E-commerce giant Amazon has launched their content streaming device, the Fire TV Stick in India for Rs. 3,999. The Amazon Fire TV Stick is quite similar to other streaming devices but comes with some customizations that are meant exclusively for India.
In terms of specifications, the TV stick comes with a quad-core processor, MIMO WiFi(802.11ac) and supports 1080p FHD streaming. The Amazon Fire TV Stick can be plugged into any High Definition TV and the user can stream high-quality video and audio, and can also enjoy apps and games. One of the best things about it is that it can stream not only from Amazon Prime Video, but it can stream from other popular services like Netflix, Hotstar, Voot, Eros, Airtel Movies and YouTube.
Marc Whitten, VP at Amazon Fire TV talked a bit about customization. He mentioned that they have customized it for the Indian market so that the Fire TV Stick can work on not so fast broadband connections. Data monitoring is also available so that you can always keep a track of the data being consumed while streaming. The customization also includes voice search in English and Hindi.
Also read: Airtel Internet TV launched: The best of both worlds?
Amazon has also partnered with Airtel and YOU Broadband and if you are a customer of either of the internet services, you will get additional data up to100 GB on Airtel Broadband and 240 GB on YOU for streaming content. However, this offer is valid for a certain period. You can also avail a credit payback of Rs 499 on Amazon Pay if you purchase the TV stick before May 31.
Amazon Fire TV Stick Features:
Great content selection — With thousands of movies and TV episodes, sports, news, music, and games, it’s easy to find great content on Fire TV Stick from Amazon Prime Video, Hotstar, Eros Now, Voot, Airtel Movies and more. Amazon Prime Video offers Prime members in India the largest selection of new releases from Bollywood and regional Indian blockbusters like Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Befikre, Kabali, Shivaay and Theri, Hollywood movies like Suicide Squad, Batman v Superman, and The Legend of Tarzan, popular US TV shows like Vampire Diaries, Mr. Robot, 2 Broke Girls and Two and a Half Men, kids’ programming like Chhota Bheem and Shin Chan, and Amazon Original Series like The Man in the High Castle and The Grand Tour.
Effortless setup — Plug the Fire TV Stick into an HDTV, attach the power cable, connect to Wi-Fi, and start streaming in minutes. Customers can find their favorite content using the voice remote or discover more to watch with personalized recommendations right from the home screen. The Fire TV Stick is also portable, making it easy for customers to take it almost anywhere and watch all their favorite content away from home wherever an HDTV and Wi-Fi connection are available (some content not available in all countries).
Simple and Easy to Use — When purchased on Amazon.in, the Amazon Fire TV Stick comes automatically pre-registered so customers can immediately get started. No complicated set-up, no hassle — just plug it in and start watching.
Instant Streaming with ASAP — Enjoy videos that start immediately. Based on a customer’s Watchlist and recommendations, the Advanced Streaming and Prediction (ASAP) feature predicts the movies and TV episodes customers want to watch and prepares them for playback before they even hit play. The predictions get better over time, which means that the more customers stream the better their Fire TV Stick will be able to predict what they want to watch.
Data Monitoring — Fire TV Stick allows customers in India to better manage their broadband use and data consumption. Using the data monitoring feature on Fire TV, customers can select their preferred viewing quality to help manage data use, and configure their Fire TV Stick to alert them before data use exceeds their preset limit.
Instant and accurate voice search in Amazon Video — With accurate voice search, the Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote responds instantly and lets customers easily search for Amazon Video content using their voice. For customers in India, voice search on the Fire TV Stick supports both English and Hindi.
Parental Controls — Fire TV Stick offers parental controls settings to help ensure a safe viewing experience for children. Customers can use the remote to set an access PIN to restrict access to mature content. All movies and TV shows in the Amazon Prime Video catalog, as well as apps from the Amazon Appstore, come with maturity ratings by age group.
Stunning video quality — With an ultra-fast quad-core processor and support for 802.11ac MIMO Wi-Fi, customers can rely on fast, fluid performance without buffering. Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote also offers support for High-Efficiency Video Codec (HEVC), giving customers more 1080p HD streams from their existing Internet connection.
Pricing and Availability
The Amazon Fire TV Stick will compete with Apple TV, Chromecast and recently launched ‘Airtel Internet TV’. Looks like the battle of streaming service will get a more interesting soon in India. What’s your view on this? Would you go for Airtel Internet TV for Rs. 3,999 which offers the best of both words- Satellite channels and online content? Or you are fine with all the movies and TV Series on Amazon Prime or Netflix? Let us know in the comments section below.
