The video above is a review of the first-generation Fire TV. The second generation has the same interface and works the same way. The main difference is support for 4K content. The review below was originally for the first-generation box, but the new one is so similar that we have updated it where relevant. See also Best media streamers you can buy in 2016/2017 There are several updates in the new model. Key is the support for 4K Ultra HD (see also What is 4K?). It’s not the only box to tick the UHD box: Nvidia’s Shield does this too. But as you’ll read in our Shield TV review, it stumbles when it comes to content. 4K support means you can hook up the Fire TV to your 4K TV, and you can watch videos in Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) at up to 30fps. In order for this to work you will need a compatible TV with an HDMI 2.0 port which supports HDCP 2.2. Here’s a selection of 4K TVs which will work with the Fire TV 4K. The final change is that the remote control communicates via Wi-Fi instead of Bluetooth. Some people have had problems with it losing connection with the box, or losing pairing entirely. However, we didn’t experience any issues at all. The Fire TV also offers plenty of other content including Spotify, BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4 and Demand 5. For some people, this makes it a better choice than the new Apple TV (which doesn’t support 4K) as the Fire TV similarly allows you to install apps and play games using the bundled remote or the optional game controller (which costs £35). However, we’ll get to the games later. An external power supply is included in the box, but you’ll need to provide your own HDMI cable. A main menu runs down the left-hand side and includes Home, which shows things you’ve watched or played recently, newly added Prime Instant Video items and other featured or ‘top’ content. You can also set restrictions to prevent anything being purchased without entering a passcode, and even block different types of content entirely such as apps. The interface couldn’t be simpler to navigate and button icons are shown on screen whenever there’s a shortcut, such as pressing the play/pause button when you’ve finished entering your password. It’s a well-designed controller whose only flaw is that it’s quite small and easy to lose. You can search by simply speaking the title of a TV show or film. You hold down the microphone button and say what you’re searching for. It’s fast and accurate and far, far easier than trying to enter text via the D-pad. You’re not limited to saying titles: it also works with actors and directors, so you don’t necessarily need to know what you want to watch. It’s not as versatile as Siri on the new Apple TV, however. You can’t say “Show me all recently added action movies”, for example. Another source of confusion is the fact that prices are shown for episodes and series even if you have a Prime Instant Video subscription. To watch something with your subscription, you have to wait a second until “Watch now with Prime” appears on the video’s thumbnail. You get used to it, though. What’s really frustrating is that even if you’re browsing in the Prime Instant Video section, you’ll still come across content that isn’t included in your subscription. For example, only not all seasons of Mad Men have the all-important Prime tag at the top-left corner. The latest couple are just tagged as HD. But it’s easy to miss that difference as you scroll through the list and wonder why the “Watch now with Prime” wording doesn’t appear on the thumbnail. The game controller has to be paired via the settings menu, but you’ll get a warning if you attempt to buy a game which requires a game controller and you haven’t paired one. The controller is also updated since the original, and now has a microphone button so you can use voice search. We tried several games, some of which we’d bought previously on a Fire tablet. Sonic the Hedgehog was pretty much the ideal type for the controller, a classic platform title, while Flow Free proved that games designed for touchscreens aren’t enjoyable on a console-style gamepad. With those, you can use the shoulder buttons to speed up or slow down the cursor, but even so, it’s hard work. The games library has quite a bit of choice, including Terraria, but it’s limited when compared to the choice available on a Fire tablet let alone an Android tablet or iPad. There’s starting to be more console-style games such as Walking Dead and Game of Thrones, though. It’s good to see plenty UK-specific services such as iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4 and Demand 5, Just don’t expect to see any UK catch-up TV in 4K anytime soon. While the BBC has done some technical tests, there are no immediate plans to roll out a 4K-capable version of the app. You can install Plex and VLC for streaming 4K content you have on a NAS or on your microSD card, though. If you’re looking for the widest array of content available directly via the set-top box, then Roku is the obvious choice at the moment, especially as it has just added the Google Play store. (You can read our full comparison Fire TV vs Roku vs Chromecast.) From our testing of HD video, the quality is excellent and if you have an AV receiver you can use the HDMI or optical outputs to benefit from 5.1 or even 7.1 surround sound where the content has it. Netflix will soon add Dolby audio to some of its content, which will be a bonus. You’ll also benefit from the new X-Ray feature for certain videos, which lets you pull up IMDB information so you can check which actors are on screen or who directed it. It’s with large libraries that the Fire TV’s powerful processor comes into its own. Thumbnails load almost instantly and there’s little or no lag when scrolling through long lists of episodes. Jim has been testing and reviewing products for over 20 years. His main beats include VPN services and antivirus. He also covers smart home tech, mesh Wi-Fi and electric bikes.
