Now that more details about the new 2018 2nd-generation Fire TV Edition televisions by Toshiba have been revealed and the TVs are available for pre-order, here’s a look at how they stack up against last years Fire TV Edition televisions by Element. The new TVs are about 27% cheaper than the TVs they’re replacing. While the two versions are very similar in many aspects, a few things have been cut in order to reduce the price by more than a quarter. Here’s a detailed look at each TVs specs and features.
Better specs are marked in bold text.
 2017 1st-Gen Element Fire TV Edition |  2018 2nd-Gen Toshiba Fire TV Edition | |
| Price | 43-in: $449.99 50-in: $549.99 55-in: $649.99 65-in: $899.99 | 43-in: $329.99 50-in: $399.99 55-in: $479.99 |
| CPU | MStar T1 938 Quad-Core up to 1.4 Ghz | MStar T12 Quad-Core up to 1.4 Ghz |
| GPU | ARM Mali-T820 MP3 (~25% more powerful than MP2) | ARM Mali-T820 MP2 |
| Memory | 3 GB | 2 GB |
| Storage | 16 GB | 8 GB |
| Ethernet | 10/100/1000 Mbps | 10/100 Mbps |
| Wifi | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2x2 MIMO | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2x2 MIMO |
| Bluetooth | 4.1 | 4.2 |
| HDMI | 4 Ports (1 with ARC) | 3 Ports (1 with ARC) |
| Analog Video | 1 x Composite/Component | 1 x Composite |
| Audio Out | 1 x Optical Aduio 1 x 3.5mm Headphone | 1 x Optical Aduio 1 x 3.5mm Headphone |
| USB | 1 x USB 2.0 1 x USB 3.0 | 1 x USB 2.0 |
| Expandable Storage | 1 x SD Card Slot up to 128 GB | No |
| OS | Fire OS 5 Based on Android 5.1 | Fire OS 6 Based on Android 7.1 |
| Resolution | 3840 x 2160 | 3840 x 2160 |
| HDR | No | HDR10 support* |
| Video Formats | H.265 HEVC: 3840x2160p @ 60fps Main/Main10 Profiles Level 5.1 High Tier H.264: 3840x2160p @ 60fps Main/High Profiles Level 5.1 H.263: 1920x1080p @ 60fps VP8: 1920x1080p @ 30fps VP9: 3840x2160p @ 60fps MPEG2: 1920x1080p @ 60fps MPEG4: 1920x1080p @ 30fps | H.265 HEVC: 3840x2160p @ 60fps Main/Main10 Profiles Level 5.1 Main Tier H.264: 3840x2160p @ 30fps Main/High Profiles Level 5.0 H.263: 1920x1080p @ 60fps VP8: 1920x1080p @ 60fps VP9: 3840x2160p @ 60fps MPEG2: 1920x1080p @ 60fps MPEG4: 1920x1080p @ 60fps |
| Audio Formats | Dolby Atmos: No Dolby Digital: Yes Dolby Digital Plus: Yes Dolby Passthrough: Yes | Dolby Atmos: No Dolby Digital: Yes Dolby Digital Plus: Yes Dolby Passthrough: Yes |
*HDR support for the 2018 Toshiba Fire TV Edition television is unclear. The hardware (SoC) can decode HDR video but it is unclear if the LCD panel is capable of displaying a true HDR image.
@AFTVnews
AFTVnews
Had to make some cuts to get to the lower price point and compete with TCL/Roku. HDR will make or break these sets though. If they don’t have it, they could be dead in the water.
That’s a poor excuse though and the race the bottom hurts us all. Toshiba gutted on tech, storage and ram which costs very little and hurts the final product. If Fire Tv = Fire OS shoved on the cheapest garbage Chinese SOC a vendor can find it only makes Amazon a botttom feeder. That’s basically how they have set themselves up. When you look at all the Smart TVs out there so far Fire TV means cheapest low end tech possible.
Amazon is making a massive mistake by not specing their own high end sets and slapping their name on them. The Amazon name has huge consumer confidence and value. Meanwhile brands like Toshiba and Element = cheap no expectations brands. They should be competing against LG and Samsung, their OS”s don’t begin to compare with what you can do with Fire OS.
I don’t know. From everything I see online it seems like people are buying those cheap Roku TCLs like crazy. Hell, I even bought one. It is a nice TV besides the fact that the HDR on it is worthless from what I have seen (and Consumer Reports said the same).
Anyway, nothing is stopping you from buying a Samsung and adding a FTV to it.
If you got last years TCL P series or this years 6 series its arguably the best value for a TV and certainly has HDR.
Much much better than of these TVs. Also Consumer Reports is a terrible place to review TVs.
I got a TCL 49S403, and as Cons Rpts says, the HDR is “ineffective”. I notice no difference.
