# Alexa Coming Soon



## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

So I just noticed an 'Alexa Coming Soon' app on my Roamio Pro (Encore; 20.7.4.RC29), and launching it revealed the following message:










Targeted for 20.7.4 and later, and the rollout is projected to be completed by June. Nice surprise.

"To learn more about the Alexa TiVo skill, visit Smart Home"


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Related Info...

TiVo Smart Home and TiVo-Alexa How To pages

TiVo Support: Alexa Voice Control App Information (Setup & FAQ)

Alexa Skill ... Supported "Channels by Name" (as of 17May2018)

** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * **
*STATUS NOTE:* FYI... The Alexa skill is currently experiencing a partial outage, per @TiVo_Ted (18May 2:13pm):


TiVo_Ted said:


> FYI, we appear to have a partial outage with Alexa. We are investigating root cause, but account linking and Alexa control is totally unavailable for some customers. I will post more as soon as I know what's happening.


Some appear affected, others not.
** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * **

-----
edits:
(17May) added "Channels by Name" link; added TiVo pages (h/t @Megamind)
(19May) added TiVo Support FAQ (h/t @tonyquan)


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

I don't have an Echo so for me.... ehhh.


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## gbenrus25 (Nov 2, 2017)

Awesome... Looking forward to this!


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## sangs (Jan 1, 2003)

Let me know when Google Home is supported. Then I'll be excited about yet another thing listening to me and my wife arguing about minutiae.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

sangs said:


> Let me know when Google Home is supported. Then I'll be excited about yet another thing listening to me and my wife arguing about minutiae.


"Hey, Google, tell my wife how wrong she is!"

"Sorry, sangs. But you're an idiot."


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

Yea!

Since getting my first dot and echo for my music I've been hoping for this!


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

Looked for the app on my Roamio Pro (TE3), but didn’t see it. 

Already having a Harmony set up with Alexa, I don’t know how useful, some of the commands will be. I can see jumping to channels and apps being useful, but things like pause, it’s easier to use the remote. Also Alexa works best when other people (like the TV) aren’t talking.


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## HerronScott (Jan 1, 2002)

krkaufman said:


> So I just noticed an 'Alexa Coming Soon' app on my Roamio Pro (Encore; 20.7.4.RC29), and launching it revealed the following message:


Ted had already mentioned this (check out this thread on the new update which actually quotes him from the RC29 thread but he has a link to the TiVo site on it and mentions the rollout).

20.7.4.rc42

Scott


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## windracer (Jan 3, 2003)

Looking forward to seeing how this is implemented. The "macro" method I've been using in my own skill doesn't adapt very well to UI navigation changes, especially with the latest horizontal scrolling menu in Hydra.


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## Megamind (Feb 18, 2013)

This is based on the new Alexa Video Skill API and you can get some idea of the potential functionality from that link.

_The Video Skill API exposes a variety of functionality including:_

_ Searching and playing content_
_ Playback controls such as pause and rewind_
_ Launching an app or GUI shortcut_
_ Recording video content_
_ Channel navigation_
_ Video catalog ingestion_
I'm particularly looking forward to ingesting my video catalog.


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## gbenrus25 (Nov 2, 2017)

morac said:


> Looked for the app on my Roamio Pro (TE3), but didn't see it.
> 
> Already having a Harmony set up with Alexa, I don't know how useful, some of the commands will be. I can see jumping to channels and apps being useful, but things like pause, it's easier to use the remote. Also Alexa works best when other people (like the TV) aren't talking.


I also have Harmony setup with Alexa. However, the ability to search for, play and record shows is what I'm looking forward to the most. Also, things like "what's on TV" or change to a sports game without knowing the channel would be very helpful e.g. the NBA playoffs.

"Alexa, pause" would be great vs "Alexa, pause {Harmony Activity}". BTW, Harmony should also be able to do just "Alexa, pause" without the activity name and it works fine in my bedroom with Roku. However, for some reason, doesn't work in living room w/ tivo.

Finally, it'd be nice to be able to navigate to channels I haven't set up as favorites in Harmony. I find myself occasionally having to go to such channels and having to search using TiVo for the channel.


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Received the app on my RC29 Roamio. Unchecked it.


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## TIVO_GUY_HERE (Jul 10, 2000)

I just see the coming soon in my apps.


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## ajwees41 (May 7, 2006)

morac said:


> Looked for the app on my Roamio Pro (TE3), but didn't see it.
> 
> Already having a Harmony set up with Alexa, I don't know how useful, some of the commands will be. I can see jumping to channels and apps being useful, but things like pause, it's easier to use the remote. Also Alexa works best when other people (like the TV) aren't talking.


the app is not launched coming soon


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Just saw that my Premiere is getting Alexa. That's so nice. Who says TiVo doesn't care about their old stuff.


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## JolDC (Dec 21, 2001)

gbenrus25 said:


> "Alexa, pause" would be great vs "Alexa, pause {Harmony Activity}". BTW, Harmony should also be able to do just "Alexa, pause" without the activity name and it works fine in my bedroom with Roku. However, for some reason, doesn't work in living room w/ tivo.


I believe for pause or play it will be the longer form in most cases. Pause and Play are overloaded for multiple skills (like music). If you recently used a skill like TiVo, Alexa will remember that for something like 5 minutes. Otherwise you will have to say "Alexa play on TiVo".


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## samccfl99 (Sep 7, 2013)

So call me dumb, but does this mean that all you have to do is buy one of these Dot's for $39 and you can tell a TE3 what to do? Their explanation on the Amazon site is not very clearly explained.

Oh, it seems it needs a $29 remote...?


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## HerronScott (Jan 1, 2002)

samccfl99 said:


> So call me dumb, but does this mean that all you have to do is buy one of these Dot's for $39 and you can tell a TE3 what to do? Their explanation on the Amazon site is not very clearly explained.
> 
> Oh, it seems it needs a $29 remote...?


No you shouldn't need a remote for this? Where did you get that?

Scott


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

samccfl99 said:


> So call me dumb, but does this mean that all you have to do is buy one of these Dot's for $39 and you can tell a TE3 what to do?


Yep.


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## samccfl99 (Sep 7, 2013)

HerronScott said:


> No you shouldn't need a remote for this? Where did you get that?
> 
> Scott


It was an add-on Suggestion at the bottom of the DOT page. I will investigate some more. So you think this is the enhancement? Wish I would have bought one of those $199 All-In 500gb OTA's last xmas. If not to just ***** about Hydra in here...some good things, but more bad, I think from what I read... 

Oh well! Thanks.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

samccfl99 said:


> It was an add-on Suggestion at the bottom of the DOT page. I will investigate some more. So you think this is the enhancement? Wish I would have bought one of those $199 All-In 500gb OTA's last xmas. If not to just ***** about Hydra in here...some good things, but more bad, I think from what I read...
> 
> Oh well! Thanks.


There's always BF this year . . . .


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## Megamind (Feb 18, 2013)

@davezatz covers this here: TiVo Alexa Voice Control Arrives


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

I use Alexa (with Harmony) to turn my system on and off, but using it while watching TV just doesn't interest me. I need/want the responsiveness of a remote for all my in-show actions. Plus it seems I would need the remote anyway to do 30-second skip, and when I'm watching TV I don't want to have to stop and think about which method to use for which action.

And I'm sure others will use and love this! Which is great for them, but it's just not at all for me.


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## Megamind (Feb 18, 2013)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> I need/want the responsiveness of a remote for all my in-show actions.


In general I agree, although there are times when I'm in the kitchen or another part of the house when it would be handy to pause/resume or change channels. This will be a convenience, but is unlikely to become my primary means of interacting with my TiVo.


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## adessmith (Oct 5, 2007)

Hopefully this will support the VOX type commands where you can ask tivo "what's on tonight", or actually do searches by voice.
I have a feeling it will just be generic media commands like play, pause, skip, etc... I already use harmony for these types of commands.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Megamind said:


> In general I agree, although there are times when I'm in the kitchen or another part of the house when it would be handy to pause/resume or change channels. This will be a convenience, but is unlikely to become my primary means of interacting with my TiVo.


I had been thinking the same thing: great for the kitchen, as your hands are occupied, and messy, preparing food and you are across the room. Less obvious while sitting on the couch or lying in bed. Although, new tech. always is fun to play with.


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## davezatz (Apr 18, 2002)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> I use Alexa (with Harmony) to turn my system on and off, but using it while watching TV just doesn't interest me. [...] And I'm sure others will use and love this! Which is great for them, but it's just not at all for me.


For launching apps or changing (live) channel by name, I'm in the love camp. Why click through the UI or remember all the channel numbers, which I don't. (Also a Harmony owner.) Ironically, Alexa control resurfaces a TiVo limitation tho - sure wish, wish they had CEC. TV could be off and on a different input, and I'd say Alexa, live TV and it'd all pop up without further interaction.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

davezatz said:


> For launching apps or changing (live) channel by name, I'm in the love camp. Why click through the UI or remember all the channel numbers, which I don't. (Also a Harmony owner.) Ironically, Alexa control resurfaces a TiVo limitation tho - sure wish, wish they had CEC. TV could be off and on a different input, and I'd say Alexa, live TV and it'd all pop up without further interaction.


Neither of which are factors for me, because I literally never watch live TV, and because I have a Harmony remote which takes care of all the AV device settings. And I only use apps through the TV itself, not TiVo, so I can take advantage of 4K.


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## Megamind (Feb 18, 2013)

adessmith said:


> Hopefully this will support the VOX type commands where you can ask tivo "what's on tonight", or actually do searches by voice.


The Amazon Video Skills API has at least some of this capability via Content Catalog Ingestion. It remains to be seen, however, what TiVo will do with that.


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Alexa, what is the signal level on tuner 1?

Too much?


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## Megamind (Feb 18, 2013)

See Smart Home and TiVo-Alexa How To:

_Alexa can do many of the things you usually do with your TiVo remote.

*Alexa commands*
Here are some things you can try:_

_"Alexa, pause"_
_"Alexa, fast forward." To fast forward at higher speeds, say "Alexa fast forward again."_
_"Alexa, previous" is like pressing the Instant Replay button (jumps back 8 seconds)._
_"Alexa, skip" or "Alexa, next" will skip a commercial break on SkipMode-enabled shows._
_"Alexa, change the channel to <channel number>."_
_"Alexa, watch <channel name>" (e.g., CBS or ESPN). You must set up your Zip code in the Alexa app to enable this command. (Go to Settings, choose your device, then verify the Zip code under 'Device Location.')_
_"Alexa, go to Guide."_
_"Alexa, go to Home" opens the TiVo Home screen._
_"Alexa, launch <app name>." Available apps include Prime Video, Netflix, HBO GO, Hulu, YouTube, iHeartRadio, Pandora, Vudu, MLB.TV, Plex, and more._
_ 
Note that commands like "Pause" or "Play" are also used in other Alexa skills (e.g. music skills). To use them, you may need to add "on TiVo" when you issue the command (for example, "Alexa, play on TiVo.")
_
Unfortunately, no search_  _(although at the bottom of the first page linked it does say "More to Come.")


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## adessmith (Oct 5, 2007)

Looks like the skill is now live on alexa (I checked earlier and it wasn't)... just need the app on the tivo now.


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## achalupa (Oct 27, 2008)

Any idea how this works with multiple TiVo’s on the same network?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Megamind (Feb 18, 2013)

achalupa said:


> Any idea how this works with multiple TiVo's on the same network?k


The TiVo skill on Amazon says _"Each TiVo device on your account MUST have a unique friendly name." _So with multiple devices I'm assuming you'd say something like "Alexa, change to CBS on Tivo Office."


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Megamind said:


> The TiVo skill on Amazon says _"Each TiVo device on your account MUST have a unique friendly name." _


I guess I have to rename my TiVo. How about George? Mom?


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

JoeKustra said:


> I guess I have to rename my TiVo. How about George? Mom?


Alexa?


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> Alexa?


Great. Then my Alexa will need therapy. My TiVo is already paranoid. I think it reads some of the threads around here.


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## ekrub (Feb 23, 2016)

achalupa said:


> Any idea how this works with multiple TiVo's on the same network?


This was my first concern. I was bummed to see the friendly name approach, since it means controlling more than one TiVo would require specifying the TiVo's name in every command:

_"Alexa, skip"_ ​
_"Alexa, skip on TiVo Family Room"_ ​
Ugh. I was hoping the TiVo could be paired with specific echo devices (e.g., if I say "Alexa, skip" in the family room near the dot, then skip on the family room TiVo; if I say the same thing in the master bedroom to the echo spot, then skip on the bedroom's TiVo mini). Unfortunately, reviewing Amazon's API docs, it doesn't look like skills are given any information about which device heard the command... so, TiVo would have no way of knowing where you are when you issue the command. Bummer.

Looks likely we'll only be using this nifty new skill in the family room.


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## CybrFyre (Mar 25, 2008)

I might actually get an Alexa for this w the main room being a Premiere Elite. I love the radio/music/podcast voice control w my Google Home.

Sent from my Pixel C using Tapatalk


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

ekrub said:


> This was my first concern. I was bummed to see the friendly name approach, since it means controlling more than one TiVo would require specifying the TiVo's name in every command:
> 
> _"Alexa, skip"_ ​
> _"Alexa, skip on TiVo Family Room"_ ​
> ...


Alexa remembers which device received the last command for about 5 minutes so at least for a short time you won't have to use the device name. It also can recognize parts of device names as long as they are unique, so you could say "Alexa skip Bob" and that should work for "Tivo Bob".

Amazon also added the ability to rename device names (or more specifically command for devices) through the Alexa app. I'm not entirely sure how it works, but that could allow you some flexibility.


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## Bryshaw (May 2, 2018)

I’ve been trying it. I have a harmony elite and the only difference is it seems easier and quicker than using my harmony. The pause and fast forward function doesn’t work but the channel change is great. Also when they implement the navigation and show start features it will defiantly be an improvement over harmony. Saying “Alexa pause” vs “Alexa pause on tv” is way better. Anyone having issues with the voice commands? Pause will not work. Also anyone trying it with both the harmony skill and TiVo skill on? Harmony uses normal smart home implementation but TiVo uses the video skill integration.


