Tech
New Amazon Fire TVs Want You To ‘Rethink TV’
If you’ve visited Amazon.com today, you have surely seen the big news: all Amazon customers are now invited to “Rethink TV.”
At first glance, this seems like a slogan fit for about a decade ago—before Netflix, before Hulu, yes even before Amazon Prime and its popular programming. Amazon Studios took home its first Emmy Award in January 2015. Wasn’t that a result of a new way of thinking about TV?
But this announcement is all about hardware. Since streaming services have already cannibalized their network programming ancestors, the industry is now ready to change how people access their new content options. Or, at least, that is Amazon’s plan. They are now selling two lines of “Fire TVs” designed to eliminate any friction that comes from watching streaming services on television sets originally designed for the old ways.
This might come as a surprise to some Amazon customers, who mistakenly believe they already own a Fire TV. It is true that Amazon has been marketing Fire TVs for years, made in conjunction with brands such as Toshiba and Insignia.
Turns out, those aren’t really Fire TVs. They are just pretending to be. A real Fire TV is actually made by Amazon, and it carries all the advantages that implies.
The two new Fire TV lines are named Omni and 4-Series. The Omni is the higher-end one, and it contains functions that Amazon has mastered on some of its Alexa devices but only work to varying degrees on other Amazon-branded products. The big one is voice control. Anyone who has ever owned an Amazon Fire Stick can attest to the spotty record of clicking the little mic button and getting the TV to respond correctly. It just didn’t happen very often. Well, the Omni is here to change that. Not only do you not have to press a button; your television does not even have to be on. That’s right, it works just like the Echo sitting on your kitchen counter—it is always listening, whether you like it or not.
The 4 Series lacks the voice recognition capabilities of the Omni, but it does boast impressive 4K Ultra HD visuals. And it still allows for the use of Amazon’s key market advantage. Since Amazon knows all your shopping habits, and since it has been listening patiently in your home, Amazon has a tremendous amount of information on your likely viewing habits. Therefore, it can serve you exactly the type of content you are sure to enjoy. (Perhaps relatedly, Amazon Fire TV’s are the first to support TikTok, a popular app that has come under fire for this very same algorithmic learning).
Introducing Amazon Fire TV 43″ 4-Series 4K UHD smart TV — $369.99
The Omni Fire TV is available in the following sizes: 43-inch, 50-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch, 75-inch. The smaller 4-Series come in 43-inch, 50-inch, and 55-inch. Both models will be released on October 27. Only then will we know how serious Amazon really is about getting us to “Rethink TV.”