Amazon introduces new Fire TV Edition TV with Dolby Vision and Alexa
Amazon has proposed a new version of the Fire TV Edition. Amazon and Toshiba smart TVs now feature Dolby Vision for the first time and are also equipped with Alexa voice assistant. The device is currently only available in the US market.
The Amazon Fire TV Edition combines Toshiba’s television technology with the functions of a Fire TV Stick, a Chromecast-style media streamer that is especially popular in the US. The updated version will be available first in a 55-inch 4k model for $450. 43” and 50” 4k TVs will follow later, costing $330 and $380 respectively.
It is the first time that Amazon integrates Dolby Vision in the Fire TV Edition. This variant of HDR uses dynamic metadata for adjustments of, for example, the contrast per scene or even per frame. Techradar calls the choice for Dolby Vision interesting, because Amazon’s video streaming service includes a large collection of material in HDR10 +, the competitor of Dolby Vision. It’s not yet clear whether Amazon will continue to support that standard widely in the future.
The new Fire TV Edition also comes with a feature called Fire TV Recast. The integrated DVR and antenna allow users to watch and record programs over the air. In a city like New York, according to Amazon, viewers would have access to about a hundred local TV channels via the Recast function.
Alexa is also supported. Users can switch on the television, request programs or continue watching from where they left off with a voice command. They can also fast forward or rewind.
The original Fire TV Edition. On the outside, the new model has hardly changed