TiVo Announcements

TiVo announced today that its newest lineup of set-top

DVRs, including Series 4 (TiVo Premiere), Series 5 (TiVo

Roamio), and Series 6 (TiVo Bolt) devices as well as the

TiVo Bolt Vox, will gain support for Amazon’s Alexa virtual

assistant by June 1. Once the new firmware arrives, TiVo

subscribers with the Alexa app or an Amazon Echo smart

speaker will be able to change channels, adjust television

and A/V receiver volume, and more, with their voice.

The new TiVo Alexa skill will recognize playback

commands such as “pause,” “play,” “fast-forward,” and

“rewind,” in addition to channel-switching shortcuts like

“Alexa, go to ABC” and “Alexa, watch NBC.” It will also

support app launching — users will be able to open Netflix

by saying “Alexa, open Netflix,” for example — and platform-

specific TiVo features such as commercial skipping and eight-

second rewind.

The new voice controls seem to at least partially

cannibalize TiVo’s voice-enabled Vox remote, which

launched alongside the TiVo Bolt Vox and Mini Vox last

fall but is sold separately for $39. Vox adds voice functionality

to the TiVo Bolt, Roamio, and Mini, including playback

controls; the ability to search for movies and television

shows across live TV, DVR, video-on-demand, and streaming

services; and quick access to recorded content. The Alexa skill

may not have as many features, but existing Amazon Echo

device owners will now be less likely to purchase the remote.