Great Fire TV for the price and features. Picture and sound are both good on the 50” version that still has local dimming. Some infrequent blooming but overall another TV that proves less dimming zones isn’t a detriment with proper processing. Peak brightness isn’t as high as more expensive TV’s but is still noticeable with HDR content and very acceptable at this price. HDR10, HDR10+, HLG and Dolby Vision IQ all work well with good brightness range and color volume. Note: no Dolby Atoms for sound. I knew this, my TV is wall mounted high and tilted down slightly in a small bedroom and I have no need for a sound bar. NOTE: if using a sound bar with an optical cable, try turning the TV speakers off AND changing the output to PCM or Dolby Digital; and use HDMI 4 (ARC/eARC). This TV is a great value for my application and the budget I set for it. I’m just using the Fire TV interface and none of the HDMI inputs. So I can’t speak on Hue, Contrast and Color issues others may see. Out of the box, mine seems spot on and I currently have no want or desire to go in and adjust any settings based on the content from the various apps I’ve used. The interface isn’t as fast as the Fire TV Cube 3 or Fire Stick 4K Max but still pretty good overall. Note to new Fire TV users: the interface is slower when updates are being downloaded and installed. Check the Device Info for updates several times when first starting the TV. There will be several updates: some very big ones and 2 to 3 more little ones at the least. Keep checking back until it says that it’s “up-to-date”. THEN start to really enjoy the interface. Also the network connection and its QUALITY also plays a factor. This TV supports 2.4/5Ghz and wired (100Mbps). Ambient mode is great but just remember what the TV tells you. The power button on the remote TOGGLES between the Fire TV interface and ambient mode and that long pressing it turns the TV off. No issues with any widgets so far for me. Also, my TV easily recognizes when I enter and exit the room. If you have other Amazon products nearby that listen for “Alexa”, simply change the TV’s wake word to Computer, Amazon or Echo. Absolutely no issues with this. 1. I haven’t found any “inescapable” ads to get to content. You can “click” on these shortcuts if you want but you can just user your voice to search for titles instead. Like every other TV interface or box, third party apps have their own interfaces, sign-ins, ads, etc. that can’t be controlled by Amazon, Apple, Google, TCL, etc. Third party apps also place their own ads onto the TV platform they are on based on the deals they have in place. 2. The Fire TV interface is anything but complex. You can set it up anyway you want. Again, the various interfaces, profiles, etc. of third party apps are completely independent from Fire TV and on the makers of them and this would be the same on any other TV platform. 3. YMMV on the interface. Third party crashes and bugs are possible too. Third party interface issues need to be reported to their makers. They manage the various versions of their app across various platforms and sometimes they aren’t all equal in performance or features offered by platform. 4. It hasn’t quite been a decade for Apple to allow the removal of 1st party apps (2016) but maybe Amazon will allow certain apps to be deleted one day. But understand these devices are meant to interface with and promote Amazon products and services primarily. 5. The remote button press sounds can be turned off in options for the main interface. Don’t know about the Alexa Home Theater mode but if there isn’t a way, find out if there is one and if not ask that it be implemented. 6. Again, out of the box settings being what they may for everyone, at least there are detailed picture settings available for the TV and all of its inputs – all independent of one another to get things looking the way you personally prefer.

Upgraded to this TV from a Samsung about 6 years old. Liked the idea of the Alexa and fire tv integration. Came from primarily using Roku so Fire TV has been a little bit of adjustment but not that big of issue. The Bad - the Fire TV integration is a little slow at times, or bringing up settings lags. Not sure if it’s the TV or the other devices but have had some difficulty connecting to other Alexa devices for pairing. The layout of the fire tv is a little wonky, not hard to find something necessarily, but how things get arranged sometimes is a little odd. The Good - a lot of features with being able to use Alexa and Fire TV in general. If you use Alexa a lot or like using Alexa to organize schedules, activities, etc. then you’ll get a ton of use out of this TV. I personally like the TV speakers on it, much better than other flat screens I’ve had. I’ve seen other reviews complaining about brightness, but I haven’t experienced that, if anything I’ve had to turn the brightness down. I like the screen savers and be able to modify photos, landscapes, art, etc. It has all the major streaming services, and has performed well with video games. The Mixed - the display is good, definitely a step up from what I had. I think there are some other brands that probably offer a slightly better picture in the price range this is at, but it depends on what you’re watching. With live tv is where notice it the most that’s partially TV and partially the service you’re using to stream and internet. I don’t always get a 1080p picture but not every network broadcasts in 1080. If something does broadcast in Ultra HD or 4k the picture is fantastic. Could it be better, maybe, but fits my needs. I think what you lose in picture is made up with Alexa integration and being able to personalize the TV how you want. It could be viewed as good or bad but I do find myself modifying the display and sound to prefilled settings depending on what I’m watching quite a bit. That’s more preference than anything. I think that the movie setting for the picture display fits my preferences for watching a movie and others (sports, vivid, natural, etc). It does offer a lot of options for modifying which I like. I’d preface overall the picture is good it’s not like you lose a ton in quality, it’s marginal. Is it a straight out the box ready to go TV? No not really, yes technically you can just turn it on and go, but it would be recommended to explore the features and options it has. I’m happy with the purchase. If you want just a basic plug and play TV and you primarily utilize cable or satellite then I don’t know if this the route I’d go, would focus more on picture quality if going that route. With the 4 HDMI ports you could certainly accommodate that option but the built in features kind of get you that already, would just be redundant. I dropped cable so a one stop shop was more in the cards for me and this definitely fits that bill.