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52-459: The device is available in two forms, the first being a set-top box , of which the current model is the Fire TV Cube with embedded Amazon Echo smart speaker (which effectively replaced the original Fire TV box model). The other product is a HDMI plug-in stick with, in general, lesser specifications than the contemporaneous boxes; these are offered in the entry-level Fire TV Stick Lite ,

104-414: A cable box , receiver, or simply box , and historically television decoder or a converter , is an information appliance device that generally contains a TV tuner input and displays output to a television set , turning the source signal into content in a form that can then be displayed on the television screen or other display device . It is designed to be placed alongside or "on top" (hence

156-488: A Broadcom BCM28155 1.0 GHz Cortex-A9 processor and a Broadcom VideoCore IV GPU. Wireless hardware includes a dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi with 2x2 MIMO and Bluetooth 3.0 The Fire TV Stick is bundled with a remote control, in either of two variants: one with Alexa voice search and one without Alexa. On October 20, 2016, Amazon released the Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote , codenamed "Tank". Other than

208-529: A MediaTek 8173C chipset to support H.265 (HEVC), VP8, and VP9 codecs. Wireless hardware upgrades included 4K capable, a dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi with 2x2 MIMO and Bluetooth 4.1. It was effectively replaced with the Fire TV Cube. The third-generation Fire TV, also known as the Fire TV with 4K Ultra HD and Alexa Voice Remote , was released in 2017. It eschewed the previous set-top box design for

260-562: A PCMCIA -like card inserted as part of the digital signal path as their alternative to a tuner-equipped set-top box. According to the Los Angeles Times , the cost to a cable provider in the United States for a set-top box is between $ 150 for a basic box to $ 250 for a more sophisticated box. In 2016, the average pay-TV subscriber paid $ 231 per year to lease their set-top box from a cable service provider. In June 2011,

312-617: A personal identification number . Some boxes simply block all channels, while others allow the user to restrict access to chosen channels not suitable for children below certain ages. As complexity and potential programming faults of the set-top box increase, software such as MythTV , Select-TV and Microsoft 's Media Center have developed features comparable to those of set-top boxes, ranging from basic DVR-like functionality to DVD copying, home automation , and housewide music or video playback. Almost all modern set-top boxes feature automatic firmware update processes. The firmware update

364-433: A satellite dish , a coaxial cable (see cable television ), a telephone line (including DSL connections), broadband over power lines (BPL), or even an ordinary VHF or UHF antenna . Content, in this context, could mean any or all of video , audio , Internet web pages , interactive video games , or other possibilities. Satellite and microwave-based services also require specific external receiver hardware, so

416-541: A 1.5 GHz quad-core ARM 4xCA53 processor, 2 GB RAM, and 16 GB storage. A second-generation model was unveiled in September 2019, featuring a hexa-core processor, "Local Voice Control" (which allows client-side recognition of common voice commands to improve response time), and support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+ . It supports 4K output. A third-generation model of the Fire TV Cube was announced on September 28, 2022 for release on October 25, 2022. Notable upgrades to

468-459: A mandated inclusion in new television sets . Some have also been produced to mute the audio (or replace it with noise) when profanity is detected in the captioning, where the offensive word is also blocked. Some also include a V-chip that allows only programs of some television content rating systems . A function that limits children's time watching TV or playing video games may also be built in, though some work on main electricity rather than

520-414: A new protocol named Matter Casting. Dan Seifert from The Verge reviewed Fire TV on April 4, 2014, giving it an 8.8/10 rating and largely praising its functionality and future potential. Dave Smith from ReadWrite wrote, "Fire TV aims to be the cure for what ails TV set-top boxes." GeekWire editor Andy Liu's review is headlined "Amazon's Fire TV sets a new bar for streaming boxes." Ars Technica praised

572-677: A report from the American National Resources Defense Council brought attention to the energy efficiency of set-top boxes, and the United States Department of Energy announced plans to consider the adoption of energy efficiency standards for set-top boxes. In November 2011, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association announced a new energy efficiency initiative that commits the largest American cable operators to

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624-484: A small, diamond-shaped " pendant " reminiscent of the Fire TV Stick, which plugs directly into a television set's HDMI port and can be hung from a short HDMI extender cable. It contained a slower processor but more RAM than the second-generation Fire TV, and also had support for 4K resolution streaming, Dolby Atmos , and HDR10 , but dropped support for Miracast . Production was discontinued in 2018 in favor of

