Amazon is refreshing its Fire TV products with generative AI features. Here's what's new
Amazon's Devices and Services event took place at the company's newest headquarters in Virginia, and some of the biggest updates went straight to the company's Fire TV line. The company announced a new Fire TV Stick 4K Max, a Fire TV Stick 4K, a Fire TV Soundbar, and some generative AI updates to the voice search feature.
With generative AI, users can ask more than ever of Alexa right from their Fire TV or Alexa Remote. The technology makes Alexa requests sound like conversations rather than commands, letting users ask more complex queries than "Find Bluey." Now, users can describe a storyline, make specific requests in different genres, and ask open-ended questions.
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"With a world of content at your fingertips, sometimes the hardest thing to do is decide what to watch. Fire TV has always been great at search, but generative AI takes it to a whole new level," according to Tapas Roy, vice president of Fire TV at Amazon.
"We've leveraged our new large language model to create a more natural and conversational way to find content using natural dialogue. Simply ask Alexa nuanced or even open-ended questions about anything from genres and actors to storylines and scenes, and enter a conversation that will find you something new based on what you like -- even if you don't know what you're looking for."
Fire TV Stick 4K Max
The new Fire TV Stick 4K Max is undoubtedly Amazon's most powerful streaming stick. An upgraded 2.0GHz quad-core processor and double the storage as the previous generation, at 16GB, give users a smarter streaming experience with more storage for apps and games.
Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K Max remains at $60 and continues to support Dolby Vision, HDR, HDR10+, and Dolby Atmos. The new Max also features Wi-Fi 6E support for customers with a compatible router to enjoy little-to-no buffering for a smooth streaming experience.
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For the first time, Amazon is introducing the Fire TV Ambient Experience to the Fire TV Stick with the new 4K Max model. This experience lets users repurpose the blank TV screen to turn it into a smart display when not in use. With it, users can see artwork or photos, Reminders, Calendars, Sticky Notes for others to see, shortcuts to music applications, and smart home devices like Ring cameras.
Amazon's new AI Art will also be built into the Fire TV Ambient Experience, so users can use Alexa's newfound generative AI powers to generate any artwork they can imagine to become a personalized background for their TVs.
The Fire TV Ambient Experience is already available in Amazon's Omni Series lineup of Fire televisions.
Fire TV Stick 4K
Amazon also announced a new Fire TV Stick 4K with Wi-Fi 6 support and 30% more power than the previous generation, thanks to a 1.7GHz quad-core processor. The new Fire TV Stick 4K remains at $50 and has 4K Ultra HD resolution, support for Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision, HDR, HLG, HDR10+, and Alexa Home Theater.
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Amazon also announced a new partnership to give new Fire TV customers a free six-month subscription to MGM+, included with the purchase of a new Fire TV streaming device or smart TV.
Fire TV Soundbar
Amazon is also launching a new Fire TV Soundbar, poised to be the perfect addition to the Fire TV lineup, supporting DTS Virtual:X and Dolby Audio. The new soundbar, priced at $120, is compatible with all Fire TV devices and has a simple and compact design that is 24 inches long. The Fire TV Soundbar also has Bluetooth for users to connect their phones, tablets, or other streaming devices.