Hulu's Live TV service is being added to the Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, spreading availability of the company's latest beta, and its new interface. The update, which is rolling out today, will include more personalization and, the company claims, better content recommendations. Amazon's set-top boxes join gadgets from Apple, Microsoft, and others in having support for the new Hulu.
There's a way in which some brands of ultra-HD television are coming with Amazon's Alexa - and it's not a separate element. While users can still buy an Amazon TV box, there's a new set of televisions with the abilities of Amazon TV inside. They're branded with Amazon's new "Amazon Fire TV Edition" brand, and come with the Amazon Fire TV experience built in. That makes things easier for those users that don't want to take the time to plug in an extra piece of technology.
If Amazon has a content problem with its Fire TV and Fire TV Stick streamers, then it's the best sort of problem to have. In the two and a half years since the first generation set-top box launched, over 300,000 movies and TV shows have been added to the catalog of on-demand titles. That's along with over 7,000 channels, apps, games, and more. After a while, it starts to get a little overwhelming, hence a whole new interface for Fire TV that Amazon is previewing today.
Back in October, NBC announced a subscription video service called ‘Seeso’ that focuses on comedy shows and charges $3.99 per month. The service is still around, and it’ll be making its way in front of more viewers now that it has launched on both Amazon’s Fire TV and Roku set-top boxes. With the new channels, cord cutters and more will be able to more easily watch the content on their television.
The Amazon Fire TV is aimed at Amazon Prime members and prospective Prime members - if that's not you, be wary. If you're thinking of purchasing this device with the intent of making it your sole Smart TV controller, you're going to want to be aware of a few things, the first of which is its extreme similarity to its predecessor. We're looking at the 2015 edition of the Amazon Fire TV - this is the version you'll be able to buy from Amazon now, while the previous generation will most likely be sold only by 3rd-party retailers with clearly marked signs and major discounts.
Gamers who have a Fire TV in their home can now grab a newly updated Twitch TV app for the Fire TV. The new app is a fuller version of the Twitch TV experience and will work on the latest Fire TV devices. The update brings lots of new features and a more personal viewing experience.
While Amazon said last month that its Prime Video streaming service would be debuting in Japan sometime in September, the company has now officially announced its arrival a month later than expected, but alongside Fire TV hardware as well. Both the Fire TV and Fire TV Stick will begin shipping in Japan on October 28, only the fourth nation after the US, Germany, and the UK to see the devices. Meanwhile Prime Video is being released in Japan starting today.
An FCC listing has once again spilled the beans on an upcoming tech device, this time a possible new Fire TV from Amazon. The listing, discovered by Dave Zatz, refers to the device as a "HDMI Digital Media Receiver." Amazon's original Fire TV is listed as out of stock, so this FCC listing aligns perfectly with a new device rollout sometime this fall. The most notable new feature mentioned for the set-top box is a microSD slot.
GameFly, the video game rent-by-mail service, has long been compared to Netflix, at least, back when they mailed us DVDs. Now the company has made a new step towards becoming the gaming equivalent of the Netflix that focuses on streaming. Along with announcing their acquisition of Playcast, GameFly is launching a new game streaming service exclusively on Amazon's Fire TV. And they're not talking about the kind of games you'd find a smartphone, but big-name titles including the Batman Arkham series, Hitman, Darksiders, Red Faction, and games from the various LEGO franchises.
Based on the principle that there's nothing so frustrating as watching a show and thinking "who is that guy?" Amazon is adding X-Ray to Fire TV. The system, which has been flagging up actors and songs on Amazon Fire tablets for the past few years, will now be pulling up those details on Fire TV's streaming movies and shows, accessed with a stab at the "up" button on the remote, as well as offering easy navigation to the relevant point in the show.
The future of movies is here - it's in video game engines. I came to this realization when I took part in the Thief in the Shadows VR experience at GDC 2015 with Epic Games. Word today is that Amazon recently struck a deal with Crytek to do something or other - license their gaming engine, perhaps - in a deal that we can't help but think has something to do with video entertainment. Movies, even. While Amazon does not give up on projects, even when they fail, tapping in to CryEngine's potential more than likely means Amazon is about to go big with a big-screen production (on their own small screens, of course).
Amazon’s Fire TV and Fire TV Stick might have entered the streaming game later than we’d have liked, but their hardware is still pretty effective. A new update, rolling in today, might even make one or both must-haves for wider audience. With expandable USB storage on the Fire TV, users can expand their library as they see fit. Other tweaks, like better WiFi connectivity for hotels and Bluetooth headset pairing options put Fire TV and Fire TV Stick a bit above the competition.
