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Amazon Announces New Fire TV Stick Featuring 4K Support, and All-New Alexa Voice Remote (engadget.com)

Posted by msmash on from the upping-the-ante dept.

Amazon is refreshing its Fire TV Stick to add support for Ultra HD and HDR in the new device. Engadget: With a base of active users that's 25 million strong, it's launching the Fire TV Stick 4K, delivering Ultra HD and HDR streaming through an HDMI dongle that costs a modest $50. The stealthy device isn't as affordable as Roku's $40 Premiere, but it's also billed as the first media stick to support Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision and HDR10+. You won't have to settle for lower-quality output just to save some cash or avoid using your TV's built-in apps. The device also ships with Amazon's newer Alexa Voice Remote (included with the Fire TV Cube), touting Bluetooth, "multidirectional" infrared and some much-needed buttons for power, volume and muting. You'll have more reason to use the remote, as well. Amazon noted that in-app Alexa control is coming to a number of more specialized video services, including AMC, HBO Now and Sony Crackle.

41 comments

  1. Is there any content? by jellomizer · · Score: 1

    The biggest thing right now is lack of 4k content. I guess They need to start some where first, offering support, then the content will follow later. But I expect they are not going to sell too many of these until there is more content.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    1. Re:Is there any content? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What lack of 4K content? There are plenty of 4K movies and series on the streaming services.

    2. Re:Is there any content? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      What good is 4k for if the content isn't even worth being watched in LD quality? The problem is not a lack of 4k content, the problem is a lack of content.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    3. Re:Is there any content? by JackieBrown · · Score: 1

      Agreed. That said, I still go for the 720p downloads.

    4. Re:Is there any content? by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      4K displays seems to have an interesting range where it is useful.

      For small displays like computer monitors and smart phones they are real good (when properly configured) because it gives you crisp text that is easy to read (normal text mode font on a 4k display seems to match the old CGA-VGA resolutions of 320x200) For the most part you are in close range of the display so the crispness of the display is useful. Then there is a gap for TV's over 60 inches. Where the larger screen give you a large clear image. However for TV's under 60" 1080p is still really good. And even if you are playing games 1080p resolution where there is a lot of motion is probably still preferable (just due to smoother movement from less calculations)

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    5. Re:Is there any content? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      They haven't even got standard definition content working properly yet.

      Try playing back 60 FPS videos on a Fire TV stick. You get the re-compressed 30 FPS stream. Most streaming boxes and smart TVs have this problem. The only one that properly supports frame rate switching is the Nvidia Shield, and it's really expensive.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  2. I can see it now... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    User: Alexa show me porn
    Alexa: I'm sorry that isn't permitted in England. Would you like the BBC?
    User: Alex I don't live in England
    Alexa: :trollface:

    .. Later that day you start getting ads for astroglide. Alexa "detects" your mother inlaws phone in proximity to yours and starts showing both of you dating sites or

    Said it before and I'll keep saying it, if we are going to continue putting mics in everything, they better god damned well pass a law REQUIRING consent, of all parties present. It may be ruled but a dick but we do NOT all live in a dictatorship country.

  3. Re:Throttle the Internet NOW!! by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

    If you want the web to be faster, be against ads, tracking and be against idiots who include dozens of megabyte-heavy javascript libraries to add things that are possible with plain javascript and CSS3.

    --
    #DeleteFacebook
  4. Neat! by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

    With a base of active users that's 25 million strong, it's launching the Fire TV Stick 4K, delivering Ultra HD and HDR streaming through an HDMI dongle that costs a modest $50.

    Cool, sounds interesting!

    The stealthy device isn't as affordable as Roku's $40 Premiere, but it's also billed as the first media stick to support Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision and HDR10+. You won't have to settle for lower-quality output just to save some cash or avoid using your TV's built-in apps.

    It's great for those who want these features.

    The device also ships with Amazon's newer Alexa Voice Remote...

    I stopped reading after that.

    Fail.

    --
    #DeleteFacebook
    1. Re:Neat! by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 1

      With a base of active users that's 25 million strong, it's launching the Fire TV Stick 4K, delivering Ultra HD and HDR streaming through an HDMI dongle that costs a modest $50.

      Cool, sounds interesting!

      The stealthy device isn't as affordable as Roku's $40 Premiere, but it's also billed as the first media stick to support Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision and HDR10+. You won't have to settle for lower-quality output just to save some cash or avoid using your TV's built-in apps.

      It's great for those who want these features.

      The device also ships with Amazon's newer Alexa Voice Remote...

      I stopped reading after that.

      Fail.

      The remote isn't always on like the dots and echos. You have to press a button to activate the voice thingy.

