Amazon Launches a New Line of Amazon Powered TVs and New Fire TV Streamers
Jumping into the smart TV market with a line of new Amazon Fire TV / Alexa powered smart televisions they are going up against stiff competition from Roku and others in this crowded field.
Now consumers will have more choices available when shopping for their next smart TV. Here is what's coming from Amazon for the upcoming holiday shopping season.
Top of the Line Fire TV Omni Amazon Powered Televisions
FEATURES:
- Built-in Alexa voice-powered menu navigation.
- 4K, High Dynamic Range (HDR)
- Select large models will feature Dolby Digital Plus
- Smart Home Dashboard with Ring Doorbell integration
- Sizes Available: 43 inches ($409.99), 50 inches ($509.99), 55 inches ($559.99), 65 inches ($829.99) and 75 inches ($1,099.99)
Fire TV 4-Series TVs
This line also supports 4K HDR UHD but they built the Alexa function into the remote rather than inside the TV itself. It also comes in several sizes at different price points. 4-Series Amazon TV models come in the following sizes: 43 inches ($369.99), 50 inches ($469.99) and 55 inches ($519.99).
Manufactures of these TVs are still unknown, but TCL was working with Amazon in the design process and could also build them alongside Roku Smart TVs which are also a popular smart TV. TCL also just released a 8K Google powered smart TV.
Amazon Entering Smart TV Market Drops a Bomb on Competitors like Roku
Until now, Roku has been the top selling media streamer powered Smart TV. With their launch of new a new line of Alexa powered televisions, they will put a dent into Roku's market share.
One reason many cord cutters like the Fire TV line is its less restrictive than Apple TV or Roku. Both companies have locked down their media streamers, where streaming copyright content from the Internet on their platform is more difficult. Amazon has done little to restrict content from illegal sources.
Because the software that powers Fire TV is Android based, many apps can easily be sideloaded on a Fire TV which are widely used for piracy. This may have been a business decision because restricting these devices could affect sales or send consumers to more pricer Android streamers like a Nvidia SHIELD.
Per Colin Dixon, who is a founder and chief analyst at nScreenMedia, had this to say about Amazon's entry into the smart TV market.
"As a retailer, it makes a lot of sense for Amazon to do this," he said, noting that Amazon will likely anchor IMDb TV, its free, ad-supported streaming service, to its new lineup of connected TVs. "It also makes a lot of sense for them to do it from the pure Amazon ecosystem play.
But the company that it impacts the most is Roku," Dixon said, noting that Amazon and Roku are practically neck-and-neck in the streaming media player market. Roku, meanwhile, has enjoyed more success integrating its platform on smart TVs and has seen explosive growth for The Roku Channel, the company's ad-supported, free streaming service.
This will go a long way in evening the field, given Amazon's marketing prowess," Dixon said of Amazon's decision to make and sell its own smart TVs. "They [Amazon] are going to sell a lot of TVs. It's that simple. And anyone who buys these Amazon TVs will also be watching a lot of IMDb TV and a lot of ads."
Amazon Also Launches a New More Powerful 4K Fire TV Max Streaming Stick
In other news, Amazon just announced a brand new 4Max Fire TV Steaming Stick. The 4K Max will sell for $54.99 and it features a faster quad-core 1.8GHz CPU along with 2 gigabytes of RAM. This will be 40% more powerful than the Fire TV Stick 4K, which should make streaming smoother and menu navigation much faster. Addressing a complaint which is often leveled against their current slower Fire Stick models.
Also See: OneStream TV a New Must Watch Free Streaming TV Service