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## gbenrus25 (Nov 2, 2017)

It's not clear that searching is coming (at least anytime soon). At CES, only Google Home was demoed to have searching and back then, PCMag reported that Alexa won't have it but Google would.
TiVo Adds Alexa, Google Assistant Control to its DVRs

Also, I asked if it was eventually coming in the Facebook IFTTT group and while David Shoop said it won't be in the 1.0 release, he also said he wasn't clear on the roadmap for it (which seems a pretty negative sign). Apparently, in Google Home, the mic is open so they can search. Anyways, doesn't look too positive in the searching front and so, this skill will offer only very marginal benefit over the Harmony skill (change to a channel without first making it a favorite and not mentioning the box name for 5 mins)

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

The big question: how long does it take from the time the first folks report this roll out to the field until the first complaint they don't have it yet?


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

Grrr. I previously linked Alexa to fios and now even though I disabled the fios app, it still wants to talk to fios and gives me an error when I try to command my TiVo.


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## TiVo_Ted (Oct 3, 2000)

ekrub said:


> This was my first concern. I was bummed to see the friendly name approach, since it means controlling more than one TiVo would require specifying the TiVo's name in every command:
> 
> _"Alexa, skip"_ ​
> _"Alexa, skip on TiVo Family Room"_ ​
> ...


Most people should never encounter this problem. During setup, each Alexa device will be associated with a single TiVo device. In my case, I associated my Echo Show in the kitchen with my family room BOLT. And, I associated my Echo Dot with my bedroom TiVo MINI. At that point, I can just say "Alexa, tune to CBS" in either room and each Echo knows which TiVo to control. The nice thing about using "tune" as your first command is that in my case it grabs focus on the TiVo because there are no other skills that understand the command "tune". If I had been listening to music on the Echo and said "Alexa, pause" it would pause my music. To switch device focus, I would have had to say "Alexa, pause on TiVo" At that point, I can now say "Alexa, play" without needing to add "on TiVo" to the command. This is all handled by the Alexa Video Skills Kit (VSK). Amazon have also completely changed the rules around how long you maintain focus. I believe it is no longer a fixed time, but can retain focus for much longer periods of time if you have not shifted focus to another device.


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## GaryD9 (Mar 1, 2002)

Any word on when the google home integration will start rolling out? (I'm wondering if it'll offer any functionality over what I have now with harmony+GH.)


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## gbenrus25 (Nov 2, 2017)

TiVo_Ted said:


> Most people should never encounter this problem. During setup, each Alexa device will be associated with a single TiVo device. In my case, I associated my Echo Show in the kitchen with my family room BOLT. And, I associated my Echo Dot with my bedroom TiVo MINI. At that point, I can just say "Alexa, tune to CBS" in either room and each Echo knows which TiVo to control. The nice thing about using "tune" as your first command is that in my case it grabs focus on the TiVo because there are no other skills that understand the command "tune". If I had been listening to music on the Echo and said "Alexa, pause" it would pause my music. To switch device focus, I would have had to say "Alexa, pause on TiVo" At that point, I can now say "Alexa, play" without needing to add "on TiVo" to the command. This is all handled by the Alexa Video Skills Kit (VSK). Amazon have also completely changed the rules around how long you maintain focus. I believe it is no longer a fixed time, but can retain focus for much longer periods of time if you have not shifted focus to another device.


@Tivo_Ted, any idea if search is in the works?

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## TiVo_Ted (Oct 3, 2000)

gbenrus25 said:


> @Tivo_Ted, any idea if search is in the works?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


Not yet. If you go back and watch our CES demos, you'll see that we were able to do this with Google Home. I can't promise any features or dates yet. Let's get this first skill going.


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## gbenrus25 (Nov 2, 2017)

TiVo_Ted said:


> Not yet. If you go back and watch our CES demos, you'll see that we were able to do this with Google Home. I can't promise any features or dates yet. Let's get this first skill going.


@TiVo_Ted, yeah, I talked about the video in my earlier post and my fear was that Alexa voice searching wasn't on the roadmap. It's a bit interesting that you signed up as a partner for the new DVR capabilities even though it's not yet on the roadmap . Hopefully, it'd get there at some point.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## supie (Mar 28, 2007)

What is the Software Version Number that enables Tivo with Alexa? I currently have 
20.7.4.RC29-758-2-758 on the Premiere's and 20.7.4.RC29-840-6840 on the Roamio's. Also it shows the Alexa app is coming soon? Thanks


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## ah30k (Jan 9, 2006)

gbenrus25 said:


> It's a bit interesting that you signed up as a partner for the new DVR capabilities even though it's not yet on the roadmap .


You're right. We should have Ted pull the Alexa features and halt its release.


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## Furmaniac (Apr 3, 2018)

Megamind said:


> The TiVo skill on Amazon says _"Each TiVo device on your account MUST have a unique friendly name." _So with multiple devices I'm assuming you'd say something like "Alexa, change to CBS on Tivo Office."


I believe you set the device name on your Alexa skill


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## TiVo_Ted (Oct 3, 2000)

gbenrus25 said:


> @TiVo_Ted, yeah, I talked about the video in my earlier post and my fear was that Alexa voice searching wasn't on the roadmap. It's a bit interesting that you signed up as a partner for the new DVR capabilities even though it's not yet on the roadmap . Hopefully, it'd get there at some point.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


Ironically, we had most of the integration with Alexa done last year and threw it all away when Amazon announced the VSK. After this initial release, I believe the next features coming are Record Show and Playback Show. I'm not sure about the timing for those yet.


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## Furmaniac (Apr 3, 2018)

ekrub said:


> This was my first concern. I was bummed to see the friendly name approach, since it means controlling more than one TiVo would require specifying the TiVo's name in every command:
> 
> _"Alexa, skip"_ ​
> _"Alexa, skip on TiVo Family Room"_ ​
> ...


You put the device name in the Alexa skill on your phone


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## Megamind (Feb 18, 2013)

Furmaniac said:


> I believe you set the device name on your Alexa skill


I assume you mean the Alexa App, not skill, and in any event that is not what is indicated in the graphic here.


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## Johnwashere (Sep 17, 2005)

When I open the works with Alexa app on my tivo boot the circle spins for awhile then says there was a problem linking devices. I keep trying but not go. Been trying randomly for the last 25 minute or so.


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## Furmaniac (Apr 3, 2018)

Megamind said:


> I assume you mean the Alexa App, not skill, and in any event that is not what is indicated in the graphic here.


Yes I was referring to what it said in that graphic


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## Megamind (Feb 18, 2013)

Furmaniac said:


> Yes I was referring to what it said in that graphic


That graphics suggests to me that users will be able to change the name directly on the TiVo itself not the Alexa app (although that may be possible as well). But it's a terribly minor point anyway and we'll all figure it out soon enough.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

Megamind said:


> That graphics suggests to me that users will be able to change the name directly on the TiVo itself not the Alexa app (although that may be possible as well). But it's a terribly minor point anyway and we'll all figure it out soon enough.


I took that to mean that you can change the name of the box at the TiVo level. That it takes you to the name screen.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

And so, *Alexa on TiVo is here and active! *Received a TiVo marketing message about the capability on my TiVo box this morning, and lo and behold, the Alexa app on the box, formerly with a placeholder message, now provides the dope and instructions, and the needed code to go live. 

Wish I could say more, but I don't currently have an Alexa to test it out.  (Altho I'm tempted to stop by my local Bed, Bath & Beyond later to pick one up.) But thought I'd drop the good word to people here--check your boxes!


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## Megamind (Feb 18, 2013)

TonyD79 said:


> I took that to mean that you can change the name of the box at the TiVo level. That it takes you to the name screen.


Yup.


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## TIVO_GUY_HERE (Jul 10, 2000)

So it says it's activated on my TiVo, but every code I put in to link with Alexa says "Code is either incorrect or expired" ????

Edit: well got it to take the code (rebooted). It was fun to play with, but having it repeat "Tuning to 7 on TEEVOW" after every time I ask to change channel is deal breaker.

Also TV has to be pretty low ( surround sound nono) for tivo to hear my command without shouting.


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## Megamind (Feb 18, 2013)

TIVO_GUY_HERE said:


> It was fun to play with, but having it repeat "Tuning to 7 on TEEVOW" after every time I ask to change channel is deal breaker.


Does it do that with Brief Mode enabled?


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## TIVO_GUY_HERE (Jul 10, 2000)

Just trying things out--- and complaining, but ya I know it's new. give it time.

Alexa go to guide. repeats 'getting guide on teevow' But from what I can tell that's all it does. No scrolling down no page down no scrolling right/left?? so that is not useful much.


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## TIVO_GUY_HERE (Jul 10, 2000)

Megamind said:


> Does it do that with Brief Mode enabled?


yes


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## kdmorse (Jan 29, 2001)

Does anyone happen to know if the Tivo and the Echo have to be on the same network, or able to talk to each other locally for this to work? I'm assuming not, I'm hoping not, but I don't have the update yet on my Tivo to personally validate.


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## TIVO_GUY_HERE (Jul 10, 2000)

Alexa "go to to do list on Tivo" or "Go to to do list on tivo living room"

LOL I now have 4 "tivo" on my alexa To Do List...


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## doconeill (Dec 13, 2002)

Mikeguy said:


> And so, *Alexa on TiVo is here and active! *Received a TiVo marketing message about the capability on my TiVo box this morning, and lo and behold, the Alexa app on the box, formerly with a placeholder message, now provides the dope and instructions, and the needed code to go live.


Interesting...I found out about this because I got the same message on my Bolt+ - but I don't have either a placeholder OR the app, and don't seem to be able to add it.


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## Megamind (Feb 18, 2013)

Megamind said:


> Does it do that with Brief Mode enabled?





TIVO_GUY_HERE said:


> yes


Ugh. That's a significant flaw IMO.


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## TIVO_GUY_HERE (Jul 10, 2000)

I have the placeholder on 1 of my 2 premieres, but not active on that yet.
I will probably use it on my premiere in my bedroom, the TV is much lower volume in there, and only coming from TV, and Echo is right next to my head on my end table.
My living room the surround makes it almost impossible for the Echo to answer any of my commands unless I mute tv.


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

Got the Message about this.. But no Alexa in the Apps section

Guess my TiVo too old


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## TIVO_GUY_HERE (Jul 10, 2000)

Play and pause Alexa does without speaking so that cool.


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## Bryshaw (May 2, 2018)

TIVO_GUY_HERE said:


> Play and pause Alexa does without speaking so that cool.


It's not working for me. I say Alexa pause. And it does nothing.


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## tapokata (Apr 26, 2017)

got a placeholder message on the Mini.

This might be enough to get me to buy an echo.

Although I wish TiVo would still implement CEC. Amazon did with their fireTV gear, and it's a huge help.


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## Megamind (Feb 18, 2013)

The skill also works with Alexa-enabled devices like the Sonos One. Nice, as they comprise the majority of our Alexa devices these days.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

TIVO_GUY_HERE said:


> Also TV has to be pretty low ( surround sound nono) for tivo to hear my command without shouting.


That's odd, as I constantly hear that the Echo listens and hears so well.


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## UCLABB (May 29, 2012)

I had it, and now I don’t?

Went though the setup, coded my Bolt to the app on my iPad. Fired up the Echo, but it doesn’t seem to want to control the Bolt. Now I don’t see the Alexa in my app listing on the Bolt. Does it go away once you are through with the coding?


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## rjrsouthwest (Feb 19, 2016)

I saw the Alexa app was available on my Bolt today so I clicked on it and followed the steps that were shown on the screen along with the code that is used when activating the Tivo on the Alexa Tivo skill setup. Took only a few minutes and the Tivo was paired to my living room echo. I found that you can go back into the Alexa app on the Tivo and very simply change the Tivo's name to something simple which makes using the commands easier.

Tried a few commands like pause, play, skip commercials and change channel and they all worked. That being said I still think it is easier and quicker to use the Tivo remote but I can see situations arising where using the Alexa skill would come into play. It is like the Vizio skill to control my TV which I pretty much use to turn off the TV at the end of the day rather than going back and picking up the remote off the coffee table, all I say is "Alexa turn off the TV" and it does very quickly with no hassle from clear across the room from the TV and remote.


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## Furmaniac (Apr 3, 2018)

TonyD79 said:


> I took that to mean that you can change the name of the box at the TiVo level. That it takes you to the name screen.


It says: To pair additional TiVo devices, select "Manage and Link Devices" in the TiVo skill, then choose "Link another device." 
I believe the TiVo skill is part of the Alexa app


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## gbenrus25 (Nov 2, 2017)

Interesting first start but the skill needs a lot of refinement.

1) "Alexa, watch TNT" - for some reason, changing channels w/ the TiVo skill is slower than it is with the Harmony skill. Also, it shouldn't say "tuning to CNN on TiVo"
2) "Alexa, watch HBO" - doesn't work; somehow, it can't find HBO
3) "Alexa, skip" - doesm't work for me
4) "Alexa, play" - works at time but for some seems like Alexa switches focus to Spotify very quickly for me. That's on Alexa not this skill though
5) "Alexa, rewind" - doesn't work. Only "Alexa, previous" works. Can you add a rewind also especially since there's fast forward?

Good first try though


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## HeatherA (Jan 10, 2002)

TIVO_GUY_HERE said:


> So it says it's activated on my TiVo, but every code I put in to link with Alexa says "Code is either incorrect or expired" ????


I can't even get connected. I just get "The was a problem linking devices, you'll need to try again." when I try to get my code. I rebooted my TiVo to see if that would fix it. Why can't it ever be easy??? SMH!


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## Hummer (May 16, 2018)

I live in Canada and my tivo is provided by my service provider. (Cogeco). Will these units get this upgrade. I asked Cogeco but they said Tivo takes care of the updates.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

Got a message on my Roamio this morning that Alexa was available but still see the “coming soon” app.


