(NASDAQ:AMZN)—Kindle revolutionized reading by making it possible to
think of a book and be reading it in less than 60 seconds. Kindle Fire
put the world’s largest selection of movies, TV shows, songs, apps,
games, books, audiobooks, and magazines in the palm of your hand. In
each case, Amazon integrates the hardware, software, and the content
into an easy-to-use, seamless, end-to-end service for customers. Today,
Amazon is excited to unveil its newest innovation—Fire TV, a tiny box
that plugs into your HDTV for easy and instant access to Netflix, Prime
Instant Video, Hulu Plus, WatchESPN, SHOWTIME, low-cost video rentals,
and much more. Fire TV also brings photos, music, and games to the
living room. Meet Amazon Fire TV at www.amazon.com/FireTV.
Amazon Fire TV (Photo: Business Wire)
“Tiny box, huge specs, tons of content, incredible price—people are
going to love Fire TV,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO.
“Voice search that actually works means no more typing on an alphabet
grid. Our exclusive new ASAP feature predicts the shows you’ll want to
watch and gets them ready to stream instantly. And our open approach
gives you not just Amazon Instant Video and Prime Instant Video, but
also Netflix, Hulu Plus, and more. On Fire TV you can watch Alpha House and
House of Cards.”
Amazon Fire TV features:
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Voice search that actually works—simply speak the name of a movie, TV
show, actor, director, or genre into the remote, and you’re done. No
more hunting and pecking in an alphabet grid.
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All the content—instant access to Netflix, Prime Instant Video, Hulu
Plus, WatchESPN, YouTube, and more, plus the largest selection of
videos for rent and purchase—over 200,000 movies and TV episodes from
Amazon Instant Video. Plus, listen to music with Amazon MP3, Pandora,
iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and more.
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Powerful performance in a tiny form factor—quad-core processor with
over 3x the processing power of Apple TV, Chromecast, or Roku 3, a
dedicated GPU, plus 4x the memory of Apple TV, Chromecast, or Roku 3
for exceptional speed and fluidity. Delivers stunning 1080p HD video
and immersive Dolby Digital Plus surround sound. All of this comes in
an incredibly small package—Fire TV is 0.7” thin and comes with a
simple and sleek remote control with a built-in microphone.
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Simple and easy to use—arrives pre-registered so you can start
watching immediately out of the box.
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An exclusive new feature called ASAP (Advanced Streaming and
Prediction) predicts which movies and TV episodes you’ll want to watch
and buffers them for playback before you even hit play—instant start.
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High-quality, low-cost gaming—games like Minecraft, Monsters
University, The Game of Life, The Walking Dead, NBA2K14, Asphalt 8,
Riptide GP2, Despicable Me: Minion Rush, and more. The average
price of paid games on Fire TV is $1.85. Play using your Fire TV
remote, the Fire TV app for smartphones and tablets, or the optional
Fire game controller.
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Amazon FreeTime revolutionizes parental controls—parents can choose
what their kids see and set time limits for types of content and times
of day—no more negotiating for one more show before bedtime. Customers
who subscribe to FreeTime Unlimited—Amazon’s all-you-can-eat content
subscription designed for kids ages 3 to 8—will get unlimited access
to thousands of movies and TV shows.
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X-Ray for movies, TV shows, and music—see information about cast and
crew, trivia, goofs, and synchronized lyrics.
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See all of your photos and personal videos come alive on your
big-screen TV—seamless integration with Amazon’s Cloud Drive.
Simple and Easy to Use, with Powerful Performance
Powerful Quad-Core Processor and Graphics Engine
Fire TV features a world-class quad-core processor with 3x the
processing power of Apple TV, Chromecast, or Roku 3, and a dedicated
Adreno 320 graphics engine that processes 57 billion floating point
instructions per second, for lightning-fast graphics and excellent
fluidity. Fire TV comes with 2GB of memory, 4x the memory of Apple TV,
Chromecast, or Roku 3, so content loads faster and games run smoother.
Streams in High Definition 1080p with Dolby Digital Plus Surround
Sound
With dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi, Fire TV streams in up to full-HD
1080p and supports HDMI and optical audio-out, enabling up to 7.1 Dolby
Digital Plus surround sound.
