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Television

Amazon Launches a TV Line (variety.com) 60

Posted by msmash from the how-about-that dept.
Amazon is officially in the TV set business. From a report: After years of selling Fire TV devices that plug into third-party HDTVs and teaming with TV makers for Fire TV-based products, the ecommerce giant is rolling out the first-ever Amazon-built TVs: the Amazon Fire TV Omni Series ($410 and up), which provides hands-free Alexa voice navigation, and the value-priced 4-Series smart TV line ($370 and up). They're set to ship in October.

In addition, Amazon is baking in new features to the overall Fire TV platform, including bringing TikTok content to the platform in the U.S. and Canada; letting users access Netflix's shuffle-mode feature via Alexa; and being able to ask Alexa for movie or TV show recommendations. The company also is bowing the new Fire TV Stick 4K Max ($55), which it says is more powerful than the prior-generation model and is Amazon's first streaming media player to launch with Energy Star certification and Wi-Fi 6 support.
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Amazon Launches a TV Line More

Amazon Launches a TV Line

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  • Amazon built or Amazon branded? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by UnknowingFool ( 672806 ) on Thursday September 09, 2021 @09:08AM (#61779013)
    The article keeps saying the TVs were built by Amazon which I doubt as many TVs like other electronics are built by specialized companies like Wistron and Pegatron. Are there merely Amazon branded? As far as I am aware Amazon has not built or bought a factory that can make TVs.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      They seem to be running Amazon's custom version of Android, which is shit. It basically locks you in to Amazon's farm, where they can milk money out of you.

      • Yeah I prefer Google Android which comes without the milking feature. ;-)

      • You're suggesting Amazon becomes to TV what Google is to phone? (and Chrome, and GMail)?

        What will they think of next? ... Cars selling you some Rush Hour 3D ads while stuck on traffic?

      • I have a TV produced by Element that's ... oh I dunno if it's Amazon-branded per-se but I feel like this is likely a predecessor to what this product is. (signage on this unit is practically non-existent) I may be incorrect about that, not enough coffee in me to research it right now. I just know that when you boot it up it makes a big show about being an Amazon Fire TV.

        After having this TV for a couple of years I'm not even interested in looking at the specs of this new one. Within a couple of months* of

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by RevDisk ( 740008 )
          I don't believe I have ever used the smart features of any smart TV. If you do not connect it to the internet, it is not a security risk. I typically plug in a Roku or use a media PC. I never saw the appeal of locking myself into whatever the manufacturer wants to give me. None of my friends that use their smart TVs as smart TVs really like the built in apps. They tend to be slow and clunky.

          Both Roku (dedicated hardware rather than the baked in version) or Kodi are pretty fast, and I can have a bazillion
    • Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • It's like Roku TV, someone else makes it, they slap in a streaming app and hardware, apply a logo, and sell it. Only the Amazon version is probably not as good as the Roku version except for the clout of its marketing muscle.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mjwx ( 966435 )

      The article keeps saying the TVs were built by Amazon which I doubt as many TVs like other electronics are built by specialized companies like Wistron and Pegatron. Are there merely Amazon branded? As far as I am aware Amazon has not built or bought a factory that can make TVs.

      This is the same way Apple "builds" its phones. They subcontract to a factory to do it for them.

      I'm not interested in an Amazon TV, if anything I'm looking for a non-smart TV (what ever they are called these days) that'll last years without needing a software update that never comes but if I were I'd be less concerned about Amazon not owning any factories and more concerned with the quality of components going into the TV, I.E. are they buying decent panels.

  • I for one... (Score:5, Funny)

    by algaeman ( 600564 ) on Thursday September 09, 2021 @09:17AM (#61779055)
    I, for one, welcome Big Brother into my home to monitor my every action, and am willing to pay a premium for such service!

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Arethan ( 223197 )

      I, for one, would only consider using one of these via component or hdmi inputs - using some other external box as the input source, never connecting anything to the ethernet port, never configuring the wifi, and never tying it to an Amazon account.

      However, I wouldn't be surprised if it attempts to use Amazon Sidewalk as a default fallback wifi network, which means it could still report home via my naive neighbor's internet service. I also wouldn't be surprised if it absolutely required an Amazon login befo

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by cusco ( 717999 )

        Pretty sure it wouldn't try to use Sidewalk, that's limited to 80 Kbps, and 500 mb/month.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Arethan ( 223197 )

          Pretty sure the performance specs for Sidewalk are controlled by Amazon, since their devices just offer it up unless you explicitly disabled it, and the speed and terms could change as easily and silently as the initial Sidewalk rollout attempted to be. If they want their TVs to send screen caps back to the mothership for viewer impression analysis via Sidewalk as a last resort network connection, they'll just adjust the parameters to make that a possibility.

    • In Amazon's world, the TV watches you!

