Jordan O'BrienAmazon’s Fire TV experience has officially made its way inside TVs manufactured by Seiki, Element Electronics and Westinghouse for the very first time. It’s the clearest signal yet that Amazon hopes to not only sell a plethora of its own set-top boxes but to also take on the likes of Android TV, which has been integrated in sets from the likes of Sony and Philips.
The Fire TV experience that users will find when they boot up these TVs from Seiki, Element Electroncis and Westinghouse is identical to that of Amazon’s aptly-named set-top boxes. That means users not only get the new content-centric UI, but other features Fire TV owners have come to know and love, including Alexa voice commands, are also present.
As the Fire TV experience is baked directly into these TVs there are a few more bells and whistles set-top box owners don’t get. That includes the ability to switch TV input or browse directly to a channel using an Alexa voice command. There’s also a new channel guide which showcases live TV content alongside shows that users can catch on streaming services, such as Amazon’s own.
Seiki TVs are available in the UK, although Element Electronics and Westinghouse aren’t. That means Seiki may be the only option for those in the UK, and while the company’s TVs tend to be affordable, they’re hardly a worthy competitor of flagship brands such as LG, Sony, Samsung or Panasonic.