Tag: Fire TV Stick 4K

FandangoNow Launches on Amazon Fire TV Devices

FandangoNow, Fandango’s transactional video-on-demand service, has launched on Amazon Fire TV devices and Fire TV Edition smart TVs.

“Fire TV was one of our most requested devices, and we are excited to be able to offer FandangoNow to Amazon customers,” said Cameron Douglas, head of FandangoNow, in a statement.

The move offers users of these devices the ability to watch content purchased or rented from FandangoNow’s online collection of more than 100,000 movies, catalog films and next-day TV shows. New this week on FandangoNow are the critically acclaimed Bombshell and Uncut Gems, both available for purchase, plus Rian Johnson’s Oscar-nominated whodunit Knives Out, newly available for rental.

FandangoNow offers the most comprehensive collection of 4K Ultra HD movies among on-demand video providers, according to the service, and FandangoNow’s 4K content can be streamed on one of Fire TV’s many 4K UHD streaming devices such as the Fire TV Stick 4K or Fire TV Cube. On average, more than 20% of FanangoNow’s movie rentals and sales come from 4K when made available in that format on the service, according to the company.

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“At FandangoNow, we want to deliver the highest quality movies and TV shows to our customers on all their devices,” Douglas said in a statement.

In 2019, FandangoNow experienced double-digit growth in both sales and new users, according to the service.

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FandangoNow is also available on Roku, smart TVs from LG, Samsung, Vizio and Xbox, as well as Facebook’s Portal TV and Oculus VR headsets, with a large assortment of 3D titles.

Amazon Says Fire TV Stick Most-Purchased Prime Item in 2018

Amazon Dec. 2 announced that its branded Fire TV Stick streaming media device with Alexa voice-recognition software was the top-selling item for Prime members in 2018.

That was followed by the Echo Dot home speaker – which was also one of the most gifted items during the week leading up to both Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, and the best-selling product on Amazon during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday holiday weekend.

The $119 annual Amazon Prime membership platform, which includes Prime Video, is available in 17 countries. Prime Video is available globally and separately for $8.99 monthly.

Top home entertainment honors in the U.S. went to original TV series, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (most awarded show – 8 Emmy Awards – on Prime Video),“Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,” starring John Krasinski, and “Homecoming,” starring Julia Roberts in her first TV show (most binged shows on Prime Video), and Justin Timberlake (most streamed artist on Prime Music).

Notably, “X-Ray,” the bonus material feature available on Prime Video that allows viewers to go behind the scenes of movies and TV shows and get access to cast photos, bios, filmographies, sound track info and trivia, continues to resonate with Prime members.

The top-five series and movies Prime members worldwide used X-Ray included “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Psych,” “The Grand Tour,” “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” and “Vikings.”

Movies included Baywatch; Jack Reacher: Never Go Back; Transformers: The Last Knight; Twilight; and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.

“Prime members worldwide ordered more than two billion products for one-day delivery or faster in the last year, which is pretty amazing,” Cem Sibay, VP of Amazon Prime, said in a statement.

Prime Video stats include:

The top three cities worldwide that streamed the most hours of Prime Video per capita include Santa Clara, Calif., Norderstedt, Germany; and Tokai, Japan.

Prime members in the U.S., U.K. and India streamed more Prime Video than any other country between the hours of 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. local time.

Night owls in Japan, Germany and Spain streamed more Prime Video than any other country between the hours of 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. local time.

The nine NFL games thus far on Prime Video and Twitch have combined to reach 20 million total viewers in over 200 countries and territories and all 50 U.S. states.

The top three American cities that streamed the most minutes of Thursday Night Football so far this year include Atlanta, Denver and Seattle.

 The most streamed music artist was Justin Timberlake. Prime members’ favorite albums included Man of the Woods by Justin Timberlake, Camila by Camila Cabello, Astroworld by Travis Scott and Mitchell Tenpenny EP by Mitchell Tenpenny.

Favorite songs sold (and recommended by Alexa) included “The Middle,” by Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey; “Lose It,” by Kane Brown; “Idgaf,” by Dua Lipa; “Better Now,” by Post Malone; and “Done for Me,” by Charlie Puth, featuring Kehlani.

Other Prime member favorites included televisions such as the TCL 55-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV, LG Electronics 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart OLED TV, Samsung 65-Inch 4K Smart TV

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IHS: Consumer Interest in 4K UHD Video Gaining Traction

With sales of 4K Ultra HD televisions becoming the norm — 50% of all shipments in China, North America and Western Europe — consumer interest in UHD entertainment is slowly increasing.

New data from IHS Markit found that 36% of consumers in five countries surveyed said 4K UHD content was important to them when choosing video services. That interest rose to 50% in homes with pay-TV and over-the-top video.