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## Johnwashere (Sep 17, 2005)

HeatherA said:


> I can't even get connected. I just get "The was a problem linking devices, you'll need to try again." when I try to get my code. I rebooted my TiVo to see if that would fix it. Why can't it ever be easy??? SMH!


Same. I got that on my bolt yesterday starting around noon. Tired a dozen or more times threwout the day and night but it kept giving me that error  my minis and roamio still say coming soon so I couldnt try it with those boxes.


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

morac said:


> Got a message on my Roamio this morning that Alexa was available but still see the "coming soon" app.


The display of the app is controlled by the app manager. Uncheck the box.


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## grimmace92 (Dec 22, 2014)

It sounds like from what I'm reading here is if i have one echo dot and 4 tivo mini's in one room I can control each of them by using the name of the box I used when I activated the mini? Is this correct or can I only marry the echo dot to one mini?


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## man cave (Nov 15, 2014)

Just tried the Alexa control yesterday. I was not impressed. Worked some times. trying to go to Netflix, kept going to the firetv. Was a big disappointment.


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## webminster (Dec 13, 2016)

HeatherA said:


> I can't even get connected. I just get "The was a problem linking devices, you'll need to try again." when I try to get my code. I rebooted my TiVo to see if that would fix it. Why can't it ever be easy??? SMH!


Same here. "Try again" every time so far.


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## ADG (Aug 20, 2003)

webminster said:


> Same here. "Try again" every time so far.


Me too. Guess it's a fairly widespread problem that will be addressed soon.


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## Megamind (Feb 18, 2013)

Working well for me here on Roamio Pro and two Minis. No issues with my Alexa hearing me over the surround sound system. It will be a convenience for me when I'm across the room, in the kitchen, or otherwise away from the remote, but the slight delay in response means it will never replace the remote when I'm sitting in front the television.


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## johnfasc (Dec 24, 2014)

ekrub said:


> This was my first concern. I was bummed to see the friendly name approach, since it means controlling more than one TiVo would require specifying the TiVo's name in every command:
> 
> _"Alexa, skip"_ ​
> _"Alexa, skip on TiVo Family Room"_ ​
> ...


Wow...can you imagine, some of us as kids actually had to get up from the floor to change the channel on our tv!.
Then remotes came around and you had to point it just right at a certain spot on the tv. Then came the RF remotes, just pick it up no pointing. Now no germs involved, no looking for that black thing in the seat cushion...just open your mouth and Walla! I guess next would be mind control?!? Mmmm...lol


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Pretty picture:
TiVo now rolling out Alexa support for its DVRs


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## adessmith (Oct 5, 2007)

johnfasc said:


> I guess next would be mind control?!? Mmmm...lol


The entertainment industry already has a lot of experience with mind control, only it works the opposite way that you are thinking.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

johnfasc said:


> Wow...can you imagine, some of us as kids actually had to get up from the floor to change the channel on our tv!.
> Then remotes came around and you had to point it just right at a certain spot on the tv. Then came the RF remotes, just pick it up no pointing. Now no germs involved, no looking for that black thing in the seat cushion...just open your mouth and Walla! I guess next would be mind control?!? Mmmm...lol


You forgot that interim stage when remotes were, egads, _wired_ to the box. 

And perhaps, before moving to mind control, we could have an always-on video sensor as part of a device, watching for hand or eye gestures to control the device.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Mikeguy said:


> That's odd, as I constantly hear that the Echo listens and hears so well.


They do. my four Gen 2 echos and 3 Echo Minis do a great job responding. Even when there is a lot of extraneous noise. And My Gen 1 Echos worked just as well. Although I traded them in when I got my Gen 2 Echos.

I was hoping the Echo app was ready on my Mini Vox so I could try it out last night. But it still showed up as coming soon.


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## foghorn2 (May 4, 2004)

man cave said:


> Just tried the Alexa control yesterday. I was not impressed. Worked some times. trying to go to Netflix, kept going to the firetv. Was a big disappointment.


That what you get for using the enemy product with Amazon Alexa, she is viscous if you are not faithful to her. She sounds Chinese sometimes if you notice.

BTW, the thread title should be changed, its no longer coming soon.


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## TiVo_Ted (Oct 3, 2000)

Thanks everyone for posting your findings so far. We are keeping an eye on things here as well as looking at phone support calls. Moving from beta testing to production usually uncovers some dynamic issues with load balancing across multiple data centers, etc. Please keep reporting your issues here and I'll try to post updates as I get them.


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## gonzotek (Sep 24, 2004)

TiVo_Ted said:


> Thanks everyone for posting your findings so far. We are keeping an eye on things here as well as looking at phone support calls. Moving from beta testing to production usually uncovers some dynamic issues with load balancing across multiple data centers, etc. Please keep reporting your issues here and I'll try to post updates as I get them.


I was able to link several Amazon devices (Echo, minis, apps) to two of my four tivos (one is a roamio, one is a mini, and the two that I left unlinked are Premieres that are not located near any Alexas). No problems with any of the skill setup/linking parts. I tried to use several phrases I thought would work ("Alexa change Living Room TiVo to Fox", "Alexa go to menu", etc.) and none worked. What did work was pause/play. I tried skip as well (even though I was in live tv mode and knew I wouldn't be able to skip) and that failed as well. This was all around 6:30-7:15 am EST this morning before I went into work. I'll bang on it a bunch this evening, as I have some free time, and report back. Also, happy to share TSN/Alexa account login privately, if that would be useful.


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Alexa and TiVo made it into Jimmy Fallon's monologue last night. Funny.


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## cwoody222 (Nov 13, 1999)

Mine was able to be set up. Echo Spot with TiVo Roamio and Echo Dot with TiVo Mini. Works great in that I don't have to specify the "name" of the TiVo.

Channel changes by name doesn't seem to work 100%. It can tune to CNN but not HGTV. And for locals - are we supposed to use local call letters or network affiliation (i.e.: WGRZ vs NBC)? I can't get either to work. Channel # works, though.


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## KBrack (Feb 16, 2002)

Quick question, I haven't had the time to set it up yet. Does it support 30 second skip or only commercial skip?


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## pldoolittle (May 2, 2002)

ekrub said:


> Ugh. I was hoping the TiVo could be paired with specific echo devices (e.g., if I say "Alexa, skip" in the family room near the dot, then skip on the family room TiVo; if I say the same thing in the master bedroom to the echo spot, then skip on the bedroom's TiVo mini).





JoeKustra said:


> I guess I have to rename my TiVo. How about George? Mom?


I though so too, but that wasn't the case. You map each tivo to an echo in the Alexa app. Once that is completed, the name is not used.

It works well, but the feature set is limited. For example, I can say "Watch CNN" but not "Watch Big Bang Theory", which is recorded. I'll probably use it when cooking.

One thing it needs is audio feedback on the Echo. I know you're expecting visual feedback on the TV, but if the TV is off and you're triggering commands, you need to know that.

And since other media devices use "Play" and "Stop", I wouldn't mind requiring an "On tivo" suffix


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

JoeKustra said:


> Alexa and TiVo made it into Jimmy Fallon's monologue last night. Funny.







p.s. This clip was not uploaded using the non-existent 'Clip Upload' feature of the TiVo mobile app.

edit: p.p.s. Better quality clip via TiVo's Twitter account...


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/996825355469119489


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## TBoyd (Apr 9, 2000)

SF Bay Area user -- I got the "Tivo now works with Amazon Alexa" msg on my Roamio Plus this morning, but trying to get an activation code from the app I also get "There was a problem linking devices, you'll need to try again." Maybe the servers are slammed. I'll try again in a few hours.


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## badams888 (Jun 6, 2016)

I have an echo and an echo dot. I also have a "smash mute" big tv mute button. I have to use this whenever I want the echo to do anything or else I have to shout loud enough for the echo to understand over the tv. So, I doubt this will replace my 2 well placed tivo remotes.

However, there are a few things I would like to be able to do more easily, and would like for the alexa app. Such things as standby or channel strength test would be nice to do in one command.

But those things could also be setup by a user if there were some sort of macro commands or a bookmark/shortcut ability. 

Even better, would be if the tivo worked a bit like my house automation app for the echo.

I have 5 IOT devices (using tp-link smart switches and bulbs) and there's an app called kasa that lets me setup these devices, put them in named groups, setup any combination of device on/off's in a single command and then get the echo to do them. For example, I can say, "Alexa, turn off my devices" and all 5 turn off.

I would hope that the tivo would eventually be able to have an echo app that worked like that. Then one could do lots more things than you can with just a remote.

It's a good start though.


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## pldoolittle (May 2, 2002)

TBoyd said:


> this morning, but trying to get an activation code from the app I also get "There was a problem linking devices, you'll need to try again." Maybe the servers are slammed. I'll try again in a few hours.


Mine failed the first time, successful the 3rd. Before you retry, exit the Tivo Screen and go back in so it generates a new 6 digit code.


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## Megamind (Feb 18, 2013)

pldoolittle said:


> One thing it needs is audio feedback on the Echo.


Funny, the one thing that annoys me is the unnecessary feedback from Alexa when I change the channel. To each his own.


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## TiVo_Ted (Oct 3, 2000)

badams888 said:


> I have an echo and an echo dot. I also have a "smash mute" big tv mute button. I have to use this whenever I want the echo to do anything or else I have to shout loud enough for the echo to understand over the tv. So, I doubt this will replace my 2 well placed tivo remotes.
> 
> However, there are a few things I would like to be able to do more easily, and would like for the alexa app. Such things as standby or channel strength test would be nice to do in one command.
> 
> ...


IFTTT


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Megamind said:


> Funny, the one thing that annoys me is the unnecessary feedback from Alexa when I change the channel. To each his own.


What kind of feedback does it give?


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## pldoolittle (May 2, 2002)

Megamind said:


> Funny, the one thing that annoys me is the unnecessary feedback from Alexa when I change the channel. To each his own.


Channel change, it gives audio feedback. Play, pause, skip, no feedback.

And I had to say pause about 4x before it recognized the command. After that I had to resume via remote.


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## Megamind (Feb 18, 2013)

@TiVo_Ted I noticed that the "Update TiVo Box Name" screen that you are taken to from the Connect to Amazon Alexa screen on the app doesn't work with TiVo's own slide remote. Tsk tsk.


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## Bluecat25 (Jun 3, 2013)

Linked them fine. Pause, play, fast forward all work. Skip commercial does not on the recordings that you can use the D skip mode. Disappointed. Hope you can get it working.


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## Megamind (Feb 18, 2013)

aaronwt said:


> What kind of feedback does it give?


When you change channels it says, "Tuning to ESPN (or whatever) on TiVo." A bit annoying particularly since my Alexa-enabled Sonos Ones tend to be set to a higher volume for music than the standard echo.

I have all my Alexa-enabled devices set to brief mode so that for the vast majority of command, I only hear a soft acknowledgement tone. It doesn't even provide that on play, pause or skip, but that's fine the visual feedback is enough for me.

Not a huge issue as I'm not going to be changing channels constantly via Alexa anyway.


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## Megamind (Feb 18, 2013)

Bluecat25 said:


> Linked them fine. Pause, play, fast forward all work. Skip commercial does not on the recordings that you can use the D skip mode. Disappointed. Hope you can get it working.


Skip is working for me.


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## Lurker1 (Jun 4, 2004)

Watch ABC - didn't work.
Watch channel 7 - Works! Tuned to 7-1.
How do I watch a digital subchannel, like 7-2? Nothing I tried worked.


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## surferbum (Aug 15, 2016)

What's the syntax for playing a recorded program? Tried a few but nothing works. 

Channel change, Play, pause, fast-forward, commercial skip and guide work.


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

krkaufman said:


> p.s. This clip was not uploaded using the non-existent 'Clip Upload' feature of the TiVo mobile app.


No worries. TiVo put it on Twitter. Just an hour ago. Coincidence?


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## Lurker1 (Jun 4, 2004)

Lurker1 said:


> How do I watch a digital subchannel, like 7-2? Nothing I tried worked.


After numerous attempts, I found one phrase that does work:
Tune to channel 7 dash 2


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## apsarkis (Nov 16, 2004)

pldoolittle said:


> Mine failed the first time, successful the 3rd. Before you retry, exit the Tivo Screen and go back in so it generates a new 6 digit code.


I've been trying this all day, and all I get is "There was a problem linking devices, ..." Won't give me any 6 digit code. Although it seems to be working for others, UX (user experience) here so far is a FAIL ;-( Running 20.7.4RC29 on Roamio Pro.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk


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## TBoyd (Apr 9, 2000)

apsarkis said:


> I've been trying this all day, and all I get is "There was a problem linking devices, ..." Won't give me any 6 digit code. Although it seems to be working for others, UX (user experience) here so far is a FAIL ;-( Running 20.7.4RC29 on Roamio Pro.


I feel your pain. I'm still at the "Retry" prompt too. :disrelieved:


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## UCLABB (May 29, 2012)

I finally had to uninstall my box and reinstall with a new code. It now works. Time to explore whether this is useful. Seems limited now, but no reason functionality can’t be expanded.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

Megamind said:


> When you change channels it says, "Tuning to ESPN (or whatever) on TiVo." A bit annoying particularly since my Alexa-enabled Sonos Ones tend to be set to a higher volume for music than the standard echo.
> 
> I have all my Alexa-enabled devices set to brief mode so that for the vast majority of command, I only hear a soft acknowledgement tone. It doesn't even provide that on play, pause or skip, but that's fine the visual feedback is enough for me.
> 
> Not a huge issue as I'm not going to be changing channels constantly via Alexa anyway.


Brief mode has not been rolled out to all devices yet.


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## mulscully (May 31, 2003)

When I went to get the activation code from the tivo, it locked up and eventually rebooted. Will try again

Roamio Plus with TE3


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## Megamind (Feb 18, 2013)

TonyD79 said:


> Brief mode has not been rolled out to all devices yet.


