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Amazon Fire TV (2017) Streaming Media Player
Amazon released its Fire TV (2017 update) Streaming Media Player. Coming in a new dongle design, the new Fire TV (2017) is packed with a 1.5GHz (4 x Cortex A53) Amlogic quad-core processor, a Mali450 MP3 GPU, a 2GB RAM, an 8GB of internal storage, a micro-USB port (for power only) and an HDMI output port.
Measuring only 65mm x 65mm x 15mm and weighing just 87.1g, the new Fire TV (2017) comes with Dolby Atmos, 7.1 surround sound, 2ch stereo and HDMI audio pass through up to 5.1 audio support, and 2160p, 1080p and 720p up to 60fps, HDR-10. H.265, H.264 output resolution support.
For connectivity, the new Fire TV (2017) provides dual-band WiFi 802.11ac MIMO and Bluetooth 4.1 LE. The new Fire TV (2017) is currently available for pre-order for $69.99 (Alexa Voice Remote for hands-free content control included).
schmidtbag
Senior Member
Posts: 5637
Joined: 2012-11-10
Senior Member
Posts: 5637
Joined: 2012-11-10
#5478034 Posted on: 10/03/2017 02:39 PM
You know, holding back surround sound channels on a paid service, claiming they don't offer it as some browsers do not support it, is a pretty low way to try and sell more of these.
You do not even get surround sound on movies you buy lol
Especially when Netflix allow surround sound without having to buy some dongle...
I Really hope they soon support surround sound through the browser.
Get a Roku. I think they've always supported surround sound since their first release (definitely the 2nd release supported it anyway). Their smartphone app is also pretty handy, and if you get a new enough model you can use it as a wireless display for your PC.
You know, holding back surround sound channels on a paid service, claiming they don't offer it as some browsers do not support it, is a pretty low way to try and sell more of these.
You do not even get surround sound on movies you buy lol
Especially when Netflix allow surround sound without having to buy some dongle...
I Really hope they soon support surround sound through the browser.
Get a Roku. I think they've always supported surround sound since their first release (definitely the 2nd release supported it anyway). Their smartphone app is also pretty handy, and if you get a new enough model you can use it as a wireless display for your PC.
CitizenZero
Member
Posts: 20
Joined: 2014-04-30
Member
Posts: 20
Joined: 2014-04-30
#5478239 Posted on: 10/04/2017 02:02 AM
Wait. Does this thing have no USB ports I can attach an external device to it so I can play my favorite movies??
Also, does it support MKV, with AC3 and DTS soundtracks?
Which device compares better than this?
Thanks!
Wait. Does this thing have no USB ports I can attach an external device to it so I can play my favorite movies??
Also, does it support MKV, with AC3 and DTS soundtracks?
Which device compares better than this?
Thanks!
schmidtbag
Senior Member
Posts: 5637
Joined: 2012-11-10
Senior Member
Posts: 5637
Joined: 2012-11-10
#5478246 Posted on: 10/04/2017 02:28 AM
No - most devices like these don't. These are meant to receive media streams. That being said, if you've got a PC with a movie on it, you should be able to use a DLNA service (such as Plex) and this ought to work fine for that. I personally use MiniDLNA/ReadyMedia, since it is very light-weight and its free, but, you're stuck with whatever your receiving device is compatible with. For me personally, I'm fine with spending a few minutes converting my videos.
I would be really surprised if it didn't support MKV, but again, that depends on what you use to stream your data. My Roku's built-in app supports only MKV and MP4, so, I'm left needing to manually convert some videos. As for AC3 or DTS, I don't see why it wouldn't - there is surround sound support, so not supporting those would be kind of weird. But again, something like Plex ought to make up for anything the Fire TV doesn't support.
The only direct competitors I know of are Roku, Google Chromecast (which hardly counts), Apple TV, and modern game consoles. If you're the type of person who likes to make things yourself, there are plenty of ARM boards you can get that have XBMC/Kodi that you can install on them. Otherwise, you're better off just building an x86 HTPC.
Wait. Does this thing have no USB ports I can attach an external device to it so I can play my favorite movies??
No - most devices like these don't. These are meant to receive media streams. That being said, if you've got a PC with a movie on it, you should be able to use a DLNA service (such as Plex) and this ought to work fine for that. I personally use MiniDLNA/ReadyMedia, since it is very light-weight and its free, but, you're stuck with whatever your receiving device is compatible with. For me personally, I'm fine with spending a few minutes converting my videos.
Also, does it support MKV, with AC3 and DTS soundtracks?
I would be really surprised if it didn't support MKV, but again, that depends on what you use to stream your data. My Roku's built-in app supports only MKV and MP4, so, I'm left needing to manually convert some videos. As for AC3 or DTS, I don't see why it wouldn't - there is surround sound support, so not supporting those would be kind of weird. But again, something like Plex ought to make up for anything the Fire TV doesn't support.
Which device compares better than this?
The only direct competitors I know of are Roku, Google Chromecast (which hardly counts), Apple TV, and modern game consoles. If you're the type of person who likes to make things yourself, there are plenty of ARM boards you can get that have XBMC/Kodi that you can install on them. Otherwise, you're better off just building an x86 HTPC.
sykozis
Senior Member
Posts: 21797
Joined: 2008-07-14
Senior Member
Posts: 21797
Joined: 2008-07-14
#5478280 Posted on: 10/04/2017 06:30 AM
There's also the MiBox....which I have 2 of because this box took too long to be released.
The only direct competitors I know of are Roku, Google Chromecast (which hardly counts), Apple TV, and modern game consoles. If you're the type of person who likes to make things yourself, there are plenty of ARM boards you can get that have XBMC/Kodi that you can install on them. Otherwise, you're better off just building an x86 HTPC.
There's also the MiBox....which I have 2 of because this box took too long to be released.
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Senior Member
Posts: 960
Joined: 2009-10-14
You know, holding back surround sound channels on a paid service, claiming they don't offer it as some browsers do not support it, is a pretty low way to try and sell more of these.
You do not even get surround sound on movies you buy lol
Especially when Netflix allow surround sound without having to buy some dongle...
I Really hope they soon support surround sound through the browser.