INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
TiVo DVRs are getting Alexa support
The company is announcing its lineup of DVRs, including Series 4 (Premiere), 5 (Roamio), and 6 (Bolt) boxes like TiVo BOLT VOX introduced
last fall, will be gaining support for Amazon virtual assistant, Alexa.The assistant will be able to do things like change the channel, skip
commercials, jump back or forward, launch apps like Netflix, and more, says TiVo.
The company is not the only third-party DVR maker to have
added support for Alexa.
Thanks to developer tools like the Video Skill API,other cable and satellite TV companies, streaming services, and
content providers can now add voice control to their devices and apps, as well
For example, Dish last fall became the first U.S
pay TV provider to integrate with Alexa for hands-free TV
Others working with Amazon include DirecTV and TechCrunch parent (by way of Oath), Verizon.
Amazon Video Skill API was updated in March to
include support for DVR recording, allowing users to set and manage their DVR recordings via their voice & that something TiVo, presumably,
will add at a later date, as it not live yet
At the time of Amazon announcement, it had also said TiVo was one of the companies developing experiences using the Video Skill API.
In
addition, TiVo itself had announced plans to add smart home integration, including voice control through Alexa and Google Assistant, back at
CES in January.
According to TiVo, Alexa will let its customers do many of the things they can do today with the TiVo remote
For example, you can ask Alexa to change the channel by saying things like &Alexa, watch CBS& or &Alexa, go to FOX.& You can also launch
apps on TiVo& by saying things like &Alexa, open Netflix.&
But where TiVo implementation is different from other DVR makers is how it has
put Alexa to use to control its devices& unique features, like skipping the commercials & which TiVo calls SkipMode.
This can be done by
telling Alex to &skip commercials,& says TiVo, and it joins other playback-related skills like jumping back 8 seconds (&Alexa, go back&),
pausing and playing, fast-forward, and rewind.
&With far-field voice control, life becomes more untethered for our customers,& said Andrew
Heymann, TiVo Senior Director of Product Management, said in an announcement about the new functionality
&They can continue to enjoy watching their favorite programming with TiVo cool features even when they&re preparing dinner and their hands
are too dirty to use the remote, or when they&re exercising, and they don&t have access to their remote
Life suddenly gets a lot easier,& he adds.
A placeholder screen for the new Alexa functionality popped up this weekend on supported devices,
reports Dave Zatz, who regularly covers TiVo
The screen says Alexa is &coming soon& and will roll out to TiVo retail devices with software version 20.7.4 or later
The rollout is expected to compete by June 1st, it also notes.
The addition of Alexa to TiVo boxes is notable, too, because TiVo itself had
developed voice-control functionality of its own
Its newer BOLT VOX and Mini VOX were the company first DVRs to include a voice remote control, which offers similar functionality to
Alexa.
However, TiVo sold the remote separately, which limited the reach of its voice control offering for consumers
With Alexa, the company is able to go after the growing market of those who already own an Amazon Echo device.
