Alexa voice control arrives for select DirecTV set-top boxes

If you have DirecTV and you're fed up of having to use an old-fashioned remote to get to the content you want to watch, starting today, you can just holler at Amazon's Alexa voice assistant to do the work for you. Alexa is now compatible with the Genie HR44, HR54, Genie 2 and Genie Mini set-top boxes.

You'll first need to connect your DirecTV account to Alexa, which you can control with (for instance) an Echo, a mobile app or the new Fire TV Cube. It's then a matter of using your voice to play, rewind and record shows, or change the channel. You can search for what you want to watch too, such as movies starring a certain actor. It's a far cry from the old days of voice control, before remotes existed, when you would just ask a child to get up and switch the channel on the TV itself.



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