If you're the happy owner of a Sony 4K HDR TV and an Amazon Alexa-enabled speaker, losing the remote down the side of the sofa may no longer be quite the pain it once was. Amazon and Sony have announced a partnership that will allow you to control an Sony Bravia TV with voice power alone.
A firmware update will allow the Android-powered TVs to have functions such as controlling the TV power, volume, playback controls, channel changing and input switching handled by Amazon's smart assistant.
To access the functions, you simply need to ask the Alexa device to find your Sony TV, and then ask it questions such as “Alexa, turn on my Living Room TV” or “Alexa, change channel to BBC One HD on my living room TV,” to use the commands quoted in the press release accompanying the news.
Alexa alternative
It'll be a welcome option for owners of the Android-powered sets, with Google's TV UI otherwise splitting opinion.
The update will roll out later this month, and simply requires an Amazon Echo device to be present and in use on the same network as the TV.
However, note that the new features are only supported if you're living in the United Kingdom or the United States.
- Our Amazon Echo review has all you need to know about the smart speaker