Perhaps, but it is active on all mine.


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## cheesesteak (Jul 24, 2003)

I got it installed and got a couple of commands to work. Is there a reasonably comprehensive list of commands that work published anywhere? I tried to get the guide to scroll with no luck and don't really feel like randomly trying stuff. I'll get frustrated and keep using the remote.


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## LynnL999 (Oct 7, 2002)

According to the Tivo, it linked to my Bolt + fine, but it doesn't seem to actually work. I wonder if the Harmony skill is getting in the way. I hope not, because I won't give that app up for Tivo.


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## TBoyd (Apr 9, 2000)

TBoyd said:


> SF Bay Area user -- I got the "Tivo now works with Amazon Alexa" msg on my Roamio Plus this morning, but trying to get an activation code from the app I also get "There was a problem linking devices, you'll need to try again." Maybe the servers are slammed. I'll try again in a few hours.


I finally bit the bullet and re-booted Tivo. After that I got the activation code 1st time I tried!!


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## Megamind (Feb 18, 2013)

cheesesteak said:


> Is there a reasonably comprehensive list of commands that work published anywhere?


Tivo/Alexa How-To

As you'll see, the available commands are pretty limited as yet.


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## DJinNJ (Jul 7, 2017)

Won't work for me. The Alexa app says devices are linked but when I try giving voice commands Alexa either replies that she can't find any linked devices or had a problem communicating with Tivo. 

I spent an hour on the phone with a very patient Tivo tech support rep who had me unplug/reboot my Tivo box twice and re-pair it with Alexa at least 5 times. She finally gave up and told me she escalated the case and someone would email me when it's fixed. That sound you hear is me passing out while I hold my breath.


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## ADG (Aug 20, 2003)

My remote works fine. It does what I want it to do instantly and doesn't talk back to me


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## TBoyd (Apr 9, 2000)

Playing around with Alexa / Tivo I can't get Channel NAMES (e.g. TBS) to work but substituting my fav Channel NUMBER (e.g. 720) works fine. Also, seems the word CHANNEL is optional.

Alexa, Watch <Channel> 737

Also, if I have several tuners capturing programs I like I can use the SWITCH command to GO to a different turner without re-locating the current turner.

Alexa, Switch to <Channel> 720

Also, some commands that Alexa uses elsewhere need the word TIVO to operate. For example, 'Alexa, Rewind Tivo'.


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## apsarkis (Nov 16, 2004)

TBoyd said:


> I finally bit the bullet and re-booted Tivo. After that I got the activation code 1st time I tried!!


I finally tried a Tivo reboot too, still getting the same retry message, and no code.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk


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## dbperkins (Oct 21, 2003)

I set Alexa up today and it works good. I am a good one to set the remote down and this added feature sure does help.


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## PJO1966 (Mar 5, 2002)

I have one Roamio that's controlled by two Minis. What would be the setup procedure for this? Would I need to set it up for each Mini? There's no direct video output from the Roamio itself to the TV. It's only through the Minis.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

JoeKustra said:


> The display of the app is controlled by the app manager. Uncheck the box.


If I uncheck the box for the "coming soon" app, then I won't see when it becomes available. The app is needed to link your account to Alexa.

I got a message on my box today that Alexa support is available, but I don't have the actual linking app yet, just the "coming soon" app.

Should everyone have the Alexa app on their TiVo at this point or is it still rolling out?


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

morac said:


> If I uncheck the box for the "coming soon" app, then I won't see when it becomes available. The app is needed to link your account to Alexa.
> I got a message on my box today that Alexa support is available, but I don't have the actual linking app yet, just the "coming soon" app.
> Should everyone have the Alexa app on their TiVo at this point or is it still rolling out?


I have no idea. But I am sure when things change, you will hear it first on this forum.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

JoeKustra said:


> I have no idea. But I am sure when things change, you will hear it first on this forum.


Does the actual app replace the coming soon app when it's available or is it a second app that shows up?


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

morac said:


> Does the actual app replace the coming soon app when it's available or is it a second app that shows up?


I'm afraid I'm not the right person to ask. I'm sure you will get an answer from someone who knows.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

Megamind said:


> Perhaps, but it is active on all mine.


From what I read they are rolling it out based on app updates to users so I guess all your echos get it at the same time.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

ADG said:


> My remote works fine. It does what I want it to do instantly and doesn't talk back to me


Mine winks (blinks) at me.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

TonyD79 said:


> Mine winks (blinks) at me.


That's because you're cute.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Get a thread...


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

So it actually showed up for me this evening (replacing coming soon) and I linked my boxes to it. Things like pausing and fast forward work as does asking to tune to a channel number.

There is a problem with how the app says I should change channels by name though.

The skill says I should say "Watch NBC". Doing so shows me a video on my Echo Show. Saying "Watch NBC On <box name>" results in a short pause followed by Alexa saying "I couldn't find that on Tivo."

I finally found that "Change channel to NBC" works as expected. For whatever reason the "Watch" command does not work with the Tivo skill despite what the instructions say.

Has anyone gotten "Watch" to work? I wonder if it's because I'm using an Echo Show?

On an unrelated note, all my boxes are "discovered" by the skill including incompatible ones. My Series 3 box showed up and that's not even plugged in.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

Mikeguy said:


> That's because you're cute.


Aw


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## TiVo_Ted (Oct 3, 2000)

Hi everyone, we discovered a couple of Alexa pairing issues today that we are working on:
1. The system that generates pairing codes was using 0 (zero) and O (letter). We're eliminating that.
2. The code checker was case sensitive. If the code was AK123 and you entered ak123, it would fail. We are fixing this.
3. If you have more than one TiVo box on your account that are using the same friendly name (like "Family Room") the system cannot pair. This is even true if you have a box on your account which is no longer active. To test this, try changing the friendly name of your box to "Man Cave", "Kitchen", etc. to see if that fixes things. We are working on a fix for this as well.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

I found a few other commands that don't work in addition to "Watch <channel name>".

Alexa, go to Guide." and "Alexa, go to Home" don't do anything either. Saying those commands result in Alexa saying "I'm not sure". Adding "on box name doesn't work either.

Again this may be because I'm using an Echo Show. On the Echo Show "Watch" is already a command as is "go home".

I managed to get "change channel to <channel name>" to work once, but now that too gives a message that it "couldn't find that on Tivo". That or "something went wrong" or "Tivo is having trouble". My zip code is set up correctly.


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## HerronScott (Jan 1, 2002)

apsarkis said:


> I've been trying this all day, and all I get is "There was a problem linking devices, ..." Won't give me any 6 digit code. Although it seems to be working for others, UX (user experience) here so far is a FAIL ;-( Running 20.7.4RC29 on Roamio Pro.


I thought we had to have RC42 for this to work with gen3? I did notice that my app changed and the coming soon was removed some time today.

Scott


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

TBoyd said:


> Playing around with Alexa / Tivo I can't get Channel NAMES (e.g. TBS) to work but substituting my fav Channel NUMBER (e.g. 720) works fine. Also, seems the word CHANNEL is optional.
> 
> Alexa, Watch <Channel> 737
> 
> ...


Looks like I'm not the only one. The instructions say your zip code needs to be set correctly, but there seems to be an issue with using names even if the zip code is set up. I've only got the name to work once.

Is there an exhaustive list of commands somewhere?


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## TiVo_Ted (Oct 3, 2000)

morac said:


> I found a few other commands that don't work in addition to "Watch <channel name>".
> 
> Alexa, go to Guide." and "Alexa, go to Home" don't do anything either. Saying those commands result in Alexa saying "I'm not sure". Adding "on box name doesn't work either.
> 
> ...


If you're using an Echo Show or Spot, try "Alexa, change channel to CBS" or "Alexa, tune to CBS". Those both work for me. Echo Show definitely intercepts the watch keyword sometimes, but it's inconsistent.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

HerronScott said:


> I thought we had to have RC42 for this to work with gen3?


RC42 was the requirement for SkipMode deployment to Premieres.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

TiVo_Ted said:


> If you're using an Echo Show or Spot, try "Alexa, change channel to CBS" or "Alexa, tune to CBS". Those both work for me. Echo Show definitely intercepts the watch keyword sometimes, but it's inconsistent.


Unfortunately that doesn't appear to work. I did get "change channel to CBS"to work once, but now every time I get "tuning to CBS on Tivo" immediately followed by "I couldn't find that on Tivo." It doesn't matter what channel name I use. It's like it doesn't know my channel names despite my zip code being set up.


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## tonyquan (Feb 26, 2003)

TiVo_Ted said:


> If you're using an Echo Show or Spot, try "Alexa, change channel to CBS" or "Alexa, tune to CBS". Those both work for me. Echo Show definitely intercepts the watch keyword sometimes, but it's inconsistent.


Ted, none of these keywords to change channel by name work for me either.

The instructions mention to check that your zip code is correct, but I couldn't find anywhere in either the Alexa app on the Tivo or the Alexa skill to change that anyway.


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## HerronScott (Jan 1, 2002)

morac said:


> but now every time I get "tuning to CBS on Tivo" immediately followed by "I couldn't find that on Tivo." It doesn't matter what channel name I use.


Same result here with CBS or NBC for example.

Scott


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## HerronScott (Jan 1, 2002)

krkaufman said:


> RC42 was the requirement for SkipMode deployment to Premieres.


Well so I hear on the RC42 thread. Rebooting fixed my linking issue too. 

Scott


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

tonyquan said:


> Ted, none of these keywords to change channel by name work for me either.
> 
> The instructions mention to check that your zip code is correct, but I couldn't find anywhere in either the Alexa app on the Tivo or the Alexa skill to change that anyway.


I think there's something wrong with the skill or service or maybe the servers are overloaded.

I can't launch apps most of the time either. Saying "Alexa launch YouTube" or "Alexa launch Netflix" results in a "getting YouTube/Netflix on Tivo" followed by "sorry something went wrong".

The only app I've managed to launch semi reliably is Vudu and even that's not 100% reliable as its fails about 25% of the time. I got Prime Video to work once out of a dozen tries. YouTube and Netflix have never worked.


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## MercurialIN (Mar 27, 2015)

So far the issue that is happening most consistently for me, is the inability to get Alexa to change channels.

I’ve tried saying go to channel (channel name or number) or launch channel (name or number) or tune to channel (name or number) and no matter what channel name or number she changes to the same channel, every time.

For example, Alexa tune to channel 28.1 and she even says tuning to channel 28.1 but instead actually she tunes to 6.1 every time she tunes to 6.1 no matter what channel I ask for!

I’ve tried rebooting the TiVo and unplugging the Echo then plugging it back in.

Not that I’m certain that would do anything but decided to try, but to no avail.
Any ideas? Thanks in advance.


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## TIVO_GUY_HERE (Jul 10, 2000)

Bolt using Alexa tune to channel 5 goes to 5 which is NBC but saying Tune to NBC tunes to channel 1245 which is COZI, every time without fail. Does find NBCSN no issue

all following is "Tune to " not saying TiVO
Tune to CW or The CW tunes to Antenna TV 1256 every time.
CBS can't find
ESPN can't find
Can't find USA but does USA Channel

tried about 40 other channels all changed without issue.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

Based on what someone wrote about linking devices I was worried linking a Tivo box to an Alexa device was a one to one relationship, but you can link a Tivo box to more than one Alexa device which is cool. 

I still can’t get much more working reliably than basic trick play functionality though. Until it works reliably (or at all for some things) I won’t be using it much. 

The skill did mention that Amazon is granted the ability to see more info than what it currently can (OnePasses scheduled, entering/exiting standby, etc), but that looked like the same things IFTTT already has access to so I’m wondering if the permission screen was just reused.


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## Skanter123 (Feb 28, 2015)

My Bolt works with Echo Dot. Not sure of much use - a bit laggy in response time.

What voice commands have people found useful? I find it ironic that the TV remote, which symbolizes laziness, is now considered too much effort to use! (LOL) I am old enough to remember pre-remote era when people actually got off their behinds to change the channel on the huge B&W TV.


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## rodlebod (Jan 21, 2006)

Is there a priority list to get the skill pushed to my Premier?


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## Skanter123 (Feb 28, 2015)

Haha - Alexa says “Ti-VOH, accent on the VOH. Sounds really funny. Can’t say I find voice commands useful, but good for a laugh or to impress impressionable friends.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

Skanter123 said:


> Haha - Alexa says "Ti-VOH, accent on the VOH. Sounds really funny. Can't say I find voice commands useful, but good for a laugh or to impress impressionable friends.


I hear "laurel."


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

FYI... Per @tiv0_Shoop on FB, they're conducting a Facebook LIVE event on Thursday (3pm EDT, May 17) to promote the Alexa integration.

>See this FB post< for more info.



> ... we're conducting a Facebook LIVE event tomorrow to promote our integration with Alexa. Regardless if your an Alexa user or TiVo user, join us for a bit of fun. We'll show off our Alexa skill, answer questions from the crowd and take you behind the scene at TiVo HQ. Anything can happen when it happens live!
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/events/614568808883573/?ti=icl


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## El Maestro (Nov 19, 2013)

Just set it up tonight and used it for a bit. It works! We particularly enjoyed telling Alexa to skip.


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## Lurker1 (Jun 4, 2004)

I thought this would just be a gimmicky toy, but I actually found it useful. I was in the kitchen and a really loud commercial came on the TV in the next room, so I said "Alexa Pause" and got peace and quiet!


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

I'll first put the disclaimer that anything Alexa could be amazing for someone with physical disabilities, and if this allows them to be more independent, great.

However, for everyone else, WTF? Alexa is so clunky, cumbersome, and a completely back-asswards way to do much of anything. The TiVo Peanut is far better than some voice commands. The movie Idiocracy is becoming reality!


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

(don’t feed)


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## Skanter123 (Feb 28, 2015)

Bolt was working fine with Echo Dot, now does not respond. How do I get it to work again? Do I have to disable and go through entire activation again?