676-579: Is a digital video recorder that works with an over-the-air antenna to record shows for later viewing on a Fire TV or an Amazon Echo Show device. It was announced in September 2018 and began shipping in the United States on November 14, 2018. In August 2022, Amazon confirmed the discontinuation of the Fire TV Recast. Among the downsides: Content stored on a Recast cannot be viewed using other major streaming devices, such as Roku , Apple TV , or Chromecast , limiting its appeal; it also never gained

728-532: Is backward compatible with previous Fire TV models, and also sold separately as an upgrade. In October 2020, two third-generation Fire TV Stick models were released. The Fire TV Stick model includes a remote with TV control buttons where the Fire TV Stick Lite model's remote does not include TV controls. Both models include similar internal hardware as the Fire TV Stick 4K , except for a maximum output resolution of 1080p and only 1 GB of RAM. In 2021,

780-462: Is fed with the baseband television signal from the set's tuner, and can have the television display the returned processed signal instead. This SCART feature had been used for connection to analogue decoding equipment by pay-TV operators in Europe, and in the past, it was used for connection to teletext equipment before the decoders became built-in. The outgoing signal could be of the same nature as

832-577: Is the product name applied to smart television sets produced by major television manufacturers that include Amazon Fire OS and the Fire TV interface, licensed from Amazon. They offer basic live television program information and minimal recording capabilities. Fire TV Edition television models are available from Best Buy 's house brand Insignia , Toshiba (in U.S. and Canadian markets), and JVC and Grundig (in European markets). The Fire TV Recast

884-402: Is typically provided by the service provider. With the advent of flat-panel televisions , set-top boxes are now deeper in profile than the tops of most modern TV sets. Because of this, set-top boxes are often placed beneath televisions, and the term set-top box has become something of a misnomer , possibly helping the adoption of the term digibox . Additionally, newer set-top boxes that sit at

936-518: The Apple TV and Roku in performance: the 0.72-inch-thick box featured a 1.7 GHz quad-core CPU ( Qualcomm Snapdragon 8064), 2 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage, along with a MIMO dual-band radio for 1080p streaming over 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and a 10/100 Ethernet connection and USB 2.0 port. Included with the box is a Bluetooth remote control with a microphone for voice search . The company said that it did not intend

988-899: The Apple TV app , ZEE5 , SonyLIV , Crunchyroll , Crackle , DAZN , Dailymotion , Peacock , Hulu , Hotstar , Disney+ , Tubi , Vimeo , Max , Discovery+ , Joyn , Philo , Paramount+ , JioCinema , Pluto TV , FuboTV , WOW Presents Plus , Spotify , TuneIn , iHeartRadio , Tidal , Audacy , BBC Sounds , Qello , Plex , Emby , Jellyfin , Xbox Cloud Gaming , AirConsole and others via Amazon Appstore . The "X-Ray" feature allows users to view contextual information related to Prime Video content (such as biographies of actors and other trivia), using face recognition , music recognition , and IMDb data. Most Fire TV devices allow screen mirroring and casting from Miracast or (only on Fire TV Edition sets) AirPlay devices. Third-party applications such as AirScreen can allow AirPlay and Google Cast to be used. Amazon are currently also adding support for

1040-469: The serial port or parallel port , most are now in USB format. In the mid-to-late 2010s, the dongle form factor was extended to digital media players with a small, stick-like form factor—such as Chromecast and Fire TV Stick —that are designed to plug directly into an HDMI port on a television or AV receiver (powered via Micro USB connection to the television itself or an AC adapter ), in contrast to

1092-461: The 3rd-generation model include an octa-core processor (4x 2.2GHz 4x 2.0GHz), support for Wi-Fi 6E (IEEE 802.11ax) networking, and Bluetooth 5.0+LE. On November 19, 2014, Amazon released its Fire TV Stick, a smaller dongle version of the Fire TV that plugs into an HDMI port. Codenamed "Montoya", it retains much of the functionality of the larger Fire TV. It has 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of internal storage, weighs 0.9 oz (26 g), and it uses

