Amazon · Fire TV
Fire TV (2nd Gen)
Amazon’s second Fire TV box adds 4K streaming, faster Wi-Fi and microSD expansion while retaining wired Ethernet.
Model history · 2 models, 2014–2015
- 2014Fire TV (1st Gen)Compare
- 2015Fire TV (2nd Gen)
- Type
- Box
- Resolution
- 4K
- HDR
- –
- Software
- Fire OS
What reviewers say
Both praised fast navigation and the addition of 4K streaming, but felt discovery favoured Amazon too heavily. Stuff liked the picture quality and simple setup. AVForums highlighted film judder and the awkward route to 24p output in the software it tested. These reviews assess the 2015 UK box and contemporary software.
From stuff.tv and avforums.com
Specifications
Report a wrong or missing specVideo and audio
- Resolution
- 4K
- HDR
- None
- Video
- HEVC and H.264 decoding up to 3840 × 2160 at 30 fps; HEVC Main 10 input but 8-bit output; VP9 up to YouTube 4K; HDCP 2.2
- HDR
- HDR output is not supported, according to Amazon’s developer specifications
- Audio
- Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus input formats; surround audio via HDMI
Performance
- Software
- Fire OS
- Storage
- 8 GB
- Chip details
- MediaTek 8173C; two Cortex-A72 cores up to 2 GHz and two Cortex-A53 cores up to 1.573 GHz; PowerVR Rogue GX6250 GPU; 32-bit applications
- Memory
- 2 GB RAM
- Storage
- Internal storage includes operating software; microSD expansion supports up to 128 GB for downloaded apps and games
- Software and services
- Fire OS 5 based on Android 5.1 (API level 22); build model AFTS. Amazon’s launch release confirms US shipping from 5 October 2015.
Connections
- Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi 5
- Ethernet
- Yes
- Voice remote
- Yes
- Ports
- HDMI, Ethernet, USB 2.0, microSD and power; no optical audio output. USB version and port list confirmed by AVForums’ exact-model inspection.
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac with 2 × 2 MIMO; Bluetooth 4.1 with BLE; Miracast supported
- Remote
- Included microphone-equipped voice remote; Alexa functions varied by region, with AVForums reporting no Alexa assistant in the UK at its 2015 review
Design
- Type
- Box
- Power
- External power supply
Pros and cons
Pros
- 4K playback up to 30 fps
- Built-in Ethernet and USB
- microSD expansion for apps and games
Cons
- No HDR playback
- No optical audio output
- 4K output limited to 30 fps
Closest rivals
Model | Type | Resolution | HDR | Software | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Box | 4K | – | Roku OS | Oct 2015 | |
| Box | 4K | – | Roku OS | Oct 2016 | |
| Box | 4K | HDR10 | Roku OS | Oct 2016 |
Previous model: Fire TV (1st Gen). Newer model: Fire TV (3rd Gen).
Sources
- developer.amazon.com/docs/device-specs/device-specifications-fire-tv-streaming-…
- press.aboutamazon.com/2015/9/introducing-the-new-amazon-fire-tv-with-4k-ultra-h…
- avforums.com/reviews/amazon-fire-tv-2015-review.12105
Photo: m.media-amazon.com