EDIT: started working again


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## Skanter123 (Feb 28, 2015)

TonyD79 said:


> I hear "laurel."


???


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## JACKASTOR (May 26, 2011)

Alexa is here. But it doesn’t work here in Canada.


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Skanter123 said:


> ???


A speech scientist reveals why the viral 'laurel' versus 'yanny' argument has only one right answer

Google


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

No matter what channel name I try, I still get “I couldn’t find that on Tivo”, so basically the only feature I would use doesn’t work.


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## sinanju (Jan 3, 2005)

DJinNJ said:


> Won't work for me. The Alexa app says devices are linked but when I try giving voice commands Alexa either replies that she can't find any linked devices or had a problem communicating with Tivo.
> 
> I spent an hour on the phone with a very patient Tivo tech support rep who had me unplug/reboot my Tivo box twice and re-pair it with Alexa at least 5 times. She finally gave up and told me she escalated the case and someone would email me when it's fixed. That sound you hear is me passing out while I hold my breath.


TiVo forwarded me to Amazon support who came right out and said it won't work with the app. You nee a physical device. I told them the app needs to be updated to prevent TiVo setup and inform the user if there is no physical device, like and Echo, configured. They agreed, made notes, and we were done.

I can't say this skill inspires me to switch to Alexa from the Google Assistant. I'm certainly not going to buy hardware from Amazon if they can't get an Android app right.


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## tivoknucklehead (Dec 12, 2002)

I set it up and am underwhelmed. Tried to get it to play a show in my shows and it went to my Fire TV (which is also Alexa enabled) to the pay per episode rental choice. It is faster for me to hit the "channel up" button on my caavo than to say "Alexa, skip commercials"


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## ADG (Aug 20, 2003)

tivoknucklehead said:


> It is faster for me to hit the "channel up" button on my caavo than to say "Alexa, skip commercials"


EXACTLY!!!


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## Lurker1 (Jun 4, 2004)

tivoknucklehead said:


> It is faster for me to hit the "channel up" button on my caavo than to say "Alexa, skip commercials"


I'll only use it if I am not near the remote.


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## Seeg (Apr 9, 2010)

Set mine up last night. Chanel selection didn't work for me, same error. On my Tivo Mini it said coming soon but we were able to set it up anyways in the Alexa app.
We watched a show, it was nice just saying Alexa skip when a commercial came on instead of finding the remote.


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## eherberg (Feb 17, 2011)

tivoknucklehead said:


> I set it up and am underwhelmed. Tried to get it to play a show in my shows and it went to my Fire TV (which is also Alexa enabled) to the pay per episode rental choice. It is faster for me to hit the "channel up" button on my caavo than to say "Alexa, skip commercials"


You would need to set the focus by using 'on TiVo' as part of your first command.


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## tivoknucklehead (Dec 12, 2002)

eherberg said:


> You would need to set the focus by using 'on TiVo' as part of your first command.


ok I'll try that


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## zexel (Aug 4, 2012)

MercurialIN said:


> So far the issue that is happening most consistently for me, is the inability to get Alexa to change channels.
> 
> I've tried saying go to channel (channel name or number) or launch channel (name or number) or tune to channel (name or number) and no matter what channel name or number she changes to the same channel, every time.
> 
> ...


Try saying tune to channel 28 dash 1 and see if that works. it does for me.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

My only issue is that the Tivo seems to not want to talk to the Echo all the time. When it does, it is great. But I think that is on my Tivo side since I usually have to connect twice from the iphone app for that machine, anyway.


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## adessmith (Oct 5, 2007)

I set this up last night and it seems that my harmony, fire tv, and tivo integrations all step on each other and make things a complicated mess.
For instance, here is my interaction last night: (paraphrased, I don't remember the exact commands used or the exact responses... this might also not be the exact order but it gives you an idea of what was happening.).
Me: Alexa, launch netflix on tivo
Alexa: Launching netflix on FireTV 
Me: Alexa, launch netflix ON TIVO!!!
Alexa: Launching netflix on FireTV 
Me: Alexa, launch hulu on TiVo
Alexa: Launching hulu on Fire TV
Me: Alexa, go home
Alexa: [goes to tivo home screen]. 
Me: Alexa, change the channel to ABC on Tivo
Alexa: [enters 3 - 1 at the main menu and takes me to wishlist search] (This is the harmony skill doing this) 
Me: Alexa, go to guide
Alexa: Which device, Fire TV or Tivo? (I didn't even know Fire TV had a guide)
Me: Tivo
Alexa: [Goes to the guide screen]
Me: Change the channel to NBC
Alexa: "Tuning to NBC on Tivo"
Me: "Alexa, rewind"
Alexa: [jumps back 8 seconds]  (I said REWIND, not replay)
Me: "Alexa, fast forward"
Alexa: [Fast forwards at 3x] :thumbsup:
Me: "Alexa, fast forward again"
Alexa: [Fast forwards at 20x] :thumbsup:
Me: "Alexa, play"
Alexa: [Plays]
Me: "Alexa, tune to CBS"
Alexa: "Tuning to CBS on.... HULU"
Me: 

I understand that pretty much this whole mess is a problem with how amazon handles multiple devices that support the same or similar actions... I'm not sure how much TiVo could do to improve it but it's pretty frustrating.


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## nytibcp (Dec 30, 2005)

ADG said:


> Me too. Guess it's a fairly widespread problem that will be addressed soon.


I've been trying for three days now with no luck. I've tried rebooting twice, but that didn't help. When can we expect some info or a fix for this problem?


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## pldoolittle (May 2, 2002)

apsarkis said:


> Won't give me any 6 digit code.


If you go to the Tivo App on your Tivo/TV, the screen should have instructions and a 6 digit code on it. All mine were letter/number pairs repeated 3x. The Alexa app will ask for that code when pairing.

TE3 on Tivo Bolt.


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## UCLABB (May 29, 2012)

nytibcp said:


> I've been trying for three days now with no luck. I've tried rebooting twice, but that didn't help. When can we expect some info or a fix for this problem?


Have you tried uninstalling the tivo skill on the app then going back on the tivo and getting another code and reinstalling the skill?


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## ADG (Aug 20, 2003)

nytibcp said:


> I've been trying for three days now with no luck. I've tried rebooting twice, but that didn't help. When can we expect some info or a fix for this problem?


Mine worked this morning. Prior to trying again I renamed the box. I have 5 tivo's and a couple of them had similar "friendly" names on my Tivo account. If you have the same situation, just change them to unique names. I'm not suggesting that's definitely the issue, but it worked in my case and has been noted as an issue with the Alexa app pairing.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

UCLABB said:


> Have you tried uninstalling the tivo skill on the app then going back on the tivo and getting another code and reinstalling the skill?


I might have to try that as currently most of the command simply don't work for me. Though I can't see why deleting the skill and adding it again would help since the skill is obviously talking to my boxes as some commands work.

Of the list of commands on TiVo's smart home page:

pause - works 
rewind - works 
skip - works 
change channel to # - works 
go home [on Tivo] -  does nothing. No error, but nothing happens.
go to guide [on Tivo] -  "I'm not sure"
watch/change channel to/tune to NBC (channel name) -  "Changing channel to NBC on TiVo. I couldn't find that on Tivo"
launch Netflix/Prime Video/YouTube/Vudu -  occasionally works, usually "getting YouTube/Netflix on Tivo. Sorry something went wrong".

Other than some people saying changing channels via name not working, I haven't seen any reports of the other issues I'm having. Is anyone seeing similar problems?

Note, I haven't tried any of these today in case things were fixed today.


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

My Bolt linked up fine, and some of the commands are working, but I can't get it to change channels using the channel name. When I say, "Alexa, watch CNN", the response is, "Tuning to CNN on TiVo .... I can't find that on TiVo". Is there some trick to get this to work? It seems like this would be the feature I would use the most, since I can never remember half the channel numbers.

For the record, I *can* consistently use the Echo to change channels if I give it the channel number.


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## tonyquan (Feb 26, 2003)

@TiVo_Ted any idea why changing channels by name doesn't work? It seems to be a very common problem in this implementation.


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## UCLABB (May 29, 2012)

morac said:


> I might have to try that as currently most of the command simply don't work for me. Though I can't see why deleting the skill and adding it again would help since the skill is obviously talking to my boxes as some commands work.
> 
> Of the list of commands on TiVo's smart home page:
> 
> ...


My suggestion was in response to a poster that couldn't get it to work at all.


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## UCLABB (May 29, 2012)

gweempose said:


> My Bolt linked up fine, and some of the commands are working, but I can't get it to change channels using the channel name. When I say, "Alexa, watch CNN", the response is, "Tuning to CNN on TiVo .... I can't find that on TiVo". Is there some trick to get this to work? It seems like this would be the feature I would use the most, since I can never remember half the channel numbers.
> 
> For the record, I *can* consistently use the Echo to change channels if I give it the channel number.


If you can't remember the channel numbers, how do you change channels with the remote?


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

UCLABB said:


> If you can't remember the channel numbers, how do you change channels with the remote?


Guide.

I don't change channels, I change programs.


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## tampa8 (Jan 26, 2016)

morac said:


> I might have to try that as currently most of the command simply don't work for me. Though I can't see why deleting the skill and adding it again would help since the skill is obviously talking to my boxes as some commands work.
> 
> Of the list of commands on TiVo's smart home page:
> 
> ...


Everything in that list works for me everytime on my Roamio except changing channel by name.
"Play" works when a show is paused, OR saying "Paused" again.
"Play" also works if you tell Alexa to go home, it goes to the last program that you were playing and stopped, and you say "Play"


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

UCLABB said:


> If you can't remember the channel numbers, how do you change channels with the remote?





JoeKustra said:


> Guide


Exactly. I pull up the guide and scroll through the genera area where I think the channel is until I find it.


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## Rob Lorenz (May 17, 2018)

gweempose said:


> My Bolt linked up fine, and some of the commands are working, but I can't get it to change channels using the channel name. When I say, "Alexa, watch CNN", the response is, "Tuning to CNN on TiVo .... I can't find that on TiVo". Is there some trick to get this to work? It seems like this would be the feature I would use the most, since I can never remember half the channel numbers.
> 
> For the record, I *can* consistently use the Echo to change channels if I give it the channel number.


Maybe you need to use the exact channel name from the guide. On my system, I have CNNSD and CNNHD. When I had FIOS, channel names would be something like CNN-E.


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## apsarkis (Nov 16, 2004)

pldoolittle said:


> If you go to the Tivo App on your Tivo/TV, the screen should have instructions and a 6 digit code on it. All mine were letter/number pairs repeated 3x. The Alexa app will ask for that code when pairing.
> 
> TE3 on Tivo Bolt.


That's what I've been trying for the last 3 days, since "Amazon Alexa" showed up in the App list. All I've gotten is, after some BSC, is an error "There was a problem linking devices, you'll need to try again" and the word "Retry" in a box below. Rebooted both Alexa and Tivo, no change. Roamio Pro running 20.7.4RC29.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

tonyquan said:


> @TiVo_Ted any idea why changing channels by name doesn't work? It seems to be a very common problem in this implementation.


TiVo's KB article mentions that you need to have your zip code set up for the device you are using. That could explain why it's not working for some people, but for others (like me) who have a zip code already set up, it does not explain why it's not working.

I do have multiple channels with the same name in my system. For example NBC is both 810 and 1010 in my system. I'm not sure if that will confuse the skill or not.


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## sharkster (Jul 3, 2004)

They can stop adding/checking Alexa to my 'Apps' any time now! 

I keep unchecking it and it keeps coming back. I'll let ya know, k?


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

sharkster said:


> They can stop adding/checking Alexa to my 'Apps' any time now!
> I keep unchecking it and it keeps coming back. I'll let ya know, k?


It's a TiVo. It doesn't respond to emotions. Yet.


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

TBoyd said:


> Important - The difference between Alexa, WATCH channel 737 and Alexa, SWITCH to channel 737
> If one of your Tivo tuners is set on a program you are currently watching but you want to temporarily go to another channel on a second tuner DON'T use the WATCH command. Tivo will go to the new channel on the current tuner, stopping the capture of the program you wanted to watch.
> Instead use the SWITCH command which will go to the second tuner while leaving the first tuner on your original program.


I don't think TiVo changed how tuners are assigned just because of a voice command. If you change channels to one that is already on a tuner, no buffer is affected. If you change to a channel not already on a tuner, you lose the buffer.

But I could be wrong. I don't know the logic behind voice commands.


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## foghorn2 (May 4, 2004)

JoeKustra said:


> It's a TiVo. It doesn't respond to emotions. Yet.


Quit verbally assaulting and abusing TiVo Alexa, its not PC.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

TBoyd said:


> Important - The difference between Alexa, WATCH channel 737 and Alexa, SWITCH to channel 737
> 
> If one of your Tivo tuners is set on a program you are currently watching but you want to temporarily go to another channel on a second tuner DON'T use the WATCH command. Tivo will go to the new channel on the current tuner, stopping the capture of the program you wanted to watch.
> 
> Instead use the SWITCH command which will go to the second tuner while leaving the first tuner on your original program.


Uh, if a background tuner is on 737, changing the channel to 737 should pick up the tuner that is already buffering it.


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

I just tried for about 30 minutes to get it to change channels via the channel name, and it barely seems to work on my lineup. Even channels that will occasionally work do not have any consistency. What they really need is a way for you to map spoken channel names to specific channel numbers in the app.


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## Bryshaw (May 2, 2018)

gweempose said:


> I just tried for about 30 minutes to get it to change channels via the channel name, and it barely seems to work on my lineup. Even channels that will occasionally work do not have any consistency. What they really need is a way for you to map spoken channel names to specific channel numbers.


To lessen your frustration, watch the live video tivo posted on facebook of them trying to work Alexa, their fails made me feel better since i now know its not my setup.


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## TBoyd (Apr 9, 2000)

Mmmm, I have to retract my post about a difference between Alexa WATCH and SWITCH commands. It appears that TonyD79 and JoeKustra called it correctly. You do not lose the buffer if you change to a second channel being buffered on another tuner. Apologies all. I'll delete my original post. 