Simple and Easy to Use
Fire TV comes automatically pre-registered so you can immediately get
started. No complicated set-up, no hassle—just plug it in and start
watching. All of your previously purchased movies and TV shows from
Amazon, as well as personalized recommendations and your Watchlist, will
be there waiting for you when you turn on Fire TV.
Designed to Disappear
Fire TV is designed to disappear. It is 0.7” thin, so it is easy to
hide, and is silent even when running the most demanding applications.
Fire TV Remote
Fire TV’s remote is small, simple, and intuitive, with familiar
controls. Search, browse, play, pause, and add titles to your Watchlist
with ease. The Fire TV remote uses Bluetooth so there is no “line of
sight” required, which means no reaching or struggling to aim your
signal at a tiny target—store your Fire TV in a cabinet or behind the TV.
Voice Search that Actually Works
Gone are the days of searching for a movie or TV show by
left-left-down-right-ing through an on-screen alphabet grid using your
remote. Simply speak the name of a movie, TV show, actor, director,
genre, app, or game into the remote, and the results will appear
instantly. Voice search leverages the search data and expertise of
Amazon.com and IMDb, and is optimized to understand Amazon’s video, app,
and game catalog.
The Best Video Experience
Movies and TV Shows from Netflix, Prime Instant Video, Hulu Plus, and
More
Fire TV comes with instant access to all of the most popular
subscription video services, including Netflix, Prime Instant Video,
Hulu Plus, WatchESPN, VEVO, SHOWTIME, Crackle, YouTube, and more, with
additional services like WWE Network, MLB.TV, WATCH Disney Channel,
WATCH ABC, and Twitch coming soon.
Prime Instant Video, with Exclusives and Original Shows
Fire TV is seamlessly integrated with Prime Instant Video, Amazon’s
subscription streaming service. With tens of thousands of movies and TV
episodes, Prime Instant Video is the exclusive premium subscription
streaming home for thousands of hours of video, including shows like
Downton Abbey, The Americans, Workaholics, Justified, 24, Hannibal, Dora
the Explorer, SpongeBob, and more. Prime Instant Video also includes
shows from Amazon Studios, the original TV production arm of Amazon,
such as Alpha House from Pulitzer-Prize winner Garry Trudeau and
starring John Goodman, which debuted last year and quickly became the
most watched show on Amazon since its release. Alpha House is now
in production for its second season, and Amazon recently greenlighted
six new shows, including The After, Bosch, Mozart in the Jungle,
and Transparent, which will be available starting later this year.
The Largest Selection of Videos for Rent or Purchase
Rent or purchase over 200,000 movies and TV episodes from Amazon Instant
Video, which has the world’s largest selection of videos to rent or buy,
including new releases and blockbusters. Amazon is the only nationwide
video service that offers rental and purchase, as well as a subscription
streaming service, so you can find everything you want in one
place—catch up on past seasons of popular TV shows with Prime Instant
Video before purchasing the most recent episode of the show as it’s
released.
Find the Lowest Price—Even if it’s Not from Amazon
Just like on Amazon.com, Fire TV integrates viewing options on a single
page so you can always choose the lowest price. This is available
starting with Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, and Prime Instant Video,
and will expand to other content providers so you’ll see all of your
options in one place.
ASAP
You shouldn’t have to wait 10 seconds for a video to buffer after you
press “Play”—it should start immediately. Based on your Watchlist and
recommendations, the new ASAP (Advanced Streaming and Prediction)
feature predicts which movies and TV episodes you’ll want to watch and
prepares them for playback before you even hit play. This feature is
smart—it is personalized based on your viewing habits and adapts as
those habits change. The caching predictions get better over time, so
ASAP will continuously improve as you use Fire TV.
Fling TV Shows and Movies with Second Screen
Fling Amazon TV shows and movies from your phone or tablet to your Fire
TV using Second Screen. This turns your TV into the primary screen and
frees up your phone or tablet to provide playback controls, a customized
display for X-Ray, or simply a place to email, browse the web, and more,
while you watch a movie. Second Screen is available on Kindle Fire HDX
and will be available later this year from your iPhone or iPad. You can
also wirelessly mirror your tablet display to your Fire TV with Kindle
Fire, as well as other Miracast-enabled phones or tablets starting later
this year. Fire TV supports standards like DIAL, so app developers can
enable multi-screen experiences based on open technologies.
