However, for people with televisions that are a few years old but have compatible 2.0, HDCP 2.2-certified HDMI inputs for 4K passthrough from a 4K streamer (but are missing such comprehensive app support), the Fire TV 4K could be exactly what they need. Of course, if you’re not fussed about upgrading to 4K and HDR video streaming, or Dolby Atmos surround sound, just yet, you should probably consider saving some pennies with the Fire TV Stick. Non-Amazon Prime Video subscribers may prefer more objective platforms, such as Roku’s, and there’s nothing to tempt loyal Now TV subscribers either. With its performance being on a par with those of the apps built into Samsung TVs, it doesn't offer anything new to those with a newer TV. The Amazon Fire TV 4K won’t be for everyone. If you own an Amazon Echo speaker and have lost the remote, you can control the Fire TV 4K using the Echo instead. Still, you can take control of other smart home devices within the ever-widening Alexa ecosystem, from lightbulbs to thermostats. You can also launch apps and find music on Amazon Music – although not Spotify, as you can with the Echo and Dot speakers.Īlexa’s services don’t extend to setting alarms and timers or performing Alexa-to-Alexa calling and messaging, either - and you can’t control TV volume with your voice. For example, you can find specific content by saying its name, or those of the directors or actors in it. There are Fire TV-specific functions too. We try powering it through one of the USB ports on the Samsung QE65Q7F TV we are testing it with instead - but operation is slower, and it struggles to stream in 4K. ![]() Power is via a micro-USB slot (the only other connection) and the supplied USB mains adapter. The glossy finish is a magnet for fingerprints, and we’d like some power or indicator lights for reassurance - but as it can be handled once, plugged into a TV and then forgotten about, the compact dimensions matter more. It may be a little chunkier than its Google and Roku rivals, but it’s also fairly lightweight and shouldn’t be much of a burden on your TV’s HDMI socket once plugged in. Amazon has taken a page out of the Google Chromecast Ultra’s design book by ditching the traditional box seen on the last-gen Fire TV and opting for a dongle form instead.Ī small square box (imagine two matchboxes side-by-side) is attached to a dangling HDMI cable, which is bendy for flexible positioning around the back of a telly. ![]() But what’s most noticeable about the new Fire TV 4K is its design.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |