I have a Vizio TV and sound bar (both a few years old now), and an Apple TV 4K. This new iteration attempts to automate creating what we'd previously call an "activity." We'll use my bedroom as the example here. Teach it what you have hooked up, and what you need to watch and hear what you want to watch and hear. The gist is pretty much the same as it was previously. And Harmony Express has a new, dedicated app to guide you through that process, available for Android and iOS. Various methods of auto-discovery (CEC, a deep library of products, and prayer, mostly) go a long way toward making the process as easy as possible. Discovering and manipulating the myriad devices connected to your TV will always be a pain point, short of some miraculous universal solution. Still, there's really only so much it can do with the first and second hurdles in our scheme. Logitech has a lot of experience with the universal remote experience. Cost will be prohibitive until it goes on sale.Not all devices and services have deep Alexa integration.Still requires nerding out over your hardware.Setup process is improved over older remotes.It's Logitech's first real remote with voice control.For more information about Logitech and its products, visit the company’s website at Harmony Express is a simple-looking remote that trades myriad buttons for a simple layout - and has Amazon Alexa built in. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Find Logitech at the company blog or Logitech, Logicool, Logi and other Logitech marks are owned by Logitech and may be registered. Founded in 1981, Logitech International is a Swiss public company listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (LOGI). Over 30 years ago, Logitech started connecting people through computers, and now it’s designing products that bring people together through music, gaming, video and computing. Logitech designs products that have an everyday place in people's lives, connecting them to the digital experiences they care about. For additional information on using Logitech Harmony remotes with Amazon Alexa, please visit /alexa, our blog or connect with us on Facebook. To take advantage of this new capability, launch the Alexa app on your smartphone, select Skills from the left-hand navigation menu, and search for ‘Harmony.’ A Logitech hub-based remote, such as the Logitech Harmony Elite or Logitech Harmony Companion, and an Alexa-enabled device such as the Amazon Echo or Echo Dot, are required. The Logitech Harmony Alexa skill will be available to users in the UK now. These updates are delivered for free and over the air to our remotes, so our users can rest assured that a purchase today will also deliver the key features they will want tomorrow. Logitech continually adds new features and functionality to Harmony remotes, so people always have access to the latest home entertainment and control experiences. “Alexa integration with Harmony makes home entertainment easier than ever, enabling customers to change channel, switch content services, control playback, adjust their volume, and more, across different inputs-all without lifting a finger.” “Controlling your home entertainment system with your voice takes convenience to a whole new level,” said Rob Pulciani, Director, Amazon Alexa. For example, with a Good Morning activity, you can turn on the lights, bring up the blinds and turn your TV to BBC One - all with one voice command to Alexa. With Harmony Activities, different actions and more than 270,000 devices can be combined to bring an entire scene to life. “After receiving a lot of positive feedback on the Amazon Alexa integration in the U.S., this move is our next step in the process of bringing more control of the living room entertainment experience to the world.” “We are thrilled to extend voice control capabilities to more Harmony users worldwide,” said Renee Niemi, vice president general manager of the smart home business at Logitech. As new skills continue to be added, users can also control media playback by simply telling Alexa to play, pause, stop, eject or record. Harmony users can simply say “Alexa, tell Harmony to turn on the TV,” or “Alexa, tell Harmony to turn on Netflix” to control the TV as well as other entertainment and smart home devices, and Harmony makes it happen. With this new skill, you can start and stop Harmony Activities, control your volume, pause and resume your movies, or even directly tune your channels, hands free, using only your voice. Logitech announced the UK availability of its new Amazon Alexa skill that enables voice control of your entertainment experience using a Logitech Harmony Hub through Alexa-enabled devices such as the Amazon Echo or Echo Dot.
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