Amazon launches Amazon FireTV - “Customers shouldn’t have to tolerate laggy performance anymore”
Amazon has launched Amazon FireTV, a set-top box for streaming media.
Peter Larsen, vice president of the company's Kindle division, made the announcement at a press conference in New York, stating: "This thing is tiny. It's incredibly powerful, and it's unbelievably simple.”
FireTV has a quad-core processor, 1080p content and Dolby Digital+ Surround Sound. Amazon has said that it has three times the performance and power of Apple TV, Roku 3, and Chromecast.
Larsen is also promoting the fact that FireTV has 2GB of RAM so “everything starts more quickly”.
This comes after he lambasted the slow performance of rivals, pointing out a spinning wheel during loading on Apple TV. “Customers shouldn’t have to tolerate laggy performance anymore,” he tutted.
According to Jordan Crook from TechCrunch, all your Amazon content is already available and ready to watch once you set it up, perhaps suggesting that it will be linked to the Amazon Instant Video system already in place from when Amazon bought over Lovefilm.
FireTV is set to include a feature called ASAP, while will see shows play instantly after you click to watch the show. Currently, there is a 15 second load screen on Amazon Instant Video.
As well as this, however, it is hinted that users can watch Netflix, Pandora, Hulu+, Showtime, MLB, NBA and Watch ESPN through the device. Crook suggests that new partners are also set to be announced soon, adding in his live blog: “You can buy a show from Amazon Instant Video, or watch for free on Hulu+. In other words, they offer lowest cost option to watch a show on your FireTV.”