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Amazon Announces New & Improved Fire TV Cube

Fire TV Cube 2019 Update
The Amazon Echo Dot is sitting on a white surface.
Release Date
October 10, 2019
Pre-Order The Fire TV Cube 2nd Gen Here

Amazon announced a brand new second-generation Fire TV Cube yesterday and the new model looks to give viewers a new option when it comes to integrating a Fire TV and voice control capabilities into their home theater. The new Fire TV comes with a Hexa-core processor and includes Dolby Vision with HDR and HDR 10+ plus 4K streaming at 60 frames per second. Audio improvements come your way as well with the Dolby Atmos being a sound option much like on the Firestick 4K.

Amazon also made improvements to the device's voice recognition capabilities with eight onboard microphones and the introduction of Local Voice Control. This new vocal processing feature improves content browsing and overall device controls thanks to faster command execution.

Starting today, the all-new Fire TV Cube (amazon.com/firetvcube) is available for pre-order on Amazon in the United States for $119.99, in Canada for $149.99, the United Kingdom for £109.99, Germany for €119.99, and Japan for ¥14980. It ships with an IR extender cable and Ethernet adapter beginning on October 10in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany. It will ship in Japan on November 5.

The Amazon Fire TV Cube combines the smart capabilities of Alexa voice control with a powerful streaming device, offering an immersive entertainment experience in your living room.

Show Press Release

Amazon.com Inc has added a news release to its Press center website.

Title: Introducing the All-New Fire TV Cube—the Next Generation Fire TV Experience with Far-Field Voice Control, and the Fastest, Most Powerful Fire TV Ever

Date: September 4, 2019 2:37 PM EDT

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The all-new Fire TV Cube is launching in the United States for $119.99 and for the first time in Canada, the United KingdomGermany, and Japan

With an ultra-powerful hexa-core processor, the all-new Fire TV Cube delivers a fast, fluid experience, with instant access to Dolby Vision and 4K Ultra HD content at up to 60 fps; plus, with new Local Voice Control you can play, pause, and browse content even faster without touching the remote

Fire TV has more than 37 million active users and is the #1 streaming media player family in the United States, the United KingdomGermanyJapan, and India

SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sep. 4, 2019– (NASDAQ: AMZN) – Today, from Berlin, GermanyAmazon announced the all-new Fire TV Cube, the second-generation hands-free, Alexa-enabled Fire TV experience, and the fastest and most powerful Fire TV ever—still just $119.99. The all-new streaming media player features far-field voice control built directly into the device and is now available for pre-order in the United StatesCanadaUnited KingdomGermany, and Japan.

“Fire TV Cube was the first hands-free streaming media player powered by Alexa, and since launching last year we have gathered a wealth of feedback from customers about how they use voice in the living room,” said Marc Whitten, Vice President of Amazon Fire TV. “Over the past year, we have continued to expand and advance the Fire TV Cube experience based on this feedback with dozens of new features including Multi-Room Music, Follow-Up Mode, and Alexa Communications. These key learnings carried over and guided the development of the second-generation Fire TV Cube, and we are excited to introduce this new-and-improved experience to customers around the world.”

With Fire TV, you can watch favorites from NetflixYouTube, Prime Video, HBO, SHOWTIME®, CBS, and more—plus stream for free from Tubi, IMDb TV, Pluto TV, and others. Plus, tune to live TV channels with cable or satellite boxes from providers like Comcast, DISH, AT&T TV/AT&T U-verse, and more. Fire TV gives you access to tens of thousands of channels, apps, and Alexa skills, as well as over 500,000 TV episodes and movies with thousands of titles in 4K Ultra HD. The vast Fire TV catalog combined with powerful voice control makes it easier than ever to enjoy TV, simply say “Alexa, watch Stranger Things on Netflix” and your compatible TV will turn on, open Netflix and pick up playback right where you left off.

All-new Fire TV Cube

The Fastest, Most Powerful Fire TV Ever

Featuring an ultra-powerful hexa-core processor, and more than twice as powerful as the first generation Fire TV Cube, the all-new Fire TV Cube delivers a fast, fluid experience, with instant access to Dolby Vision and 4K Ultra HD content at up to 60 frames per second. You will enjoy the brilliant color of Dolby Vision and HDR, and HDR 10+, as well as the audio clarity of Dolby Atmos on the all-new Fire TV Cube. In addition, Fire TV Cube (2nd Gen) comes with Local Voice Control, which is a new on-device processing feature that lets you more quickly execute some of the most frequent voice commands. For example, “Alexa, scroll right,” “Alexa, go home,” “Alexa, select number one,” and more, are up to 4 times as fast as before.

Easy Control of All Your Entertainment

Hands-free voice control means convenience, and on the first-generation Fire TV Cube, customers use voice to control their experience more than 8 times as frequently as on other Fire TV devices. The all-new Fire TV Cube features cutting edge far-field voice recognition with eight microphones and advanced beamforming technology that combines signals from the individual microphones to suppress noise, reverberation, content currently playing, and even competing speech to make sure Alexa clearly hears your request when placed next to your TV. When combined with the powerful new processor, you can easily search and navigate content using just your voice, whether it’s through your cable or satellite boxes; streaming apps like YouTube and PlayStation Vue; or HBO, SHOWTIME®, and STARZ through Prime Video Channels. From across the room, just say, “Alexa, switch to channel 31” or “Alexa, tune to NBC,” and Alexa will respond to your request.

In addition, Fire TV Cube uses multi-directional infrared technology, cloud based protocols, and HDMI CEC, that when combined with Alexa, let you control your compatible TV, soundbar, A/V receiver, cable or satellite box, as well as other smart home devices. With the built-in speaker, Fire TV Cube lets you dim the lights, check the weather, listen to the news and more—even with the TV off. Since launching last year, nearly 80 percent of customers are using Fire TV Cube for home automation requests and there are tens of thousands of Alexa routines used every week.

Always Getting Smarter

The Alexa service is always getting smarter with new features, device control capabilities, and hands-free voice functionality added regularly, meaning like the first generation device, the all-new Fire TV Cube is going to get even better over time. Since launching last year, Fire TV Cube has improved the Alexa experience and added a number of key enhancements including support for Multi-Room Music, Alexa Communication features, Follow-Up Mode, Alexa Voice Browsing, and more. In addition, more than 50 apps globally currently support enhanced in-app voice controls on Fire TV Cube, giving you more ways to use your voice while navigating through content.

Pricing and Availability 
Starting today, the all-new Fire TV Cube (amazon.com/firetvcube) is available for pre-order on Amazon in the United States for $119.99, in Canada for $149.99, the United Kingdom for £109.99, Germany for €119.99, and Japan for ¥14980. It ships with an IR extender cable and Ethernet adapter beginning on October 10in the United StatesCanada, the United Kingdom, and Germany. It will ship in Japan on November 5. Customers can also pre-order the all-new Fire TV Cube and Ring Video Doorbell 2 together for $249.99—a savings of $69(amazon.com/firetvcube-bundle). In addition, customers who pre-order the all-new Fire TV Cube are eligible for an Amazon Music Unlimited 90-day extended free trial of the premium music subscription.

For more information visit www.amazon.com/firetvcube.

About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

 

As someone in the Amazon Alexa ecosystem, I was never 100% on board with the Fire TV Cube because while I love voice-activated smart home functions I just don't feel they are needed for your home theater when a Harmony remote can easily accomplish a lot commands with one button press. I feel it is overkill but I guess I am in the minority as many of my peers say they use the voice prompts for the home theater frequently.

Do you have the Fire TV Cube in your home or are you considering one? Let us know in the comments.

Source: Amazon