Amazon Unveils Fire TV Set-Top Box

SEATTLE: Amazon is launching a new video streaming device, Fire TV, which provides access to a bevy of content providers, including Netflix, Prime Instant Video, Hulu Plus, WatchESPN, Showtime, low-cost video rentals and more.

Fire TV is available for $99 and features 2 gigs of RAM, wifi, a Bluetooth remote and access to an array of streaming content. The box plugs directly into a TV and runs on an open Android system. It comes preloaded with apps such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, Crackle and more. Users can either rent or buy shows directly from the menu.

The device also has a voice-search feature, allowing users to speak the name of a movie, TV show, actor, director or genre directly into the remote. There’s an exclusive feature called ASAP (Advanced Streaming and Prediction), which predicts the movies and TV episodes you’ll want to watch and buffers them for playback before you hit start.

“Tiny box, huge specs, tons of content, incredible price—people are going to love Fire TV,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com’s founder and CEO. “Voice search that actually works means no more typing on an alphabet grid. Our exclusive new ASAP feature predicts the shows you’ll want to watch and gets them ready to stream instantly. And our open approach gives you not just Amazon Instant Video and Prime Instant Video, but also Netflix, Hulu Plus and more. On Fire TV you can watch Alpha House and House of Cards.”