What TV's work with Alexa?
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Televisions are getting smarter and larger everyday. But the top of the line smart TV’s have Alexa built in so that you can control them with your voice. With Alexa voice control of your smart TV you no longer even need a remote control to control your TV, you can control your TV with your voice. Just tell Alexa what you would like your TV to do and she’ll do it for you. With Alexa voice control you can turn on or off the TV, search for your favorite program or control the volume.
How Do TV’s Work with Alexa?
There are three primary ways that smart TV’s can work with Alexa for full voice control. You can get a TV with Alexa capability built in, connect an Amazon Fire TV Cube or connect an Amazon Fire 4K Stick.
1. TV’s With Alexa Capability Built In
TV’s with Alexa capability built in will work with any compatible Alexa device like the Echo dot. The smart TV does not have built in microphone but it connects to your Amazon Echo device via wifi and uses the Alexa device as a microphone to listen to your commands to turn on/off the TV, change the channel or turn up the volume. Most new Sony TV’s and LG TV’s have Alexa capability built in. Alexa is always waiting for your commands so there are no buttons you need to push to control your TV. Just say “Alexa, turn on TV” and she will respond to your commands.
2. Connect Any TV to an Alexa Fire TV Cube
You can connect an Alexa Fire TV Cube to any TV with an HDMI port and you can control your TV hands free with voice commands. With an Alexa Fire TV cube your TV will work just like a TV that has Alexa capability built in. You can turn on or off the TV, change channels, browse prime movies, or turn up the volume. The Alexa Fire TV Cube works by connecting an HDMI cord directly into your TV and also has an IR (infrared) repeater that converts your voice commands into traditional remote control commands so that the Alexa Fire TV cube can turn any TV into a voice controlled TV. If you bought a Samsung Smart TV that does not have Alexa built in you can add an Alexa Fire TV cube and it will work with Alexa just like it was built in. The Fire TV Cube also comes with a remote control but most people just use voice commands to control their TV. With the Fire TV Cube Alexa is always waiting for your commands and all you need to do is say “Alexa, go to channel 201” and she will respond to your commands.
3. Connect at Fire Stick 4K to your TV
You can connect an Amazon Fire Stick 4K to your TV. In this configuration you can control newer smart TV’s with your voice however they require that you press the “microphone” button on the voice remote for voice commands to control your TV. There is a work around for this though. If you have an Amazon Echo device like the echo dot you can connect it via wifi to your Amazon Fire TV 4K stick and it will enable hands free voice control of your TV. The Fire 4K TV stick is not nearly as slick, or as easy to use or setup as smart TV’s that have Alexa built in or the Fire TV Cube. If you want Alexa voice control of your TV we don’t recommend this option as you can have issues getting Alexa and the Fire TV Stick to properly sync. Both the Fire TV Cube & Smart TV’s with built in Alexa capability have great easy to set up interfaces that work. However the Fire Stick 4K is the least expensive option for to control your TV with Alexa.
You can use the Fires Stick 4k to control your TV with Alexa voice commands by pressing the remote.
How To Control Your Existing TV With Alexa
If you want to control your existing TV with Alexa we recommend you get a Fire TV Cube as it has the most features and easiest way to setup and control your TV with Alexa and it works with any TV with an HDMI port.
If you like the quality or value of the Sony or LG Brand TV’s that have Alexa compatibility built in and your looking to upgrade your TV you can’t go wrong with either Sony or LG smart TV’s as they are reliable, well known TV brands, but you will still need to have a compatible Amazon Echo device like the echo dot nearby to control your TV.
Top TV’s That Work With Alexa
The top two TV brands that currently have built in Alexa compatibility are Sony & LG. Hisense is a new player to the game but also has 4K smart TV’s that work with Alexa. Hisense also currently makes the only 100” TV with built in Alexa capability. Currently Amazon has a special section and page for TV’s with built in Alexa compatibility available here.
Sony is known for it’s top quality displays and has been in the TV game for decades. LG is also long time provider of both home appliances and TV’s. The Sony TV’s tend to be more focused on providing the absolute best picture and display while the LG TV’s are focused on providing the best value with outstanding picture quality. You can’t go wrong with either of these TV brands but we will let you know our top picks for each size and brand.
What Sony TV’s work with Alexa?
Below we’ve compiled our best of recommendations for the Sony TV’s that work with Alexa in the 85”, 75” and 65” TV sizes. All of these TV’s have rich features that will make it easier to use your TV with Alexa voice commands and create an engaging TV experience. If you want a great balance of picture and value the 65” TV is one of the most popular options for TV’s that works with alexa at a very reasonable price. If you a person that believes bigger is always better than the hulking 85” Sony TV that works with Alexa is for you.
85” TV That Works With Alexa
Sony XBR85X900F 85-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV
This is one of the biggest baddest TV’s in the Sony line up and really on the consumer market. At 85” inches this is monster that delivers with amazing picture quality and works with Amazon Alexa for full voice control of your TV. If you get this TV make sure that you get a mount capable of holding it. For this size TV you want a TV mount that allows for at least 4”-6” of outward movement otherwise it makes it near impossible to complete your connections to the TV because they are so far behind the edges of the screen. We recommend the Sanus TV mount for TV’s over 65” as it has a low profile but still allows you to pull the TV forward for connections and allows you adjust the levelness of the TV with two easy to reach screws.
75” TV That Works With Alexa
Sony XBR75X850E 75-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV (2017 Model), Works with Alexa
If you're looking for a big screen that offers an exceptional value the 2017 sony 75” TV works with Alexa for full voice control and is at a significant discount because it is last year’s model. There are no major feature differences between the 2017 & 2018 models so you can get a great deal on the large 75” TV’s.