  • Now look the MS-feature questions transfers nicely (Score:3)

    by Opportunist ( 166417 ) on Thursday September 09, 2021 @09:18AM (#61779067)

    which provides hands-free Alexa voice navigation

    Can you turn it off and if, how?

    • Unlike the moving target that MS makes with unwanted features, probably no as there is no registry editor. :P

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by Junta ( 36770 )

      Frankly, if you want to turn off Alexa, then buying an Amazon product in general seems like a dubious idea. It's pretty much the only Amazon feature that would make it any different from a plethora of other 'smart TVs'.

      Also, anyone thinking about a smart TV, just get some sort of streaming device instead. You'll thank yourself in a few years when it breaks and all you have to worry about is replacing a device that would fit in your hand instead of a giant TV and costs under 50 dollars instead of a few hund

      • Roku is great, but I still bought a smart TV. It's either going to be cheaper or better than trying to find a dumb TV

        I wish monitors or basic displays were cheaper but there's money in cramming preinstalled apps on a device and some of that is used to incentivize the purchase with lower prices.

        • I should add that I only use the Roku box for streaming. HDMI ARC doesn't even carry full bit rate HD audio last I knew.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Junta ( 36770 )

          True, guess that should be amended to "ignore the smart implementation of the TVs"

    • which provides hands-free Alexa voice navigation

      Can you turn it off and if, how?

      Yes. To turn it off you just unplug it.

    • which provides hands-free Alexa voice navigation

      Can you turn it off and if, how?

      Yes. By not connecting the TV to the internet.

  • just an ad spewing device you have to buy so they can spew ads at you. As for the content, nothing I can't do without. I even dropped my streaming accounts over a year ago and have not looked back. Video is such a time waster. I mean what does the User? get out of it?

    I have now gone full circle. I recall when our family got our first TV in the early 60's a little black and white TV my parents bought at Sears.

    • The irony of complaining about an "ad spewing device" while watching a medium that was founded upon ads (OTA TV) isn't lost on anyone.

      • Actually, we had about 13 blissful years between the start of broadcast television in 1928 and the first commercial advertisement in 1941.

        • Much of that time there were no TV broadcasts because of WWII, and the programming that was available would've been considered very dull by today's standard.

            All of the ads were still there on a very popular medium that most people had access to (radio).

            This post was brought to you by Pennsylvania Blue Coal.

  • Going backwards (Score:5, Insightful)

    by dbrueck ( 1872018 ) on Thursday September 09, 2021 @09:35AM (#61779139)

    As a consumer, this is the opposite of what I want. The picture-showing part of the TV is something I want to upgrade like once a decade, while the media sourcing, browsing, UI stuff is something I want to upgrade much more often, so things like Roku, Chromecast, and even the Fire stick are great.

    I'd buy an Amazon-infused TV if (a) it meant the TV came with a meaningful discount and (b) I could completely disable and never use and of those features (just like all the other "smart TV" features that we never use). I'd definitely never pay full price for this, much less any sort of premium.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Junta ( 36770 )

      It's probably going to be the case that you could buy it without FireOS, just have to figure out what TV-models they are rebranding, and buy those instead and go without the amazon logo.

    • I have an old Dell Optiplex as my TV Box for all my Smart TV stuff. It's running Windows 10, which is probably sacrilege on this site, but there's not a media service that exists that it can't connect to. Plus it plays some basic games and does great with emulation. I also use it as a plex server and home file server. I added an extrernal USB hard drive for more storage. $100 (plus storage) for something that will probably last a decade or more is a great deal. Even stuff like Roku, Chromecast, and Fire

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by trawg ( 308495 )

      I'd buy an Amazon-infused TV if (a) it meant the TV came with a meaningful discount and (b) I could completely disable and never use and of those features (just like all the other "smart TV" features that we never use). I'd definitely never pay full price for this, much less any sort of premium.

      If Amazon sold a featureless OLED (for preference, but even LED) panel-only dumb TV I would buy it in a heartbeat

  • The telescreen received and transmitted simultaneously. Any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by Alexia; moreover, so long as he remained within the field of vision of the camera, he would be seen as well as heard. You were being watched at all times and everything said recorded and analyzed by algorithms.

    Why would anyone pay for this?

    • facturer, this is what they are ALL aiming for. Vizio/TCL are ones I've read recently but it's clear they wall want to do the same thing - they think the TV will be the interface for controlling your IoT home, initially with voice commands, I'm sure video will be added shortly, and with all the spying and vendor lock-in that implies.

  • But Why? (Score:3)

    by Voyager529 ( 1363959 ) <voyager529@yah[ ]com ['oo.' in gap]> on Thursday September 09, 2021 @09:40AM (#61779153)

    I don't think there's any listed functionality that's not handled perfectly by the Fire Sticks. While first-gen and second-gen fire sticks aren't supported anymore, the TVs they were connected to are probably still perfectly serviceable.