The data – based on an April sample of 12,005 online survey respondents in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and Brazil – found that respondents between the ages of 17 and 44 exhibited the most interest in UHD content; men age 25 to 34 were more interested than women in the same demo, while respondents aged 45 and over reported the least interest.

Among respondents who indicated UHD was important to them, 75% subscribed to Netflix compared to 16% among non-UHD enthusiasts.

The preference for high-resolution video is in line with the growing, albeit small, number of UHD titles available and the rising penetration of 4K-capable TV sets. IHS Markit research reveals that more than 40% of TVs shipped globally in the second quarter of 2018 were 4K capable.

Respondents interested in UHD content were more likely than others to own connectable video devices such as video games consoles and streaming media devices such as Apple TV and Google Chromecast.

Owners of Apple TV, PS4 Pro, Xbox One X and other 4K-capable devices had the highest connection rates to the primary TV screen, indicating a desire to consume the latest technologies and watch high-definition video content.

This finding is particularly important during a time when most connected devices allow access to similar video content apps. Lower-cost devices, like Amazon Fire TV and Roku, saw little or no change in household penetration compared to those who indicated UHD is important to all other video subscribers.

When subscribing to both pay TV and OTT video services, respondents who thought UHD was important were also more likely to be driven by device availability, including the ability to watch video content on more than one device, or to watch on a specific device. The likelihood of renting or purchasing digital video content also increases across all content types, including new movie releases and TV box sets.

While OTT content availability has largely been driven by OTT video services, a small but growing number of pay TV operators now make UHD content available to their subscribers, primarily via “on demand” services. These findings underscore the importance of UHD among a well-connected and content-hungry consumer base, because they also tend to be big spenders on the latest technologies and content services, with a demonstrated preference for premium products.

Amazon Launches Fire TV Stick 4K

Amazon Oct. 3 announced the launch of Fire TV Stick 4K and all-new Alexa voice remote, available together for $49.99. The voice remote is also available with the Fire TV Cube for $119.99 and can be purchased separately for $29.99.

Reported to be 80% more-powerful than the Fire TV Stick, the 4K device is the first streaming media stick available with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos and features a new 1.7GHz processor with quicker load times and brilliant picture quality. The Fire TV Stick 4K gives users access to a catalog of content currently available on Fire TV, including thousands of 4K Ultra HD, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+ titles.

“The team invented an entirely new antenna technology and combined that with a powerful 802.11ac Wi-Fi chip that optimizes for the best possible 4K UHD streaming experience, even in congested network environments,” Marc Whitten, VP, Amazon Fire TV, said in a statement.

Whitten said the streaming media device’s new quad-core processor delivers support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+. He said the Alexa voice remote affords users better control of their entertainment experience.

“Just say, ‘Find 4K movies,’” said Whitten.

“Together, Amazon and Dolby are making best-in-class imaging and audio experiences more accessible,” said John Couling, SVP, commercial partnerships, Dolby Laboratories. “Fire TV Stick 4K will allow more people to enjoy their favorite entertainment to the fullest extent, through Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.”

Fire TV Stick 4K gives users access to thousands of channels, apps, and Alexa skills, as well as over 500,000 movies and TV episodes.

Fire TV Stick 4K (amazon.com/firetvstick4k) is available for pre-order now on Amazon for $49.99 and will start shipping on Oct. 31 in the United States and Canada. It will ship in the United Kingdom, Germany, and India on Nov. 14. Fire TV Stick 4K is also available for pre-order in Japan and will ship before the end of this year.

The all-new Alexa Voice Remote (amazon.com/alexavoiceremote) is available for pre-order as a standalone remote for $29.99 and will start shipping on Halloween in the United States and Canada. It will ship in the United Kingdom, Germany, and India on Nov. 14. It is also available for pre-order in Japan and will ship before the end of this year. Amazon Fire TV Cube (amazon.com/firetvcube) with the all-new Alexa Voice Remote is available for pre-order on Amazon in the United States for $119.99 and will start shipping on Oct. 31.

Customers can pre-order the Fire TV Stick 4K and the all-new Echo Dot together for $79.98—a 20 percent savings. Customers can pre-order two Fire TV Stick 4K devices for $89.98—a 10 percent savings. Customers can also get Fire TV Recast, a 35-mile HDTV antenna, and Fire TV Stick 4K together for $249.99—a savings of over $50. For more information, visit amazon.com/firetvstick4k.

Eligible customers who purchase a Fire TV streaming media player in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan will receive 3 months free of Amazon Music Unlimited, Amazon’s premium music streaming tier with access to tens of millions of songs and thousands of playlists and personalized stations, combined with the magic of voice controls powered by Alexa.