The 4 series don;t have HDR. It can accept a signal, but can’t do anything with it. It doesn’t have WCG nor get bright enough for HDR.
The TCL P(2017) and 6(2018) Series does have all of that and is the TV that everyone is going crazy for. The other TCLs are just decent TVs for the money.
I have an S, and they were marketed as having HDR. And according to the reviews, they do, it’s just not good.
https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/tcl/s-series-4k-2017-s405
I second what clocks had mentioned. I own the TCL (S Series) 55S405 TV, and yest it was marketed as having HDR.
OH damn, read that wrong, yes the S series, but everything else is the same as far as no WCG nor bright enough so its faux HDR.
Yep, the HDR on this set is pretty worthless from what I have seen. It was a waste of an upgrade, as the 1080p Sony I gave away had a better picture than this.
How would you compare a vizio 65 inch m series looking for under $1,000
Not even in the same ball park. The Vizio M series is so much better in just about every way.
The thing with TVs, is the tech is changing fast. Every couple years something new is coming out (3d, 4k, hdr, etc..) I personally don’t want to spend $2,000 on a TV that will be out of date 3 years later.
Is it just me or are some of the Specs reversed? I.E.
—————-tosh—-elm
Bluetooth 4.1 4.2
OS Fire OS 5 Fire OS 6
Based on Android 5.1 Based on Android 7.1
Element (2017) is on the left and Toshiba (2018) is on the right. Your confusion is my fault because I originally had them flipped in the main large image, which probably made you think that it was that way in the table. I’ve flipped the header image to match the table now.
I am sure this will sound like a stupid question but I’m asking anyway. Would a person be able to sideload Kodi directly into the TV?
We won’t know for sure until they actually ship, but there’s no reason to think that you won’t be able to install Kodi or sideload other apps.
Yes already did it
Yes, 2 weeks ago I installed Kodi on the 50″ 1st Generation, Element Fire TV Edition TV and it works perfectly. I was following the instructions in a tutorial that was posted in late October 2018 on HowToGeek.com. To be precise, since the question specified side-loading, I was able to successfully download the required files from the Internet directly into the TV using the built in web browser. The tutorial did mention that some people were having trouble with the download direct to TV method and included instructions for side-loading in that instance but I didn’t read or need them. I will say that the instructions that I followed, to download directly to the TV, were comprehensive and included screen-shots for all steps. It was laid out in the most easy to follow method with a shot of the screen for each step and a clear, brief sentence or two specifying exactly what to select and when. Apparently, the instructions had been altered from the original, published 3 months prior, in order to circumvent a problem some people had encountered. It was very easy and fast to install Kodi and there was never a moment that required the reader to make any decisions or know anything about the process. I use the TV as a computer monitor and I had another monitor I could use to scroll through instructions as I proceeded. Lacking that would have required that I print the tutorial in advance to follow along because more was involved than I could possibly have memorized. Printing it would have used a lot of ink because the color screen shots were a blessing I would not have wanted to do without. I could have done it just by following the text but it would have required more attention and thought than I could easily have mustered on that day. The combination of a short instruction accompanied by a screen shot ensured that it was an easily digested task that never became overwhelming. After reading how the 2nd generation Fire TV Editions TVs have had most specs downgraded I am really happy I bought to 1st generation. The TV is far from perfect particularly when it comes to displaying blacks but when the TV is paired with a nearby Echo speaker that is Alexa enabled (a 2nd gen Echo Dot in my case) it makes it into a completely hands free device including turning it on and off just with my voice and I can also use the TV to act as a monitor for Alexa enabled security cameras. Given how much Amazon charges for the Echo Show ($230), that only has a 10-inch screen, I was happy to learn I could use my 50-inch screen instead and that I can get additional 32-inch Fire TV Edition TVs to use as monitors around my home and they can be purchased for $129 ($99 during a recent sale) which is much better than paying more for less with the Echo Show. I only recently discovered that the various Echo Dots I have around the house can serve as an intercom system for room to room communication or together they can acted as a house-wide PA/announcement system. When I get more TVs installed it will become a video intercom system. With the Alexa app on my phone and soon an Echo Auto in my car I will be able to use the intercom/PA system when I am on the road, as well.
Less storage, less HDMI ports and Fast Ethernet. I am surprised they did not cut the 5ghz WiFi.
I would think at this stage of the game, folks would be looking for access to cloud storage to access media. The reduction of storage space and the inability to expand storage will be a deal breaker for many as will the lack of gigabit internet.
Advertising HDR without knowing if it will really be available is deceptive.
If it doesn’t have HDR, then I think most people would prefer the 1st gen TV unless Amazon bricks it.
Seems as all there new line product’s is a step down from what they were.
If you noticed, same is going on with the Fire TV boxes.
Remember, this is a Toshiba TV, not an Amazon TV. I don’t think Amazon had any say in the specs, apart from maybe a minimum requirement to run Fire OS well enough.
