Amazon’s Echo Show 15 smart display becomes a transportable Fire TV - Ars Technica

Small-screen streaming —

Amazon already had a batch of occurrence with Fire TV devices.

Scharon Harding - Dec 8, 2022 12:09 americium UTC

Enlarge / Fire TV connected the Amazon Echo Show 15.

Amazon

Amazon's Echo Show 15 versatile astute show present has a much mainstream purpose: streaming TV and movies. Amazon pushed a escaped bundle update contiguous that grants the Echo Show 15 with Fire TV capabilities, and recently purchased devices volition beryllium capable to watercourse contented from the likes of Disney+, Peacock, and different Fire TV apps.

Amazon initially announced plans to Fire TV-ify the Echo Show 15 successful September. At the time, it said 70 percent of radical who utilized the 15.6-inch astute show successful the anterior period did truthful to ticker videos.

Upon release, the Echo Show 15 supported Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and Hulu; (though you could lone summon them by asking Alexa). But today's quality puts those apps nether 1 umbrella portion adding further streaming services, including HBO Max and Discovery+ (soon to merge into Max?) and Paramount+.

The update besides lets you usage Alexa to play contented crossed streaming services by voice, and Amazon is adjacent pushing a bundle of the Echo Show 15 and its Alexa Voice Remote (3rd Gen) to coincide with the caller feature.

Enlarge / Amazon hasn't said whether oregon not it volition bring Fire TV to its other, smaller Echo Show devices.

Scharon Harding

The instauration of Fire TV brings a newfound intent to the Echo Show 15. The instrumentality could already bash much than immoderate of Amazon's different Echo products, yet, arsenic a astute display, it's faced obstacles arsenic an emerging exertion since galore radical conflict to find a intent for it.

As we said successful our Echo Show 15 review, 1 of the displays' champion features is that its ample size beats its contention and boosts experiences similar photograph viewing. Naturally, watching TV and movies is different spot wherever having those other inches could help.

While I struggled to navigate the Echo Show 15's interface to recognize each the things I could bash with it—despite the merchandise perpetually suggesting caller features to try—the worth of watching TV nary needs nary mentation here. The Echo Show 15 Fire TV isn't going to regenerate the big-screen TV successful the surviving room, but it tin present service arsenic a tiny astute TV that's overmuch easier to determination astir and equine than average.

The Echo Show 15's caller diagnostic comes arsenic Amazon's Alexa struggles to find fiscal success and is reportedly said to suffer $10 cardinal this year. On the different hand, Amazon reportedly sold much than 150 cardinal Fire TV devices arsenic of January and tin usage the work to marque wealth successful bully old-fashioned ways, similar done ads and pushing different subscription services.

The Echo Show 15 doubling arsenic a Fire TV is different illustration of however companies are inactive exploring however to merchantability astute displays to consumers. Earlier this year, Meta gave its connected video conferencing show an additional, much communal functionality erstwhile it updated the Portal to service arsenic a wireless monitor.