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The new Fire Stick TV 4K and Alexa Voice Remote.
Amazon
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As usual, there are not many ports on the Fire TV Stick. The USB port shown here is for power only.
Amazon
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However, you have the chance to see your multimedia streamer smile at you.
Amazon
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The new Alexa remote control includes power and volume buttons (finally!) And an infrared sensor to control sound bars and audiovisual equipment.
Amazon
Amazon announced Wednesday a new model of Fire TV Stick multimedia streamer. The Fire TV Stick 4K, as it is called, supports 4K streaming, Dolby Vision HDR, HDR10, HDR10 + and Dolby Atmos surround sound, as well as faster internal functions and a revised remote control.
The new streaming key is available for pre-order on Wednesday and will be available from October 31st. It costs $ 49.99, which is $ 10 more than the standard Fire Stick Stick 1080p.
In many ways, the Fire TV Stick 4K seems to be cannibalizing the other Fire TV streamers on the market. Beyond 4K and HDR media, Amazon says the device now includes a 1.7 GHz quad-core processor, which is on paper more powerful than the standard 1.5-GHz Fire 4K chip and most recent Fire TV Cube. Its included remote control now comes with dedicated buttons for power, volume and muting, as well as an IR emitter that gives it a minimum of control over various sound bars, cable decoders and audiovisual equipment.
This last element was a major selling point of the Cube Fire TV – although, as the control of this equipment still relies heavily on the use of voice commands with Amazon's voice assistant Alexa, we sometimes found a little awkward. Neither the Cube nor the original 4K Fire TV supports Dolby Vision HDR. Amazon's announcement suggests that the company is gradually getting rid of the Fire TV 4K standard and now offers the built-in smart speaker of the Fire TV Cube.
Amazon says it will sell the new Alexa voice remote separately for $ 29.99. It will now be included in new Fire TV Cube purchases, but will also work with the 2nd generation fire stick and third generation fire. The new remote will also be available from October 31st.
The usual user interface
The rest of the Fire TV Stick 4K meets your expectations. The price to pay will probably depend on your tolerance with respect to Amazon's Fire TV interface, which is even more cluttered than a system similar to Roku and which tends to give the priority to the content of Amazon's partners and its own Prime Video streaming service. It's usually more enjoyable if you are a leading active member and do not be afraid to use Alexa to get around. Since Amazon and Google are not the best friends in the world, you'll also need some great alternatives to use YouTube and other Google apps (and give up YouTube TV altogether).
The hardware itself is still a tiny Kit Kat shaped stick that connects directly to an HDMI port, supports 802.11ac Wi-Fi and has nothing to do with external ports. There is 8GB of internal storage, and all uses Bluetooth 5. The Amazon logo on the side of the key is more discreet than before.
Nevertheless, the addition of power buttons and volume dedicated to the Alexa remote was long overdue. The use of 4K technology, Atmos, Dolby Vision and the new, more open and accessible HDR10 + standard for customers at a price of $ 50 will help advance the technology toward wider adoption. (Although, as usual, 4K and HDR are still not Standard more content.) The launch of the Fire TV Stick 4K also allows Amazon to stay in the running with Roku, who launched a new 4K HDR streaming stick last month (although it does not support Dolby Vision). This should also allow Amazon to remain competitive with Google, which is expected to launch a new Chromecast dongle in the coming weeks.
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