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How to connect Alexa to your new smart TV

“Alexa, play The Office.”

smart tv on white stand
Image: Walmart

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Today’s world is interconnected thanks to smart devices that control everything from your thermostat to your TV.

One of the latest ways to connect technologies is using Amazon’s Alexa with your smart TV. See below the smart TVs on the market, how they work with Alexa, and how you can hook them up to work together.

Smart TVs currently on the market

If you’re looking for a Smart TV that works with Alexa, you have several options.

You can buy a TV that has Alexa already connected, such as Amazon’s Fire TV Edition models, select Hisense 2018 4K Smart TVs, Sony’s 4K HRD TV series, and certain LG models.

You can make a regular TV a smart TV by using a Fire TV device, the Logitech Harmony remote control system, Roku, Dish, or DirecTV.

How does a smart TV work with Alexa?

The way your TV works with Alexa depends on what you’re using.

Smart TVs with Alexa already integrated offer the most basic set-up. If you’re using an external Fire TV device, you have to go through the required set-up process.

With Roku, you can use the quick remote, and there’s an entirely different process for hooking up Alexa with Dish or DirecTV Satellite Boxes.

How to hook up your Samsung Smart TV to Alexa

We’re going to focus on how to connect your Alexa to your specific smart TV. Samsung is one retailer to announce its 2019 TVs will work with voice assistants such as Alexa. Here’s how to hook your Samsung smart TV up to Alexa:

  1. Start by connecting your Samsung smart TV with the SmartThings Hub.
  2. If it’s compatible, turn your TV on and put it on the same network as the hub.
  3. Press the button your TV remote and select “Settings. Go to “System” and then select “Samsung Account.” Your TV should now show up on your SmartThings app.
  4. Open the Alexa app and tap “Menu.” Click on “Smart Home” on the dropdown list and turn it on.
  5. Use the search bar at the top and search for “SmartThings.” When you find it, tap “Enable.”
  6. A new window will come up asking you to sign into your SmartThings account. Fill in the details and hit “Sign in.”
  7. You will see a new page with a drop-down area. Click on the bar with the arrow and choose “Live.SmartHomeDB.com.” Click “Authorize.”
  8. You should get a message telling you Alexa was successfully linked with SmartThings.
  9. Close the window, find a pop-up menu and click “Discover devices.”
  10. You should see the SmartThings skill added to your Alexa app with a blue button below it. Tap the blue button that says “Discover,” and wait for Alexa to notice all the connected devices.

The process will vary based on what smart TV you purchase. For example, if you buy a Fire Edition TV, you simply open the Alexa app and tap the “Menu” icon. Then you select “Music, Video and Books” and click on “Fire TV.”

The app will give you additional setup instructions, and all you need to do is tap “Link Devices” to make sure everything is confirmed.

How can you use the Alexa app?

Once you get your Alexa app hooked up to your Smart TV, you have plenty of options for how to use the app to control the TV and other apps, such as Netflix, Hulu, Fox Now, NBC, Bravo, ESPN and more. Here are a few commands Alexa knows:

  • “Alexa, watch The Office” (or the TV show of your choice)
  • “Alexa, watch The Office on Netflix.”
  • “Alexa, tune to ESPN on PlayStation Vue.”

Alexa also supports playback options in apps. For example, you can use pause, play, rewind or even rewind five minutes to get where you need to go.

Alexa will also play the next episode for you on a platform, such as Hulu or Netflix. You have additional options with the Fire TV since Alexa supports searching with this device. Alexa can show you Indiana Jones movies or help you find a romantic comedy on Netflix.

Start using Alexa

Don’t wait to hook up your Smart TV with Alexa. Although the setup process differs by TV, it’s relatively straightforward, and you get the benefits of using voice commands to improve your watching experience.

Do you use Alexa with your smart TV? What do you like about it? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Kayla Matthews is a technology writer and blogger who runs ProductivityBytes.com. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter to read all of her latest posts!

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