Editors’ Observe: That is the newest model of the 65-inch Amazon Fireplace TV Omni QLED. Learn our authentic evaluation from November 10, 2022 beneath.
The Amazon Fireplace TV good TV platform is a robust interface with numerous options, significantly the Alexa voice assistant, and we extremely suggest Fireplace TV media hubs just like the Fireplace TV Stick 4K and Fireplace TV Dice. Prior to now, although, we’ve been underwhelmed by TVs that use the Fireplace TV platform, and even Amazon’s personal Fireplace TV Omni disillusioned us with its mediocre efficiency. The corporate has since up to date its TV, which is now referred to as the Fireplace TV Omni QLED ($799.99 for the 65-inch mannequin). It’s solely barely dearer than the outgoing model, and whereas it isn’t an excessive amount of brighter than the unique, it has superior distinction and shade, and that makes it way more interesting, significantly for devoted Alexa customers.
A Easy, Engaging Design
The Fireplace TV Omni QLED has an understated fashion that is change into typical of present high-end TVs. The display screen is framed by a barely there quarter-inch gunmetal grey bezel on the edges and prime, with a 3/4-inch brushed metallic strip on the underside edge. A black protrusion on the decrease bezel holds the far-field microphones and mic mute swap.
The TV sits on two V-shaped steel legs positioned nearer the edges. This implies it has to sit down on one thing no less than as huge because the legs and may negate sure narrower TV stands. It additionally helps normal VESA mounts.
The facility cable connects to a port on the left aspect of the TV’s rear panel. All the opposite ports are on the correct aspect, together with 4 HDMI ports (one eARC), a USB port, an Ethernet port, an optical audio output, a 3.5mm headphone output, a 3.5mm port for the included infrared blaster, and an antenna/cable connector.
The distant is equivalent to the one included with the Fireplace TV Dice. It’s a skinny black wand with a round navigation pad close to the highest. The facility button, Alexa button, and pinhole microphone are above the nav pad. Menu and playback controls sit beneath the pad, with quantity and channel rockers farther down. Devoted service buttons for Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu, and Netflix are positioned close to the underside of the distant.
Fireplace TV With Arms-Free Alexa
The Fireplace TV Omni QLED makes use of Amazon’s Fireplace TV good TV platform, which makes it successfully work identical to a Fireplace TV Dice. The interface helps most main streaming companies along with Amazon’s, together with Apple TV, Crunchyroll, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, Sling, Twitch, and YouTube. Music is on the market by means of each Amazon Music and quite a lot of third-party companies, together with SiriusXM and Spotify. Gaming is on the market, too, through Amazon Luna, which you need to use with a appropriate Bluetooth controller or the Amazon Luna controller.
Native display screen sharing through cellular units is by far the largest weak point with Fireplace TV, however the Fireplace TV Omni QLED makes an enchancment over media streamers with the platform. Fireplace TV on media streamers helps Miracast/WiDi, however lacks Apple AirPlay and Google Solid for simplified streaming straight out of your cellphone or pill. Nonetheless, the Fireplace TV Omni QLED options Apple AirPlay as properly, including to its flexibility.
Fireplace TV helps you to use Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant, and the Fireplace TV Omni QLED’s far-field microphone array permits hands-free voice instructions. You possibly can merely say, “Alexa,” adopted by a request, and the TV will act. It really works in addition to the Fireplace TV Dice, Fireplace TV Omni, and different TVs with hands-free voice management; it ought to be capable to choose up your voice except the TV may be very loud.
Alexa can management the TV itself by opening apps and looking for content material. It additionally offers helpful info like climate forecasts and sports activities scores visualized on display screen and allows you to make voice and video calls with Amazon’s Drop In service, Skype, or Zoom (so long as you may have a appropriate webcam linked for video). As well as, Alexa can management any appropriate good residence units in your community.
The Fireplace TV platform permits a customizable ambient mode with useful widgets. You possibly can set the TV to point out totally different photos, together with curated artwork and your individual images, then show extra widgets like your calendar, residence sticky notes, and particulars equivalent to what’s at the moment on dwell TV.
