August 30, 2017

Voice Controlling Your TV with Alexa, Part 1 (Smart Home Series, Part 9)

Add Voice Control to your TV
with Alexa and Fire TV


Use your Amazon Echo Device to Control Your Fire TV


This is Part 9 in a Smart Home series, talking about how to use Alexa to build an economical, voice-powered Smart Home. To learn all about Alexa and what she can do, we recommend reading the previous posts in the series, starting with Part 1, located here. Links to other parts of the series can be found in the sidebar. (And, of course, you can always use the "Newer Posts" link at the bottom of each post to read the next chapter in the series.)  Previous articles discussed the Echo Family of Devices and using Alexa, as well as using other Smart Devices, such as Smart Outlets and Smart Lights with them.

Today, we're moving away from lighting and into the realm of entertainment.  In this post, we're going to talk about controlling a Fire TV Stick with Alexa and your voice. In Part 2, we'll talk about how to extend voice control to other parts of your entertainment center, using yet another third party device.  But read on to find all about how your Echo complements your Fire TV.

What is Fire TV?

Fire TV is Amazon's add on that converts your "regular" TV into one that is app-capable.  It turns a regular flat screen into a Smart TV.  It brings WiFi and streaming to any TV set.  And if you also have an Amazon Echo or Dot, it brings voice control to media playback.

Of course, there are a few caveats. Obviously, you must have Internet service to use the Fire TV.  And you must have a  TV that supports HDMI. So long as you meet those criteria, your TV can probably handle a Fire Stick.

The Fire TV connects to your TV through an HDMI port, typically something only available on "newer" TVs. It must also connect with the Internet, usually through WiFi, in order to stream.  (It IS possible to add HDMI to an older television using a few commercial electronics. But generally speaking, a Smart blu-ray player and an RF Modulator are more practical and economical  for adding apps and WiFi to an older TV.)  The Fire TV Stick is portable, so you can use it in a hotel or take it to a friend's house for a binge-watching party.

If you are a Prime Member, and/or if you use Amazon Photos, Amazon Video, or  Twitch, the Fire TV brings all of that to your television set, and off of the small screen. It does the same for a plethora of TV apps.  Additionally, it brings android games to your TV. The Amazon app store has a whole section devoted to games and apps for your Fire TV.  The Fire TV comes with a few streaming apps pre-loaded, but many are available through the app store, which of course, you can access right from your Fire TV.

What is the Fire TV Stick?


The Fire TV comes in a couple of flavors. Most popular (and economical) is the Fire TV Stick. The Fire TV Stick is about the size of a flash drive or your typical domino.  The Fire TV stick consists of the stick, a power adapter, and an HDMI extender.  The power adapter plugs into a standard power outlet. An optional accessory is available to convert the stick to USB power, if your TV has a USB Port. (It's called the Fire-Stick Wireless Cable for Amazon Fire TV Stick, and it costs ~$14.)  In late 2016, Amazon released the Generation 2 Fire Stick, and they added an Alexa-enabled voice remote to the package. This remote is virtually identical to the Alexa Remotes they included with Generation 1 Echos.  With this remote, you can not only control the TV itself; you can also control ANY device you usually control with your echo.


In other words, you get both a mini-android computer that will convert your TV to a streaming media player, AND a mini-echo device you can use as an Alexa remote. The Voice Remote is not an "always listening" type device, like an Echo or Dot. Instead, you press the microphone icon on the remote to access Alexa.   If you have an Echo or Dot in the same room as your Fire Stick, you can use either to control the apps and content displayed on your TV.

The Fire TV also adds Bluetooth capabilities. A Bluetooth game controller is sold separately. This means you can pair things like a mouse, keyboard, or headphones to your TV.  You can have up to seven Bluetooth accessories and Fire TV remotes actively connected to your Fire TV at any time. However, mobile devices and smartphones cannot be connected to your Fire TV via Bluetooth.

I have a gen 1 Fire Stick, and I lost the remote EONS ago. This is no issue though, as Fire TV also has an app that turns your phone or tablet into a remote.  (In fact, that is what I used before I got my Echo, and before they added Fire TV control to the Echo's capabilities.)  If you are using a Fire Tablet as a Smart Device adjunct, the Fire Remote app is at its finest on a Fire Tablet. If you have the included voice remote, an Echo device, and a smartphone/tablet, you have numerous ways to control your entertainment.

