Alexa invades the living room

# Integrating Alexa into Your Living Room: A Deep Dive

If you're watching this video, chances are you have an Amazon Echo or a Google Home. And while it's safe to assume you also own a television, there’s a pressing question: Are these two devices working well together? This summer, one of the biggest trends in tech revolves around companies striving to bring intelligent assistants like Alexa into your living room. In this article, we’ll explore how different companies are tackling this challenge, focusing specifically on Amazon's efforts with Alexa and its integration with Fire TV, Echo devices, sound bars, and more.

## The Problem: Complicated AV Ecosystems

The current setup in most living rooms is a hodgepodge of gadgets: TVs, soundbars, consoles, set-top boxes, and more. Getting all these devices to communicate seamlessly is a complex task involving HDMI-CEC, HDMI ARC, and countless remote controls—let alone integrating a digital assistant like Alexa into the mix.

For years, the primary way to bring Alexa into your living room has been through Echo devices like the Echo Dot or Echo Spot. However, this approach introduces yet another gadget to an already cluttered space. While convenient in some ways, it doesn’t fully address the need for a cohesive, voice-controlled entertainment ecosystem.

## The Fire TV Solution

One of the most straightforward methods to get Alexa into your living room is by using a Fire TV device. Whether you opt for the Fire TV 4K or the standard model, these devices allow you to control your TV and other connected gadgets through Alexa. However, there’s a catch: you need to press and hold the microphone button on the Fire TV remote to issue voice commands. This is inconvenient because most people would prefer to shout commands across the room rather than fumble with a remote.

To solve this problem, Amazon introduced the **Fire TV Cube**, which combines a Fire TV 4K with an Echo Dot. While this device works well for many users, it has its drawbacks. For one, it relies on IR blasters, which can be finicky and may not work perfectly with every TV or setup. Additionally, issues like the ongoing spat between Amazon and Google (which prevents Fire TV from streaming YouTube) remain unresolved.

## Sound Bars: A Better Solution

Enter sound bars—the next frontier in Alexa integration. These devices promise to simplify the AV ecosystem while offering robust voice control features. Two standout options are the **Sonos Beam** and the **Polk Command Bar**, both of which aim to bring Alexa into your living room seamlessly.

### The Sonos Beam: A Premium Option

The Sonos Beam is a high-end sound bar that retails for $399. It’s designed to integrate with Amazon’s Alexa ecosystem, allowing users to control their TV and other devices through voice commands. While the Beam delivers excellent sound quality and works well with Alexa, it comes at a steep price point.

### The Polk Command Bar: A More Affordable Alternative

If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly option, the **Polk Command Bar** is worth considering. Priced at $299, this sound bar includes a built-in Alexa-enabled speaker and aims to simplify the HDMI setup process. Instead of hanging off the end of your TV’s HDMI chain, the Polk Command Bar sits in the middle, giving it direct control over your TV’s inputs.

However, there’s a caveat: the Polk Command Bar was designed two years ago, when Fire TV sticks were smaller and more manageable. Today, with the release of the larger Fire TV 4K, plugging this device into the Command Bar results in an awkward protrusion that feels out of place. Despite this design flaw, the Polk Command Bar remains a solid option for those seeking Alexa integration without breaking the bank.

## Evaluating the Polk Approach

While the Polk Command Bar shows promise, its execution isn’t flawless. The sound quality leaves something to be desired—it’s not particularly rich or immersive, leaning more toward a flat audio experience. This makes it less appealing for audiophiles, though casual listeners might find it adequate.

The real issue with the Polk Command Bar lies in its integration with Fire TV devices. Two years ago, when Polk designed this product, they likely anticipated using smaller Fire TV sticks. The arrival of the Fire TV 4K has rendered their design obsolete, leaving users with a cumbersome setup that detracts from the overall experience.

## Alexa Integration: Early Days

It’s worth noting that we’re still in the early stages of integrating digital assistants like Alexa into our living rooms. Just six months ago, Alexa couldn’t play videos without manual input from a remote—a limitation that has since been addressed but highlights how quickly this technology is evolving.

Looking back at past tech innovations, such as the Xbox Kinect, which allowed users to control their TV with voice commands years ago, we can see parallels in today’s market. While the Kinect eventually faded into obscurity, it serves as a reminder of the potential and pitfalls that come with early adoption. The same could happen with current Alexa-enabled devices if companies like Polk don’t refine their approaches.

## Final Thoughts: Spending Wisely

If you’re eager to bring Alexa into your living room, the author’s advice is clear: don’t overspend. While the Sonos Beam and Fire TV Cube offer robust solutions, they come at significant costs. For now, the simplest and most reliable way to enjoy Alexa in your living room is through a basic Echo device like the Dot.

## Closing Thanks

A big thank you goes out to all our subscribers—two million and counting! It’s been an incredible journey, and we’re blown away by your support. A special shoutout to everyone behind the scenes at The Verge who works tirelessly to bring you these videos. Your dedication doesn’t go unnoticed, and we truly appreciate it.

