Amazon Fire TV

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With Amazon Fire TV (short: Fire TV ) are streaming media adapter or set-top boxes from Amazon called. The adapters stream digital multimedia content; mainly TV series and films , but also audio (music, audio books, radio plays) and image files. The devices obtain the data via the Internet in order to prepare them for display on a television set.

With Fire TV Stick is HDMI stick called; the Fire TV has a larger, square housing with an HDMI cable and (until November 2018) extended functionality.

In September 2015, a few months after its market launch in Germany, Amazon Germany announced that the Fire TV Stick was the best-selling product on amazon.de across all categories. At the end of 2017, it was said that the Fire TV Stick was the most popular streaming device in the USA, Great Britain, Germany and Japan. As of January 10, 2019, the devices are used by almost 30 million active users, according to Amazon.

overview

Amazon has the devices developed and produced ; sales are carried out via Amazon's international online shops . In Germany, the devices are also sold through specialist electronics chains, such as B. MediaMarkt and Saturn ( stationary and online ).

The adapters are to the HDMI input of the HDTV - TV connected. Power is supplied via a Micro-USB port and an included USB - AC adapter . The devices are connected to the Internet via WLAN . The menus using either the supplied remote control or alternatively via a smartphone - App . In order to be able to use the devices, an Amazon account is required, which can be used to access Amazon's video, music and photo services. Video content is accessed via the video-on-demand service Prime Video . Games and other apps can be installed via the Amazon Appstore , which can also be used to access other services such as YouTube or Netflix . Amazon thus integrates offers from competing streaming service providers.

Parts of the Amazon offer are accessible via apps, e.g. B. Music and photos. The operating system used is Amazon's Fire OS , which is based on Android from Google .

history

The first generation of the Fire TV appeared in the United States in April 2014 , half a year before the first generation of the stick. In Germany, sales began in September 2014.

The first stick was launched in the United States in November 2014. The stick has been available in Germany and Austria since April 2015. An improved 2nd generation Fire TV Stick with Alexa voice remote control has been marketed since October 2016.

The Fire TV Stick Basic Edition has been available since November 2017 . The model is offered for international markets outside the United States - that is, markets in which the device was not previously available, such as B. Canada, France, Italy and Spain.

The current model Fire TV Stick 4K has been available on Amazon Germany since November 14, 2018. It is capable of rendering 4K Ultra HD content at 60 full frames per second, High Dynamic Range (HDR10, HDR10 +, Dolby Vision) and Dolby Atmos 3D sound. The scope of delivery includes a new Alexa voice remote control, which for the first time is equipped with on / off, volume and mute buttons.

