Amazon Fire TV Price, Release, and Apps: Amazon Announces The Release Of Its Set Top Box That Will Service Netflix, Hulu Plus and YouTube
Watch out Apple TV, Roku, and Google Chromecast users, there's a new digital media player in town. We're talking about Amazon's Fire TV.
Amazon announced the release of its Fire TV on Wednesday. The all black media player, valued at $99, encompasses a sleek design with a small Bluetooth remote that contains various buttons for media playback and navigation. The Bluetooth remote also includes a microphone for voice search.
The NY Times reports, "Amazon Fire TV is part of a multibillion-dollar effort by Amazon to move from selling goods produced by others, which is traditionally a low-margin business, to presiding over the entire process of creation and consumption. Physical formats such as books, CDs and DVDs are disappearing, replaced by downloads and streaming."
The innovative set top box will include apps for Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, WatchESPN, MLB.tv, NBA, Crackle, Bloomberg TV, and more. In addition to the apps, Fire TV will also have its own personal services and apps including Amazon Prime Instant video, and a store for purchasing and renting videos.
Fire TV also offers music streaming from a user's Amazon library or on other music-streaming app such as Pandora, iHeartRadio, or TuneIn. With Amazon's X-Ray feature, users will receive notifications on their tablets about everything ranging from and actor's bio to song lyrics.
The creators of the Fire TV have also made it kid friendly. With FreeTime Unlimited, parents can set time limits for their children and get recommendations on kid-friendly content.
But wait. There's more.
Gamers will be excited to know that the Fire TV contains a gaming component in collaboration with Disney, Gameloft, 2K, Ubisoft, and Double Fine.
Time.com reports that, "An optional Fire Game Controller will sell for $40, but users can also play games through the remote control or with a companion phone and tablet app. The games are mostly adaptations of mobile titles, such as Gameloft's Asphalt 8, Minecraft Pocket Edition and Disney's Monsters University; many are free to play, and the average price of a paid game is around $1.85.
With the release of the Fire TV, Amazon will market the set-top box as more than just a media player, but a home-shopping ecosystem.
In an interview with the NY Times, Forrester Research Analyst James McQuivey broke down Amazon's vision like this:
"I'm watching a Jason Bourne movie. He's on the run through Europe. The movie pauses and lets you move into an interactive game with Bourne. Or maybe he goes through Vienna, and you always wanted to go there, so here's how you could plan a trip or at least buy a book about it. Amazon will know who to offer these deals to because those people are already in front of it at that moment."
Will you be purchasing?