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1144-569: The Fire TV Stick 4K. The Fire TV Cube was released in June 2018. It is similar in function to the third-generation Fire TV but also includes embedded Alexa functionality similar to the Amazon Echo smart speaker line and can use HDMI-CEC and an IR blaster to control other devices with voice commands. As its voice functionality is integrated into the device, the Fire TV Cube's included remote does not include voice capability. The device uses

1196-431: The Fire TV to compete with gaming consoles; instead, its gaming capabilities were geared toward people who did not already own a console but may play games on a smartphone or tablet. It has a dedicated controller accessory. Amazon released a second-generation Fire TV, codenamed "Sloane", after the film love interest of Ferris Bueller, in late 2015. This version had 4K resolution support, improved processor performance, and

1248-761: The US and Europe, telephone companies use IPTV (often on ADSL or optical fibre networks) as a means to compete with traditional local cable television monopolies. This type of service is distinct from streaming television , which involves third-party content over the public Internet not controlled by the local system operator. Electronic program guides and interactive program guides provide users of television, radio, and other media applications with continuously updated menus displaying broadcast programming or scheduling information for current and upcoming programming. Some guides, such as ITV , also feature backward scrolling to promote their catch-up content. This feature allows

1300-472: The US on the same day of the April 2014 announcement for US$ 99 and was launched with a video game called Sev Zero. Codenamed "Bueller", after the eponymous character from Ferris Bueller's Day Off , it offered HDMI audio, with support for Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 surround sound pass-through, if the user's Internet bandwidth was sufficient. According to Amazon, the Fire TV was designed to outpace competitors like

1352-788: The ability to skip commercials during playback. The Fire TV series runs Fire OS , which is derived from Android Open Source Project source code. It supports voice commands via either a remote control with an embedded microphone, or integrated microphones inside the device (as is the case of the Fire TV Cube), and can also be controlled with Alexa via Amazon Echo smart speakers . The devices support various Amazon-owned services, including Amazon Prime Video , Twitch , Amazon Freevee , MX Player , Amazon Music and Amazon Luna , as well as other major third-party services, including Netflix , YouTube , YouTube TV , Curiosity Stream , Mubi , Dekkoo , Ameba TV , YuppTV , Chorki , Eros Now ,

1404-519: The air and were therefore not on standard TV receivers. Before cable-ready TV sets became common in the late 1980s, an electronic tuning device called a cable converter box was needed to receive the additional analogue cable TV channels and transpose or convert the selected channel to analogue radio frequency (RF) for viewing on a regular TV set on a single channel, usually VHF channel 3 or 4. The box allowed an analogue non–cable-ready television set to receive analogue encrypted cable channels and

1456-557: The cable head-end instead of the final viewing location. However, most cable systems could not accommodate the full 54-to-890 MHz VHF/UHF frequency range and the twelve channels of VHF space were quickly exhausted on most systems. Adding any additional channels therefore needed to be done by inserting the extra signals into cable systems on nonstandard frequencies, typically either below VHF channel 7 (midband) or directly above VHF channel 13 (superband). These frequencies corresponded to non-television services (such as two-way radio) over

1508-492: The claim was likely a by-product of their "tongue-in-cheek" marketing style, and "was so egregiously false that the company happily owned up to it as a marketing ploy when pressed by Eric S. Raymond , who maintains the Jargon File , an online lexicon of hacker slang." Software protection dongles are typically used to help prevent unauthorized use and copying of certain forms of software. Initially using ports such as

1560-543: The cost of launching new services, increases speed to market, and limits disruption for consumers. As examples, Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) set-top boxes allow traditional TV broadcasts, whether from terrestrial (DTT), satellite, or cable providers, to be brought together with video delivered over the Internet and personal multimedia content. Advanced Digital Broadcast (ADB) launched its first hybrid DTT/IPTV set-top box in 2005, which provided Telefónica with

1612-497: The device for specifications that surpassed competitors, good build quality, and a microphone that works very well if you use Amazon content. The reviewer disliked the fact that its media browser puts Amazon content in the front, which makes other applications less convenient to use, limited game selection with many games not optimized, and only 5.16GB of free space, which limits the number of games that can be installed. Set-top box A set-top box ( STB ), also known as

