Amazon is pushing a new software update to the 3rd-gen Fire TV Cube that should make video and audiophiles happy. Software version 7.6.1.3 (PS7613/3686) is currently rolling out to devices with improvements to the Super Resolution Upscaling feature that should make non-4K content look even sharper. The update is also adding a feature that has long been requested by surround sound enthusiasts, which is support for DTS, DTS-HD, and Dolby True HD audio passthrough. Read more ›
Earlier this year, YouTube TV added support for 5.1 surround sound to the latest Fire TV Stick models, including the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, 3rd-gen Fire TV Stick, and Fire TV Stick Lite. YouTube TV has now announced the expansion of 5.1 audio support to more Fire TV models, as spotted by Digital Trends. The list of supported devices now includes the the Fire TV Stick 4K and the Fire TV Cube, as well as the Apple TV. YouTube TV did not specify which Fire TV Cube model, 1st or 2nd Gen, is now supported, so I assume it is both. It also lists “Fire TV Stick with 4K Ultra HD” as supported, but that doesn’t really correlate to an actual Fire TV model, since both 4K-capable Fire TV Sticks are already explicitly included in the list of compatible devices, so it’s unclear what that means. Also unclear is if older Fire TV Stick models, like the 2nd-gen Fire TV Stick, are also supported.
YouTube TV, the paid streaming TV service, has announced that 5.1 surround sound audio is finally supported on more devices, via The Verge. Smart TVs from Samsung, LG, and Vizio, as well as the traditional remote-less Chromecast have supported 5.1 audio for a while but now Google is adding support for Google TV devices, like the 2020 Chromecast with Google TV, Android TV devices, like the Nvidia Shield TV, and select Roku devices. Devices that don’t yet include 5.1 audio support are all Fire TVs, Apple TVs, PlayStation, and Xbox. Google says that it is “still working internally and with partners” to add 5.1 audio support to more devices, so there’s still hope for it coming to more devices.
6/23/22 Amazon has stated that YouTube TV 5.1 surround sound is now supported on the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, Fire TV Stick, and Fire TV Stick Lite.
Much like what was just announced for the Omni and 4-Series Fire TV Smart TVs, Amazon has announced that the Fire TV Stick 4K Max will be gaining support for Alexa Home Theater groups this month. This allows audio from the Firestick to be sent wirelessly to compatible Echo devices for a better home theater audio experience than your TV’s speakers can provide. However, when the feature arrives on the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, it also comes with an extra capability that allows you to hear not only the Firestick’s audio through Echo speakers, but the audio of all of your home theater devices, like cable boxes, game systems, and Blu-ray players. Read more ›
Yesterday’s premiere of Amazon’s latest original series, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, marked the arrival of the first Prime Video content to support Dolby Atmos surround sound. Some Fire TV owners eager to finally fully utilize their advanced home theater audio equipment have been perplexed to find that the new TV series isn’t lighting up the Dolby Atmos indicator on their A/V receiver. That’s because Dolby Atmos is not automatically enabled, like other surround sound formats, and must be manually selected. Read more ›
Tablo has announced that a new 2.2.22 firmware update is rolling out to their line of OTA DVRs. This new update fixes the video stuttering issue that some Fire TV Cube and Fire TV 3 devices have been experiencing. It also adds support for Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound audio (aka AC3). Read more ›
@AFTVnews
AFTVnews