Fire TV Stick

Model overview

model			1st generation	2nd generation	Basic Edition	Stick 4K
publication			November 19, 2014 April 11, 2015 April 15, 2015	20th October 2016	7th November 2017	November 14, 2018
Introductory price			€ 39.99			€ 59.99
Currently in sales			No	Yes	No	Yes
Image resolutions and refresh rates			1920 × 1080 ( 1080p ) - 60 Hz 1280 × 720 ( 720p ) - 60 Hz			Like generations before, plus: 3840 × 2160 (2160p / 4K) - 60 Hz
Video codecs			H.264 , H.263 , MPEG-4	Like 1st generation, plus H.265		Dolby Vision, HDR 10, HDR10 +, HLG, H.265, H.264, VP9
Audio formats			Dolby Digital (AC-3), Dolby Digital Plus (E-AC-3), AAC-LC , HE-AAC (AAC + v1), HE-AACv2 (eAAC +), FLAC , MIDI , MP3 , PCM / WAVE , Vorbis , AMR-NB , AMR-WB			AAC-LC, AC3, eAC3 (Dolby Digital Plus), FLAC, MP3, PCM / Wave, Vorbis, Dolby Atmos
Image formats			JPEG , PNG , GIF , BMP
operating system			Fire OS 5			Fire OS 6
System version			5.2.7.3		5.2.7.2	6.2.7.1
processor		Manufacturer	Broadcom	MediaTek
		Type	BCM28155	MT8127D		MT8695 main processor + MT7668 connectivity processor
		Cores	2 × ARM Cortex-A9 with 1.0 GHz	4 × ARM Cortex-A7 with 1.3 GHz		4 × with 1.7 GHz
		architecture	32 bit			64 bit
Graphics processor		design	Broadcom	POOR		ImgTec
		Type	VideoCore IV	Mali		PowerVR
		model	Capri VC4	450 MP4		IMG GE8300
		OpenGL ES	2.0			3.2
random access memory			1 GB			1.5 GB
Internal memory			8 GB
External storage			not available
connections			HDMI ( CEC support), USB for power supply
network	Bluetooth		Bluetooth 3.0	Bluetooth 4.1		Bluetooth 5.0
	LAN		not available	via adapter
	WIRELESS INTERNET ACCESS		2.4 and 5 GHz dual band 802.11 b / g / n, 2 × 2 MIMO (1)	2.4 and 5 GHz dual band 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac, 2 × 2 MIMO (1)		2.4 and 5 GHz dual-band 802.11 ac, 2x2 dual-band with MU-MIMO
Power supply			5 V, 1 A, 5 W, plug- in power supply to micro USB socket
Dimensions			74.9 mm × 25.0 mm × 11.5 mm	85.9 mm × 30.0 mm × 12.6 mm		99 mm × 30 mm × 14 mm
Weight			25.1 g	32 g		53.6 g
Illustration			1st generation remote control & stick	Old remote control & stick of the 2nd generation,		Remote control & Fire TV Stick 4K
specification			Fire TV Stick - Gen 1 (2014)	Fire TV Stick - Gen 2 (2016)	Fire TV Stick - Basic Edition (2017)	Fire TV Stick 4K (2018)

⁽¹⁾ Only 5 GHz channels 36, 40, 44 and 48 are supported.

Fire TV

A range of devices with extended functionality was sold as the Amazon Fire TV. The units of the 1st and 2nd generation corresponded housing format other popular set-top boxes , the third generation is a compact, square HDMI dongle , the single union a Micro-USB port has the power supply.

The first generation of the box had, in addition to an HDMI output, an optical audio output with support for Dolby Digital Plus and 7.1 multi-channel sound . Other interfaces were an Ethernet connection and a USB 2.0 socket. These interfaces differentiate the box from the stick, which has no such interfaces and whose LAN or Internet connection is via WLAN as standard .

The second generation appeared in September 2015. Compared to its predecessor, it also supports the H.265 , VP8 and VP9 video standards . This device was the first to enable playback of Ultra High Definition Television in 4K format as the maximum image resolution , while the previous model only supported Full HD .

The third generation of the Fire TV appeared in October 2017. New features were the support for HDR video (picture) and Dolby Atmos (sound). The housing has been made smaller, and interfaces from previous generations have been eliminated: Ethernet, memory card slot and USB connection.

