Amazon and Best Buy. Two companies I shop at all the time, but two companies that I never thought would partner up. The two technology giants are teaming up to offer the Fire TV Edition, which will be a line of TVs from Toshiba and Insignia that have Fire TV and Alexa built-in. More below.
These TVs will be 4K and feature over-the-air capabilities. The really unique thing here, in my opinion, is that you’ll be able to use Alexa to control over-the-air broadcast TV. Amazon says that you can “Connect any HD antenna and instantly use Alexa to search for and watch broadcast TV, or choose from a vast catalog of streaming TV episodes and movies from Netflix, Prime Video, HBO, PlayStation Vue, Hulu, and many more.”
Fire TV Editions will come with Voice Remotes that also have Alexa capabilities piggybacking off of the TV’s processing power. This also means that Fire TV Editions can function as smart home hubs, according to the press release issued this morning.
You’ll also be able to control these new TVs through Alexa, using your dedicated Echo device. This means, even if you lose the remote, you can still change channels, pause, rewind, and start new shows with ease.
Through Alexa, these TVs are set to “always improve” over time. This will happen as Alexa and Fire TV both receive constant updates from Amazon.
This is particularly awesome because too often we see smart TVs abandoned by their manufacturer, never to receive updates again. With Amazon’s dedicated Fire TV backing these TVs, you know that content will be arriving for years to come.
I’m particularly excited about these TVs because it’s another extension of the smart home ecosystem that seems to be taking over lately. By giving people an entry into smart homes through their TV, this is a great opportunity to expose the masses to the benefits of smart devices.
My entire office (and soon to be home) can be controlled by Alexa. From lights to audio speakers, switches, and more, I love being able to control my home with my voice. Giving people the ability to do that without buying another dedicated speaker is a great opportunity, in my opinion.
This unique TV line will be exclusive to Amazon and Best Buy. Fire TV Editions are slated to be on the market this summer, with more models coming in later 2018. These TVs will be available from Best Buy stores, Best Buy’s website, and for the first time ever, Best Buy as a third-party retailer on Amazon.
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