Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K receives first software update since launch with audio fixes and improved DVR options

Posted by Elias Saba on — 63 Comments

A new software update is currently rolling out for the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K. This is the first updated the new streamer has received since it launched a month and a half ago. The update brings the operating system up to version 6.2.5.8, which is the same version that the Fire TV Cube recently received, but the Fire TV Stick 4K has a slightly different build value of NS6258/1604. Amazon has not yet said anything about this update, but several customers are reporting that it has fixed an audio dropout issue that they were experiencing with the Fire TV Stick 4K. The update also modifies the Fire TV Recast menus slightly to make it easier to manage DVR settings and recorded content. Read more ›

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Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Teardown reveals Dual Antenna “Bricks” and Thick Metal Heatsinks

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My hardware comparison of the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K gives you an idea of how much Amazon’s streaming sticks have grown over the years. What it doesn’t reveal is how much they’ve changed under their unassuming black plastic housing. I cracked open one of the 4K Firesticks and was surprised to find that it’s nearly covered from head to toe in thick metal heat sinks on both sides. The teardown also gives us a look at the hardware behind the antenna technology that Amazon invented for their new compact media player. Read more ›

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Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K supports external USB drives and USB peripherals via an OTG cable

Posted by Elias Saba on — 47 Comments

The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K doesn’t officially support connecting anything to it except Amazon’s Fire TV Ethernet Adapter, but, using an inexpensive OTG cable it’s possible to use USB peripherals, such as keyboards and wired gamepads, as well as external USB drives. The support for USB drives, in particular, isn’t as thorough as the Fire TV Cube, which does officially support external storage, but it’s much better than the Fire TV 3 (pendant), which the Fire TV Stick 4K has replaced, so it’s a step in the right direction. Read more ›

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Kodi, Downloader, and APK Sideloading work just fine on the new Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K

Posted by Elias Saba on — 15 Comments

For those who want explicit confirmation, the new Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K has not made any changes regarding to installing 3rd-party apps. You can sideload APKs in the exact same way as with any other Fire TV model. My Downloader app works on the new Fire TV Stick 4K and the same developer options, which let you allow apps from unknown sources, are present on the device. Kodi, the most popular app to sideload, works as expected and the Kodi icon appears on the home screen in both the Recent and App rows. To install the latest stable version of Kodi, enter bit.ly/kodi176 into the URL field in my Downloader app, or enter bit.ly/kodi18beta4 for the latest v18 Beta 4 version of Kodi.

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Fire TV Stick 4K Benchmarks — The most powerful streaming device in Amazon’s lineup

Posted by Elias Saba on — 76 Comments

The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K has been released and what people want to know most is how powerful it is compared to previous Fire TV and Fire TV Stick models. I tested the Fire TV Stick 4K and all other Fire TV models with several popular benchmarking tools and have learned that it’s easily the most powerful streaming device in Amazon’s current lineup. Here are the results. Read more ›

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Physical Overview and Comparison of the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K and new Alexa Voice Remote

Posted by Elias Saba on — 19 Comments

The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K has been released today. Before digging into the performance of the new streaming device, here’s a comparison of how it physically stacks up against previous Fire TV Sticks as well as a look at what comes with the Fire TV Stick 4K. Of course, one of the items included is the new Alexa Voice Remote, which now includes power and volume buttons for the first time, so here’s a comparison of the new and old remotes as well. Read more ›

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Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K is arriving early for some customers

Posted by Elias Saba on — 25 Comments

The all-new Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K will officially be released tomorrow but some customers have already received their pre-orders early. AFTVnews reader Mike M. is one of those lucky customers and big thanks to him for providing these photos that give us our first look at the new box. Let me know in the comments below what questions you have about the new Fire TV Stick 4K and I’ll do my best to answer them once my pre-orders arrive. Read more ›

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Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K will support hardware 1080i deinterlacing for OTA tuners

Posted by Elias Saba on — 21 Comments

A feature that is too often neglected by streaming media players is the ability to deinterlace 1080i video on the hardware level. This is an important capability for people with over-the-air tuners, like an HDHomeRun, that watch broadcast channels on their streaming media players. If you’re one of those people and are interested in the new Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K, rest assured because the new device does support hardware accelerated MPEG-2 video for smooth 1080i viewing at up to 60 fps. Read more ›

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Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K will support Video Frame Rate Matching

Posted by Elias Saba on — 33 Comments

The newly announced Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K has replaced the 3rd-gen Fire TV (pendant) in Amazon’s Fire TV lineup by seemingly being better than it in almost every way. However, one highly sought after feature by home theater enthusiasts, that is currently uniquely available on only the Fire TV 3, is Video Frame Rate Matching. This is the feature, that arrived in a recent update, that allows the Fire TV to adjust the TVs refresh rate to match the frame rate of the video people played, resulting in perfect one-to-one picture syncing. The good news is that Amazon has confirmed to me that Frame Rate Matching will be available on the new Fire TV stick 4K. Read more ›

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Amazon announces Fire TV Stick 4K with new Alexa Voice Remote, equipment control capabilities, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and HDR10+

Posted by Elias Saba on — 148 Comments

Amazon has just announced a new Fire TV Stick 4K for $49.99 with support for 2160p Ultra HD video. The Fire TV Stick 4K is the first streaming device ever to support all three major high dynamic range standards, which are Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HDR10+, as well as Dolby Atmos surround sound audio, making it the most future-proof streaming device on the market. As if that weren’t impressive enough, the Fire TV Stick 4K comes with an all-new Alexa voice remote that finally has built-in power, volume, and mute buttons to directly control your TV and audio equipment. The new remote, which will be sold separately for $29.99 and is backward compatible with older Fire TV and Fire TV Stick models, also has the same exact universal remote capabilities as the Fire TV Cube, so that you can use Alexa to control home theater equipment, switch inputs, and tune to channels on your cable box. Read more ›

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