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1664-526: The digital TV platform for its Movistar TV service by the end of that year. In 2009, ADB provided Europe's first three-way hybrid digital TV platform to Polish digital satellite operator n , which enables subscribers to view integrated content whether delivered via satellite, terrestrial, or internet. UK-based Inview Technology has over 8   million STBs deployed in the UK for Teletext and an original push VOD service for Top Up TV. In IPTV networks,

1716-416: The edge of IP-based distribution networks are often called net-top boxes or NTBs, to differentiate between IP and RF inputs. The Roku LT is around the size of a pack of cards and delivers Smart TV to conventional sets. The distinction between external tuner or demodulator boxes (traditionally considered to be "set-top boxes") and storage devices (such as VCR, DVD, or disc-based PVR units) is also blurred by

1768-428: The etymology of the word "dongle"; in a 1999 paper, P. B. Schneck stated that the origin was unclear, but that it was possibly a corruption of the word "dangle" (since these devices "dangle" from a port on a PC). A 1992 Byte magazine advertisement by Rainbow Technologies claimed that dongles were invented by and named after a person named "Don Gall", which spawned an urban legend . Linguist Ben Zimmer noted that

1820-592: The incoming signal, or RGB component video , or even an " insert " over the original signal, due to the "fast switching" feature of SCART. In case of analogue pay-TV, this approach avoided the need for a second remote control . The use of digital television signals in more modern pay-TV schemes requires that decoding take place before the digital-to-analogue conversion step, rendering the video outputs of an analogue SCART connector no longer suitable for interconnection to decryption hardware. Standards such as DVB 's Common Interface and ATSC 's CableCARD therefore use

1872-463: The increasing deployment of satellite and cable tuner boxes with a hard disk , network or USB interfaces built-in. Devices with the capabilities of computer terminals , such as the WebTV thin client , also fall into the grey area that could invite the term "NTB". In Europe, a set-top box does not necessarily contain a tuner of its own. A box connected to a television (or VCR) SCART connector

1924-511: The name) of a television set. Set-top boxes are used in cable television , satellite television , terrestrial television and Internet Protocol television systems, as well as other uses such as digital media players ("streaming boxes"). Alternatives to set-top boxes are the smaller dongles , or television sets with built-in TV tuners that hence won't require a separate device such as a set-top box. The signal source might be an Ethernet cable,

1976-419: The new remote, the updates include MediaTek MT8127D Quad-core ARM 1.3 GHz processor with a Mali-450 MP4 GPU, and support for the H.265 ( HEVC ) codec. Wireless hardware upgrades includes a dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi with 2x2 MIMO and Bluetooth 4.1. It retains the 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage and weighs slightly more at 1.1 oz (31 g). In January 2019, the second-generation Fire TV Stick

2028-836: The professional broadcast audio/video industry. They are designed for more robust field handling and rack mounting environments. IRDs are capable of outputting uncompressed serial digital interface signals, unlike consumer STBs which usually do not, mostly because of copyright reasons. Hybrid set-top boxes, such as those used for Smart TV programming, enable viewers to access multiple TV delivery methods (including terrestrial, cable, internet, and satellite); like IPTV boxes, they include video on demand , time-shifting TV, Internet applications, videotelephony , surveillance, gaming, shopping, TV-centric electronic program guides , and e-government. By integrating varying delivery streams, hybrids (sometimes known as "TV-centric" ) enable pay-TV operators more flexible application deployment, which decreases

2080-432: The purchase of set-top boxes that meet Energy Star standards and the development of sleep modes that will use less energy when the set-top box is not being used to watch or record video. Dongle A dongle is a small piece of computer hardware that connects to a port on another device to provide it with additional functionality, or enable a pass-through to such a device that adds functionality. In computing,

2132-539: The receiver to shift a portion of the UHF-TV spectrum onto low-VHF channels for viewing. As some 1960s-era 12-channel TV sets remained in use for many years, and Canada and Mexico were slower than the US to require UHF tuners to be factory-installed in new TVs, a market for these converters continued to exist for much of the 1970s. Cable television represented a possible alternative to deployment of UHF converters as broadcasts could be frequency-shifted to VHF channels at

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2184-576: The set-top box is a small computer providing two-way communications on an IP network and decoding the video streaming media . IP set-top boxes have a built-in home network interface that can be Ethernet , Wireless (802.11   g,n,ac), or one of the existing wire home networking technologies such as HomePNA or the ITU-T G.hn standard, which provides a way to create a high-speed (up to 1 Gbit/s) local area network using existing home wiring ( power lines , phone lines, and coaxial cables ). In