I THOUGHT I experienced a difference in how Alexa commanded Tivo tuners last night. Shame on me! -- I'll blame the bottle of cheap red fueling my evening.


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

Bryshaw said:


> To lessen your frustration, watch the live video tivo posted on facebook of them trying to work Alexa, their fails made me feel better since i now know its not my setup.


Thanks! That does make me feel better. Clearly the Alexa integration still needs a lot of work.


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

TBoyd said:


> I THOUGHT I experienced a difference in how Alexa commanded Tivo tuners last night. Shame on me! -- I'll blame the bottle of cheap red fueling my evening.


Don't sweat the small stuff. Enjoy the wine. 

It's not like I spend my life playing with my TiVo.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Bryshaw said:


> To lessen your frustration, watch the live video tivo posted on facebook of them trying to work Alexa, their fails made me feel better since i now know its not my setup.


Yeah, that was rough. Work to be done...


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## JACKASTOR (May 26, 2011)

Well. It’s a shame that TiVo limited the country region.


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## tonyquan (Feb 26, 2003)

morac said:


> TiVo's KB article mentions that you need to have your zip code set up for the device you are using. That could explain why it's not working for some people, but for others (like me) who have a zip code already set up, it does not explain why it's not working.
> 
> I do have multiple channels with the same name in my system. For example NBC is both 810 and 1010 in my system. I'm not sure if that will confuse the skill or not.


@morac I saw that KB article and the mention of zip code, but where do you actually view/set your zip code? I was unable to find it anywhere.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

tonyquan said:


> @morac I saw that KB article and the mention of zip code, but where do you actually view/set your zip code? I was unable to find it anywhere.


Go to settings (or Alexa devices) in the Alexa app, then find your device and tap it. Scroll down until you find device location and tap that. The zip code and address can be set in there.

You'll know if it's correct if you ask zip code where you are and she knows.


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## tonyquan (Feb 26, 2003)

morac said:


> Go to settings (or Alexa devices) in the Alexa app, then find your device and tap it. Scroll down until you find device location and tap that. The zip code and address can be set in there.
> 
> You'll know if it's correct if you ask zip code where you are and she knows.


Got it, thanks. For me it's correct, and I also can't change channels by name. So it's some other problem.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

TBoyd said:


> Mmmm, I have to retract my post about a difference between Alexa WATCH and SWITCH commands. It appears that TonyD79 and JoeKustra called it correctly. You do not lose the buffer if you change to a second channel being buffered on another tuner. Apologies all. I'll delete my original post.
> 
> I THOUGHT I experienced a difference in how Alexa commanded Tivo tuners last night. Shame on me! -- I'll blame the bottle of cheap red fueling my evening.


No worries. I just got home and tested then looked to post and your correction was already up. We all make mistooks.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

So I tried again once I got home and figured out partially what the problem I’m having is. It’s because I’m using an Echo Show. 

The “Go To Home”, “Go To guide” commands do not work with the Echo Show. The commands “go to settings” and “go home” are commands built into the Show. The “Go To guide” is not built in, but the Show still won’t process it saying “sorry I don’t know that one”. 

The “Go To” commands do work with a plain Echo, but since my Show is the closest device to my TV is an Echo Show, I can’t use the “Go To” commands unless I walk into the other room. I don’t know if this is fixable or not unless Tivo changes the command names. 

2. “Go To Settings” doesn’t appear to work at all with the TE3 interface. That just results in “sorry something went wrong” message. Same thing with “Go to help”, though one time that took me to the home screen. 


As for my other problems I saw:

1. Launching apps is working today which is good. 

2. Changing channels by name works intermittently, but mostly doesn’t.


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## andy_hd (Mar 14, 2008)

Two Tivo's -- One Alexa Device?

So I have both a Roamio and a mini in the same room. I want to use Alexa to control both (though not at the same time). I was hoping that saying, "Alexa pause on Tivo 1" would switch the focus to Tivo 1 and subsequently saying "Alexa play" would control Tivo 1.

But I find that once I've linked TiVo 1 to the relevant Alexa Device in the Alexa App -- that Alexa Device is no longer available for linking to TiVo 2. I can 'de-link' TiVo 1 and then link TiVo 2 to the Alexa Device -- but I can't link the same Alexa Device to multiple TiVos (although I can link multiple Alexa Devices to the same TiVo). Is there any way around this?

Note that this situation comes up because I have 'centralized TiVos' that are distributed to multiple rooms. Each room selects which TiVo they want to watch at any given time. So I need the Alexa device in that room to be able to control either TiVo.

PS. Although the mini home screen said 'Alexa App coming soon' -- I was still able to link to it and control it once I linked the main Roamio.


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## UCLABB (May 29, 2012)

JoeKustra said:


> Guide.
> 
> I don't change channels, I change programs.


You set your guide to sort by name?


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## Megamind (Feb 18, 2013)

morac said:


> The "Go To Home", "Go To guide" commands do not work with the Echo Show.


What if you say "Go to Home on TiVo?"


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

Megamind said:


> What if you say "Go to Home on TiVo?"


Saying that occasionally works, but usually gives me some kind of nonsensical response saying it couldn't find a device called "tee vo" or "tv" or the name of some random device name. Using my box's name instead of Tivo does nothing, presumably because the Echo is going to the home screen.

The one that works most often, but still not all the time is "go home on Tivo". I'm not sure why using the box name doesn't work.

I found "Go To setting on Tivo" works, but takes me to the old SD setting page. "Go To help on Tivo" also works, but goes to the home screen. I guess that's a work around.

"Go To guide on Tivo" results in "sorry something went wrong" or "sorry I'm not sure about that".

All in all the skill behaves oddly on the Echo Show.


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## Megamind (Feb 18, 2013)

morac said:


> Saying that occasionally works, but usually gives me some kind of nonsensical response saying it couldn't find a device called "tee vo" or "tv" or the name of some random device name.


Interesting. Perhaps @TiVo_Ted might have some input as I believe he mentioned that he has a Echo Show. Or perhaps that was Shoop? Not sure.



morac said:


> I'm not sure why using the box name doesn't work.


In my testing, despite what TiVo has said, the box or "friendly name" serves no actual purpose. I have changed it several times, reset my links, and tested it on multiple Alexa and TiVo devices and the result is always the same: mentioning the "friendly name" in the command confuses Alexa. It may occasionally seem to work if the "friendly name contains the word 'TiVo,' but that's just misleading. Any other name like "George" or "that dumb DVR" (just kidding) causes an error 100% of the time, at least for me. If Alexa isn't sure what device I mean when I say pause (since I have audio devices connected as well), it's best just to say "Alexa, pause TiVo" regardless of the 'friendly name' assigned to the TiVo device.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

I don’t know if this is a result of using the Alexa skill or not, but my Roamio Pro rebooted on its own in the first time in as long as I can remember. It did so in the middle of a recording. I wasn’t using it at the time but gave it an “Alexa workout” about 30 minutes prior.

I wonder if it may have been caused by the Tivo skill forcing the Roamio Pro into the SD setting screen which isn’t possible to get to through the UI.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

morac said:


> I don't know if this is a result of using the Alexa skill or not, but my Roamio Pro rebooted on its own in the first time in as long as I can remember.


FYI... I just came across this in a parallel thread:


dahacker said:


> ... tried it yesterday. When I first used the Alexa app it crashed the Tivo and it rebooted. Crashing Tivo pretty much never happens in my house.


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## thewebgal (Aug 10, 2007)

It pause TIVO, it restarted it - ok I guess, tho the remote does that just fine - 
but I don't like Alexa in the main room listening to all conversations ...
Feels ... creepy!


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

FYI... the following was posted by David Shoop (@tiv0_Shoop) this evening to the TiVo.IFTTT.Innovate FB page (link):

------------------------------------
Alexa Skill users - I have some additional information which might be helpful. This will be added to a larger support page but wanted to get this out ASAP.

Below is a list of all the channel names supported through the TiVo Alexa skill.
If you don't see the channel below, it may not be supported by name today but check back as New channels may be added in the future.
It takes up to 24hrs before you can call channels by name after enabling the Alexa skill. Your TiVo needs to teach Alexa the channel names. Experience 4 users may see much faster learning times.
All channels can be called out by number immediately after the TiVo Skill is enabled.
If a channel is available in SD and HD, we will attempt to tune to the HD channel.

List of supported channels by Name as of May 17th.

A&E
Altitude Sports & Entertainment
AMC
ABC
American Heroes Channel
Animal Planet
AXSTV
BabyFirst TV
BBC America
beIN Sports
Black Entertainment Television
Big Ten Network
Bloomberg in
Boomerang
Bravo
Big Ten Network
BYU
Cable News Network
Cartoon Network
cbs
CBS Sports Network
Chiller
Cinemax East
Cinemax West
Consumer News & Business Channel
Comedy Central
The Cooking Channel
CMT
cspan
CSPAN2
The CW
Daystar
Destination America
Discovery Family Channel
The Disney Channel
Disney Junior
Disney XD
Do It Yourself Network
E! Entertainment Television
El Rey Network
EPIX
ESPN
ESPN2
ESPN3
ESPN News
ESPNU
Eternal Word Television
Family Entertainment
Food Network
FOX
Fox Business Network
Fox News Channel
Fox Sports 1
Fox Sports 2
Fox Sports North
Fox Sports Ohio
Free Speech TV
Freeform
Fuse
FX
FX Movie Channel
FXX
FYI
getTV
Great American Country
grit
GSN
Hallmark Channel
Hallmark Movies and Mysteries
HBO
HBO 2
HBO Comedy
HBO Zone
HBO Family
HBO Signature
HBO Latino
Hillsong Channel
History
HLN
HGTV
Home Shopping Network
Home Shopping Network 2
IFC
ITV
Inspirational Network
Investigation Discovery
ION Network
The Justice Network
KCPQ
KCTS
KOMO
kuns
Lifetime Television
Lifetime Movies
Light TV
LOGO
The Longhorn Network
MLB Network
msnbc
MTV
MTV Classic
MTV2
mytv
NASA
nbc
National Geographic Channel
NatGeo WILD
NBA TV
NBC Sports Bay Area
NBC Sports Network
New England Sports Network
NFL Network
NFL Red Zone
NHL Network US
Nick Jr.
Nickelodeon
Nicktoons Network
Olympic Channel
The Oprah Winfrey Network
Outdoor Channel
Oxygen
Paramount
Pop
Pursuit Channel
Quality Value Convenience Network
QVC2
Real Estate Channel
ReelzChannel
RFD
Ride TV in
Root Sports Northwest
Satellite Response Network
Science
SEC Network
Showtime
Showtime Beyond
Showtime Extreme
Smithsonian Channel
Sony Movie Channel
SportsTime Ohio
Universal Kids
STARZ
STARZ ENCORE
STARZ ENCORE Westerns
SundanceTV
Syfy
TeenNick
Telemundo
Tennis Channel
The Discovery Channel
The Family Channel
The Golf Channel
The Learning Channel
The Movie Channel
The Sportsman Channel
Travel Channel
The Weather Channel
Trinity Broadcasting Network
truTV
TBS
Turner Classic Movies
Turner Network Television
TV Japan
TV Land
TV ONE
Uplifting Entertainment
USA Network
Velocity
VH1
VICELAND
WE TV
WGN
------------------------------------


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

krkaufman said:


> It takes up to 24hrs before you can call channels by name after enabling the Alexa skill. Your TiVo needs to teach Alexa the channel names. Experience 4 users may see much faster learning times.


I'm wondering if this is a fixed slow trickle local to the LAN, or if it can be expedited by forcing a TiVo service connection. The TE4 caveat makes me think a service connection won't help.


----------



## gantt (Jul 22, 2008)

krkaufman said:


> Cable News Network


Really?
Somehow Xbox is just fine with "watch CNN."

I'm surprised we don't have to say "watch Microsoft National Broadcasting Company." 

That said, so far this is working reasonably well. I was able to watch, jump back and skip through my news program while making/eating/cleaning up dinner - no remote in sight. Thanks, TiVo.


----------



## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

gantt said:


> That said, so far this is working reasonably well. I was able to watch, jump back and skip through my news program while making/eating/cleaning up dinner - no remote in sight. Thanks, TiVo.


So, can you say, "Alexa, enable QuickMode" to get through your news more quickly?


----------



## foghorn2 (May 4, 2004)

gantt said:


> Really?
> Somehow Xbox is just fine with "watch CNN."
> 
> I'm surprised we don't have to say "watch Microsoft National Broadcasting Company."
> ...


CNN SD 
Clinton News Network featuring Stormy Daniels


----------



## Skanter123 (Feb 28, 2015)

Alexa stops working continually, have to open TIVO skill on Alexa app to et it to work again. ???


----------



## tonyquan (Feb 26, 2003)

krkaufman said:


> I'm wondering if this is a fixed slow trickle local to the LAN, or if it can be expedited by forcing a TiVo service connection. The TE4 caveat makes me think a service connection won't help.


Verified that it does indeed take 24 hours for changing channels by name to work after you activate the Alexa skill. Changing channels by name (as long as the channel name is on the supported list) started working perfectly today when it didn't work at all yesterday.


----------



## gantt (Jul 22, 2008)

Skanter123 said:


> Alexa stops working continually, have to open TIVO skill on Alexa app to et it to work again. ???


Not sure the specifics of "continually", but it's documented that Alexa does end its focus on the TiVo skill after a period of inactivity (approximately 90 minutes). I've been successful in getting it to work again by just adding "on TiVo" to my voice command, e.g. "Alexa, rewind on TiVo."


----------



## gantt (Jul 22, 2008)

krkaufman said:


> So, can you say, "Alexa, enable QuickMode" to get through your news more quickly?


No. I haven't seen anything indicating that QuickMode initiation is supported.


