NEWS: Amazon unveils two new Fire TV Sticks

Thanks for the update - a bit annoyed as I just bought the current 4K version last week for £10 more !!!

You say the new version supports Atmos, but so does the version I have when watching through my 4K projector I get atmos on Disney titles and specific Amazon Prime titles. Does the new version do Atmos for everything or is it still restricted by the content providers and apps?
 
They support atmos in their hardware but don’t support it or Dolby vision on their prime tv service - why can’t the 2 parts of the business talk to each other
 
The 4K FireTV stick I have from 2019 supports both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Additionally it also supports HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG.

Have Amazon removed DolbyVision support from the latest FireTV hardware?

Amazon Prime only use HDR and HDR10+, but other services such as NetFlix work with DolbyVision (with the 2019 hardware).

Regards,
James.
 
Will probably be looking at the light version, I reckon, in our house. I'm becoming an increasing Amazon Prime video viewer on my Fire tablet but haven't taken the plunge yet with a Fire Stick.
 
The 4K FireTV stick I have from 2019 supports both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Additionally it also supports HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG.

Have Amazon removed DolbyVision support from the latest FireTV hardware?

Amazon Prime only use HDR and HDR10+, but other services such as NetFlix work with DolbyVision (with the 2019 hardware).

Regards,
James.
But does the new 4K stick do proper resolution/frame rate matching on all the apps or just Prime. The earlier 4K stick plays 4K content on Netflix and Disney+ at 1080p unless the resolution is manually set to 4K.
 
But does the new 4K stick do proper resolution/frame rate matching on all the apps or just Prime. The earlier 4K stick plays 4K content on Netflix and Disney+ at 1080p unless the resolution is manually set to 4K.

That is not my experience at all. I use my two FireTV sticks one with a Panasonic GZ950B OLED TV and one with a JVC RS440 projector, both automatically select 2160p correctly from NetFlix and Disney+.

The NetFlix App doesn’t support 24 Hz output for 24 FPS content, but the FireTV hardware does - it’s up to NetFlix to add support to their App,

Regards,
James.
 
FireTV stick is a good piece of kit for starters as you get most of the apps. However it doesn't do frame rate matching on non-prime apps and no Dolby Atmos support on Netflix and Apple TV apps.
 
In case it wasn't obvious by now, there is no new 4K version. The model listed on Amazon carries a release date of 2018.
 
I got the 4k stick in July, the netflix app is just awful and goes out of sync very often - have to pause and resume for it to re-sync, I wouldnt reccomend it, im thinking of trying the cube to see if thats any better
 
Very happy using 4K firesticks, except only 8K memory given I have so many downloaded apps. The cube has 16K and hopefully a new 4K stick will too.
 
Greetings Ladies and Gents! Not sure of this is this right place to post a query/conundrum.It is about Amazon Firesticks. I just purchased the latest 4K Firestick a couple of days ago, with the intention of plugging it into the front HDMI port of my OPPO105D Signature BD player, so that I could take advantage of the Amazon Prime Video on my Projector. The 105 has software built in to it for Netflix and Vudu but not Amazon. However,upon installing it, all I got was a quick "flash" of the word "Firestick" and that just then disappeared. Not amount of fiddling about would get it to display on screen as it should. I took it out and connected it to my 4K TV and up everything came for the preliminaries for configging it.It seemed to be working perfectly well.
I then went out to Mr Curry's and purchased the 1080 version of the Firestick, believing that perhaps the Oppo didnt recognise the stick because of a disparity of 4K vs 1080. The Oppo HDMI has ports that are "only" 1.4a and perhaps therein lies the answer. Having said that, a next door neighbour of mine,asked to "borrow" the 4K device to try it out on his TV, which is a non 4K. And guess what? Away it went perfectly! (which is what I expected to happen here) . It was at that point that I rushed out to get the HD 1080 version from a nearby Currys.
When that also failed to work, also just bringing up a very brief "flash" of the word "FiresticK',it had me really scratching my head. The Stick, surely is merely a another wi-fi signal source.Is it the fact I plugged it into a BD player that has prevented it from displaying properly, or is there another reason?
Does anyone have an answer, or better still, a solution around this infuriating conundrum? The Oppo BD player has a drop-down menu from which to select the source so it should be straightforward, except that there is some kind of incompatibility.

