Amazon’s Fire TV platform has so far been limited to the company’s own set-top boxes and dongles but it has now inked a licensing agreement that puts Fire TV OS on actual TVs made by other companies. It has signed a licensing agreement with Tongfang, the parent company of Seiki, Westinghouse, and Element which will see the Amazon’s smart TV platform running on TVs launched under those brands.
Since the TVs will be powered by Amazon Fire TV OS, it will be possible for owners to use the Alexa voice remote to stream content, watch live TV shows, and more. The first device to run on Fire TV OS will be a 4K UHD TV that costs under $1,000.
“Our new line of 4K Ultra HD Smart TVs — Amazon Fire TV Edition — represent an elevated customer experience powered by the highest performance processors in the industry, a unique voice-controlled remote control, and Amazon’s cinematic viewing experience,” said Tongfang Global’s vice president of marketing, Sung Choi.
This TV is going to hit the market in the second quarter of this year. It will be available in 43, 50, 55 and 65 inch sizes and all will tout a 3840×2160 pixel resolution display aside from 16GB storage, 3GB RAM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet and 4K UHD streaming support.
It’s going to function just like any other television but when users want to access streaming content or smart TV functionality, they can do so on Amazon’s platform without needing a Fire TV stick or a set-top box.