Did you lose the remote for your Amazon Fire TV? Fret not, if you have an Echo device, you can use Alexa to control the set-top box. Amazon has enabled its digital personal assistant to control its smart TV set-top box with voice commands. Starting today, Amazon Fire TV owners can control the device by simply giving out voice commands to their Amazon Echo device.
Amazon today announced that users can now pair their Echo devices with their Fire TV products. They can control the devices without the physical remote by simply giving Alexa instructions like “Open Netflix” or “show me a comedy movie.”
Amazon first launched this functionality as part of a limited roll out last month. The company is expanding this functionality today for all Fire TV owners in the United States. All generations of the Fire TV are supported by this functionality.
Alexa is able to work with Amazon Fire TVs to do quite a bit in response to the user’s voice commands. It can launch applications, play movies or shows by title, actor or genre, and even control video playback.
Those who own TVs with Amazon’s smart TV software baked right into them, like the Element 4K Fire TV Edition, can also use Alexa to control the TV. Those with a set-top box have to link their Fire TV to their Echo device using the Alexa app on their phone.
It will then function like the Alexa Voice Remote for Fire TV even though users don’t have to carry an actual remote with them.
Filed in . Read more about Alexa and Amazon Fire TV. Source: businesswire