DHAKA: Amazon has unveiled Fire TV, a small box that plugs into an HDTV to provide instant access to Netflix, Prime Instant Video, Hulu Plus, WatchESPN, Showtime and low-cost video rentals, among other content. The new Amazon streaming device measures 0.7 inches thin and comes equipped with a quad-core processor with three times the processing power of Apple TV, Chromecast, or Roku 3, a dedicated Adreno 320 graphics engine, 2GB of memory, dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi, streaming up to 1080p and support for HDMI and optical audio-out, enabling up to 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus surround sound. In addition, Amazon`s Fire TV remote utilises Bluetooth to enable users to search, browse, play, pause and add titles to their Watchlist. Fire TV is currently available for USD 99.
Like Amazon.com, Fire TV integrates viewing options on a single page, displaying the lowest priced selections for consumers. This feature is available starting with Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video and Prime Instant Video, and will expand to additional content providers in the future. Amazon`s Fire TV ASAP (Advanced Streaming and Prediction) feature predicts which movies and TV episodes users want to watch and prepares them for playback before a user selects play.
Amazon Fire TV also features the ability to fling Amazon TV shows and movies from a phone or tablet into Fire TV using Second Screen. Using Second Screen on the Fire HDX, and later in the year on iPhone or iPad, users can see X-Ray information as their movie or TV show plays on Fire TV. With Amazon FreeTime, parents can create individual profiles for their children on Fire TV and limit the content and type of day their children can access the service. In addition, Fire TV allows consumers to view photos and videos on their big screen by uploading them onto Amazon Cloud Drive.
Fire TV also provides users the ability to listen to music through streaming services like Pandora, iHeartRadio and TuneIn, and watch music videos from Vevo, with future support for Amazon Cloud Player.
Lastly, Amazon Fire TV offers more than 100 gaming options for users, with additional games launching in the near future. In May, Amazon plans to launch the Amazon Fire game controller, which provides for more high-intensity and complex gaming with dual analogue sticks and an assortment of controls.
Source: Telecompaper.com
BDST: 1310 HRS, APR 03, 2014
