But will it have YouTube?<p>Actually, that's a serious question. I'm looking for a box to recommend to a friend who's going to cut the cord. I think the Nvidia Shield will be better for them due to being real android tv, and because I have one and know the Android TV ecosystem better...<p>It looks like FireTV still doesn't have an easy way to install Kodi from the appstore, but requires that it be side-loaded.<p>And it looks like the Youtube app in the amazon app store is written by Amazon. The icon makes it look not not legit..
"But the Apple TV starts at $179, which is more than twice as expensive as this latest generation of Amazon’s Fire TV. That makes for a rough comparison if you’re Apple.<p>Amazon has chosen to support HDR10 but not Dolby Vision for HDR playback. On the audio side, the device offers Dolby Atmos integration. That’s an odd switch-around from Apple’s approach with the Apple TV 4K, which outputs both Dolby Vision and HDR10 but not the Atmos audio format."<p>AppleTV Atmos support is coming.<p>And I don't think the comparison is rough. Apple is trying to make the best TV box not the cheapest. They should never cut the price, instead they should fix their rough edges, including the remote. I have no problem paying an extra $100 for a TV box I'm going to use every night if it's UI is the best, and it's content offerings are among the best.
>Amazon today introduced a new Fire TV with HDR and 4K capabilities, which marks the first time the device has offered the higher-resolution video.<p>Wait, what? There's been a 4K Amazon TV for ages. If they're talking about the new frame-rate and HDR, that's not resolution, is it?
I did a double take after seeing the device. That droopy built in cord seems like a really poor design choice. Aside from it being ugly there's potential for the cord to fail considering the device hangs from it and it can't be replaced. They even seem to be hiding it behind the remote in the amazon stock photos.
No ethernet, no optical out, no usb, dang this really limits my options from how I am using my gen 1 fire tv. Wifi isn't great inside my gear cabinet so hardwired makes sure I can push 1080p reliably, and the optical out I use for wireless headphones.<p>It looks like they're now selling an ethernet dongle compatible with the new fire tv box...that has itself become a dongle. I think I may have been dongle Incepted.
"Alexa play bloodline on netflix on fire tv"
instead of just "play bloodline".<p>UI fails are not limited to guis.<p>Yes it IS technicaly feasible to figure out that you are alone in your room and that you want to play movies on your default app + device.
No strong AI needed for that yet.
Ok, so this has the potential to age <i>horrifically</i>, but where do we go after 4K + HDR? I don't think VR is going to be <i>the thing</i>, and 3D has similar problems. 8K might be a thing, but even if that catches on, then I'll heavily doubt 16K will be.<p>After those... RAW video?