Amazon flames the IPTV set

Amazon has been reinvigorating its disruptive content distribution efforts with the release of Fire TV in April, a US$99 set-top box built to stream content direct to television. In the same vein as Apple TV or Roku, Amazon's black box streams TV content, movies, and music from a host of providers and content suppliers.

As the core of the service is Android, which is a drawcard for developers and for consumers features a store where users can download over 250 Android apps, which is mainly gaming content.  As Amazon also ships a game controller with the box, it is likely that new development projects will feature gaming apps and cross –platform content capabilities.

Amazon has realised that for Fire TV to get wider traction it has to be more flexible and innovative in term of content delivery, in other words thinking outside of the limitations of the little black box and its competitors. By incorporated hardware normally found in smartphones and throwing in voice search from the remote, near-instant streaming, plus the video games functionality, it is changing the game.

Significantly, for consumer ‘stickiness’ and content recommendation pushing, Amazon's Fire TV is delivered with your account information already stored on the device ( as long as you ordered it via Amazon). This efficiency allows consumers connect and load up their content, just like a Kindle, straight up. Prime subscribers- priced at an annual US$99- are granted access to the Instant Video catalogue, which Amazon claims has more than 40,000 titles to choose from.

Outside of Amazon content Fire TV also features channels from streaming services and studios including Netflix, Hulu+, ESPN, Showtime, TED and Disney with more to follow.  While Amazon Studios will also be releasing its own content later this year and is heavily investing in development. In the fight for living room streaming domination, Amazon is pushing Fire TV as an open ecosystem. Fire TV also has a few special additives including a special hub for viewing photos from your smartphone and a feature known as X-Ray, which allows Kindle Fire tablet users to see all of the characters and actors in the movie or TV show, the music that's playing in a scene, and additional layered information.