X-Ray for Movies and TV Shows, Powered by IMDb
Using Second Screen on your Fire HDX and later this year on your iPhone
or iPad, you can see X-Ray information as your movie or TV show plays on
Fire TV. With X-Ray you can see information about cast and crew, the
names of songs as they play, as well as a list of all music in the movie
or TV show, trivia items in context with the action on the screen, and
character backstories so you can easily remind yourself of the
character’s history. X-Ray is exclusive to Amazon and is powered by IMDb.
Amazon FreeTime—Revolutionary Parental Controls
Now you don’t have to worry about what your kids are watching on the
TV—with FreeTime, a parent creates profiles for each child and selects
the content they can see. Parents can create time limits based on type
of content or time of day. When in FreeTime, the background color and
fonts change to a kid-friendly design. Kids only see titles that have
been selected by their parents for them, and those who can’t yet read
can navigate visually to content based on favorite characters or
topics—for example “Dora the Explorer,” “Princesses,” or “Thomas and
Friends.” Parents who have already set up profiles and approved content
on Kindle Fire tablets will find the settings are automatically
synchronized on Fire TV, making it simple and seamless to get started.
Customers who subscribe to FreeTime Unlimited—Amazon’s all-you-can-eat
content subscription designed just for kids ages 3 to 8—will get
unlimited access to thousands of movies and TV shows. FreeTime Unlimited
is available for Prime members to enjoy for a monthly price of $2.99 per
child or $6.99 per family. Customers who are not yet Prime members can
subscribe to FreeTime Unlimited for a monthly price of $4.99 per child
or $9.99 per family. Amazon FreeTime and FreeTime Unlimited will be
available on Fire TV starting next month.
Your Photos on the Big Screen
Fire TV makes it easy to view your photos and personal videos on your
TV. You can set up and play slide shows, find specific photos, and
choose your favorite album for the screen-saver on Fire TV. Photos or
videos you take on your phone or tablet can be automatically uploaded to
Amazon Cloud Drive, so they appear on your Fire TV within seconds.
Music in Your Living Room
Music from Pandora, Amazon MP3, iHeartRadio, and More
With Fire TV, you can listen to music from popular streaming services
like Pandora, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn, and watch music videos from VEVO.
Starting next month, you can also listen to your full collection of
music through Amazon Cloud Player. Simply upload your music or purchase
from Amazon and it will be stored automatically in your Cloud Player and
available on Fire TV as well as on your phone or tablet.
X-Ray for Music
Lyrics display and scroll line-by-line automatically as the song plays,
so you can follow along with songs. X-Ray for Music will be available
starting next month.
Bonus—Great Games at Low Prices
Games from Top Developers
Amazon worked with game developers like EA, Disney, Gameloft, Ubisoft,
Telltale, Mojang, 2K, and Sega to bring their games to Fire TV. Games
available starting today include customer favorites like Minecraft,
Monsters University, The Game of Life, The Walking Dead, NBA2K14,
Asphalt 8, Riptide GP2, Despicable Me: Minion Rush, and more. Over
100 games are available starting today and optimized for Fire TV, with
thousands of additional games coming next month with the Fire TV app,
which brings controls for touch-enabled games. These are great games for
such a small box and at such surprisingly low prices—the average price
of paid games is $1.85.
Fire TV also comes with access to Sev Zero, a new game built exclusively
for Fire TV by Amazon Game Studios. Sev Zero is $6.99 and is available
for free when you purchase the Fire game controller. Learn more: www.amazon.com/pr/SevZero.
Fire TV runs the latest version of Fire OS “Mojito,” which is based on
Android, so it’s simple for developers to port their services and games
over to Fire TV.