    If the software/UI stuff is replaceable, this is just a TV/fire stick combo with extra steps. If it's not, then the TV is either going to have problems functioning (because what this world needs is more functioning equipment going to a landfill over software), or it's just going to be an HDMI panel, so it really makes more sense to cut the middle man and just ship the TV and the Fire Stick in the same box, but separately.

    But no, we can't have nice things, and in five years it'll be just like all the other TVs whose software doesn't work anymore and is a generic HDMI panel for something else, which is what the TV should have been all along.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Junta ( 36770 )

      It's like the interest in 'all-in-one' desktop PCs. At least at one point in time you could at least use the rationale that the computer was 'big' and a screen afforded the opportunity to spread out components to not be some bulky tower.

      Nowadays, streaming boxes can fit into a palm and dangle from a cable. A PC able to compete with an all-in-one class compute isn't necessarily that much bigger.

    • I don't think there's any listed functionality that's not handled perfectly by the Fire Sticks. While first-gen and second-gen fire sticks aren't supported anymore, the TVs they were connected to are probably still perfectly serviceable.

      If the software/UI stuff is replaceable, this is just a TV/fire stick combo with extra steps. If it's not, then the TV is either going to have problems functioning (because what this world needs is more functioning equipment going to a landfill over software), or it's just going to be an HDMI panel, so it really makes more sense to cut the middle man and just ship the TV and the Fire Stick in the same box, but separately.

      But no, we can't have nice things, and in five years it'll be just like all the other TVs whose software doesn't work anymore and is a generic HDMI panel for something else, which is what the TV should have been all along.

      All good points and reasons I will never buy one. That said, my elderly mom would prefer to have everything in one and not think about things as would many other peopel where streaming functionality is an afterthought. If you can market something as simpler and more friendly, there's a massive audience. I'll happily tinker to get a great experience. Half my family gets infuriated when they have to switch an input between a game console and the roku.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by RevDisk ( 740008 )
        That's what the "stick" format media devices are for. You plug one into the HDMI port and you're done. I've personally found them easier to setup with than the built-in smart TV setup.

  • Who is watching who?

  • What would really be impressive (Score:3)

    by bobstreo ( 1320787 ) on Thursday September 09, 2021 @09:50AM (#61779201)

    would be if they created TVs that were nothing but displays, with no "smart" features.

    • Oh they exist but be prepared to spend $2000-$3000 for one. Better yet don't connect your smart tv to the internet. I stream everything from a cheap small form factor desktop.

    • Those are called...windows.

    • Look for commercial signage models, they are out there.
      Just purchased a new old-stock LG 55" last month - no smart features, no wifi/ethernet, no motion interpolation, etc.

    • If you don't mind the relatively small size, monitors work well for this. Most have VESA capability, so can be hung up on a wall. Downside is that you won't find a really large screen version.

  • They may want to reconsider their branding if they are going into the appliance trade. For sure fire TV sounds exciting, but fire tumble drier for example sounds like a disaster in waiting.

  • Like most Fire TV devices, it looks like the entire top half of the screen is used for advertising new shows that you can buy from Amazon. No thanks!

    I am curious how much they're going to discount these things, though. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Prime members could pick a 43" model for $149 on Black Friday. I'd expect that Amazon figures that they'll be making that lost revenue with rentals and subscription services in the future.

  • Now Amazon wants to slurp up privacy-busting data from a TV? Will it have a camera for "video chatting"? Will it be little more than a billboard in my living room that Amazon can sell advertising on, using a camera to see which ads I look at, and how many people are watching it? Or will that be the next "enhanced" model?
  • Sure I paid more, but my monitor will show whatever my receiver inputs have plugged in. Or whatever is directly connected through DisplayPort. I can plug in a network connection (and unplug at will). I can't give money to the privacy stealing TV manufacturers.
  • Just replace whatever smart software (Roku etc..) with Amazon's. I don't see how this is a problem. Especially for people who use Amazon regularly anyway, which is a very large amount. Plus you can still connect any other streaming box of your choice if you want to ignore the "smart" software, or like the portability of being able to move the box to different televisions.

    And for the conspiracy theorists out there, anything shady Amazon may do, the company that build you're existing smart tv could do th

  • Synopsis: A woman goes into an electronics store looking for a new TV. The salesman shows her a few but she says that they aren't the kind of TV she wants. She eventually conveys that she wants this "special" TV that allows the viewer to watch other people's private lives and the salesman shows her one and tunes into a feed of a bedroom with two people gettin' busy. She buys it. After she leaves, the salesman is talking to another salesman about it and they wonder if she would have bought it if she knew

    • Synopsis: A woman goes into an electronics store looking for a new TV. The salesman shows her a few but she says that they aren't the kind of TV she wants. She eventually conveys that she wants this "special" TV that allows the viewer to watch other people's private lives...

      Latest Feature by Maggie Nadler, 1972.

  • ...the TV is watching *you*!

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