Seems like most manufacturers are chasing the lowest price, instead of the best specs. It sucks for enthusiasts like us, but that’s just the way the demand is going. The Fire TV Stick outsells the Fire TV by a lot, so it makes sense that cheaper TVs would do the same compared to high-end sets.
If the consumer knows about and understands HDR they will almost demand it in a new TV. However there are plenty of customers that only know 4K.
Thank you for the side-by-side comparison !!
I have the Element 50″ which I bought last Black Friday week.
I like what Amazon started out with and I like this TV.
The price was excellent at $299.
HDR is overrated !!! Mine is 4K and there really isn’t that much 4K content, so I’m not complaining about that.
I’m a big proponent of OTA/Antenna HD TV, so I like that Amazon put OTA and streaming together in ONE nice TV.
I was hopeful that Amazon would update me to OS6 though ,,, any chance of that happening ???
I love the pause/rewind/etc, but I want the DVR capability that OS6 supposedly has.
All in all people QUIT WHINING and expecting so much, for such a little price !! Appreciate value when you see it !!
Again, Thanks for all your ATVNews,
Tim :)
I’m just guessing, but I think the whiners are requesting a better specced model that also costs more. Better specs + higher price = still a good value
Go watch the 4K blu ray of Planet Earth II on an LG OLED and tell me again that HDR is “overrated”.
Is there anymore information on the Bestbuy’s Insignia FireTv editions that were rumored? There was a post on this site that said they planned to ditch the Roku OS for Fire OS.
No, no information yet. There are supposed to be 11 new Fire TV Edition televisions released this year. These Toshiba sets are 3 of them, so there are 8 left. I’m guessing that there will be two different Insignia models, with each coming in 4 sizes, like the 1st-gen Element TVs.
I would not be comfortable in the long run with one of these combo TV’s, so I just placed a pre-order for HP’s Chromebox G2 and won’t be looking back! (The $199 version and the G2 now supports android apps.)
Still lots of love for my Fire TV’s though…
In the developer docs about Fire OS 6 there was also a sentenced included which left room for a possible update for the older devices still running OS 5. I don’t remember the exact words but it said something like it’s still undecided wether the previous devices will uplevel to OS 6 or not. But now this sentence is gone. Instead there is some updated text that only says:
“Newer Fire TV devices run Android Nougat (Android 7.1.2, level 25). However, older Fire TV devices remain on Fire OS 5 (which is based on Lollipop, or Android 5.1, level 22, and some backported Marshmallow).”
Following a table that shows which device runs which OS. Including the just announced 2nd Gen Toshiba 4K TV sets.
https://developer.amazon.com/de/docs/fire-tv/fire-os-6.html#devices-running-fire-os-6-versus-fire-os-5
I think the fact that the previous sentence is gone and the way this this is written now is quite a clear hint that Amazon has decided against updating the old devices to OS 6.
Neither of these hits it right in enough categories to be a sure purchase. I would just buy the best TV you can afford, and then buy a Fire TV or stick.
Doing it that way would lose the ability to control everything including turning the TV on and off using voice commands alone and to continue using only voice commands to watch content using every input including live TV which can be controlled including changing channels and volume with your voice alone using a Fire TV Edition TV if it is paired with a simple Echo speaker like The Echo Dot. The full TVs are being sold, in reality vs the wishful-thinking of press releases, for so little that it often makes sense to just buy the television. I would say it depends on whether the many very useful capabilities offered with the full TV are a good trade-off for a TV screen that, compared to higher end sets, is mediocre. Keeping in mind that even with its shortcomings 20 years ago it would have had the most incredible picture anyone had ever seen. For me there isn’t a contest between the Fire TV Stick vs a Fire TV Edition TV because I have found the television offers amazing convenience and additional capabilies I have come to rely upon.
Like the improved audio and glad they kept the LAN port. Would like to know if remote will again be Bluetooth.
Disappointed in the reduction of inputs, one less HDMI and no component will be difficult to overcome with my current setup.
With the lack of SD card, will be curious to learn if this model will pause/rewind live TV as the previous did and if additional storage can be added to the USB port to extend recording time. Was really hoping the new model would have at least rudimentary DVR capability for scheduling a recording.
Yes, the Toshiba can pause live TV. Adding a thumb drive to the USB port will increase the amount of time you can pause live TV. The only thing lost from the last generation, as far as external storage goes, is the ability to store apps on external storage. There is no DVR capability.
What’s the size limit on the usb memory? I can’t fond a spec.
I was excited about this TV price point at first, but reading that it only has 8GB storage with no external storage options and lowering the LAN to 10/100 drops this model from consideration.
Why do you need gb ethernet on a streaming device?
Amazon is shooting themselves in the own foot, trying to downgrade the specs on the 2018 version just to lower the price
a question on these TVs, can you add the game control of mazon to play the video games ??