV Recast, a multi-tuner TV DVR with up to 1TB of built-in storage, it gives access to a free wireless TV.

As you might expect, the Fire TV Stick 4K works well with Amazon's Echo speaker line. Ask Alexa a question that includes Fire TV automatically linking it to your echo – in other words, if you have only one Fire TV device registered in your account. Otherwise, you will have to configure things manually.

Alexa Voice Remote with Device Control

The 4K TV Stick might be the focus of today's unveiling, but the new Alexa Voice Remote is intriguing.

Its infrared transmitter – identical in a typical TV remote – is compatible with "tens of millions" of Fire TVs (including the latest generation models, of course) and with tens of thousands of sound bars, TVs and audiovisual material. accept IR commands. These can be controlled with voice commands via the built-in microphone on the remote control or with dedicated power, volume and mute buttons.

Amazon did not specify the technical details in the press release, but the remote control exploits the same combination of cloud and infrared that powers Fire TV Cube's device control functions.

Together with the Fire Stick 4K TV and the launch of the new Alexa Voice Remote Control, the new applications of A & E, AMC, Sony Crackle, Hallmark Movies Now, HBO Now, History, IFC, Lifetime and VH1 offer enhanced voice commands that support rewind, fast forward, and basic navigation.

Availability

The Fire TV Stick 4K is available for pre-order starting at $ 50 (or $ 90 if you buy two) and starts shipping October 31 in the United States and Canada. November 14 in the United Kingdom, Germany and India; and from here the end of the year to Japan. It is also available as part of a bundle with Echo Dot priced at $ 80 or with the Fire TV Refast and a 35-mile high definition television antenna for $ 250.

The new Alexa Voice remote control, also available for pre-order, costs $ 30. The shipment will begin October 31 in the United States and Canada, and sales in the United States, Germany and India will follow on November 14 (and in Japan later in the year).

An Amazon Fire TV Cube SKU with the Voice Remote update begins Oct. 31 for $ 120.

To soften its chances, Amazon is launching Amazon Music Unlimited, its streaming music and discovery service, for three months for "eligible customers" in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan, who are buying Fire TV device.

With the Fire TV Stick 4K, which costs $ 20 less than the Roku Streaming Stick + and Chromecast Ultra, Amazon is looking to take the lead in the streaming decoder segment.

According to research firm eMarketer, Roku is the first connected TV brand in the United States with more than 38.9 million users per month, followed by Chromecast (36.9 million) and Fire TV. (Amazon says there are 25 million active users of Fire TV in the world.) Assuming current market forces prevail, he predicts that Amazon will double its installed base by 2021.

A total of 168.1 million US consumers will watch streaming video on a connected TV device this year, up 10 percent from 2016.