----------



## TiVotion (Dec 6, 2002)

apsarkis said:


> That's what I've been trying for the last 3 days, since "Amazon Alexa" showed up in the App list. All I've gotten is, after some BSC, is an error "There was a problem linking devices, you'll need to try again" and the word "Retry" in a box below. Rebooted both Alexa and Tivo, no change. Roamio Pro running 20.7.4RC29.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk


I'm having this same issue and I can't resolve it either.


----------



## dhoward (Mar 15, 2002)

TiVotion said:


> I'm having this same issue and I can't resolve it either.


Add me to that list also. Been trying for 3 days.


----------



## sbiller (May 10, 2002)

Mine is fixed as of this morning. I successfully linked my Roamio Plus to my Echo.


----------



## HerronScott (Jan 1, 2002)

krkaufman said:


> Alexa Skill users - I have some additional information which might be helpful. This will be added to a larger support page but wanted to get this out ASAP.
> 
> Below is a list of all the channel names supported through the TiVo Alexa skill.
> If you don't see the channel below, it may not be supported by name today but check back as New channels may be added in the future.
> ...


Channel changes are working by name this morning with our gen3 Roamio Pro! It wasn't working last night when I was trying to show my wife of course. 

Scott


----------



## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

HerronScott said:


> Channel changes are working by name this morning with our gen3 Roamio Pro! It wasn't working last night when I was trying to show my wife of course.


You should definitely have some empathy for Ted & David, then. (FB Live video session)


----------



## Lurker1 (Jun 4, 2004)

How do I watch recorded programs by name? I want to say "watch Rachel Ray" and have it play the episodes I have already recorded.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Lurker1 said:


> How do I watch recorded programs by name? I want to say "watch Rachel Ray" and have it play the episodes I have already recorded.


With a VOX Remote and Hydra?

I don't _think_ the Alexa skill has that deep a level of integration, yet.


----------



## Lurker1 (Jun 4, 2004)

krkaufman said:


> With a VOX Remote and Hydra?
> 
> I don't _think_ the Alexa skill has that deep a level of integration, yet.


A VOX remote and Hydra can definitely do what I described?


----------



## gantt (Jul 22, 2008)

krkaufman said:


> With a VOX Remote and Hydra?
> 
> I don't _think_ the Alexa skill has that deep a level of integration, yet.


Agreed. I don't think you can even navigate to My Shows yet.

"Commands for OnePass Manager, My Shows, What to Watch and To Do List are planned for future updates"


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## gantt (Jul 22, 2008)

HerronScott said:


> Channel changes are working by name this morning with our gen3 Roamio Pro! It wasn't working last night when I was trying to show my wife of course.
> 
> Scott


"Watch [channel name]" isn't working for me, and it's been more than 48 hours since I enabled the skill. I've confirmed my zip code is set correctly in the Alexa settings.

I can almost see the Xbox shaking its virtual head as Alexa repeatedly responds, "I couldn't find that on TiVo."
Somewhere it's saying, "I've been doing that for you for years, Dave. I don't see why you are trying to replace me."


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Lurker1 said:


> A VOX remote and Hydra can definitely do what I described?


Highlighting my earlier reply ... 


krkaufman said:


> With a VOX Remote and Hydra*?*



I believe so, but I don't have a VOXified box handy on which to test.


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## Lurker1 (Jun 4, 2004)

krkaufman said:


> Highlighting my earlier reply ...
> ​
> I believe so, but I don't have a VOXified box handy on which to test.


OK, thanks. Alexa is useful for basic controls (pause/play) when I am not near the remote.


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## tonyquan (Feb 26, 2003)

tonyquan said:


> Verified that it does indeed take 24 hours for changing channels by name to work after you activate the Alexa skill. Changing channels by name (as long as the channel name is on the supported list) started working perfectly today when it didn't work at all yesterday.


actually, it stopped working for some channels again today. some channels work, some don't


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

tonyquan said:


> actually, it stopped working for some channels again today. some channels work, some don't


So specific channel names that worked for you yesterday (or previously) now no longer work?


----------



## Furmaniac (Apr 3, 2018)

TIVO_GUY_HERE said:


> So it says it's activated on my TiVo, but every code I put in to link with Alexa says "Code is either incorrect or expired" ????
> 
> Edit: well got it to take the code (rebooted). It was fun to play with, but having it repeat "Tuning to 7 on TEEVOW" after every time I ask to change channel is deal breaker.
> 
> Also TV has to be pretty low ( surround sound nono) for tivo to hear my command without shouting.


 Hold the A button down for 2 seconds to get it out of speech mode.


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## Skanter123 (Feb 28, 2015)

gantt said:


> Not sure the specifics of "continually", but it's documented that Alexa does end its focus on the TiVo skill after a period of inactivity (approximately 90 minutes). I've been successful in getting it to work again by just adding "on TiVo" to my voice command, e.g. "Alexa, rewind on TiVo."


Thanks for the tip - will try later and report back...


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## Skanter123 (Feb 28, 2015)

krkaufman said:


> With a VOX Remote and Hydra?
> 
> I don't _think_ the Alexa skill has that deep a level of integration, yet.


 I have not been able to get VOX remote to play recorded programs. Has anyone?


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## TiVo_Ted (Oct 3, 2000)

FYI, we appear to have a partial outage with Alexa. We are investigating root cause, but account linking and Alexa control is totally unavailable for some customers. I will post more as soon as I know what's happening.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Heh, and I'd just forced a reboot of my Roamio Pro, mid-recordings, to see if doing so would fix my Alexa app issue. 

"Missed it by ... *that* ... much."


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## gantt (Jul 22, 2008)

TiVo_Ted said:


> FYI, we appear to have a partial outage with Alexa. We are investigating root cause, but account linking and Alexa control is totally unavailable for some customers. I will post more as soon as I know what's happening.


Thanks so much for keeping us informed, Ted.


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## windracer (Jan 3, 2003)

I guess that explains why this was working great yesterday and now tonight nothing works. Trying to launch Plex or YouTube has Alexa just prompt for the built-in skills and not the TiVo one.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

apsarkis said:


> That's what I've been trying for the last 3 days, since "Amazon Alexa" showed up in the App list. All I've gotten is, after some BSC, is an error *"There was a problem linking devices, you'll need to try again"* and the word *"Retry"* in a box below. Rebooted both Alexa and Tivo, no change. Roamio Pro running 20.7.4RC29.





TiVotion said:


> I'm having this same issue and I can't resolve it either.





dhoward said:


> Add me to that list also. Been trying for 3 days.


Same boat, here.

---
edit(s): Still "problem linking devices," as of 4:30pm CDT 5/19.


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## Skanter123 (Feb 28, 2015)

Not working here...


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## tonyquan (Feb 26, 2003)

Skanter123 said:


> Not working here...


Same here, the skill seems completely broken. Alexa doesn't recognize any of the TiVo commands anymore. It really looks like this was released one-quarter baked (not even half baked)


----------



## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Skanter123 said:


> Not working here...





tonyquan said:


> Same here, the skill seems completely broken. Alexa doesn't recognize any of the TiVo commands anymore. It really looks like this was released one-quarter baked (not even half baked)


As reported above, a recent outage, which is being worked on.


TiVo_Ted said:


> FYI, we appear to have a partial outage with Alexa. We are investigating root cause, but account linking and Alexa control is totally unavailable for some customers. I will post more as soon as I know what's happening.


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## Skanter123 (Feb 28, 2015)

Please post when it’s up and working...


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## connie_w (Jan 10, 2015)

It worked again briefly late last night and then no go this morning.


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## Megamind (Feb 18, 2013)

It's been working for me this morning ...


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## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

Pause and Play worked for me just now.


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## tonyquan (Feb 26, 2003)

Here's a useful support article:

TiVo Customer Support

One thing of note, it mentions that Alexa stops listening for TiVo commands if 90 minutes go by without an Alexa TiVo command or someone pressing a button on the remote (presume they mean the TiVo remote). To reestablish the functionality after 90 minutes you have to either press a remote button or give the Alexa command using the TiVo box name (eg Alexa, pause on Living Room) That could explain why it stops working especially if you are watching a long program or have just powered up your setup after not using it for a while.


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## ADG (Aug 20, 2003)

Mine doesn't recognize the "friendly" name. I have to say "Tivo" and it works fine (ie, "channel 702 on Tivo"). And I have to say "tivo" with every command.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

tonyquan said:


> Here's a useful support article:
> 
> TiVo Customer Support
> ...


Thanks. I've added this to the list of helpful links I'm collecting in the 2nd post of the thread, here.


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## Megamind (Feb 18, 2013)

ADG said:


> Mine doesn't recognize the "friendly" name. I have to say "Tivo" and it works fine (ie, "channel 702 on Tivo"). And I have to say "tivo" with every command.


I've stated elsewhere that I don't think the box or "friendly name" currently serves any actual purpose. I've tried a variety of names and commands and the friendly name invariably confuses Alexa. Just saying "TiVo" or "on TiVo" works every time.

Not sure if this is a bug in the current skill or what; it's the just the way it works for me.


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## Megamind (Feb 18, 2013)

tonyquan said:


> Here's a useful support article:
> One thing of note, it mentions that Alexa stops listening for TiVo commands if 90 minutes go by without an Alexa TiVo command or someone pressing a button on the remote


That's interesting. I was curious how long Alexa would continue to assume you were giving a command to the TiVo instead of some other device.

Of course, issuing a command to another device (such as audio speaker) with pause, play and channel commands will also cause Alexa to change its focus.


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## connie_w (Jan 10, 2015)

Pressing a button on the remote didn't help me at all. I had to resort to using the remote (poor me). LOL! Anyway, I disconnected my devices in the alexa tivo skills app and disabled the app. Then, I went back through the setup with a new code again and re-linked devices. It seems to work after resetting it up.


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## TiVo_Ted (Oct 3, 2000)

Ok, I think I’ve got an answer for what happened. Our activation server was maxing out at nearly 1,000 activations per hour. We had to restart the virtual machine and lost a few hundred customer account links to Amazon in the process. If you were setup and running, but then things stopped working, can you please try disabling your TiVo connections in the Alexa app, disable & delete the TiVo skill? Then, reinstall the TiVo skill and get a new pairing code from the Alexa app on your TiVo. Sorry for this, but we think everything is back up and working. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## dcborn61 (Dec 9, 2002)

Changing by channel name not working. And I've been connected for days, my Alexa app has my address correct.


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## sldavis1952 (Feb 16, 2009)

dcborn61 said:


> Changing by channel name not working. And I've been connected for days, my Alexa app has my address correct.


Same here. Changing by channel name is not working for me. I have my zip code set up correctly in Alexa settings.


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## sldavis1952 (Feb 16, 2009)

Any road map for future updates/additions? I see this

*"Note:* Commands for OnePass Manager, My Shows, What to Watch and To Do List are planned for future updates"

at TiVo Customer Support

I looked over the video skill documentation that Amazon published. Looks like there isn't anything to turn a TV on and off in what Amazon has done. That would be number one on my wish list of voice commands to interact with my Tivo. Can Tivo extend what Amazon has done? I would think this wouldn't be that difficult to do.


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## UCLABB (May 29, 2012)

sldavis1952 said:


> Any road map for future updates/additions? I see this
> 
> *"Note:* Commands for OnePass Manager, My Shows, What to Watch and To Do List are planned for future updates"
> 
> ...


TiVo has nothing to do with TV power (other than the remote being able to send a signal to the TV). One's TV would have to be Amazon Alexa equipped in order for it to be controlled or for the remote itself to respond to an Alexa command.


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## webminster (Dec 13, 2016)

sldavis1952 said:


> Same here. Changing by channel name is not working for me. I have my zip code set up correctly in Alexa settings.


Nor here, on any channel name. Was fun though when I said, "Watch QVC" and Alexa read me a definition of "Washington DC."


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## TiVo_Ted (Oct 3, 2000)

Ok, here's a low fidelity video of me using Alexa to control a TiVo MINI VOX 




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## TiVo_Ted (Oct 3, 2000)

P.S. You can see that I’m using an Echo Show. It turns out that Echo devices with screens (Show & Spot) can get confused by the “watch” keyword. Sometimes they want to play the video on their own screen. Need to follow-up with Amazon on that one. If that happens to you too, you can always add “on TiVo” at the end to be safe. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## connie_w (Jan 10, 2015)

TiVo_Ted said:


> Ok, I think I've got an answer for what happened. Our activation server was maxing out at nearly 1,000 activations per hour. We had to restart the virtual machine and lost a few hundred customer account links to Amazon in the process. If you were setup and running, but then things stopped working, can you please try disabling your TiVo connections in the Alexa app, disable & delete the TiVo skill? Then, reinstall the TiVo skill and get a new pairing code from the Alexa app on your TiVo. Sorry for this, but we think everything is back up and working.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


That is exactly what I had to do to get it working again.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

TiVo_Ted said:


> Ok, here's a low fidelity video of me using Alexa to control a TiVo MINI VOX
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Just a note for others, don't play this video if your Echo can hear it. My Echo Show unpaused my Tivo.


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## No Static At Al (May 22, 2002)

Alexa commands working for the most part, but saying "Alexa skip" or "Alexa skip commercials" simply jumps me ahead :30 seconds. "Alexa channel up" does work though. Any suggestions?


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## Bryshaw (May 2, 2018)

I still cannot get pause to work. Everything else does.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

No Static At Al said:


> Alexa commands working for the most part, but saying "Alexa skip" or "Alexa skip commercials" simply jumps me ahead :30 seconds. "Alexa channel up" does work though. Any suggestions?


Commercial skip has been the most reliable command for me. And has some value as I don't always have the remote in hand. I just say "Alexa skip" and it works fine.


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## Bryshaw (May 2, 2018)

TonyD79 said:


> Commercial skip has been the most reliable command for me. And has some value as I don't always have the remote in hand. I just say "Alexa skip" and it works fine.


Why don't you use ifttt for this instead of Alexa? Even better.


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## sldavis1952 (Feb 16, 2009)

UCLABB said:


> TiVo has nothing to do with TV power (other than the remote being able to send a signal to the TV). One's TV would have to be Amazon Alexa equipped in order for it to be controlled or for the remote itself to respond to an Alexa command.


