Amazon is once again improving their user experience. The company announced today that they are enabling two-way video calling support on the Fire TV Cube (2nd generation). Customers can now pair a third-party webcam with Fire TV Cube to place and receive hands-free Alexa video calls from their TVs to any other Alexa-enabled device with a screen, such as another Fire TV Cube, Echo Show, or the Alexa app on a phone or tablet.
The update will begin rolling out to customers over the coming weeks and will be available in U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, and UK.
In order to connect with Fire TV Cube, webcams must have UVC support, 720p resolution, 30 frames per sec (fps). For the best experience, cameras should have 1080p resolution and 60-90 degree field of view (FOV).
Another improvement is that Fire TV devices can now display Alexa responses while you’re still watching the TV. Now, Alexa will have a partial screen overlay during video playback.
Fire TV devices will now also be able to receive Ring Doorbell Camera notifications on-screen and view full-screen video no their device. Currently, Fire TV Cube (2nd gen) is not supported.
Amazon has been rolling out new features lately. In October, the e-commerce giant announced that they expanded their hands-free capabilities for controlling Fire TV with Alexa-enabled devices. Customers can not only sift through their programming by uttering commands to Alexa, but they can also perform everyday tasks such as checking the calendar, weather, or various smart home cameras—hands-free.
All they have to do is make sure Alexa is active on their connected devices and start with the “show me” command such as “Alexa, show me my calendar” or “Alexa, show me the nursery camera,” etc.
Back in August, Amazon launched Text Banner for Fire TV, aimed at assisting users with a narrow field of vision. The feature will be beneficial for users with eye conditions such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, and retinitis pigmentosa.