Amazon Fire TV 50-inch Omni QLED series 4K | UHD smart TV, Dolby Vision IQ, local dimming, hands free with Alexa

I've had this tv for about a month now and have used it mostly for viewing Internet services. I am familiar with the amazon fire tv experience having previously had fire tv sticks for my 40 inch panasonic viera and 24 inch Sony bravia. I like the experience of fire tv and its was a big reason why I choose to buy this television. Its easy to operate and find the app you want such as prime tv and Disney etc. The picture quality is great and has the latest dolby vision. The sound from the internal speakers is OK and is better than my previous panasonic however I have attached my pioneer av receiver to it via hdmi arc so I dont use the internal speakers. I have had no problems with the synchronisation between picture and spoken sound on the av reciever. It's easy to set up the remote to operate your av equipment etc. The only problem I can really point out is what other reviewers have pointed out is that using the terrestrial tv guide is a bit slow. It takes what seems like an age to bring up your the tv guide however once you have been using the guide and channel swapping it speeds up a bit. I have noticed that while scrolling down through the tv channels four at a time speeds things up rather than one a time and waiting for each one to load. I am overall very pleased with the television the internet services and fire tv experience is great and unless you are a big terrestrial tv person I think you will be very pleased with the product if you decide to purchase it. Addition to review December 2024. This was a great TV for the price I paid. However amazon have it for sale at the moment and in the description its says newest gen. This is correct however they have not released a 2024 version which would include the freely app. This version 'newest gen' is not compatible with freely. Be absolutely certain about the model you are buying as this generation of the amazon qled 'The first version' does not support the UK freely app.

I bought the 50 inch version for £380 as a prime day offer. I'm very pleased with the picture, it's not up there with the very top end tvs but it's still very nice, and given the price I paid it's extremely good value. The sound is very good too with quite a bit more more bass than my previous tv. I'm not sure where the speaakers are located but they have done a very good job as it sounds like the sound is coming from behind the screen. I do find it slightly sluggish when navigating around the home screen and within the apps. It's perfectly usable and most people would find it perfectly acceptable, but it's quite as zippy as the fire tv cube I had before was. The Freeview implementation is a bit of a mixed bag. It's very nicely integrated with the home screen, there are tiles showing what's on each channel and when you highlight the tile what's on the channel starts showing. On the downside it can be quite slow, the guide can take a while to populate and it can take 4 or 5 seconds from selecting the programme to it appearing, although it does seem to speed up when you having been using it for a while. That's not a problem for me as I use apps virtually all the time and freeview very rarely, and I'd imagine that to be the case for most people these days. Alexa is built in which means it integrates with other Amazon products with no setup required. If someone presses your ring doorbell for example you get a view of the camera in the top right. I wasn't sure whether to rate it 4 or 5. For the price I paid it's definitely a 5 star product, for the higher prices it's been at since I'd say the responsiveness brings the score down a bit. 4.5 would be more appropriaite than the four I gave but that option isn't available.

**2 Month Update** - Thought it may be helpful for other users experiencing any issues with their TV - I was experiencing some minor lag when moving between apps in the home screen and other small gremlins - I decided to do a factory restore (note there are two options "re-start" and "factory restore" - when I did this it caused a series of seemingly large software updates. This really seemed to make a huge difference in the operating of the whole tv, so maybe worth a go if you are finding your TV isn't performing quite as you expected. Also, to note I had slight sound issues, pausing of sound on my echo studios - the software update for the tv appears to have resolved this - if not, try unplugging them and starting them up again? Not sure why the software updates aren't automatic, but nonetheless a system restore seems to pick up hidden updates...? ************************************* Bought this as a used item, so price was very reasonable. There was a small nick to the frame, but considering the price, and the fact it is sold as used, I was more than happy with the appearance, and would not hesitate in buying used again. The fact the firetv is built in, is a massive plus, I had a tv cube with my previous LG, so very nice to lose the cube and its associated wires, which in turn made the overall look more minimalist, and clean. The other bonus is only one remote control, again cleaner and minimalist look enhanced. Moving onto the operation. Logically, I plugged in an Ethernet cable (faster speeds, right?). Wrong. So - I carried out a speed test (from the tv itself), and then unplugged to carry out a wireless test. Frequently the wireless won. Why? I hear you ask?...I phoned amazon, and whilst not a confirmed answer, the working theory is that the tech inside the tv for the ethernet connection, is not able to handle my high speeds. I have 1.6GB of speed hitting my router. However, the wireless tech inside the tv is able to handle a slightly higher speed? Again - this is guess work, not fact. The other theory is that my ethernet cable is not advanced enough, cat 5 I believe. Will purchase a higher Cat and report back. From a user perspective, the home screen lag is negligible, and it would only bother real tech geeks, not the average user. Viewing wise, as long as you have 4k inputs, I.e Netflix etc, I really can't complain about the picture. Taking into consideration the price, it is amazing. However, again if you are willing to pay more, then no doubt you will get a better picture. For me, I'm thrilled with the purchase and suits me as someone who likes minimal wires and minimalist look. The tv will auto adjust the picture based on the light in your room, and it has Dolby Atmos Sound/Vision capability which is excellent. Overall - if you are on a budget, this for me offers both value for money, and exceptional viewing qualities, along with built in Alexa/Firetv. I'd most definitely buy this again, and look forward to seeing what enhancements Amazon make to this TV as tike moves forward. As with all tech, it will only be as good as your broadband speed to your home, and the quality/age of your router. Even with fibre to the property, I still experience some lag on the home screen, albeit, negligible, and only noticeable to a geek like myself.