Model overview

model			1st generation	2nd generation	3rd generation
publication			April 12, 2014	29th September 2015	October 25, 2017
Introductory price			$ 99	$ 99.99	$ 69.99 / € 79.99
Still in production			No
Image resolutions and refresh rates			1920 × 1080 ( 1080p ) - 60 Hz 1280 × 720 ( 720p ) - 60 Hz	3840 × 2160 ( 2160p / 4K ) - 30 Hz 1920 × 1080 (1080p) - 60 Hz 1280 × 720 (720p) - 60 Hz	3840 × 2160 (2160p / 4K) - 60 Hz 1920 × 1080 (1080p) - 60 Hz 1280 × 720 (720p) - 60 Hz
Video codecs			H.264 , H.263 , MPEG-4	H.265 (restricted), H.264, H.263, MPEG-4, VP9 , VP8	H.265, H.264, VP9
Audio formats			Dolby Digital (AC-3), Dolby Digital Plus (E-AC-3), AAC-LC , HE-AAC (AAC + v1), HE-AACv2 (eAAC +), FLAC , MIDI , MP3 , PCM / WAVE , Vorbis , AMR-NB , AMR-WB		Like 1st & 2nd generation, plus Dolby Atmos (EC3_JOC)
Image formats			JPEG , PNG , GIF , BMP
operating system			Fire OS 5		Fire OS 6
System version			5.2.7.3		6.2.7.1
processor		Manufacturer	Qualcomm	MediaTek	Amlogic
		Type	Snapdragon 600	Quad-core - ARM big.LITTLE
		model	APQ8064T	MT8173C	S905Z
		Cores	4 × Krait 300 with 1.7 GHz	2 × ARM Cortex-A72 with 2 GHz and 2 × ARM Cortex-A53 with 1.573 GHz	4 × ARM Cortex-A53 with 1.5 GHz
		architecture	32 bit	64 bit
Graphics processor		design	Qualcomm	Imagination Technologies	POOR
		Type	Adreno	PowerVR	Mali
		model	320	GX6250	450 MP3
		OpenGL ES	3.0		2.0
random access memory			2 GB
Internal memory			8 GB
external storage			USB up to 128 GB	microSDXC up to 128 GB	not available
further connections			HDMI ( CEC support), power supply, Ethernet connection, USB 2.0 socket
network	Bluetooth		Bluetooth 4.0	Bluetooth 4.1 + LE	Bluetooth 4.2 + LE
	WIRELESS INTERNET ACCESS		2.4 and 5 GHz dual band 802.11 b / g / n, 2 × 2 MIMO	2.4 and 5 GHz dual band 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac, 2 × 2 MIMO
Power supply			6.25 V, 2.5 A, 16 W Plugs: 5.5 mm (outside), 2.5 mm (inside)	15 V, 1.4 A, 21 W connector: 3 mm (outside), 1 mm (inside)	5.2 V, 1.8 A, 9 W plug- in power supply to micro USB socket
Dimensions			115 mm × 115 mm × 17.5 mm	115 mm × 115 mm × 17.8 mm	65 mm × 65 mm × 15 mm
Weight			281 g	270 g	87.1 g
Illustration			1st generation with remote control
specification			Fire TV - Gen 1 (2014)	Fire TV - Gen 2 (2015)	Fire TV - Gen 3 (2017)

Reviews

The elimination of interfaces of the third box generation was, among other things, a. criticized in the IT industry portal Golem.de . The author described the third generation as a paradigm shift compared to the previous generation , as Amazon said goodbye to a streaming device equipped with many connections. The criticism was later reiterated: It is now a "streaming device that hardly anyone needs" and a "very strange device" because it hardly differs from the Fire TV Stick.

use cases

• The Fire TV devices are set up using the supplied Bluetooth remote control. The smartphone app, which is an alternative to remote control, requires an active WLAN connection on the device, which is not available when it is started for the first time.
• If the WLAN reaches several HDMI-capable televisions in the user's household, the video currently being viewed can, for example, be seamlessly continued on another television set by plugging the adapter.
• Alternative media players can be installed to play locally stored media . Fire OS does not support this by default, it is primarily designed to play Amazon content and videos from the Internet. To access multimedia files in the local network, Plex is available in the Amazon Appstore . The popular Kodi software on which Plex is based can be sideloaded. The Fire OS operating system is therefore open to sideloading.
• The popular Kodi software makes it possible to play live TV on Fire TV. For this purpose, TV packets from the Internet provider can be used, but also local TV servers such as TVHeadend .
• If the WLAN reception of a Fire TV device is impaired by radio interference from the TV, the use of an HDMI extension can help. It increases the spatial distance between the television and Fire TV and can thus reduce such interference. Such an HDMI extension was included with the 1st and 2nd generation sticks.
• If a WLAN connection is not possible, both the Fire TV Stick and the Fire TV can use an existing LAN connection with an Ethernet adapter . An Ethernet adapter can also be a solution if the WLAN connection has deficits in terms of stability and / or transmission speed.