I would be grateful for any advice or suggestions, before I return the second device to Mr Curry,and in the meantime my neighbour has purchased the 4K from me!
Thank you, IP
 
Greetings Ladies and Gents! Not sure of this is this right place to post a query/conundrum.It is about Amazon Firesticks. I just purchased the latest 4K Firestick a couple of days ago, with the intention of plugging it into the front HDMI port of my OPPO105D Signature BD player, so that I could take advantage of the Amazon Prime Video on my Projector. The 105 has software built in to it for Netflix and Vudu but not Amazon. However,upon installing it, all I got was a quick "flash" of the word "Firestick" and that just then disappeared. Not amount of fiddling about would get it to display on screen as it should. I took it out and connected it to my 4K TV and up everything came for the preliminaries for configging it.It seemed to be working perfectly well.
I then went out to Mr Curry's and purchased the 1080 version of the Firestick, believing that perhaps the Oppo didnt recognise the stick because of a disparity of 4K vs 1080. The Oppo HDMI has ports that are "only" 1.4a and perhaps therein lies the answer. Having said that, a next door neighbour of mine,asked to "borrow" the 4K device to try it out on his TV, which is a non 4K. And guess what? Away it went perfectly! (which is what I expected to happen here) . It was at that point that I rushed out to get the HD 1080 version from a nearby Currys.
When that also failed to work, also just bringing up a very brief "flash" of the word "FiresticK',it had me really scratching my head. The Stick, surely is merely a another wi-fi signal source.Is it the fact I plugged it into a BD player that has prevented it from displaying properly, or is there another reason?
Does anyone have an answer, or better still, a solution around this infuriating conundrum? The Oppo BD player has a drop-down menu from which to select the source so it should be straightforward, except that there is some kind of incompatibility.

I would be grateful for any advice or suggestions, before I return the second device to Mr Curry,and in the meantime my neighbour has purchased the 4K from me!
Thank you, IP

I doubt what you're trying to do is possible. Whilst a USB mass-storage device (memory stick or hard drive) can be used to by the Oppo as a source device for content, I don't think you can chain another video display device through the Oppo in this manner. I imagine there are all sorts of HDCP handshaking issues which prevent this from working. To the best of my knowledge, this is not a supported configuration.

I'm assuming your projector will accept a 4K signal. Even if the Oppo would allow you chain the Firestick through it, you would only ever get 1080p as the Oppo 105D only supports 1080p, not 4K. All HDMI interfaces in a chain have to support the same features.

Can I ask what else you have connected to the projector? Are you using something like an AVR to select different HDMI devices? If you are, then you can just plug the Firestick directly one of the spare HDMI input ports on the AVR - I do this with with a Denon AVR with my 4K Amazon Firestick and it works perfectly with my projector.

If you don't have an AVR, then an inexpensive HDMI switcher will allow you to achieve the same thing very easily.

Regards,
James.
 
They need to bring out a good media server amazon fire. There is a place in the market for a good quality low cost media server that can stream 4K, stream FLAC and fully unfold Tidal's MQA tracks ..
 
James! Many thanks indeed for your prompt reply. I concur with your opinions there. I realised that the 4K Firestick was never going to give me 4K,since both Projector (a JVC X9) and the Oppo BD player are only 1080. But I read that the 4K would still work on a lower definition device, so I purchased it for "future proofing" in case I went down the 4K route for the PJ set up etc.
Getting on to your question about whether I had any other AVR devices hooked up.. Well I have my Sky HD box linked in which works fine, but I haven't (yet) explored the possibility of trying the Stick in there!
Other devices integrated with my PJ are another Combo DVD/ LD player and an HD-DVD player, but since these are also source devices, I have to assume they wouldnt work either. You mentioned an HDMI switcher. Could you steer me in the direction for what you might actually suggest? And where in the system would this be located? Actually now you come to mention it, I have a switching device at the back of the Sky box which I installed some years ago and without delving into the back of that cant remember exactly what goes in a what come out of that.
But I suspect my first port of call is the back of the Sky Box to see if that would work.
Of course when my Oppo 105 was top of the heap, Mr Amazon hadn't invented his streaming services, so it goes to show how log ago Netflix and Co came into existence!
Thank you again for your time in assisting me with my "enquiries" !