Current generation Sticks retail for $39.99, including the remote.  Generation 1 Fire Sticks are being sold through discounters right now. Gen 1 sticks lack this remote.  A Gen 1 replacement remote costs $15. The Voice Remote alone costs $30.  If you want any type of physical remote, keep this in mind when looking at the overall cost. Unless you can pick up a gen 1 stick for $15 or so, it's probably not a good buy.  But again, if you do not care about having a remote, look at discounters for gen 1 sticks, and sticks that do not have a physical remote bundled.

What is a Fire TV Box or Fire TV 4k?


The Fire TV Stick is not the only flavor in town. The next step up in the Fire TV Line is the Fire TV 4k Streaming Media Player, commonly known as the Fire TV Box.
The box is a box, rather than a stick. It also connects via HDMI. (You'll need an HDMI cable, as it is NOT included with the box.)  It's about four and a half inches square. It includes several expansion ports that the stick does not have, including USB, Ethernet, and MicroSD.

The Fire TV Stick is only capable of 1090p maximum resolution. The Fire TV Box does "4k Ultra HD."   The Fire TV box does everything the stick does and more. It's capable of high performance gaming, has double the RAM, and has expandable storage. It also has an Ethernet option the Fire Stick lacks. If you'll need a wired connection to your Fire TV, you'll want to upgrade to the box. 


The Fire TV Streaming Media Player retails for $89.99.  Amazon occasionally runs sales, but believe it or not, Best Buy discounts these more often than does Amazon itself. Target also sells these and puts them on sale every now and again.   (The same is true for the Fire TV Sticks.) And of course, you can find these used on eBay and at Amazon Warehouse Deals fairly often.  

If you don't have a 4k capable TV, and if you're not planning to do a lot of gaming with it, you probably do not need the Fire TV Box. The Fire TV Stick is adequate for most people. However if you DO have all high-end equipment, or you're planning to upgrade soon, the box may be worth the extra expense.

What is a Fire TV TV?


Amazon has recently started selling a line of TVs with Fire built right in.  I do not recommend taking this route, but it is available if you so choose.


I always recommend "components" when it comes to Smart Things. I say this as the owner of a gen 1 Google TV.  (It was gifted to me by someone who believes "Built-in is always better.")  Television and mobile technology are changing rapidly, and developers often abandon older versions in favor of newer. Imagine having a PC that had Windows ME hard-wired into it. Having a Gen 1 Google TV is similar in many ways.  The platform was never fully developed, and about the only thing that kept working after the 1st year was the web browser and the media player. However, even YouTube needed a more robust browser by year 2. Had I had a TV with an external Google TV box, it would have been MUCH easier to upgrade. I soon added a Blu-Ray player with apps, and later, the Fire TV stick. The "built in" smart parts of the TV never get used, in favor of the newer add-ons.

I am a person who still has my very first TV in my Guest Room, and an old TV/VCR combo in my bedroom. I do not believe in replacing perfectly good appliances for no reason. When it comes to a Smart TV, the TV itself should be viewed more as a monitor; the add-ons are what keeps this monitor up to date. If you are a cable subscriber, you need to consider what will work with the boxes your provider requires. It is usually easier, more eco-friendly, and more cost effective to upgrade peripherals than it is to scrap a whole TV when something "built in" no longer gets the upgrades it needs to work with everything else. 

So buy the BEST TV your budget allows, and then buy the accessories you need to make it do what you want.  I'd always recommend buying a stick or a box over a TV with Fire TV built in.  If you DO want a TV with Fire built in, however, they are available in 43 - 65 inch sizes.

Alexa and Fire TV: What Can They Do Together?

Alexa is built into Fire TV and the Fire TV remote. However, a recent update added Echo and Dot compatibility into the mix. Now, you can control your Fire TV with your Echo device.    Some of what Alexa can do will depend on your TV's capabilities and your own, individual set-up. For example, if your TV supports HDMI-CEC, you may be able to have Alexa power on BOTH your TV and the Fire Stick, as well as switch it to the correct input. (If your TV supports that, its own remote can probably control your Fire TV as well.)   If it doesn't support this protocol, it probably supports switching input by voice. So saying "Alexa, turn on Fire TV" will work differently, depending on your particular set. (We'll be discussing a third-party device that can add this function to any TV in Part 2.)   So your Echo may or may not be able to turn on the TV itself with a voice command. But it should be able to switch it to the correct input once the TV is on, regardless of your set.


