Amazon just took the wraps under the latest Fire TV, and just like the leak stated, it sports 4K video and improved voice search thanks to integrated Alexa support. Best of all, the new and improved Fire TV will still sell for the same price as its predecessor.
The Fire TV packs a new 64-bit quad-core processor and a dedicated GPU. Combined with a new codec called High Efficiency Video Coding, the Fire TV is able to stream media at a higher resolution and with less buffering.
Only select shows will stream in 4k and viewers need a 4k HDTV to take full advantage of the added details.
Amazon also added Alexa support to its media streamer, but it’s not the same Alexa found in the Echo speaker. On the Fire TV Alexa will help viewers discover content queue up media; it cannot set timers or alarms just yet. The full feature set is set to come early next year. Amazon says eventually users will be able to order items from Amazon.com directly from their TV.
This new feature set stacks the Fire TV nicely against Roku devices and the upcoming Apple TV. At $100 the Fire TV sits comfortable between the other options.
Amazon also unveiled a $50 Fire TV Stick with voice search and $140 gaming edition that ships with the new Fire TV, a gaming controller and a few games.