SV Staff

Amazon has expanded its popular Fire TV family of streaming media players with a new 4K/HDR-ready model featuring Alexa voice control.

Amazon announced that episodes of its original series will be available in high dynamic range (HDR) format at no additional cost to its Prime members starting with the debut season of Mozart in the Jungle. Netflix was expected to be the first content provider to deliver HDR content before Amazon’s surprise announcement.

As voice control technology spreads like wildfire throughout the AV world, Amazon is looking to keep its lead over the competition with redesigned Echo and Echo Plus smart speakers, new Alexa features, and a new family member, the Echo Spot.

Are you old enough to remember the days when electronics stores were everywhere? If you’re from the New York area you may recall Crazy Eddie’s “insane” radio and TV ads. If you’re on the West Coast you probably remember the one-time institution, Pacific Stereo. Today, the field is defined by Best Buy, which operates in every state, a handful of savvy regional players like hhgregg, and a smattering of veteran independents.