Once Alexa has fired up your Fire TV, she can also help you navigate its interface.   If you know what you want to watch, just tell Alexa, and she'll load up the appropriate screen for you, or even just start playing it for you. For example, if you say "Watch 'Manchester by the Sea,'" she'll go straight to playing the movie for you (if you're a Prime member, that is. If not, you'll end up at a rental screen.) She'll behave similarly if you tell her you want to watch "Transparent" or "Bosch."

If you ask her to play something that's available on multiple services, or is available to buy or rent, she'll take you to the information screen. For example, if you say "Alexa, watch Riverdale," she'll take you to a screen that gives you the option of watching on Netflix or purchasing episodes.

If she's not sure what you want, she'll present you with choices. Saying "Alexa, watch Wonder Woman" will present you with two thumbnails: one for the TV show and one for the recent movie.  Here's where you'll want a traditional remote; there is no easy way to tell Alexa which "choice" to select.  Saying "Select TV show," gets a response of "Okay, what did you want to watch?" Saying "Select Second" initiates a search for a show named "Second."   So unless you can be extremely precise with your request, it's not time to abandon the traditional remote.

Likewise, Alexa is great at launching apps, but not so great with navigating within those apps, once they're launched.  For example, I can ask Alexa to launch Hulu or Netflix, but I still need a remote to navigate within it. Likewise with apps like TBS and the CW (which may require linking with a cable account before working properly.)  Commands like "Watch Supergirl on the CW app" just do not work yet.

Alexa is much better at resuming from where you left off. About a month ago, I started watching "The Middle." I've since watched several other TV shows. When I next said "Alexa, watch The Middle," she resumed at the very place I had stopped watching. (And that was surprising, as I was watching The Middle on Hulu.) Likewise, after watching the Twilight Zone,  the Fire TV started showing the next episode straight away.

However, when my episode of The Middle finished, Alexa reverted to Amazon's pay-per-episode screen, rather than taking me to the Hulu screen, where it is included with my subscription. If you pay for other streaming services, be careful you do not inadvertently pay to end up watching something on Amazon instead.

What Alexa really shines at is controlling playback once you've queued up what you want to watch. Regardless of what app or service you're watching, playback controls work great. You can have Alexa pause, stop, resume, play, and fast-forward. Even better, you can ask Alexa to fast-forward 5 minutes, or to rewind 30 seconds.

The other thing Alexa is great for is searching.   Commands like "Search fire TV for sci-fi-movies," or "Search Fire TV for Chick Flicks" will bring you to a screen of available content in that genre.  If you have been actively searching Fire TV, you should not need to append that term to your request. However, if Alexa is not behaving, just append "Fire TV to your command, and that should help.

Likewise, you can ask Alexa to "Find Johnny Depp movies," or to "Find Disney Movies." You can even ask Alexa to find movies featuring monkeys, and she'll do her best to find results.

Finally, many of us have better audio in our Entertainment Centers than the Echo has natively. Others use a Dot in the room with the "Good Speakers." The Fire TV can play the same music your Echo can, but it can play it through those better speakers. You can use things like Pandora and Spotify, as well as Amazon Music and your Amazon Cloud Drive, to play media on your Fire TV, and you can use Alexa to control it, much like you do on the Echo itself.

If you are using Alexa on the voice remote, you do not need to include "Alexa" in your request; just hit the microphone button and start speaking.  Otherwise, voice control works the same, whether you're using a voice remote, an Echo, or a Dot.

So despite the fact you can voice control your Fire TV with Alexa, you'll probably still want a physical remote of some sort. That can be a Universal Remote, your TV's remote, a phone, a tablet, or the included remote. Having a remote is pretty essential for selecting your content and navigating some of the add-on apps.  If you're binging or movie watching, however, you can put away the remote once you've queued everything up, and pretty much turn to Alexa.   And Alexa is a great companion for helping you browse content without having to type. She's just not that great at selecting from lists as of yet.

Do I Need to be A Prime Member to Use This?

No. The Amazon rental library does NOT require Prime membership. And the Fire TV Stick is compatible with almost every streaming app that exists, either natively or through its app store.  Netflix, Hulu, HBOGo, and YouTube can all be watched on your Fire TV.   You can watch Google Play purchases through the YouTube app (if you sign in with your same account.) You can install apps for PLEX, Disney Movies Anywhere, ESPN, TBS, and almost every channel that has an app. And you can access the rental market at Amazon Video.  You can also watch your own video content using VLC or other apps.