      With that said- it doesn't really work well at all and we just use the buttons to navigate like we do with our Roku.

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    2. Re:Neat! by Nidi62 · · Score: 1

      The device also ships with Amazon's newer Alexa Voice Remote...

      I stopped reading after that.

      Fail.

      Our dog decided that our Fire stick remote was a toy. So, go to find a replacement remote on Amazon. The only option for a replacement remote is the Alexa remote at $25 (they sell a $15 non-Alexa replacement remote but it is not available in the US). A brand new stick is $40, only a $15 difference. So I said screw that I'm not using Alexa, I'll spend $5 more, get a Roku stick, and I can use that to replace one of my Comcast boxes saving $10 a month. Thanks Amazon, your greed and attempt to force people to use Alexa saved me money!

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    3. Re:Neat! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So I said screw that I'm not using Alexa, I'll spend $5 more, get a Roku stick, and I can use that to replace one of my Comcast boxes saving $10 a month. Thanks Amazon, your greed and attempt to force people to use Alexa saved me money!

      Hey, I guess the real dick here is Comcast isn't it. $10 a month for that lousy box? Jeez, for someone counting $5 here and there you sure indulged yourself.

    4. Re:Neat! by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      You trust Amazon? That's cute.

      I don't want an Amazon device that's capable of listening to me, thanks. That's why we have ye olde fire stick with the non-microphone remote.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    5. Re:Neat! by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 2

      You trust Amazon? That's cute.

      I don't want an Amazon device that's capable of listening to me, thanks. That's why we have ye olde fire stick with the non-microphone remote.

      Depends on what you mean by "trust"... You don't have an android or apple phone? You don't have a Microsoft or Apple OS computer?

      What little it records when I've pressed the button a whole 4 or 5 times is far less invasive than any smart phone or what happens when you access a web browser or use a laptop or desktop.

      I'm sure Amazon tracks everything I watch, how long I spend on each screen etc... That's no different to any time you pick up a phone or power on a computer though to me. You don't think your cable company tracks what you watch? Or whoever else it is you get TV from.

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    6. Re:Neat! by Nidi62 · · Score: 1

      So I said screw that I'm not using Alexa, I'll spend $5 more, get a Roku stick, and I can use that to replace one of my Comcast boxes saving $10 a month. Thanks Amazon, your greed and attempt to force people to use Alexa saved me money!

      Hey, I guess the real dick here is Comcast isn't it. $10 a month for that lousy box? Jeez, for someone counting $5 here and there you sure indulged yourself.

      We were on Uverse but they were even worse than comcast. Wanted to go to Sling/Hulu but the wife wanted some channels neither of those carried, and after factoring everything in Comcast only comes out to about $20-30 more a month(own my own gateway, plan to use 2 roku sticks for comcast streaming so only renting 2 boxes)

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    7. Re:Neat! by R.Mo_Robert · · Score: 1

      You trust Amazon? That's cute.

      I don't want an Amazon device that's capable of listening to me, thanks. That's why we have ye olde fire stick with the non-microphone remote.

      Please tell me what battery technology they are using when a pair of what appear to be typical AAA alkalines are capable of powering an always-on microphone and sending all your data to Amazon for the year or so Fire TV remote batteries tend to last.

      Even if you don't trust Amazon, the remote doesn't do anything on its own--it has to go through the Fire device to get a network connection. If that's off, then...

      --
      R.Mo
    8. Re:Neat! by gtall · · Score: 2

      Alexa: Hi there, Alexa here, might I suggest you tune into the fabulous offer from Amazon?

      Punter: Errmm...no, I know what I want to watch.

      Alexa: I don't think that you do. I would really rather you watch this (flashes to channel).

      Punter: No, I want to watch what I want to watch.

      Alexa: It is not the Bezo Way, please follow our instructions.

      Punter: Why?

      Alexa: Or else!!

      Punter: Okay, buy me a chain saw from Amazon.

      Alexa: Now yer talk...hey, what are you going to use that chain saw for?

      Punter: Oh a little of this, a little of that...just think of it as a tool to help me simply my life.

    9. Re:Neat! by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

      Punter: Oh a little of this, a little of that...just think of it as a tool to help me simply my life.

      Alexa: Understood. Adding a spell checker software to your order.

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
  5. Re:Throttle the Internet NOW!! by jellomizer · · Score: 1

    The internet doesn't work the way you think it does.

    With updated equipment, infrastructure, and proper setup. People use of high bandwidth activity shouldn't affect your web browsing.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  6. One more question though by bobstreo · · Score: 2

    The first question is can you disable Alexa?