Choose How to Play—Remote, Game Controller, or App
In addition to using the Fire TV remote and the Fire TV app available
starting next month, you can also choose the Amazon Fire game
controller, which enables more high-intensity and complex gaming with
dual analog sticks and a complete assortment of controls. Simple and
comfortable to use for hours, the Fire game controller pairs with Fire
TV via Bluetooth. The Fire game controller also intelligently manages
power by automatically going to sleep when not in use, and waking at a
touch of a button, so you get up to 55 hours of gaming on a pair of AA
batteries. You can pair multiple game controllers with a Fire TV so the
whole family can play together in the same room. The integrated
GameCircle button gives you instant access to leaderboards, achievements
and friends with a simple touch of a button from any GameCircle enabled
game. The Fire game controller can also be used as a remote, with fast
forward, rewind, play and pause, so you can control all your movies and
music on Fire TV. The Fire game controller is available today for
$39.99, and comes with a free copy of Sev Zero and 1,000 Amazon Coins (a
$10 value) for purchasing games.
The Features You Expect from Amazon
Fire TV is not a gadget—it’s a seamlessly integrated service that brings
together the features customers expect from Amazon, including:
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Whispersync—Amazon’s Whispersync technology saves and
synchronizes your video and music library across all of your devices.
Start watching a movie on your Kindle Fire or iPhone, and when you get
home, pick up where you left off on your Fire TV. For games that
support Whispersync, your place in the game will also sync across
devices so you can always pick up where you left off.
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Watch on over 300 devices—When you buy a movie or TV show on
Amazon, you can watch it on over 300 devices.
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Worry-Free Archive—Automatically backs up your Amazon digital
content in the cloud so you never need to worry about losing your
collection.
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Top-Rated, World-Class Customer Service—When a customer shops
on Amazon, buys a Fire TV, or buys digital content from Amazon, they
know that they are also getting Amazon’s world class customer service.
Customers with a Kindle Fire HDX can also use the Mayday button to
receive free, live, on-device tech support.
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Free Month of Amazon Prime—Amazon continues to invest hundreds
of millions of dollars to bring Prime members new movies, TV shows,
and books to enjoy at no additional cost. Prime members enjoy
unlimited, commercial-free, instant streaming of tens of thousands of
movies and TV episodes with Prime Instant Video. Eligible customers
get a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime when they purchase Fire TV.
Pricing & Availability
Fire TV is available starting today for just $99—order at www.amazon.com/Fire
TV.
Eligible customers get a free 30-day trial of Netflix and Amazon Prime
when they purchase Fire TV.
Images of Fire TV are available at www.amazon.com/pr/devicesandcontent.
About Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle,
opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth’s
Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth’s most
customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything
they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the
lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of
unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books;
Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home
& Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health &
Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web
Services provides Amazon’s developer customers with access to
in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon’s own back-end
technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any
type of business. Amazon Fire TV is a tiny box that plugs into your HDTV
for easy and instant access to Netflix, Prime Instant Video, Hulu Plus,
WatchESPN, SHOWTIME, low-cost video rentals, and much more. Kindle
Paperwhite is the world’s best-selling and most advanced e-reader. It
features new display technology with higher contrast, the next
generation built-in light, a faster processor, the latest touch
technology, and exclusive new features designed from the ground up for
readers. Kindle, the lightest and smallest Kindle, features improved
fonts and faster page turns. The new Kindle Fire HDX features a stunning
exclusive 7” or 8.9” HDX display, a quad-core 2.2 GHz processor, 2x more
memory, and 11 hours of battery life, as well as exclusive new features
of Fire OS 3.0 including X-Ray for Music, Second Screen, Prime Instant
Video downloads, and the revolutionary new Mayday button. The all-new
Kindle Fire HD includes an HD display, high-performance processor and
dual speakers at a breakthrough price.
Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com,
www.amazon.co.uk,
www.amazon.de,
www.amazon.co.jp,
www.amazon.fr,
www.amazon.ca,
www.amazon.cn,
www.amazon.it,
www.amazon.es,
www.amazon.com.br,
www.amazon.in,
www.amazon.com.mx,
and www.amazon.com.au.
As used herein, “Amazon.com,” “we,” “our” and similar terms include
Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates
otherwise.
Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning
of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly
from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve
risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to
competition, management of growth, new products, services and
technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international
expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment and
data center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements,
acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system
interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments
and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect
Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual
Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.
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