However, I think a Prime Membership is well worth the price. I initially dumped Netflix when Amazon added streaming to their Prime benefits, and I have never looked back.   Prime benefits include an extensive streaming library with commercial free TV and movies. Prime members can also add on HBO, Showtime, Starz, and other "premium channels," often for a lower monthly cost than buying it from the Cable Company.

And again, you can access content from your Amazon Cloud Drives through the Fire TV. This includes any music, photos, and videos you have stored there. Chances are, if you have Echo devices and a Fire TV,  you are an Amazon User. If you haven't tried Prime yet, I'd suggest you take advantage of the Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial.

What Devices are Supported?


According to Amazon, Alexa Voice Control works with all Fire TV devices (Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Amazon Fire TV Edition TVs) and most Alexa-enabled devices, including:

  •     Echo
  •     Echo Dot
  •     Echo Look
  •     Echo Show
  •     Amazon Tap
  •     Compatible Alexa-enabled third-party devices


At this time, the following Alexa-enabled devices and apps are not supported:

  • Fire tablets (Use the Fire TV Remote App to control from a Fire Tablet.)
  •  Alexa app
  • Amazon Shopping App (for Android or iOS)
  • Other Fire TV devices (i.e. you can't use one Fire TV device to control another, or sync Fire TV devices to one another)

What are Some Sample Commands?

You can use your Alexa-enabled device(s) to control the following features on your Fire TV:

(To do this on your Fire TV …Say this to your Alexa device…)
  • Go to Fire TV:  "Watch Fire TV."
  • Play a movie or TV show: "Play [title] on Fire TV."; "Watch [title]."
  • Search for movies and TV shows: "Search for [movie / TV show ] on Fire TV."; "Find [genre] on Fire TV."; "Show me titles with [actor]."
  • Launch apps from Your Apps & Games: "Open [app] on Fire TV."; "Launch [app]."
  • Return to the Fire TV Home screen: "Go Home."
  • Control playback of movies, TV show, music, and playlists:
"Pause."
"Stop."
"Play."
"Resume."
"Rewind [timeframe]."
"Fast-forward [timeframe]."
"Go back [timeframe]."
"Jump forward [timeframe]."
"Next / Next Episode."
Tip: If you're also streaming media on your Alexa device, when you say things like "Stop" or "Pause," Alexa may first try to control playback on your Alexa device (instead of taking action on your Fire TV). You can add "on Fire TV" to the end of your voice command to specify that you want to control your Fire TV.


Summary

This week, we started learning about voice controlling your entertainment center, using Alexa and your Echo Device. Specifically, we looked at voice controlling your Fire TV, a device manufactured by Amazon to bring apps and streaming to a regular TV. We learned that Alexa can do a lot in terms of controlling your Fire TV, but not enough that you can toss away your remote quite yet. However, once you've set up your binge, you can use Alexa to control it, without lifting a finger.

Voice controlling a Fire TV with an Echo is a fairly new addition to the skill-set. Amazon is continuing to refine it, so Alexa may become better at navigating menus and selections in the future. For now though, it's great to be able to control playback with our voices, at the same time we're dimming lights.

This taste of voice control was enough to whet my appetite. I looked for an Alexa compatible solution that would help me voice control my TV, DVD Player, Blu Ray, and DVR. And I found one I like. I am currently mastering this solution, and when I do, Part 2 of Voice Controlling Your TV with Alexa will come out.  The product I'm talking about is called The Harmony Hub, and it is  a lot of fun but very complex. Eventually, we'll talk about using Alexa to dim the lights, turn on the TV and DVD player, set it to the right input, and open to the disk menu, all with one command.  These two parts will probably NOT run consecutively, as the Harmony is a very new addition to my Smart Home set up. (I've only had it for a couple of weeks.)

We're more than halfway through our Alexa course. We hope you are enjoying it, and that it is helping you to master Alexa. Whether you have Smart Devices currently, or whether you intend to add them in the future, Alexa can be the key to making them easier and more fun to use.  And with Alexa, it's easy to take advantage of sales and close-outs to piece together your Smart Home a little at a time. Alexa helps all of your Smart Devices play together nicely, and to do what you verbally tell them.

As always, thanks for reading, and we'd love to hear any feedback or answer any questions you may have. Hit us up in the Comment Section, or reach out to us on Facebook or Twitter, (Username: Techlaurels.)  If you have any device specific questions, hit us up and we'll do our best to answer. We might even make them the subject of a future post!


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