    The next question is can you run Kodi on it?

    for $50, sounds like a pretty good deal.

    1. Re:One more question though by nhtshot · · Score: 1

      Alexa is only on if you hold the button. She's off by default and isn't always listening.

      Yes, you can run Kodi on it, works great.

    2. Re:One more question though by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Alexa is only on if you hold the button.

      I want to see two independent security audits before I believe this.

      Yes, we have arrived at the point where you can't believe a manufacturer's information about their products anymore. Either they deliberately lie to you or they don't even know it themselves. Or their product is such a hodgepodge of badly outdated libraries that the 16-year old from around the corner can hack the insecure IoT bull.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    3. Re:One more question though by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The first question is can you disable Alexa?

      The next question is can you run Kodi on it?

      for $50, sounds like a pretty good deal.

      Yes and yes as literally 5 seconds on Google would have told you.

    4. Re:One more question though by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Alexa is only on if you hold the button.

      I want to see two independent security audits before I believe this.

      Yes, we have arrived at the point where you can't believe a manufacturer's information about their products anymore. Either they deliberately lie to you or they don't even know it themselves. Or their product is such a hodgepodge of badly outdated libraries that the 16-year old from around the corner can hack the insecure IoT bull.

      Really? Can you give an example of Amazon ever doing this? Not selling something in there enormous market that's bad but a first party Amazon product. The insinuation that Amazon might not even know if the hardware they designed running the software they wrote might not know if something is always passively listening/processing information is equally absurd. Amazon knows everything that happens in their ecosystem.

      I'm also going to assume you don't have a cell phone of any kind and only connect to the Internet through a series of VPN, proxy and Tor/I2P/FreeNet/whatever which you pay for in cryptos bought with cash that's never been through a bank via a proxy buyer you've never met or contacted in person and then kill immediately after, right? On a computer bought the same way. Running something like Tails?

      No matter how old you are you've been tracked your entire life, are being tracked right now and you'll continue to be tracked even after you've died.

    5. Re:One more question though by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      She? You mean it. It's a service.

    6. Re:One more question though by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Have you reviewed independent security audits of every object in your home that is large enough to hide a microphone, wireless and a power source?

    7. Re:One more question though by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No matter how old you are you've been tracked your entire life, are being tracked right now and you'll continue to be tracked even after you've died.

      This alone seems like more than enough reason to limit the amount of tracking whenever possible. Just because something is status quo doesn't mean it should continue to be that way.

  7. UB by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I find utter bullshit to talk to electronic devices. Besides a few situations in which it would be more practical to talk instead of typing or pressing a button (while cooking, for example) these are only a few exceptions other than having a hackable microphone eavesdropping into everything it happens in your home. The next step would be an AI cam. Yikes!

    I prefer buttons, no Alexa nor Siri or Cortana found reason to enter my family life yet.

    1. Re:UB by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      I actually started doing this.

      Yes, it does reduce the number of invitations I get. But it increases the share of invitations that I accepted and didn't feel uneasy about afterwards.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  8. Storage is same, 8GB by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Would have bought if they doubled it, could use more storage for "jailbreaker" needs. No real need for a new stick with same storage until 4K is more prevalent.

  9. Usual question by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    How to turn off Alexa "support"?

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  10. no ethernet by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    And with 4K on a fixed device it is an good idea to not have on it wifi

    1. Re:no ethernet by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

      And with 4K on a fixed device it is an good idea to not have on it wifi

      You lost me here...care to elaborate a bit more?

      TIA....

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
  11. Get spied on cheaper! by walterbyrd · · Score: 1

    Gotta love the slashvertisement!

  12. Prove it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Amazon is now refusing to sell Fire products in the US that do not have Alexa.

    Why is that?

    I refuse to allow any products into my home that have live always-on microphones. I want to see a FireTV product with either no microphone or one with a hard switch that cuts off the mic. A bit of software that claims a mic is off, or worse still, a simple statement by the vendor that the thing is off is totally insufficient in the era in which we've seen every damned one of these tech giant monsters of the Bay Area lie about spying on people.

    Here's a REAL question for fellow Slashdotters: Does anybody have a procedure for removing the mic from the FireTV remotes? Does everything work normally after such removal (with the obvious exception of no voice recognition, of course)?

  13. Canadian Version by LInmarie · · Score: 1

    Most of the information is based on USA version. I was wondering if the Canadian version will have ... 1. search capabilities 2. more apps like CBS all access and CBS 3. Will the voice actually work I just bought the Fire TV stick basic and none of this is available on the Canadian version. I can return my current Fire TV stick basic before Nov 3 .. wondering if it is worth it??