Best wishes,

IP
 
James.. just has a shuftie at the back of my Sky Box. Coming out of the (only) HDMI port is a short cable to a 4 way powered splitter, of which one of those outputs heads towards another 2 way powered splitter! Yes! I hear you asking "why?" ! Fair enuff-ski! I have wired into the system, a large Plasma HD TV (in the conservatory) and 3 x 4K TV's around the house, plus the PJ! Most of these connections have been done at various stages of my (highly integrated system) over the years so short of pulling it all apart and starting again, I have just linked things up as I have gone along or needed, but it all works very well! All the TV's have Amazon's Prime Video on board (even the Samsung Plasma which I managed to do via an ethernet cable link to a nearby Devolo extender plug!) But it is the PJ that has me foxed!
There are also HDMI cables connecting the Sony A1 OLED TV in the lounge, as well as the SkyBox, round to another 2 way switching unit behind the Oppo (which is on an entirely different wall at the back!) so that the Sky Box can feed the TV and the PJ simultaneously and so too can the Oppo if playing a disc or other source.The PJ of course is signal-supplied by the Oppo.
Just had a thought.. The Sony TV has 4 HDMI ports at the back, all of which are "occupied" (inevitably!) If I removed one of these (say just for when I wanted to use Prime Video Streaming, and plugged in the Firestick, is there a signal route for this to the Oppo and ultimately the PJ? Am I getting warm or am I Peeing into window this conundrum ? !

BW,

IP
 
Thank you very much for that Carl..Need to have a think about all this! As I have just written to James (at some length) I might be getting warm, along with your suggestions! It is case of finding where to plug the wretched thing in!!

BW

IP
****************************************
I have used both the below with great success if the is what you are looking for?
Amazon product ASIN B07DW2445XAmazon product ASIN B079FLNWJY
This should allow the one HDMI to take two different sources to your TV/Projector.

Hopefully your switch box you already have will work best for you.

Carl
 
James! Many thanks indeed for your prompt reply. I concur with your opinions there. I realised that the 4K Firestick was never going to give me 4K,since both Projector (a JVC X9) and the Oppo BD player are only 1080. But I read that the 4K would still work on a lower definition device, so I purchased it for "future proofing" in case I went down the 4K route for the PJ set up etc.
Getting on to your question about whether I had any other AVR devices hooked up.. Well I have my Sky HD box linked in which works fine, but I haven't (yet) explored the possibility of trying the Stick in there!
Other devices integrated with my PJ are another Combo DVD/ LD player and an HD-DVD player, but since these are also source devices, I have to assume they wouldnt work either. You mentioned an HDMI switcher. Could you steer me in the direction for what you might actually suggest? And where in the system would this be located? Actually now you come to mention it, I have a switching device at the back of the Sky box which I installed some years ago and without delving into the back of that cant remember exactly what goes in a what come out of that.
But I suspect my first port of call is the back of the Sky Box to see if that would work.
Of course when my Oppo 105 was top of the heap, Mr Amazon hadn't invented his streaming services, so it goes to show how log ago Netflix and Co came into existence!
Thank you again for your time in assisting me with my "enquiries" !

Best wishes,

IP

Hello,

I'm still a little confused about how you are connecting and switching your existing devices to your Projector. Also, what are you doing for sound? - I'm assuming this is home cinema setup, so you must have some sort of amplifier which switches inputs?

I'll make the assumption that the DVD / LD Player is using S-Video or composite video?
The HD-DVD player may have HDMI, but most likely is using YPbPr Component (RGB) Video.
This leaves the Sky receiver and the Oppo 105D which I presume both use HDMI?

The JVC X9 has two HDMI inputs., so I suppose you could be directly connecting the Sky receiver and Oppo to the projector that way?

I'll send you a PM with a diagram showing how I do it using a Denon AVR.

Regards,
James.
 
