The Amazon Fire TV is a gateway to all the TV shows everyone has been telling you to watch, and it offers a seemingly endless supply of Friday night movie options. But you probably already knew that. What you may not have known is that it’s also capable of doing a lot of other things. Let’s dive into some of the Fire TV’s surprisingly broad capabilities, which are easier to use than ever with the Alexa Voice Remote.
Watching TV Shows And Movies
Being able to stream a vast array of movies and TV shows is vital and the Amazon Fire TV does not fall short. Available services range from Amazon Prime Video to Netflix to Hulu, as well as tons of channel-specific offerings like HBO, SHOWTIME, AMC, and CBS All Access. Fire TV puts over half a million movie titles and TV shows at your disposal, all just a few clicks or an Alexa voice command away.
Live Television And Sports
Being able to stream movies and TV shows is great, but if you’re more into sports or live TV, Fire TV doesn’t disappoint. DIRECTTV NOW, Hulu Live, and Sony Playstation VUE are all options that allow for live TV streaming and while you’ll likely get the chance to see some sports and highlight shows with those services, hardcore sports fans may want to go a step further with apps from the NBA, NFL, MLB, and UFC — paid subscription services that offer a ton of games (particularly of value if your favorite team isn’t in your local market) to fans.
Alexa Voice Search And Echo Integration
Fire TV comes with an Alexa Voice Remote, so you can easily get right to what you want to watch. Just press the button on your Alexa Voice Remote and say, “Alexa, play Mozart In The Jungle.“
You can also pair Fire TV to your favorite Echo device. If an Echo is within hearing range, you can ditch the remote and control your entertainment experience hands-free. Try saying “Alexa, play Bob’s Burgers” or “Alexa, open Netflix.”
Even without an Echo, Alexa can perform distinctly non-TV duties like controlling other smart devices around the house. Tell the Fire TV to dim your lights and Alexa will do it, provided you have smart bulbs connected to your network. She can even order you a pizza! It’s the science fiction future we’ve been promised!
Music
Fire TV can bring your favorite playlists and artists right into your living room. With Amazon Music, you can just ask Alexa to play your favorite music based on mood, lyrics, genre, era, popularity and more from your couch using the Alexa Voice Remote. Looking to set the mood for a night in? Say “Alexa, play relaxing music” and she’ll return a playlist filled with relaxing songs, hand-curated by Amazon Music experts to help you wind down. For a limited time, both Prime and non-Prime members can try three months of Amazon Music Unlimited for just 99 cents.
Fire TV offers Bluetooth connectivity and supports music apps like Spotify and iHeartRadio, meaning you can play your favorite playlists from the device directly to your wireless headphones or other Bluetooth sound systems.
Gaming
There are a lot of ways to game on the Fire TV. You could play one of the many free or paid games available from the Amazon Appstore, which span from simple time killers like Candy Crush Saga and Pac-Man 256 to more immersive choices like Minecraft. Old-schoolers looking for a retro fix will find free emulators that let them relive their childhood playing Atari, SNES, N64 and more. For ultimate precision, Amazon offers an Amazon Fire TV Game Controller for just $49. Or you might already own a compatible controller.
Serious gamers looking for console level play can subscribe to GameFly, which gives you access to an impressive library of Playstation and Xbox games like Batman: Arkham Asylum, The Witcher 3, and Tomb Raider. All these titles are streamed from GameFly to you with no perceptible lag in gameplay. That’s some pretty great tech that you’re only going to be seeing more of as time goes on. There’s even a free app called Moonlight that streams any game from your PC (including Steam games) to the Fire TV so you can play on the big screen.
This is a small look at the things you can do with Amazon Fire TV. Remember, more apps are coming out every day and Alexa is always getting smarter.