But with no YouTube access and the need for a Prime subscription for a lot of content, is it right for you?
Price and availability
The Fire TV costs costs £69.99 compared to the regular Stick at £39.99, but you gain 4K HDR support for the extra money. Whether or not this is worth it depends if you care about the improved definition and if you have a compatible TV. (Also see: Echo Dot could merge with Fire TV in harmonious entertainment mash-up)
Design
The Fire TV is now quite similar in design to the Fire TV Stick, as a hanging HDMI plug-in rather than a set-top box. It plugs into an HDMI port but also requires the included USB power brick and cable to function. It’s a design that will hide neatly on the side or rear of your TV much like a Google Chromecast, but if you don’t like lots of wires then it might be off putting and you might prefer the look of the Apple TV.
Features and compatibility
The Fire TV can only support HDR10, and it becomes a bit complicated working out if your TV is totally compatible. HDR10 is the industry standard for HDR )High Dynamic Range) in modern TVs. Chances are if you have a new 4K TV then it will be HDR10 compatible, but make sure to check before you buy the Fire TV. The latest batch of high end TVs support the Dolby standard called Dolby Vision HDR. The Fire TV won’t work with this standard, but for all but the pickiest TV buffs, you’ll be just fine with HDR10 streaming. We tested the Fire TV on our own 55in Hisense 4K HDR TV at home over a fibre broadband connection. This is also worth noting; the Fire TV does not have an Ethernet port, so even if you have a 4K TV, you’ll have to rely on a strong Wi-Fi connection to get a full quality stream. Shows look absolutely incredible and we experienced no lag or stutter in the stream or the UI, which is intuitive and smooth but not dissimilar to rival products. Just be aware that the Fire TV does not make upgrade all content to 4K, but instead is capable of streaming compatible content to its highest possible quality, unlike the cheaper Fire TV Stick which can only stream in standard definition. If you have only one Fire TV, just ask Alexa something involving the Fire TV, such as “Alexa, find action movies on my Fire TV”. As long as they’re connected to the same network, the two devices should pair automatically and you can begin to tell Alexa to play specific shows, play the next episode, fast-forward and more.
YouTube
If you’re a Prime subscriber with a 4K TV, then this latest Fire TV is the one for you. As long as you are sure to plug the thing into a ‘4K UHD @ 60fps’ port on your TV (check before you buy that your TV has one) then you will have no problem with the Fire TV. But if you have £69 to spend it’s worth considering the Google Chromecast Ultra which is the same price but allows wireless streaming direct from your laptop, tablet and phone, a feature the Fire TV lacks.
Alexa
Henry is Tech Advisor’s Phones Editor, ensuring he and the team covers and reviews every smartphone worth knowing about for readers and viewers all over the world. He spends a lot of time moving between different handsets and shouting at WhatsApp to support multiple devices at once.
