Amazon Expands Fire TV Experience with Advanced Soundbar Support, Cutting-Edge 4K Tech & Extra Perks

During its annual hardware event, Amazon launched its first Fire TV Soundbar and opened pre-orders for the upgraded Fire TV Stick 4K and TV Stick 4K Max . The company also revealed several improvements for its Fire TV operating system, including greatly improved voice search functionality and a new “Continue Watching” row for your home screen — these software improvements will roll out in late 2023.

The new Fire TV Soundbar clocks in at just $120 but offers virtualized Dolby Atmos and Bluetooth connectivity. Of course, this soundbar is quite small. It measures just 24 inches wide, contains only two speaker drivers, and weighs less than five pounds. The only oddity is the port selection. Fire TV Soundbar connects to your TV over an HDMI eARC port , but it has no additional HDMI inputs. You need to sacrifice one of your TV’s HDMI ports to the Fire TV Soundbar, which isn’t ideal, though some people won’t mind. Also, Fire TV Soundbar doesn’t have Alexa built-in, but this shouldn’t be a problem for users with a Fire TV or Fire TV Stick.

Amazon

Amazon’s refreshed Fire TV Stick 4K (2nd Gen) is a notable upgrade over its predecessor, with 30% greater processing power and reliable Wi-Fi 6 connectivity. The Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd Gen) takes things a bit further with advanced Wi-Fi 6E connectivity , and it’s the first Fire TV Stick to support Amazon’s Ambient Experience — customizable photo slideshows and generative AI artwork for your smart TV. Previously, the Ambient Experience was exclusive to Amazon’s Fire TV Omni QLED Series TVs. Note that the new Fire TV Stick 4K and TV Stick 4K Max both support Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and Dolby Atmos audio.

The Fire TV software will also get a boost later this year. Amazon is leveraging a more conversational Alexa AI to help you find shows and movies with your voice—Alexa will be more responsive, but it will also listen to highly-specific search terms, such as “find movies that are similar to ‘Better Call Saul’.” And, as stated earlier, a “Continue Watching” row will be added to your Fire TV home screen. A similar feature is already available on rival streaming platforms, such as Android TV, so it’s nice to see Amazon implement this idea.

You can order the Fire TV Soundbar today for $120. The upgraded Fire TV Stick 4K and TV Stick 4K Max are available for pre-order at $50 and $60, respectively, and they begin shipping on September 29th. Amazon hasn’t shared a launch date for its Fire TV software improvements.

Source: Amazon

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