65” TV That Works With Alexa
Sony XBR65X850F 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV (2018 Model) - Works with Alexa.
The 65” TV lineup offers arguably the best balance of size and value for sony TV’s typically hovering around the $1000-$1,200 price range these TV’s work with Alexa, offer great picture quality and all of the other smart features the the larger size TV’s have included. The only real difference is that the 65” TV is smaller than the other Sony TV options that work with Alexa.
If you end up choosing a Sony TV' we’ve provided the commands you can use to control your TV and so you can get an idea of how voice commands with a TV that works with Alexa are spoken.
Sony TV Alexa Commands:
“Alexa, turn off TV”
“Alexa, turn on living room TV”
“Alexa, change the channel to 200 on living room TV”
“Alexa, next channel on living room TV”
“Alexa, change channel to NBC.”
“Alexa, change channel to Fox.”
“Alexa, tune to channel 200 on living room TV”
“Alexa, set volume to 20 on living room TV”
“Alexa, turn down the volume on living room TV”
“Alexa, mute living room TV”
“Alexa, unmute living room TV”
“Alexa, play on living room TV”
“Alexa, pause on living room TV”
“Alexa, fast forward on living room TV”
“Alexa, rewind on living room TV”
What LG TV’s Work With Alexa?
LG also offers an entire lineup of Alexa compatible TV’s right out of the box. With LG TV’s you get great value and a high quality picture. Your typically going to get more screen for your money with the LG TV’s vs a similar priced Sony TV.
86” TV That Works With Alexa
86” LG TV That Works With Alexa
This LG TV is designed to match the size and features of the 85” Sony TV but it will save you a significant amount of money for a larger TV. LG went for the win with this TV and it’s 1” larger than the comparable Sony TV that works with Alexa. If you want to go big on a budget the 86” LG TV is a giant TV that will make a statement in any room. This TV has built in Alexa capability and can be controlled with voice using an echo device like the echo dot.
For any TV of this size make sure that you get a mount capable of holding it, you need a TV mount that allows for at least 4”-6” of outward movement otherwise it makes it near impossible to complete your connections to the TV because they are so far behind the edges of the screen. We have found with TV’s this large you want a mount that not only holds the TV but allows you adjust the level of the TV even after it’s mounted on the wall.
Because the TV’s are so large and have such a long straight line getting them level is critically important and if the bracket on the wall is not level it can throw off the whole installation of the TV. However we recommend the Sanus TV Mount for large TV’s because even if the wall bracket is not perfectly level it allows you to adjust the level of the TV with two adjustable screws after the TV is installed for perfect adjustment. I’ve personally installed several of the Sanus TV mounts and love them for their simplicity, adjustment and reliability. If you are mounting a TV over 65” they are the ideal mount.
75” TV That Works With Alexa
The 75” LG TV probably offers the best screen size to price ratio of any of the smart TV’s we’ve listed that have built in Alexa capability. You pay a significant price penalty for TV’s over 80” but you can get a TV that is almost the same size in the 75” range and oftentimes is only half the price as a TV that is only 10” larger. This TV provides exceptional features, and size at an incredible value. For typically less than $1500 you get a lot of TV with the 75” LG TV that works with Alexa.
75” LG TV that works with Alexa. This smart 4K will work with compatible Amazon Echo devices like the Echo Dot to allow for full voice control of your TV.
65” TV That Works With Alexa
A few years ago 65” TV’s were the standard size for large TV’s, now they are a common place. If you don’t feel like you need a huge TV. 65” TV’s provide the best value of larger smart TV’s on the market. Typically you can get a 65” smart TV that works with Alexa for less than $1,000.
The LG 65” TV is very reasonable TV that has all of the features of it’s larger cousins and works work Alexa.
We have a list of the Alexa Commands that work with LG TV’s below if you end up choosing an LG Smart TV that works with Alexa or you want to know how you can control a TV that works with Alexa using your voice.
LG TV Alexa Commands:
“Alexa, turn off TV”
“Alexa, turn on living room TV”
“Alexa, change the channel to 200 on living room TV”
“Alexa, next channel on living room TV”
“Alexa, change channel to NBC.”
“Alexa, change channel to Fox.”
“Alexa, tune to channel 200 on living room TV”
“Alexa, set volume to 20 on living room TV”
“Alexa, turn down the volume on living room TV”
“Alexa, mute living room TV”
“Alexa, unmute living room TV”
“Alexa, play on living room TV”
“Alexa, pause on living room TV”
“Alexa, fast forward on living room TV”
“Alexa, rewind on living room TV”
Do Samsung TV’s Work With Alexa?
No, as of December 2018 Samsung TV’s don’t have built in Alexa support. However if you want to add Alexa functionality to your Samsung TV you can do so buy purchasing an Amazon Fire TV Cube and connecting it to your TV. This will give you full Alexa control of your TV just like it was built in. There are a lot of new Samsung TV’s that offer a great balance of value and size, the 65” range seems to have the best value or if you purchase the prior model year TV with Samsung you can typically find a good deal.
What Echo Device Do I Need for My TV to Work With Alexa?
If your TV has built-in Amazon Alexa capability any Amazon Echo Device will work. However we recommend using a device without a screen for the voice control of your TV. The reason being is that if you have a device like the Echo Show or Echo Spot. When you request Alexa, play “the office” Alexa can miss interpret the command and play the office on your Echo show device because it has a screen and is capable of playing prime videos.
If you have an Amazon Alexa capable TV we recommend the echo dot because of it’s inconspicuous size.
If your TV is not compatible with Alexa the best option to provide full Alexa voice control of your TV is the Amazon Fire TV Cube.
