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Amazon is excited to announce our newest Fire TV experience, with Alexa Voice Remote, designed specifically for smart TVs. Amazon Fire TV Edition elevates the smart TV experience by integrating the Fire TV experience directly into a new range of hardware from Seiki, Westinghouse and Element Electronics. The new smart TVs will help increase the reach of your apps by introducing them to a new host of customers, in the living room. If you are already developing for Fire TV your apps should automatically work on the new Amazon Fire TV Edition, for those interested in submitting to Fire TV, please take a look at our documentation.
Coming to living rooms this year
When these new 4K Ultra HD Smart TVs hit shelves later this year, customers in living rooms across America will be able to enjoy a great selection of apps and games—including yours—as well 7000 channels of streaming and over-the-air content (OTA), Alexa skills and live over the air programming (when used with a separate HD antenna).
The on-screen programming guide makes finding what to watch easy, and with the included voice remote with Alexa, customers can use their voice to launch apps, search content, play music, control smart home devices, and more.
With the release of Amazon Fire TV Edition, we are building on the success of Fire TV devices to bring the Amazon hallmarks of tremendous value, vast selection, and fantastic customer experience to the home television.
In addition to offering the latest user experience, here are a few of the new features supported in Fire TV Edition smart TVs
- Live over-the-air TV programming: When connected to an HD antenna, smart TVs with Fire TV Edition allows customers to access live television programming, watch their favorite broadcast channels, and find content to watch with an easy to use channel guide for viewing live TV programming schedules.
- Voice Search and control: Search and discovery is in your control with the Alexa voice remote. You can launch apps using only your voice by saying “Open HBO NOW,” control playback in live over-the-air channels, Amazon Video, and Amazon Channels by saying “rewind 60 seconds” or “next episode”, and access a large selection of Alexa skills.
- Input switching and channel tuning: Amazon Fire TV Edition detects devices connected to the TV and helps customers switch between inputs using their voice. Customers can, for example, customize the HDMI1 input to use the name “Xbox,” then push the voice remote microphone button and say “go to Xbox” to automatically switch to this input. Customers who connect an HD antenna can also use commands like “Tune to NBC” or “go to channel 2”.
Amazon Fire TV Edition features
Here are some of the great hardware features expected in the new TVs released by Seiki, Westinghouse Electronics, and Element Electronics:
- Television sizes: 43", 50", 55", and 65"
- 4K Ultra HD 3,840 by 2,160 panel resolution on all models
- 3 GB memory and 16 GB internal storage
- Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet connectivity
- Streaming resolution at 4K Ultra HD (2160p), 1080p, 720p up to 60 fps
Developing for Fire TV
Amazon Fire TV Edition runs on Fire OS, which is based on Android Lollipop, so you can easily develop with the tools and frameworks you’re familiar with. To learn more about the frameworks that will help you get started, take a look at our Introduction Guide to Amazon Fire TV Development Frameworks. Other development tools are also available, such as System X-Ray, which provides streamlined intelligence on app behavior and performance during testing. As mentioned earlier, if you are already developing for Fire TV your apps should automatically work on the new Amazon Fire TV Edition, for those interested in submitting to Fire TV, please take a look at our documentation. Stay tuned for more information.
