Amazon Fire TV Omni and Series 4 TVs are introduced in October, starting at $ 370

Amazon on Thursday announced its first branded TV sets.

There will be two versions: the Amazon Fire TV range Omni range and the more affordable Amazon Fire TV series 4, available in different sizes. They will go on sale in October at prices ranging from $ 369.99 to $ 1,099.99.

So far, Amazon has sold streaming memories that connect to TVs and has worked with other manufacturers, such as Toshiba and Insignia in the United States, to build TVs with its own Amazon Fire interface, which offers voice control and easy access. to videos from Amazon Prime and other streaming services.

Competitors such as Roku and Google have followed a similar path with third-party connectors and manufacturers.

But Amazon is the first to launch its own TV.

The company told CNBC in a briefing that it wanted to build its own set to better integrate its Fire TV software with Alexa voice controls. The move also gives Amazon the power to set its own prices, which means it could lower competition in the same way it does with its Fire tablets, which sell for a fraction of the price of Apple iPads. .

In addition, you can control the experience to offer users its “frustration-free” configuration. Open the box, turn on the TV, and as long as you’ve connected any Amazon device to your Wi-Fi before, it will automatically connect to your home network.

Amazon said it will offer an update later this year that will allow customers to control their home smart devices, such as lights, cameras and thermostats, using a software dashboard that appears on the TV.

The TVs will be sold on Amazon’s website and through Best Buy. They all support 4K video.

Here’s what you need to know about both versions.

The Omni range from the Amazon Fire TV range will ship in five sizes: 43 inches ($ 409.99), 50 inches ($ 509.99), 55 inches ($ 559.99), 65 inches ($ 829.99) ) and 75 inches ($ 1,099.99).

Like the $ 120 Fire TV Cube, you can talk to your TV without using a remote control and ask it to play any TV show or movie, start playing music, check the weather, control your smart home Smart, view smart home cameras on the screen while watching TV and more. You can talk to the TV from across the room, just as you can for Amazon’s Echo smart speakers. There is a microphone switch at the bottom of the screen that allows you to turn off the microphone. And you can add a webcam for video calling, including new support for Zoom calls.

The Omni Fire TV series also supports Dolby Digital Plus audio for high-end surround sound speakers you may already have at home. Omni Series and 4 Series TVs can automatically detect home Echo speakers and allow them to be used as stereo or surround sound TV speakers.

The 65- and 75-inch versions have the best picture quality of Amazon’s new TVs, with support for brighter, more colorful Dolby Vision HDR.

Amazon’s 4 Fire TV Series TVs will be available in 43-inch ($ 369.99), 50-inch ($ 469.99) and 55-inch ($ 519.99).

They have larger frames on the edges than Omni TVs, so they may not look as modern as the more expensive models and you can’t add a webcam for video calling.

Series 4 TVs integrate with Alexa, but only if you tap the Alexa button on the voice command, you can’t call the whole room to talk to the TV like you could with the Omni series, but you can still ask Alexa for play certain movies, TV shows, and more, or ask him things like sports scores and weather, as you would with any Fire TV device.

While the 4 Series TVs support high dynamic range standards like HLG and HDR10 to enhance clarity in darker and brighter scenes, none offer Dolby Vision support like the high-end Omni TVs.