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Hi there James ! Thanks for your comments. Sorry if my long winded explanation of connections etc sounded a bit confusing! I get confused myself at times!
But just to try to clarify things a bit: Yes I have an (ancient!) Yamaha Z9 DSP as the original heart of the system but which has no HDMI ports. From there it is linked to a switching box (A Zektor MAS7.1Multichannel Audio/HDMI switch.) However although this device has 3 HDMI Inputs and one output, they are all occupied by the three BD devices ( The Oppo 105; a Panasonic BD player and a Toshiba HD-DVD player.) All those devices only have output HDMI ports and do not have input HDMI ports. I do have a Panasonic DVD Recorder elsewhere in the system, but which is connected only to the main TV in the lounge, and is not integrated in the main system.But this appears (from the handbook) to have only an output HDMI port.
You are correct that the PJ JVC X9 has two HDMI ports, one of which is used for the signal supply from the Oppo. But as I understand it, that also would be an input, but I perceive that I would have no sound into the main audio system, which under normal operating conditions is fed from the Oppo and other devices through the Yamaha pre amps and ultimately the free standing Bryston amps. Yes It is a complex set up but has evolved over the years. I concluded a while ago that to "update and Modernise" it would be a stage too far at my old age ,not least the cost of replaying virtually all the main components would be prohibitive.
My original notion, to use the Firestick to project the Amazon Prime Video signal through my PJ, and which has proved frustratingly unrealistic, was to use the HDMI Input port on the FRONT of the Oppo to plug in the Firestick. What happened with both the 4K version and now the "standard" 1080 Amazon Firestick,was that there is a brief flash of a Firestick logo on screen (from the projector) and then it drops out and there is nothing further displayed. Earlier (on this thread) you opined that it might be associated with a "handshake" issue, which sounds feasible.
Your supposition that I connect the Sky Box to the Projector is absolutely correct. It feeds via a long HDMI cable round from where the Box is located to the Oppo BD at the back of the room and thence into the PJ.
One other aspect of this was that after the 4K stick didnt work, a neighbour asked to borrow it and try it out on his non-4K tvs. He was so taken with it (especially at the price I paid), that he came round and thrust the cash in my hand and said he was keeping it! I was a bit taken back I have to admit and said OK,based on there fact that it (initially) didnt work on my PJ,although it did on my 4K TV which had its own software built in, if you follow me!!
So I then went over to a nearby Curry's and collected the Standard 1080 Amazon Firestick,on the assumption that probably this would work! It doesnt! My question here is that, although I knew the 4K Firestick wouldn't give me 4K on a 1080 device, if and when I get it to function eventually, am I any worse off with the Standard Firestick that I would have been had I kept the 4K version? I have had a look at the specs of both and I can see very little difference in the processing speeds etc. Just the definition specs.
I have been thinking of a possible solution here, based on the fact that your queries and comments have prompted me to look a little further into my set up. Just wondered whether if I unplug one of the BD devices (such as the least used device.. such as the Panasonic BD player..) and plugged in the Firestick into the back of the Zaktor switching unit, whether that would work? I might be worth a try. The wiring set up is very tight and awkward to get to but it might be worth a try. What do you think?
Thanks for you time in writing to me and reading this (yet another long-winded explanation!). Hope I have made things reasonably clear for you now.

Best wishes,

Ivor (aka Boeingman)
 
Hi there James ! Thanks for your comments. Sorry if my long winded explanation of connections etc sounded a bit confusing! I get confused myself at times!
But just to try to clarify things a bit: Yes I have an (ancient!) Yamaha Z9 DSP as the original heart of the system but which has no HDMI ports. From there it is linked to a switching box (A Zektor MAS7.1Multichannel Audio/HDMI switch.) However although this device has 3 HDMI Inputs and one output, they are all occupied by the three BD devices ( The Oppo 105; a Panasonic BD player and a Toshiba HD-DVD player.) All those devices only have output HDMI ports and do not have input HDMI ports. I do have a Panasonic DVD Recorder elsewhere in the system, but which is connected only to the main TV in the lounge, and is not integrated in the main system.But this appears (from the handbook) to have only an output HDMI port.
You are correct that the PJ JVC X9 has two HDMI ports, one of which is used for the signal supply from the Oppo. But as I understand it, that also would be an input, but I perceive that I would have no sound into the main audio system, which under normal operating conditions is fed from the Oppo and other devices through the Yamaha pre amps and ultimately the free standing Bryston amps. Yes It is a complex set up but has evolved over the years. I concluded a while ago that to "update and Modernise" it would be a stage too far at my old age ,not least the cost of replaying virtually all the main components would be prohibitive.
My original notion, to use the Firestick to project the Amazon Prime Video signal through my PJ, and which has proved frustratingly unrealistic, was to use the HDMI Input port on the FRONT of the Oppo to plug in the Firestick. What happened with both the 4K version and now the "standard" 1080 Amazon Firestick,was that there is a brief flash of a Firestick logo on screen (from the projector) and then it drops out and there is nothing further displayed. Earlier (on this thread) you opined that it might be associated with a "handshake" issue, which sounds feasible.
Your supposition that I connect the Sky Box to the Projector is absolutely correct. It feeds via a long HDMI cable round from where the Box is located to the Oppo BD at the back of the room and thence into the PJ.
One other aspect of this was that after the 4K stick didnt work, a neighbour asked to borrow it and try it out on his non-4K tvs. He was so taken with it (especially at the price I paid), that he came round and thrust the cash in my hand and said he was keeping it! I was a bit taken back I have to admit and said OK,based on there fact that it (initially) didnt work on my PJ,although it did on my 4K TV which had its own software built in, if you follow me!!
So I then went over to a nearby Curry's and collected the Standard 1080 Amazon Firestick,on the assumption that probably this would work! It doesnt! My question here is that, although I knew the 4K Firestick wouldn't give me 4K on a 1080 device, if and when I get it to function eventually, am I any worse off with the Standard Firestick that I would have been had I kept the 4K version? I have had a look at the specs of both and I can see very little difference in the processing speeds etc. Just the definition specs.
I have been thinking of a possible solution here, based on the fact that your queries and comments have prompted me to look a little further into my set up. Just wondered whether if I unplug one of the BD devices (such as the least used device.. such as the Panasonic BD player..) and plugged in the Firestick into the back of the Zaktor switching unit, whether that would work? I might be worth a try. The wiring set up is very tight and awkward to get to but it might be worth a try. What do you think?
Thanks for you time in writing to me and reading this (yet another long-winded explanation!). Hope I have made things reasonably clear for you now.

