Look out, TiVo.
That Amazon DVR that was rumored a few weeks back? It’s real, and it’s here.
The Fire TV Recast is a DVR, but it doesn’t have its own video outputs. Instead, you place it somewhere in the house and attach an antenna, where it sucks in over-the-air TV signals. It records them internally and streams them live to other Fire TV-capable devices in the home.
According to Amazon, the Recast “can record 2 to 4 shows at once, and stream on any two devices at a time.” It can stream the live and recorded video to Fire TV devices, the Echo Show, Fire tablets and “mobile devices.” The Fire TV Recast will have a programming guide (accessible through those other devices), and recording and playback is, of course, accessible via voice through Alexa-powered devices.
The Fire TV Recast is similar to products from competitors like the Air TV ($120, but you need to bring your own storage) and others. But at this price — and without the apparent need for subscription fees — a company like TiVo is no doubt looking nervously over its shoulder.
The new product was announced by Dave Limp, senior vice president of Amazon Devices at the company’s big hardware event in Seattle. It will be available later this fall in two versions: the two-tuner 500GB model for $230, and the four-tuner version with 1TB of storage for $280. It’s available for preorder now, and ships Nov. 14.
The Fire TV Recast was one of 13 new Alexa-compatible hardware products unveiled at Amazon’s marathon hardware event in Seattle. Other products unveiled included a new Echo Dot, and new Echo Plus, the Echo Link, the Echo Link Amp, the Echo Input, a microwave and even a wall clock.
Amazon’s event was announced just hours before it started. Earlier this week, the likelihood of new products had been reported on CNBC, and Pocket Lint spotted two leaked products on Amazon’s UK site.
Originally published 11:17 a.m. PT. Updated to add additional links, to note the price of the 1TB model, and to indicate that the Recast can stream to two devices simultaneously.
