Unboxing the Fire TV Cube
Manufacturer: Amazon
Hub Required: No
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa
Price: $79.99 to 119.99
Amazon’s Fire TV Cube release summer of 2018 and it’s exactly the piece of hardware we’ve been looking for. You may have been disappointed when discovering that Amazon and Toshiba came out with their line of SmartTV’s that were Alexa enabled. Disappointed perhaps because you yearned for that functionality but didn’t necessarily want to shell out the cash for a new TV. Amazon’s Fire TV Cube is the solution to these woes.
What’s in the box?
Setup:
Amazon’s Fire TV Cube comes pre-loaded with the Amazon account that purchased the unit. Simply plug everything in, including Ethernet, and in as little as a few clicks to select through updating the cube’s software, you’re off and running with full Alexa functionality.
The Cube was able to automatically configure the TV settings to add voice control to power, input selection, and volume control. There’s no model number lookup or firmware to download. It just worked. TVs from popular brands like Samsung, VIZIO, LG, Element, Sony, TCL, Sanyo, Hisense, Sharp, Toshiba, RCA, and more will work with Alexa Voice Control.
To setup Fire TV Cube to control your cable box or other devices, navigate to Amazon’s help video here. Fire TV Cube can control cable boxes and satellite receivers from the following TV providers:
- Comcast (Xfinity)
- AT&T U-Verse
- DirecTV
- DISH
- Spectrum (Charter / Time Warner Cable / Bright House)
- Cox / Cox Contour
- Verizon Fios
- Centurylink Prism
- Frontier Fios
- Mediacom
- Optimum (Cablevision / Altice)
Use:
Overall first impressions are genuinely positive. There are a few delightful features and few items that Amazon should plan to work out.
Delightful Features
- Turn on the TV and Navigate to media with one command
- Very Simple Setup
- Seamless Application and Cable Service Integration
- Excellent 4k Picture Quality
- Full size, full-featured Amazon Apps, Music, Photos, Video etc.
- Full SmartHome Integration including device control and Camera Visual/Audio.
Missing features / Issues
- Missing a Youtube application, you have to go through the web browser Silk or Firefox.
- Can seem a little slower than other Amazon Devices in executing commands, especially the TV commands
- Static Home Screen is not customizable.
- A separate IR receiver seems redundant given the form factor. It feels like that should be integrated within. Especially due to the fact that Fire TV Cubes by nature need to be front and center to receive voice commands.
Overall the Fire TV Cube is a win of a device that takes Smart
