First of all, if you've never owned a set-top box, I guess the best way to to describe its use is to say that they deliver streaming video content to your TV. You may already be using your smart TV, smart Blu-ray player and/or video game consoles to deliver your Netflix, Amazon Prime and/or other streaming content to your television. A set-top box is an alternative to that, and possibly a better one depending on the interface and speed/quality that your current set-up is offering. And each set-top box seems to come with their own set of additional features beyond streaming videos, like the MP3 and image streaming that Fire TV offers, for example. A set-top box will require a wifi connection to access that online content you're trying to send to your TV, but as it's hooked up to your home network, you might also get home-sharing capabilities, depending on the device. As is the case with a tablet or a smart phone, which one to get and whether or not you really need it probably depends a lot on what you'd be using it for.
Online retailer Amazon today unveiled the Amazon Fire TV, a set-top box featuring streaming video, music, and video games. The Fire TV connects to HDTVs and streams media of all kinds, including Amazon Instant Video and music from Pandora. Video games can also be played via the Fire TV with the help of a special controller that is sold separately.
Amazon’s New \"TV Set-Top Box\" for Streaming Videos
For years Amazon has been selling its Fire TV set-top box as an alternative to devices such as the Apple TV and Roku that deliver video streaming, music and games. The latest version of Fire TV with 4K Ultra HD, might be its best yet. The $70 device supports all of the apps and services that its predecessors offered, but comes with support for the highest video resolution available. With the Alexa digital assistant included, the Fire TV can be used to smart home systems as well as video and music. But there might still be some who question whether it can compete with Apple TV and similar products. Check out this slide show to learn about the key features in this new edition of Fire TV.
Amazon on Thursday launched the Fling software toolkit, which allows developers to make photos, music, or videos running on their Android, iOS, or FireOS apps sharable with Amazon's Fire TV set-top box.
Amazon's Fire TV set-top box offers a wide range of applications, allowing users to do everything from watch programming to play games on their televisions. The device, which retails for $99, is similar to other set-top boxes, including the Apple TV and a line of devices from Roku. It offers users access to popular video-streaming apps like Netflix and HBO Go, and has added more apps as time has gone on.
In order to help boost its newcomer streaming service, Apple initially offered a free year of the service to anyone who recently purchased an Apple device. This includes iPhones, iPads, Macs, iPods, and Apple TV set-top boxes. 2ff7e9595c
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