Fire TV: Amazon takes on Apple and Google in video streaming
Amazon has announced a new video streaming device called Fire TV, to rival Apple TV and Google Chromecast
Amazon has unveiled a set-top box called Fire TV that plugs directly into any television via an HDMI cable and provides instant access to Netflix, Amazon Prime Instant Video, Hulu Plus and other video streaming apps, as well as over 200,000 movies and TV episodes to rent or buy.
The device, which competes directly with Apple TV, Google Chromecast and Roku, can be operated using voice search. It includes a remote control with a built-in microphone, so users can speak the name of a movie, TV show, actor, director, or genre into the remote, and Fire TV will display a list of results.
Fire TV also has a feature called ASAP (Advanced Streaming and Prediction) that can predict what the user will watch based on their Watchlist and recommendations, and buffer this content before they even hit the play button. This feature is personalised based on the user's viewing habits and adapts as those habits change, according to Amazon.
Users can 'fling' Amazon TV shows and films from their phones or tablets onto their Fire TV using the Second Screen feature. Second Screen will initially be available only on Amazon's Kindle Fire HDX tablets, but will launch for Apple's iPhone and iPad later this year.
Fire TV also brings photos, music, and games to the living room, according to Amazon. Photos or videos taken on your phone or tablet can be automatically uploaded to Amazon Cloud Drive, so they appear on your Fire TV within seconds, and users can listen to music from popular streaming such as Pandora, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn.
There is also a so-called 'X-Ray' service for both video and music, that brings up information abouta programme's cast and crew, the names of songs as they play, a list of all music in the film or TV show, song lyrics, trivia items in context with the action on the screen, and character backstories.
“Amazon already has a large consumer base who have a clear appetite for film and TV content – 8.5 million consumers bought a DVD or Blu-ray from Amazon in the past year and there were 1.9 million active Amazon Prime Instant Video users – both groups present an opportunity for Amazon to target with Fire TV," said Fiona Keenan, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel.
“However, many digital consumers are already watching the likes of Amazon Prime Instant Video and Netflix directly via their TVs – almost half of all content watched in the past year was through devices that plug straight in to your TV such as games consoles, Blu-ray players and Smart TVs.
"This presents a challenge for Amazon as there isn’t much of an incentive for current digital consumers to purchase a set top box which effectively allows them to do something they can already do – only if Fire TV is able to offer something unique will it convince these consumers to pay for this additional device."
Amazon has also worked with game developers like EA, Disney, Gameloft, Ubisoft, Telltale, Mojang, 2K, and Sega to bring their games to Fire TV. Games available at launch include Minecraft , Monsters University , The Game of Life , The Walking Dead , NBA2K14 , Asphalt 8 , Riptide GP2 and Despicable Me: Minion Rush .
Fire TV also comes with access to Sev Zero , a new game built exclusively for Fire TV by Amazon Game Studios. Sev Zero is a third-person shooter that requires the player to defend Earth against an alien species known as the Ne’ahtu.
In addition to using the Fire TV remote for gaming, Amazon is bringing out a dedicated Fire game controller, which pairs with Fire TV via Bluetooth and enables more high-intensity and complex gaming with dual analogue sticks and a complete assortment of controls.
Users can pair multiple game controllers with a Fire TV so the whole family can play together in the same room. The Fire game controller can also be used as a remote, with fast forward, rewind, play and pause, so users can control all their movies and music on Fire TV.
"Amazon has obviously been busy behind the scenes developing its own games exclusives for the platform. As we know exclusives drive platform adoption and depending on the quality of these games, this is a strong competitive differentiator against the other Android console competition," said Piers Harding-Rolls head of games research at IHS.
"While it can't compete directly with the latest dedicated games consoles, this announcement with have smaller Android console players looking over their shoulders."
Fire TV is available in the US from today, at a cost of $99 (£60). Eligible customers get a free 30-day trial of Netflix and Amazon Prime when they purchase Fire TV. Amazon has not yet announced a UK launch date.
