Amazon is working on a live TV recorder for the company’s Fire TV line of devices, according to a new report out of Bloomberg which credits “a person familiar with the plans” for the information.
The details on the box are fairly limited at the moment and could be subject to change, according to the report. Although, the general idea is the box will offer TiVo-like functionality to Fire TV device owners. Apparently, the box – currently codenamed “Frank” will have wireless connectivity and will offer users the ability to stream downloaded content on their smartphone. Although the streaming feature is said to be one that is not confirmed, and could be one of the elements that changes or is cancelled prior to the device hitting the market. One of the likely reason suggested for Amazon skipping this particular feature is the fact Fire TV device owners are already able to stream some content on their smartphones. As a result, the physical storage aspect is likely to be the main selling point.
At present, there is no suggestion Amazon will make its ‘Frank box’ available to non Fire-TV products and this marries with the rest of the information in the report which suggests Amazon plans to make a much greater push to get its Fire TV OS into the hands of more users going forward. One of the ways the company reportedly plans to achieve this is by partnering with even more TV brands to have Fire TV OS included at the system level. As well as generally making its software-based TV options (presumably, Prime Video) more accessible on more devices. This is also in addition to making its Fire TV Stick solution more appealing through newer software. The latter of which is likely designed to attract those consumers who might be looking for additional streaming services and content, but not necessarily in the market for a new TV. As the Amazon Fire TV stick is the company’s gateway product due to its small size and affordable price. The common theme from the report is how Amazon is gearing up its efforts to not only gain more traction in the living room, but also occupy the varying levels along the way – TVs, boxes, DVR, and content in general. TiVo shares are understood to have fallen by as much as 10-percent following the news of a competing device from Amazon.