Best wishes,

Ivor (aka Boeingman)

Hello Ivor,

That all makes perfect sense now. The Yamaha Z9 is an epic receiver, but pre-dates HDMI, so that's your systems Achilles' heel regarding connectivity.

From the point of view of simplicity and seamlessly switching of video and audio, an AVR with HDMI inputs and outputs, would definitely make your life much simpler and easier to operate, and would accommodate any new HDMI capable devices that you may add.

If you would be willing to contemplate a new AVR, the then Yamaha RX-A3080 would be an ideal choice for you (Approx. £1500) - It has a very similar sound signature to the Z9 and its operation would be more familiar to you than another brand. There's no need to replace anything else, as it preserves 'legacy' analogue connectivity, but adds HDMI interfaces.

If you really don't want to replace the your Z9, then you'll have to continue to use separate video switching, but this is always going to be a bit of a faff and a compromise. Unfortunately, all modern AV gear assumes an abundance of HDMI interfaces!


One thing to think about if you did change your AVR - I do not know if you use Dolby Digital AC3 from your LaserDisc player?

Back in the day, my Yamaha DSP-A3090 had a built-in demodulator so it could receive the AC3 via RF. I think the Z9 also has this capability - be aware that no modern AVRs retain the required demodulator, as it's considered obsolete. If Dolby Digital AC3 from LaserDisc is important to you, then you would also need an external AC3 RF demodulator. Only LaserDisc needs the demodulator (due to the way the sound was encoded on the discs), and you only need it for Dolby Digital sound.


Best regards,

James.
 
Thanks for that Jamus! Well soon after I had written to you earlier I decided to have a go at installing the Firestick, where I had suggested..into one of the HDMI input ports on the back of the Zaktor Switching unit. It all started to fall into place and I was on the verge of sending you an "excited" "Robert's Your Mother's Brother" signal (aka "Bob's Your Uncle" !!)

But then.. When I tried to get the sound to work.. well.. put it this way, I cannot get any sound out of it. I have turned myself upside down trying various options. I had thought that simply by replacing a spare BD player, which was working correctly through that Input with the sound all working, it would be a simple case of exchanging one input for another.. But it doesnt seem that way. I have managed to find an IR code in the Firestick settings under a set of "Receiver" Brand names with model selections etc.. (a most comprehensive set of options indeed) that has hooked up with the Z9 and will select inputs, volume etc, but the wretched thing wont co-operate with sound. I have the picture displaying, all the other settings ostensibly in place, but nope! Not a bleep of sound.. It is very frustrating!

Getting on to your Upgrade suggestions.. believe it or not, some years ago, I came within a gnat's willie of buying the 3080 and then hung around a bit, and inevitably out came the 3090. But the job of rewiring this setup due to its position in my lounge is the one thing that has steered me away from it! I have had in recent years 3 back operations and more recently over the past couple years had both knees replaced, so my mobility and desire to spend time up ladders is very much more restricted than it used to be when I first set this up.

You mentioned AC-3.. yes indeed I am aware of the De-modulator issue, but as you say I believe both the 3080 ad 3090 have this built in. I do have a modest collection of about a 100 Laser discs, which I rarely use, but there are just a handful that I cant replace with Dvd's or Blu Rays, so I kind of cherish the facility to use the old ancient DVL-9 combo player! Also that DVD player in that unit will play anything! Especially a disc that gets rejected by my other players, so it has maintained it presence in the system! It was one of the early players which didnt have all the usual "locks and blocks" on it, I suspect.

So.. it is nor so much a case of "back to the drawing board" as trying to fathom out a sound route for the Firestick input. Any ideas?

BW,,
Ivor
 

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