EVEN WITH EXTENSIVE AVAILABILITY and significant advancements in speech recognition, few people really make use of these tools. And when we do use virtual assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri, it’s usually to find out the day’s forecast. Let’s face it: navigating with a TV remote is a hassle, but there are a few voice commands you could be utilising now to improve your TV viewing experience.
Just as you’re getting into the swing of things on the latest episode of Andor or your other program of choice, the doorbell rings. With just a voice command, you may pause the movie and pick up right where you left off. Voice commands can also be used to play a certain episode from a streaming service, find out who directed a given episode, or even hear the exact words spoken by an actor on screen.
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The Essentials
Almost every modern TV and streaming gadget includes voice commands. Others offer at least part of the same capabilities as Google Assistant, Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and Roku voice controls, but these four are the most versatile. If your remote control features a microphone icon, you can use voice instructions.
If your TV is in the same room as your smartphone, smart speaker, or smart display and uses the same Wi-Fi network, you may be able to control it from any of those devices. You can avoid getting up from your couch to press the microphone button on the remote by doing this instead.
Add your smart TV to the Google Home or Apple Home app, the Samsung SmartThings app, or instal the Roku app for this to function. Alexa allows you to operate your television from your Echo device by opening the Alexa app, selecting More > TV & Video, then selecting your Fire TV. The setup process for streaming devices, such as Chromecast with Google TV, typically includes linking your accounts with the relevant streaming services.
An Overview
The following are examples of universally applicable, simple voice commands:
- Play
- Pause
- Resume
- Stop
- Start at the beginning and play
- Lower the volume
- Tone it up
Choosing a Show or Movie
Voice commands are convenient for launching apps, selecting shows and movies, and discovering new material because they eliminate the need to enter anything using a remote control. The following are some sample commands:
- Release Netflix
- Launch Hulu.
- I want to see films starring Sam Rockwell.
- Show the Stranger Things season on Netflix.
- Can you recommend some good science fiction series to watch?
- Search for 4K Action Films
Look up All the Films Directed by Martin Scorsese
If you ask Google Assistant for a boxing movie, it will bring up Rocky starring Sylvester Stallone, and if you ask for a hilarious vampire movie, it will bring up What We Do in the Shadows starring Bill Murray.
From the Past to The Future
Fast-forwarding and rewinding can be difficult to control precisely using a remote, but voice instructions eliminate this problem. You could try:
- To rewind time ten minutes
- Go ahead and jump ahead 30 seconds
- Ten seconds back
- Go forward in time three minutes
- Next episode, please
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Asking Apple TV’s Siri, “What did she just say?” is possible. Moreover, if the dialogue is too muffled to understand, you can press a button to have the video go back 10 seconds and put on the subtitles.
Inquiries Regarding the Current Program
Furthermore, you can post inquiries related to the show you’re currently viewing. This is just one example:
Who Is Responsible for Directing This?
- Which rating would you give this?
- Let’s see if we can guess who’s involved.
- Who plays the lead roles in “Brooklyn Nine-Nine?”
- Exactly when did this come out?
- After the TV
When utilising an Apple TV or Chromecast with Google TV, you can ask the respective virtual assistants about topics unrelated to your current viewing experience, such as:
- Get me in touch with Chinese eateries in the area.
- Perform musically (genre, band, track)
- I can’t find my iPhone.
- How is tomorrow’s forecast looking?
- Enjoy my photo album
You can use voice commands like “Dim the lights” or “Show me the front door” with smart home devices that are included in your Home app and on the same network.
The Power Is Off
When you’re too sleepy to look for the remote or when you need to set your child’s bedtime, these commands can come in very handy:
Put the TV in standby
In 20 minutes, you must turn off the TV.You can also use voice commands to turn on your TV, but you’ll need to configure your streaming device, add your TV to the Home app, or enable the appropriate Alexa skill for that purpose.
Methods and Shortcuts
If you find yourself saying “Alexa,” “Hey Google,” or “Hey Siri” or pressing the mic button on the remote more often than necessary, it may be time to set up a shortcut that does numerous tasks with a single voice command. The phrase “It’s movie time!” could trigger actions such as turning out the lights, starting the TV, and setting your phone to Do Not Disturb. The following manuals contain step-by-step instructions for performing such tasks:
- Making Your Own Skill Sets for Amazon’s Alexa
- Setting Up Your Own Individual Google Home Routines
- Learn Siri Shortcuts in This Easy Guide