2236-474: The standard Fire TV Stick , and the high-end Fire TV Stick 4K and Fire TV Stick 4K Max (the third of which effectively replaced the third-generation "pendant" Fire TV). Additionally, Amazon licenses the Fire OS and Fire TV interface to be embedded and built into certain television sets from third parties sold to the public, labeled as Fire TV Edition . The first Fire TV was made available for purchase in

2288-457: The term was initially synonymous with software protection dongles —a form of hardware digital rights management in which a piece of software will only operate if a specified dongle—which typically contains a license key or some other cryptographic protection mechanism—is plugged into the computer while it is running. The term has since been applied to other forms of devices with a similar form factor, such as: There are varying accounts on

2340-463: The third-generation Fire TV Stick was re-issued with an updated remote "3rd Gen Alexa Voice Remote". On October 7, 2021, Amazon released the Fire TV Stick 4K Max . It includes the updated 3rd gen Alexa Voice Remote , and has Wi-Fi 6 support. It has a 1.8 GHz processor, a 750 MHz GPU, and 2 GB of RAM. It also has Dolby Atmos support. The 4K Max is the first in the line with hardware accelerated AV1 video streaming support. Fire TV Edition

2392-556: The use of set-top boxes of various formats has never completely disappeared. Set-top boxes can also enhance source signal quality. Before the All-Channel Receiver Act of 1962 required US television receivers to be able to tune the entire VHF and UHF range (which in North America was NTSC-M channels 2 through 83 on 54 to 890   MHz ), a set-top box known as a UHF converter would be installed at

2444-692: The user is out. The user still needs to program the VCR or DVD recorder. Some models have controls on the box, as well as on the remote control . This is useful should the user lose the remote or if the batteries age. Some remote controls can also control some basic functions of various brands of TVs. This allows the user to use just one remote to turn the TV on and off, adjust volume, or switch between digital and analogue TV channels or between terrestrial and internet channels. The parental lock or content filters allow users over 18 years old to block access to channels that are not appropriate for children, using

2496-432: The user to choose preferred channels, making them easier and quicker to access; this is handy with the wide range of digital channels on offer. The concept of favourite channels is superficially similar to that of the " bookmark " function offered in many web browsers. The timer allows the user to program and enable the box to switch between channels at certain times: this is handy to record from more than one channel while

2548-555: The video signal. The transition to digital terrestrial television after the turn of the millennium left many existing television receivers unable to tune and display the new signal directly. In the United States, where the analogue shutdown was completed in 2009 for full-service broadcasters, a federal subsidy was offered for coupon-eligible converter boxes with deliberately limited capability which would restore signals lost to digital transition. Professional set-top boxes are referred to as IRDs or integrated receiver/decoders in

2600-460: Was a prototype topology for later date digital encryption devices. Newer televisions were then converted to be analogue cypher cable-ready, with the standard converter built-in for selling premium television (aka pay-per-view ). Several years later and slowly marketed, the advent of digital cable continued and increased the need for various forms of these devices. Block conversion of the entire affected frequency band onto UHF , while less common,

2652-587: Was re-issued with the updated remote from the 4K model. In October 2018, Amazon unveiled the Fire TV Stick 4K , codenamed "Mantis," which "effectively replaces Amazon’s Fire TV pendant." It is upgraded to a 1.7 GHz quad-core processor, 1.5 GB RAM, and supports 4K output, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision , Dolby Atmos, hardware-accelerated MPEG-2 decoding, and Miracast through a later update. It also includes an updated voice remote that contains an infrared emitter and buttons for controlling TV power and volume (which can also be controlled with voice commands). The remote

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2704-720: Was used by some models to provide full VCR compatibility and the ability to drive multiple TV sets, albeit with a somewhat nonstandard channel numbering scheme. Newer television receivers greatly reduced the need for external set-top boxes, although cable converter boxes continue to be used to descramble premium cable channels according to carrier-controlled access restrictions, and to receive digital cable channels, along with using interactive services like video on demand , pay per view, and home shopping through television. Set-top boxes were also made to enable closed captioning on older sets in North America, before this became

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