Fire TV 4K

[Syaoran]

Amazon releases their new Fire TV that is able to output in 4K on October 5th 2015.

Hopefully I can get the coding right for the link, as I really don't understand how to do this.
Amazon Fire TV 4K:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U3FPN4U/ref=nav_shopall_ods_tv_sloane

Fire TV 4K Specs:
Size 4.5" x 4.5" x 0.7" (115 mm x 115 mm x 17.8 mm)
Weight 9.5 oz. (270 g)
Processor MediaTek Quad-core up to 2 Ghz
Dual-core @ 2.0 GHz + Dual-core @ 1.6 GHz
GPU Power VR GX6250
Storage 8 GB internal
Memory 2 GB
Wi-Fi Connectivity Dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi (MIMO) for faster streaming and fewer dropped connections than standard Wi-Fi. Supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi networks.
Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.1 with support for the following profiles: HID, HFP, SPP
Voice Support Yes, with Fire TV Voice Remote (included) or free Fire TV Remote App (available for download on Fire, Android, and iOS)
Game Controller Support Yes, optimized for Amazon Fire TV Game Controller and most games are compatible with other Bluetooth controllers
Cloud Storage Free cloud storage for all Amazon content
Ports DC Jack, HDMI output, 10/100 Ethernet, microSD slot, USB 2.0
Audio Support Dolby Audio, 5.1 surround sound, 2ch stereo, and HDMI audio pass through up to 7.1
Content Formats Supported Video: H.265, H.264, Audio: AAC-LC, AC3, eAC3 (Dolby Digital Plus), FLAC, MP3, PCM/Wave, Vorbis, Dolby Atmos (EC3_JOC), Photo: JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP
Output Resolution Supported 2160p up to 30fps; 720p and 1080p up to 60fps
System Requirements Compatible high-definition or ultra high-definition television with available HDMI input, Internet connection, a power outlet
TV Compatibility TV must support minimum HDCP requirements for protected content playback. Learn more. Compatible with (1) 4K ultra high-definition TVs with HDMI capable of 2160p at 24/25/30/50/60 Hz and HDCP 2.2, including popular models from LG, Samsung, Sony, Sharp, Toshiba, Vizio, and others or (2) high-definition TVs with HDMI capable of 1080p or 720p at 50/60 Hz, including popular HDCP-compatible models from Hitachi, JVC, LG, Mitsubishi, NEC, Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, Toshiba, Vizio, Westinghouse, and others.
Warranty and Service 1-year Limited Warranty and service included. Optional 2-year and 3-year Extended Warranty available for U.S. customers sold separately. Use of Fire TV is subject to the terms found here.
Regional Support Certain services may not be available outside the U.S.
Closed Captioning Watch videos and TV shows with closed captioning displayed. Captions are not available for all content.
Included in the Box Amazon Fire TV
Amazon Fire TV Voice Remote
Power adapter
2 AAA batteries
Quick Start Guide

Size 1.5" x 5.9" x 0.7" (38.4 mm x 150.7 mm x 16.7 mm)
Weight 2.4 oz (68 g) with batteries / 1.6 oz (45 g) without batteries
Batteries 2 AAA (included)
Battery life Up to 12 months battery life with typical use

Will anyone be picking up one of these to run Kodi on? Thoughts and opinions on the specs?

[Syaoran]

So far, reviews of the Fire TV 4K are not favorable. With only 30FPS at 4K, nothing more than stereo audio on anything outside of Amazon's Prime Video service, and buggy firmware. Truly disappointing, as I had high hopes for this product.

[Alucard]

So far, reviews of the Fire TV 4K are not favorable. With only 30FPS at 4K, nothing more than stereo audio on anything outside of Amazon's Prime Video service, and buggy firmware. Truly disappointing, as I had high hopes for this product.

First off unless the 4K TV support HDMI 2.0 you will only get 30 FPS regardless and most first gen 4K TV do not support HDMI 2.0. Most movies are filmed at 30 FPS so displaying them at 60 FPS you are displaying the same frame twice. As for the audio. Not sure where you get the idea that everything is in stereo that is not Amazon content. It supports 5.1, 2 channel stereo, and 7.1 is supported over the HDMI, they would not be going backwards.

Even at that you have twice the processor speed, external SD card slot, more features all for the same price.

[Marley]

thanks for info learned a few thing

[erikt]

Alucard, it is well documented on Amazon that the 5.1 and 7. ONLY works over Amazon currently. If you run the Netflix, HULU, Plex app etc.. you only get 2 channel stereo, the techs are aware of it and stated they are planning a software patch due by the 22nd to resolve it.

[erikt]

Directly from the Amazon site;
The Amazon team says
October 6, 2015
Thanks for the feedback on Dolby surround sound and Netflix. We have identified the issue and will be releasing a software update to resolve it. We expect all devices to be updated by October 22nd. We regret any inconvenience this may have caused.

[Alucard]

OK so it is a software glitch and that is expected with any new device. The poster made it sound like that this device was made to work that way which was not the case. I just got mine and setting it up, will let you know what I find. It did do a software update first thing so we shall see.

[Alucard]

I got the unit setup and I can confirm that Audio Pass Through is not working except with Dolby Digital HD tracks. So I am assuming there is an issue with the Fire TV sending the some kind of audio format switching state. However the work around for this and if you have a receiver that supports it, you can setup Kodi to decode the audio and send the multi-chanel LPCM to the receiver over HDMI. This worked for me. Just change the number of channels that your receiver supports in the audio settings. The only difference between LPCM and Bitstream is that in LPCM Kodi decodes the audio instead of your receiver. HDMI supports up to 8 PCM Channels, TSO link only 2.

[Syaoran]

Have the surround sound issues been fixed? Would anyone that has this box mind posting a bit of a review for those of us that are interested in picking up this box? Thanks in advance!

[Alucard]

I have one and it works great. There was one update that supposed to have fixed the surround issue with Netflix but again I don't use it. I believe another update is do out any time now too. In Kodi I am using PCM and having Kodi decode the 5.1/7 channels and it sounds great. Picture is great too. Better then what I have on my HTPC. Planning on removing my HTPC and going with just the Fire TV since all my movies are on a NAS.