Amazon's Game-Changing Updates to Fire TV: AI Search, Ambient Art, and More

Politics, News Sept. 21, 2023, 5:30 a.m.

Amazon unveils updates to Fire TV family, including Fire TV Stick 4K Max with generative AI, enhanced Ambient Experience, and Soundbar. Enhanced search, art gallery, and sustainability features introduced.

Seattle, WA – In a groundbreaking announcement, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) has unveiled a series of exciting updates to its ever-popular Fire TV family. These updates encompass a wide range of improvements, including enhanced conversational voice search powered by generative AI, upgrades to the Fire TV Ambient Experience, and the introduction of the most potent Fire TV Sticks to date—the all-new Fire TV Stick 4K Max, now equipped with the Fire TV Ambient Experience, and the Fire TV Stick 4K. Additionally, Amazon has introduced the all-new Fire TV Soundbar, designed to deliver immersive sound for customers' favorite TV shows, movies, and games.

"With a world of content at your fingertips, sometimes the hardest thing to do is decide what to watch. Fire TV has always been great at search, but generative AI takes it to a whole new level," remarked Tapas Roy, Vice President of Fire TV. "We've leveraged our new large language model to create a much more natural and conversational way to find content using natural dialogue. Simply ask Alexa nuanced or even open-ended questions about anything from genres and actors to storylines and scenes, and enter a conversation that will find you something new based on what you like—even if you don’t know what you’re looking for."

All-New Fire TV Stick 4K Max—Now with the Fire TV Ambient Experience, enhanced speed, Wi-Fi 6E support, and double the storage capacity, all for the attractive price of $59.99

The all-new Fire TV Stick 4K Max takes center stage as the first streaming media player equipped with the Fire TV Ambient Experience. It boasts an upgraded 2.0 GHz quad-core processor, solidifying its position as Amazon's most intelligent and powerful streaming stick to date. What sets it apart is its inclusion of support for Wi-Fi 6E, delivering an unparalleled streaming experience with lower latency, faster speeds, and reduced interference from other Wi-Fi-enabled devices within the home.

Featuring stunning 4K Ultra HD visuals and support for Dolby Vision, HDR, HDR10+, and immersive Dolby Atmos audio, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max promises to deliver the ultimate Fire TV Stick experience in terms of both visual and audio quality. Additionally, it sports a 16GB storage capacity, effectively doubling the previous generation's capacity, enabling users to store a more extensive array of apps and games directly on the device.

Fire TV Ambient Experience—Now accessible on the all-new Fire TV Stick 4K Max, enriched with a vast collection of new, complimentary artwork

Previously exclusive to the Fire TV Omni QLED Series, the Fire TV Ambient Experience has been expanded to cater to a broader audience by making it available on the all-new Fire TV Stick 4K Max.

Activating the Ambient Experience is as simple as a quick tap of the Alexa button or a voice command to Alexa. This feature replaces idle TV screens with informative content and captivating artwork. Users can access glance-able information such as their calendars and reminders, leave sticky notes for family members, control smart devices like thermostats or Ring doorbells, and even enjoy music from popular services like Amazon Music and Spotify, among others.

Amazon is also introducing a remarkable feature known as AI Art, which will be made available to U.S. customers by the end of the year. This feature allows users to generate personalized background images by simply providing Alexa with an imagination-driven prompt, such as "Alexa, create an image of cherry blossoms in the snow." Users can witness their prompts transformed into unique displays on the Fire TV screen. In the coming year, users will also be able to display personal photos from Amazon Photos and apply popular art styles, such as sepia tone or watercolor painting.

All-New Fire TV Stick 4K—Faster, smoother 4K streaming at an affordable price under $50

The newly introduced Fire TV Stick 4K promises to offer the most robust performance in the Fire TV Stick lineup while maintaining an affordable price point below $50. It now boasts support for Wi-Fi 6 and features an updated 1.7 GHz quad-core processor, making it nearly 30% more powerful than its predecessor. With this device, users can enjoy vibrant 4K Ultra HD picture quality and immersive Dolby Atmos audio, with support for Dolby Vision, HDR, HLG, and HDR10+. Furthermore, with the Alexa Home Theater feature, users can wirelessly connect compatible Echo devices for audio playback across multiple speakers and inputs.

Fire TV Experience Updates—A revolutionary, conversational approach to content discovery with generative AI

The upgraded Fire TV experience takes content search, browsing, and recommendations to new heights by integrating generative AI with Fire TV's extensive entertainment content and app library. This integration allows users to find and discover content using natural, contextual, and conversational language.

Users will be able to ask Alexa nuanced or open-ended questions about TV shows and movies, helping them locate their desired content effortlessly. For instance, users can ask Alexa to find content based on specific actors, directors, scenes, genres, or even specific entitlements like "action movies with car chases," "comedies for a rainy day inside," or "animated movies that are free to me." Alternatively, users can simply express their mood to Alexa, and the system will provide personalized recommendations based on their Fire TV profiles.

In addition to generative AI in voice search, a new "Continue Watching" row will be introduced, showcasing content from leading streaming providers such as Amazon Freevee, Disney+, Hulu, Max, MGM+, Peacock, STARZ, and Tubi. This row emphasizes the recency of watched content, making it convenient for users to revisit and continue streaming their favorite shows and movies. Amazon plans to continue expanding the content offerings from streaming providers over time. The generative AI-powered voice search and the new "Continue Watching" row are set to roll out to U.S. customers later this year.

New Fire TV Device Bundle—Access to a treasure trove of movies and original series with a six-month subscription to MGM+

U.S. customers who purchase a new Fire TV streaming media player or smart TV from Amazon or retail stores can look forward to enjoying a complimentary six-month subscription to MGM+. This subscription offers access to thousands of movies from MGM and other major Hollywood studios, including blockbuster titles like "Top Gun: Maverick," "No Time to Die," "House of Gucci," and a range of original series, such as the acclaimed sci-fi horror hit "FROM," the Emmy-winning "Godfather of Harlem," and the thrilling Western adventure "Billy the Kid."

All-New Fire TV Soundbar—Immersive sound, effortless setup, and a compact design, priced at $119.99

Amazon's latest offering, the all-new Fire TV Soundbar, is a two-channel companion device designed to deliver room-filling sound, complete with support for DTS® Virtual:X and Dolby Audio.