Not A lot Brighter, However It Seems to be a Lot Higher
The Amazon Fireplace TV Omni QLED is a 4K TV that helps excessive dynamic vary (HDR) content material in Dolby Imaginative and prescient, HDR10, HDR10+, and hybrid log gamma (HLG). It has a 60Hz refresh fee.
We check TVs utilizing a Klein Ok-80 colorimeter, a Murideo SIX-G sign generator, and Portrait Shows’ Calman software program. In our checks, the Fireplace TV Omni QLED’s native dimming array didn’t make it wildly brighter than the Fireplace TV Omni, however it did considerably enhance distinction. Out of the field, in Film Vivid mode with an SDR sign, the TV confirmed a peak brightness of 430 nits with a full-screen white area and 499 nits with an 18% white area, with a black stage of 0.007cd/m^2. With an HDR sign, peak brightness curiously dipped barely to 423 nits with a full-screen white area and 474 nits with an 18% white area. Its black stage was considerably decrease, although, at 0.004cd/m^2, for an efficient distinction ratio of 118,500:1. That’s an enormous soar in distinction from the Fireplace TV Omni (334 nits peak brightness, 0.11cd/m^2 black stage, 3,033:1 distinction ratio). The Hisense U6H will get brighter at 588 nits, however with a better black stage of 0.03cd/m^2 it has a a lot decrease distinction ratio of 19,608:1.
The above charts present the Fireplace TV Omni QLED’s shade ranges in Film Vivid mode with an SDR sign in contrast in opposition to Rec.709 broadcast requirements, and with an HDR sign in contrast in opposition to DCI-P3 digital cinema requirements. In each instances, whites are spot-on, which is an efficient begin for any TV. SDR colours are additionally virtually excellent, and whereas magentas are just a little heat with an HDR sign, it nonetheless provides wonderful efficiency out of the field. Extra importantly, it is a step up in shade vary from the unique Fireplace TV Omni.
The TV’s huge colours make BBC’s Planet Earth II pop. The greens of leaves and the blues of water are wealthy and diverse, with good impartial stability for animal fur and bark. Tremendous particulars come by means of clearly in each direct daylight and shade.
The purple of Deadpool’s costume within the overcast opening scenes of Deadpool is balanced and saturated regardless of the comparatively cool pictures. Later, within the burning lab battle, the flames look pretty vibrant and diverse, and shadow particulars might be discerned in the identical body with out wanting washed out.
Regardless of its lack of serious brightness, the TV is nice at exhibiting off the stark distinction of the social gathering scenes in The Nice Gatsby. The white of shirts and balloons comes by means of prominently whereas the cuts and contours of black fits might be seen clearly. The black objects in frames look correctly darkish, although they don’t fairly attain into inkiness. Pores and skin tones additionally look balanced and pure.
Few Gaming Options
On paper, the Fireplace TV Omni QLED received’t maintain a lot curiosity to avid gamers. Whereas it options variable refresh fee (VRR) and auto low latency mode (ALLM), its panel is barely 60Hz and it lacks AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync. Nonetheless, it’s extraordinarily responsive.
Testing enter lag with an HDFury Diva HDMI matrix, we measured a latency of solely 3.2 milliseconds in Sport mode, properly beneath the 10ms threshold we use to find out if a TV is nice for gaming.
An Inexpensive TV for Alexa Followers
The Amazon Fireplace TV Omni QLED resolves the largest points we had with the earlier mannequin. Whereas it will probably nonetheless be brighter, its distinction is far larger thanks to raised black ranges, and its shade vary is wider and correct out of the field. The Omni QLED can be filled with options due to the Fireplace TV platform and hands-free Amazon Alexa, and whereas it doesn’t have quite a lot of gamer-friendly bullet factors, its enter lag is low. For $40 greater than the retail worth of the 2021 Fireplace TV Omni, the QLED mannequin is a far superior alternative.
This doesn’t essentially imply it’s one of the best price range TV accessible, although. The Google TV-based Hisense U6H ($799.99 for 65 inches) nonetheless takes that distinction with a brighter panel and robust shade efficiency (plus it’s usually on sale). The Hisense U8H stays our Editors’ Selection for total worth due to its a lot brighter panel, and the TCL 6-Collection Google TV is one other wonderful choose. For devoted Amazon Alexa customers, although, the Fireplace TV Omni QLED is a worthwhile different.