This concludes our deep dive into integrating Alexa into your living room. Stay tuned for more updates as this technology continues to evolve!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- If you're watching this video,there's a pretty good chancethat you have an AmazonEcho or a Google Home.And you know what, it's a pretty safe betthat you probably have a television,but here's a question,are those two thingsdoing a good enough jobof talking to each other?So I want to talk about oneof the biggest trends in tech this summerand that's basically a bunch of companiesare trying to figure out a wayto get an intelligent assistantinto your living room.In this video, becausethere's just a million thingswe could talk about, Iwant to focus specificallyon uh...Lexa.In videos, we're just gonna call it Lexaso it won't turn on yourEcho, you're welcome.Lexa, buy some toilet paper.Nothing?Good?Good, cool, we're moving on.The way that most people getLexa into their living roomis they buy an Echo or an Echo dotor, I don't know, this cutelittle thing, the Echo spot.I love it, it's cute.It's got a little screenand it's round and...Anyway.The problem with that is you end upwith another gadget in your living room.Maybe that's not a big deal,but you've also got othergadgets in your living room.You've got a TV, you'vegot maybe a sound bar,you've got a console, a set-top box,and you want all that stuffto talk to each other.Frankly, it's complicated.Welcome to the world ofHDMI-CEC and HDMI ARCand a million remote controlsand (sighs), IR blasters.It's a lot for regularhumans to figure outhow to get all that AVequipment to talk to each otherand throwing a digitalassistant into the mixjust multiplies that.So what I want to do is look athow a few different companies are tryingto get Lexa into your living room.The linchpin for the wholeexperience is getting a Fire TV.Now if you just get a Fire TV 4Kor just a regular old Fire TV,the problem there is you've gotto hold down this little microphone buttonon the remote to talk to Lexa.Nobody wants that.You just wanna shoutcommands into the roomand so then you have toget something on the sidelike an Echo Spot or an Echo Dot.Or, you can get this cute little dude.This is the Fire TV Cubeand we reviewed it a littlewhile ago and it's fine.It's got those annoyingIR blasters and whatever.Now I know it doesn't work with YouTubebecause Amazon and Google are fightingand the world is terribleand maybe they'll solve it someday.I can't solve that problem.But here's the thing, yourTV probably has crappy soundand you might not want it onwhen you're listening to music.And I think the bestsolution for that, honestly,is gonna be these sound barsbecause these processors,they're not gonna need to be that powerfulto run these things.So I don't think they'regonna get obsolete in a whileand it means you get to bark at the roomand you get good sound andthey do talk to your TVin a relatively smart way.The one everybody knowsabout is the Sonos Beam.We did a big feature on it.We reviewed it a little while ago.I think it's great butit is a little expensive.It's $399.There's another sound barthat's just coming out,it's called the Polk Command Barand I actually want tospend a little bit more timetalking about it becausethe Polk Command Barreally encapsulates all of the problemsof trying to get a digitalassistant in your living room.Alright, so this is the Polk Command Barand its associated sub, whatever.It is $299 and if you look at it,it looks like there's an EchoDot slap in the middle of it.It's not that, it's custom circuitry,but two years ago that's what they thoughtthey wanted to do sothey started that way,Amazon gave them specialpermission, whatever.The reason this thing is interestingis it has a different solutionfor getting Lexa working on your TV.It's actually in themiddle of the HDMI chaininstead of hanging off on the end of it.So to explain that, we've got to talkabout inputs and outputs.Okay, so if you look atthe inputs on this thing,it's pretty standard.Two HDMI in, one out,there's an optical in,normal stuff.But what's interestingis because the Alexa ison this sound bar, it isable to do the HDMI switchingwith your voice because ithas direct control of it.You'll also see that thischannel is really bigand that's because theydesigned it specificallyto fit a Fire TV stick.It has an always-on USBport and so everything canbe hidden in there, except theydesigned this two years agoand now everybody wantsthe Amazon Fire TV 4K,which is really big andthen when you plug itinto this thing, it kind ofhangs out in a really dopey way.So they didn't really think that through.Oh hey, one more thing.It's a sound bar, how does it sound?I don't know.Fine.It's really aggressive at makingyou hear the center channeland basically nothing else.The sound is not very rich or immersive,it's kind of flat.But you know, it's a hundred bucks cheaperthan the Sonos, I guess.Okay, so that's how thePolk Command Bar does it,but after looking at allthese different solutions,which one do I think is actually the bestfor getting Lexa in your living room?Well, honestly, remember that we're stillvery early in this process.What do I mean by usbeing relatively early?Well, here's just one example.Up until recently, if youask Lexa to play you a show,it wouldn't play the show.You'd have to pick the remote and hit playto actually watch it.They just fixed that.I mean, all this stuffhas basically come outin the last six months and they all haveradically different solutionsand who knows what it's gonnalook like six months from now?Here's a story.Do you remember the Xbox Kinect?It did all of the stuff years ago.You could yell commands at your TVand ask it to do stuff and turn it onand turn it off and everything workedand it was great and youknow what happened to it?It went away.And who knows?This other stuff might go away too.So if you really want a digital assistantin your living room, Idon't think it's a good callto spend a ton of money on it right nowbecause who knows if that solution,the thing they tried, is gonna work?Polk made a bunch ofweird bets two years agothat I don't think playedout very well today.So maybe the Beam is okay.The Beam is okay becauseyou get to buy into Sonos.But for everything else,if you really want Lexain your living room, youknow what my advice is?Just get a Dot.Two million subscribers, wejust hit two million subscribersand I'm blown away.Thank you, thank you forsmashing that sub button, fam.And thank you to everybody at The Verge.We work super hard on these videos.It's not just me.There's people behind the camera.There's tons of other people making videosand they're hard.And the fact that you're watching them,it just makes us feel really good.I know you've seen a millionof these corny thank you videosbut we all mean it.I mean it.Thank you.(bouncy music)\n"