Amazon has added a new Audio and Video Diagnostics tool to Fire TV devices. The utility will detect the capabilities of your TV, soundbar, and/or AV receiver and report whether your current Fire TV settings are best suited for your home theater equipment’s capabilities. Read more ›
Amazon’s Fire TV interface is constantly striving to help you find something interesting to watch, but one thing that has always been missing is an easy way to determine if the content being recommended is free to you or if a purchase/subscription is required. That has finally changed because Amazon has added new, very obvious, indicators across the Fire TV interface that let you know which movies and TV shows can be viewed immediately, without needing to pay, subscribe, or install anything. Better yet, these indicators are aware of which apps you have installed, which services you’re subscribed to, and adjust accordingly. Read more ›
Amazon is rolling out new software updates to Fire TVs and Firesticks that add a capability customers have been wanting for a very long time. It is finally possible to lower and raise the volume of Bluetooth audio devices, such as Bluetooth ear pods and Bluetooth soundbars, using the volume buttons on the Fire TV’s remote. Fire TV devices gained the ability to connect audio over Bluetooth in 2015, but the feature has been crippled by the inability to adjust the volume unless the Bluetooth device itself had built-in volume controls. That shortcoming is finally being addressed with the latest Fire TV software update. Read more ›
Amazon has added a new “text Banner” vision accessibility feature to Fire TV devices to help those with “vision impairments or a limited field of view” more easily navigate the device’s interface. The new feature places a highly customizable banner on the screen with a text description of what on-screen element is currently highlighted or selected. Read more ›
The all-new Amazon Echo Show is being released today but owners of the 1st generation Echo Show are receiving a software update that adds many of the new model’s features to their existing devices. In addition to an overall system-wide refresh of the interface, the new update has added both the Amazon Silk and Firefox web browsers which, most notably, restores access to YouTube on the Echo Show. Also being added is a new smart home dashboard that gives quick touch access to smart lights and Alexa routines. Echo Shows can now also stream NBC and Hulu programming. Read more ›
Amazon has started rolling out a new optional Alexa feature, called Alexa Hunches, that allows the voice assistant to make suggestions about the current state of your smart home devices. For example, if you say “Good night” and you’ve forgotten to turn off a smart light that is usually off at night, Alexa will alert you and offer to turn the light off. If you say “Set alarm” on your way out and your backdoor smart lock is unlocked, Alexa will let you know. Read more ›
One of the standout features of the Amazon Fire TV Cube is its ability to act as a universal remote by letting you control your home theater equipment using your voice. Much of that relies on the Fire TV Cube’s ability to change your TV’s input. The new 6.2.2.4 software update that is currently rolling out to Fire TV Cubes has expanded the device’s input changing capabilities to include TVs that cannot directly switch to a specific input, such as those that use an on-screen menu for input switching. Read more ›
The new 6.2.2.4 software update rolling out to the Amazon Fire TV Cube has added a pair of new advanced audio options that allow customers to configure volume levels to their taste. A “Volume Leveler” option will keep volume levels consistent across content and apps, while a “Dialogue Enhancer” option will boost vocals to make it easier to understand dialogue. Read more ›
Amazon has added a new option to the Alexa app that allows you to select your specific TV provider. Doing so enables Alexa to answer questions about your TV service. Questions about TV shows or networks will include times and channels that are available on your specific TV provider. Read more ›
The biggest new feature brought on by the new 6.2.5.3 software update, that rolled out to the Amazon Fire TV 3 earlier this month, is the highly requested ability to match the device’s refresh rate to the content’s frame rate. That’s not the only new feature because the update has also added the ability to configure the device to use a Network Proxy. The new options are located in the Fire TV’s hidden developer menu. Read more ›
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