See also

• Set-top box
• Chromecast
• Apple TV

Web links

Commons : Amazon Fire TV  - Collection of Images

• Amazon Fire TV Help on amazon.de

Remarks

1. ↑ Sideloading is an installation process and cannot be compared with e.g. B. a hack in which the operating system is manipulated. Software that is installed via sideloading does not receive any support from the device or operating system manufacturer, here Amazon. Instead, support can be provided by the software manufacturer, here by the Kodi development team. Fire OS supports sideloading with appropriate documentation for app developers and testers.
2. ↑ Instructions for installing Kodi on Fire TV devices can be found e.g. B. on HOW-TO: Install Kodi on Fire TV. (Kodi Wiki, English).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ One year of Fire TV in Germany: Amazon streaming players are the fastest-selling hardware category. In: presseportal.de. September 3, 2015, accessed April 27, 2018 . 
2. ↑ Christmas record : Amazon sold millions of Alexa devices. In: derStandard.de . December 27, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2018 . 
3. ↑ Amazon Fire TV: 30 million active users . In: mobiflip.de . January 10, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
4. ↑ Sebastian Trepesch: Why Amazon Netflix & Co donated so much space on the new Fire TV Stick. In: giga.de . February 21, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2018 . 
5. ↑ Amazon Fire TV now in Germany: Easy access to popular subscription and streaming services such as Amazon Prime Instant Video, ARD Mediathek, ZDF Mediathek, Maxdome and many more. In: amazon-presse.de. September 3, 2014, archived from the original on April 23, 2018 ; accessed on April 23, 2018 . 
6. ↑ Ingo Pakalski: Amazon's Fire TV Stock - Chromecast competitor with remote control for 40 US dollars. In: golem.de . October 27, 2014, accessed April 19, 2018 . 
7. ↑ Ingo Pakalski: Chromecast competitor - Amazon sends Fire TV Stick earlier. In: golem.de. April 12, 2015, accessed April 19, 2018 . 
8. ↑ Amazon's Fire TV Stick will soon be available in Austria. In: DiePresse.com . March 24, 2015, accessed April 19, 2018 . 
9. ↑ Fire TV Stick Basic Edition (Available for Non-US Customers Only). In: amazon.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018 . 
10. ↑ Amazon Debuts Fire TV Stick Basic Edition in Over 100 New Countries and Territories. In: Amazon press releases. November 7, 2017, accessed May 9, 2018 . 
11. ↑ Denise Bergert: Amazon announces the basic version of the Fire TV Stick. In: Pcwelt.de . November 7, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2018 . 
12. ↑ Witold Pryjda: Fire TV Stick Basic Edition: Amazon introduces the "new" version. In: winfuture.de. November 7, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2018 . 
13. ↑ Fire TV Stick 4K with the new Alexa voice remote control. In: amazon.de. Retrieved November 26, 2018 . 
14. ↑ Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision can already be pre-ordered. In: 4kfilme.de. October 3, 2018, accessed October 3, 2018 . 
15. ↑ ^{a b} Fire TV Devices - Software Updates. In: amazon.de. Retrieved November 26, 2018 . 
16. ↑ Dual Core 720p / 1080p HSPA + Baseband Processors. In: broadcom.com. ( Memento from January 11, 2014 in the Internet Archive ).
17. ↑ MT8127 - Quad-core platform with HEVC video playback. In: mediatek.com. ( Memento of December 18, 2014 in the Internet Archive ).
18. ↑ MT7668. In: mediatek.com. November 23, 2018, accessed November 23, 2018 . 
19. ↑ Fire TV Stick 4K Ultra HD with the new Alexa voice remote control - Technical details. In: amazon.de. Retrieved November 19, 2011 . 
20. ↑ Stefan Clemens: The new Amazon Fire TV with 4K Ultra HD is now available for pre-order. In: aftvhacks.de. September 18, 2015, accessed April 16, 2018 . 
21. ↑ ^{a b} Ingo Pakalski: New Fire TV - Amazon's streaming device offers HDR for 80 euros. In: golem.de. September 27, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2018 . 
22. ↑ Fire TV update adds new Prime Video interface and makes Amazon Channels easier to access. In: aftvnews.com. April 17, 2018, accessed May 13, 2018 . 
23. ↑ Ingo Pakalski: Fire TV (2017) in the test - the streaming device that hardly anyone needs. In: golem.de. November 16, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2018 . 
24. ↑ Connecting to Fire TV Through adb. In: developer.amazon.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018 . 
25. ↑ Lukas Knöller: How you can watch TV with your Fire TV. In: Hobby blogging. October 25, 2017, accessed on August 7, 2019 (German). 
26. ↑ Amazon Ethernet adapter for Fire TV and Fire TV Stick with Alexa voice remote control (2017 models only). In: amazon.de. Retrieved May 5, 2018 .