Amazon has moved to take on Sonos and several other manufacturers of small soundbars, with a new Fire TV soundbar, the big online Company has also announced a new Fire TV Stick 4K, and a Fire TV Stick 4K Max with support for Wi-Fi 6E.
The Fire TV Soundbar is set to be dirt cheap however it’s not known whether the device will be launched in Australia shortly.
Tipped to retail for sub $200 the new soundbar has both Bluetooth and HDMI with support for ARC and eARC.
The speaker is a two-channel stereo setup with support for DTS: Virtual:X and Dolby Audio.
Amazon claim It’s been designed as an easy-to-set-up companion speaker for all Fire TV devices such as the Cube and Fire TVs with Bluetooth, immersive sound, crisper dialogue, and improved bass.
It also has three selectable EQ modes: movies, music, and dialogue.
Unfortunately, the 40-watt speaker has no Fire TV or Amazon Alexa functionality built-in — it’s just a speaker.
Another new product is the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K, which has a new curved body, is priced at $79 and is available for preorder globally starting today.
With a 1.7 GHZ quad-core processor, it’s nearly 30% more powerful than the previous generation and now includes support for Wi-Fi 6. Amazon says apps will start faster and run smoother while they provide 4K Ultra HD streaming.
It continues to support Dolby Vision, HDR and HDR10+, and Dolby Atmos audio.
A new version of the Fire TV Stick 4K Max also has sports new curves, it’s also the first streaming stick to support Wi-Fi 6E, for lower latency, faster speeds, and less interference from other Wi-Fi-enabled devices.
The more powerful 2.0 GHz quad-core processor will offer an even smoother experience than before. On-device memory has been increased to 16GB for more content and channel storage.
The 4K Max also supports Dolby Vision, HDR, and HDR10+, and also includes support for Dolby Atmos audio.
Amazon will also enhance the way you search for something to watch on Fire TV devices using generative AI-powered voice search.
The feature, which uses the same large language model (LLM) technology that Amazon is rolling into Alexa, will be coming to Fire TV devices in the U.S. later this year.
Instead of asking for a specific title, or TV show, you’ll be able to engage in a conversational experience with Alexa, by asking questions like “Find me a movie with the actor from Better Call Saul.”
You can also ask for things like “action movies with car chases,” “comedies for a rainy day inside,” or “animated movies that are free to me.” Really not sure what you want to watch? You can also tell Alexa what you are in the mood for and choose from a selection of recommendations personalised to your Fire TV profile.
