Amazon announced a raft of new products at its launch event earlier this week, including the Fire TV Recast, a box that connects to a US digital antenna, providing the ability to watch and record live TV and stream to other devices, either via the user’s home network or capable cellular networks.
The device comes with an app that enables the user to locate the most optimal position for picking up the best reception from the antenna. The Fire TV Recast allows for the separation of recording and viewing — great for users who want to watch TV away from an area with a decent signal.
The Fire TV Recast can stream to a range of devices, including other Fire TV hardware and the Echo Show smart hub, as well as iOS and Android smartphones and tablets via a companion app. Recast is available in two models: one that can stream to up to two devices at once and a more expensive version that provides up to four simultaneous streams.
Other Fire TV devices will recognise any Recasts connected to the same network and adjust their user interface accordingly, displaying a new DVR menu, where users can access their recordings, and a channel guide to see what’s currently broadcasting on available channels.
The standard Fire TV Recast is priced at $230 for two streams and 500GB of storage or $270 for four streams and 1TB storage. Pre-orders are open now, and Amazon has said that devices will ship in time for the holiday season.
The Echo Show, Amazon’s smart speaker with a screen, is also getting an update, also priced at $230. The device features a 10″ display, twice the size of its predecessor, eight microphones and Dolby audio processing, plus it now supports third-party apps including Skype and Firefox.
Additionally, the company announced:
- An updated Echo Dot with a 75% louder speaker.
- Echo Auto, which brings the Alexa voice assistant into users’ cars.
- The Echo Sub speaker, which can be paired with multiple Echos to create a sound system. ($130)
- The Ring Stick Up Camera, a 1080p Alexa voice-controlled, motion-detecting camera with night-vision and a siren, for indoor or outdoor use. ($180)
- A redesigned Echo Plus smart hub that can function offline. ($150)
- The Echo Link, which plugs into audio receivers to enable the connection of wireless speakers, and the Echo Link Amp, which does the same thing but also features a built-in 60-watt, two-channel amplifier.
- Plus a range of smart home devices, including a wall clock, a smart plug and… a microwave.