They could do something like Google Home did with Chromecast using HDMI-CEC to power TV on or off.


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## connie_w (Jan 10, 2015)

No problems with skip here. I have found that Alexa responds quicker if you add Tivo to your command. Such as Alexa fastforward Tivo responds quicker than simply Alexa fastforward


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## phox_mulder (Feb 23, 2006)

Didn't read this thread originally, figured I'd never have an Alexa device to try it on.
Then Mom wanted Alexa for mothers day so she could "play her music", so I got her a Spot (mainly so she can see the Ring doorbell and cameras)
I then decided to donate one of my OTA's to her TV watching room and get it setup with Alexa.
Took a couple days to get the OTA loaded with shows she wants to watch, and get some SP's set up for other shows she likes, then I got Alexa set up.

From what I gathered, quickly scanning this thread, and actually trying things with Alexa, you still need the remote to do pretty much anything.

"Alexa, watch Big Bang Theory", Alexa responds with "you have to purchase Big Bang Theory on Amazon Video to watch it", or something like that.
"Alexa, watch Big Bang Theory on TiVo" gets the same reponse, "Alexa play Big Bang Theory on TiVo", also same response.

"Alexa, go to My Shows", I don't know how to do that, "Alexa go to my shows on TiVo", I don't know how to do that either.

So I use the remote to go to My Shows and start playing Big Bang Theory, now I can use Alexa pause, Alexa play, Alexa skip commerical, and Alexa skip and they seem to work great.
"Alexa Fast Forward" works, but by the time she processes "Alexa Play", 2 minutes of the show have been fast forwarded through.
About half of the shows I loaded up on the OTA have "skip" enabled, so FF comes in handy.

Mom previously had one of my hand me down TiVo's I let her use after I upgraded, but she could never grasp the concept of how to get to a show, or how to get out of a show when she was done watching.
Hopefully, Alexa learns how to do all this, or the OTA will become a dust magnet like the Series 2 and TiVo HD did, I'll end disabling Alexa and putting it back in my entertainment center.

ETA, OTA is still pre-Hydra, putting off upgrading any of my TiVo's till absolutely necessary.
If "upgrading" to Hydra will fix Alexa, or at least make it a bit easier for 70+ year old Mothers, maybe I'll have to.


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## Craigm (Nov 20, 2015)

sldavis1952 said:


> Any road map for future updates/additions? I see this
> 
> *"Note:* Commands for OnePass Manager, My Shows, What to Watch and To Do List are planned for future updates"
> 
> ...


Just buy a plug for Alexa and name it TV. then you can tell Alexa to turn the TV on or off


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

It's been several days and changing to channel by name still doesn't work. I get a response saying "changing to <name> on Tivo." Followed my "I couldn't find that on Tivo."

Launching apps works fine, but channel names do not.


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## gbenrus25 (Nov 2, 2017)

TiVo_Ted said:


> Ok, here's a low fidelity video of me using Alexa to control a TiVo MINI VOX
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Hey Ted,

Do you expect the Alexa commands to get faster over time. It's a bit surprising that it takes so long to respond to commands. I've been using Alexa with Harmony and also use it with SmartThings and hue bulbs etc and those are a lot faster than with TiVo. I'm curious as it's such slower with TiVo. Seems almost the same speed as IFTTT.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

morac said:


> It's been several days and changing to channel by name still doesn't work. I get a response saying "changing to <name> on Tivo." Followed my "I couldn't find that on Tivo."
> 
> Launching apps works fine, but channel names do not.


I decided to disable the skill, delete all my Tivo devices from Alexa and set it up again. I'm back to the same spot. Everything works but changing to channel by name. I can change channels by name using the Harmony skill, but that requires setting them all up and also now since linking with Tivo I now need to say "on harmony" since even "go to nbc" tries to use the Tivo app. That would be fine if it worked, but it doesn't.

Has anyone figured out why changing channels by channel name doesn't work when the zip code is set correctly and the skills was set up more than 24 hours ago?

Also I don't know why the app lets you link Alexa to Series 3 boxes (or why they even show up) as they aren't supported. Having them show up as devices just clutters the device list. I disabled mine.


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## tonyquan (Feb 26, 2003)

morac said:


> I decided to disable the skill, delete all my Tivo devices from Alexa and set it up again. I'm back to the same spot. Everything works but changing to channel by name. I can change channels by name using the Harmony skill, but that requires setting them all up and also now since linking with Tivo I now need to say "on harmony" since even "go to nbc" tries to use the Tivo app. That would be fine if it worked, but it doesn't.
> 
> Has anyone figured out why changing channels by channel name doesn't work when the zip code is set correctly and the skills was set up more than 24 hours ago?
> 
> Also I don't know why the app lets you link Alexa to Series 3 boxes (or why they even show up) as they aren't supported. Having them show up as devices just clutters the device list. I disabled mine.


I think everyone has this problem. Changing channels by name just doesn't work reliably. Haven't gotten a real answer from TiVo about why.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

tonyquan said:


> I think everyone has this problem. Changing channels by name just doesn't work reliably. Haven't gotten a real answer from TiVo about why.


It seems to work reliably in the video Ted shared. I think I've seen it work once.


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## southerndoc (Apr 5, 2003)

How did Alexa turn on your TV? Is there a TiVo HDMI code that did that?


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## ADG (Aug 20, 2003)

geekmedic said:


> How did Alexa turn on your TV? Is there a TiVo HDMI code that did that?


If I remember correctly, your tv has to have a related skill (ie, Sony) and you have to enable bluetooth on the tv.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

Bryshaw said:


> Why don't you use ifttt for this instead of Alexa? Even better.


Didn't like the experience. It felt balky.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

FYI, Posted earlier today to the FB group by David Shoop (@tiv0_Shoop) (link)...

-----------------------------
Alexa users - If you are looking for a quick how to get up and running with the tiVo Alexa skill and some of the most common commands take a look at this video: TiVo Smart Home - Tutorials Alexa. This can be seen at the bottom of this page: TiVo and Alexa: Better Together - TiVo Blog
-----------------------------​


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

So I decided to trying changing channels by name again tonight. 

Me: “Alexa, change channel to NBC”. 
Alexa: “Tuning to NBC on Tivo” - worked. 
Me: “Watch ABC”
Alexa: “Tuning to ABC on Tivo. I couldn’t find that on Tivo.” - didn’t work. 
Me: “Watch CBS”
Alexa: “Tuning to CBS on Tivo. I couldn’t find that on Tivo.” - didn’t work. 
Me: “Watch NBC”
Alexa: “Tuning to NBC on Tivo. I couldn’t find that on Tivo.” - didn’t work. 

waited 5 minutes. 

Me: “Watch NBC”
Alexa: “Tuning to NBC on Tivo” - worked. 
Me: “Watch ABC”
Alexa: “Tuning to ABC on Tivo. I couldn’t find that on Tivo.” - didn’t work. 
Me: “Watch NBC”
Alexa: “Tuning to NBC on Tivo. I couldn’t find that on Tivo.” - didn’t work. 
Me: “Watch HBO”
Alexa: “Tuning to HBO on Tivo. I couldn’t find that on Tivo.” - didn’t work. 
Me: “Watch NBC”
Alexa: “Tuning to NBC on Tivo” - worked. 
Me: “Watch NBC”
Alexa: “Tuning to NBC on Tivo. I couldn’t find that on Tivo.” - didn’t work.

Basically changing channel by name is still primarily not working. 

One thing I did notice is that when it succeeds it takes a few seconds to change the channel, but when it fails, it fails really fast. There is no pause between “Tuning to name on Tivo” and “I couldn’t find that on Tivo.”

It’s like it’s not even trying.


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## tampa8 (Jan 26, 2016)

(Roamio) Starting tonight I can change channels to ABC, FOX, NBC. It won't do CBS yet. It now recognizes the CW but won't switch to it, did not know that name before. As I posted before virtually all other commands have been working for me.


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## tampa8 (Jan 26, 2016)

Craigm said:


> Just buy a plug for Alexa and name it TV. then you can tell Alexa to turn the TV on or off


Might work if you don't have TIVO off too long or often. Also wouldn't want to turn it off while it is updating etc...
If you meant for the TV many (maybe most?) will not turn on when power is restored.


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## tonyquan (Feb 26, 2003)

morac said:


> So I decided to trying changing channels by name again tonight.
> 
> Me: "Alexa, change channel to NBC".
> Alexa: "Tuning to NBC on Tivo" - worked.
> ...


Pretty much identical to my experience. It may not even recognize the same channel on two subsequent attempts.


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## gantt (Jul 22, 2008)

Channel change by name is now working. Yay, TiVo!

It wasn't working last time I tried (Friday night, nearly 3 days after I enabled the Alexa skill) and I didn't change anything in between.


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## tonyquan (Feb 26, 2003)

gantt said:


> Channel change by name is now working. Yay, TiVo!
> 
> It wasn't working last time I tried (Friday night, nearly 3 days after I enabled the Alexa skill) and I didn't change anything in between.


Still bad for me. Might be able to change on half of attempts at best.


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## Bryshaw (May 2, 2018)

TonyD79 said:


> Didn't like the experience. It felt balky.


Funny. To me it's the best thing out of any of these new TiVo features. That and how I have it set to set all my lights to my home theater scene when it's nighttime and I play something from my shows.


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## tonyquan (Feb 26, 2003)

Heard from Tivo_Ted that the reliability issues with change channel by name are being worked on.


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## ekrub (Feb 23, 2016)

It looks like you can't use the same TiVo account with more than one Amazon account. Bummer. My old TiVo is at our cottage (same TiVo account as home). I've got Alexa at our house and at our cottage using separate Amazon accounts. I'm unable to use the TiVo Alexa skill at our cottage without disabling the Alexa skill for home. Since a single TiVo account can support units in more than one location, it would be nice if the TiVo Alexa skill allowed more than one Amazon account to be paired to the same TiVo account.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

ekrub said:


> It looks like you can't use the same TiVo account with more than one Amazon account. Bummer. My old TiVo is at our cottage (same TiVo account as home). I've got Alexa at our house and at our cottage using separate Amazon accounts. I'm unable to use the TiVo Alexa skill at our cottage without disabling the Alexa skill for home. Since a single TiVo account can support units in more than one location, it would be nice if the TiVo Alexa skill allowed more than one Amazon account to be paired to the same TiVo account.


Just create a second TiVo account and transfer the cottage boxes to it.


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

What if you make the Amazon accounts a part of a "household".


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## bobfrank (Mar 17, 2005)

Bryshaw said:


> Funny. To me it's the best thing out of any of these new TiVo features. That and how I have it set to set all my lights to my home theater scene when it's nighttime and I play something from my shows.


Read the article at the following link and see if you still feel the same way.

Woman says her Amazon device recorded private conversation, sent it out to random contact


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## Charles R (Nov 9, 2000)

bobfrank said:


> Read the article at the following link and see if you still feel the same way.


Most drive cars, fly in planes... virtually everything in life has a risk and reward... in this case the risk appears to be lottery odds.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

bobfrank said:


> Read the article at the following link and see if you still feel the same way.
> 
> Woman says her Amazon device recorded private conversation, sent it out to random contact


Now,_ that's_ frightening. Not just listening, but recording?


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

bobfrank said:


> Read the article at the following link and see if you still feel the same way.
> 
> Woman says her Amazon device recorded private conversation, sent it out to random contact


It sounds like Alexa heard "message <contact's name>" and sent what followed to the other person. That could have been mitigated by blocking contacts from the Alexa app. I block all but close family from Amazon's messaging feature for that very reason. I would never have co-workers or my boss on Alexa.


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## Charles R (Nov 9, 2000)

Mikeguy said:


> Now,_ that's_ frightening. Not just listening, but recording?


Amazon.com Help: View Your Dialog History

The basic logic....

_First things first: *No, the Echo isn't recording every word you say, and it also isn't sending a constant audio stream of everything that's going on in your home to Amazon's servers.* Not only would this be a privacy nightmare, it would also result in way too much data for Amazon to handle or make sense of. Amazon wouldn't be able to target you better if it tried to generate buying recommendations based on every joke you crack, - it would be overwhelmed by all the random conversations.

Instead, the Echo is using so-called hot words. Like someone looking to spot a familiar car in bypassing traffic without looking closely at all the other cars,* it's simply monitoring all audio for the keyword "Alexa." Only upon hearing this magic word does it start to record audio for the few seconds it would take to make a request, and then send it to Amazon's servers. *_
_*
Relax: Your Amazon Echo Isn't Recording Everything You Say*_


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## sharkster (Jul 3, 2004)

bobfrank said:


> Read the article at the following link and see if you still feel the same way.
> 
> Woman says her Amazon device recorded private conversation, sent it out to random contact


I've heard so many similar type stories about these devices. I think I might feel like I'm being spied on or something. Nothing to hide here, but I have very strong feelings about privacy in my own home. I'm not trying to be a drama queen about it. I'm glad people enjoy their devices and I like technology. But, for me, this is a hard no.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Charles R said:


> Amazon.com Help: View Your Dialog History
> 
> The basic logic....
> 
> ...


"Lucy, you got some explaining to do . . . ."

Apparently Alexa recorded enough so that when it mis-sent the recorded info. to a 3rd party, the 3rd party was able to call the Alexa owners and advise them to turn their Alexa devices off--when asked why and not believing the situation, the 3rd party was able to tell the owners what they just had been discussing.

If one had thought about it, I guess one could have expected that some sort of at least mnomentary recording was being made--how else could a request get to the Alexa processing units? The kicker here, of course, was the information being passed on/leaking to someone outside of the Alexa system.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

So Alexa butt dialed someone. BFD.


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## foghorn2 (May 4, 2004)

morac said:


> It sounds like Alexa hear "message <contact's name>" and sent what followed to the other person. That could have been mitigated by blocking contacts from the Alexa app. I block all but close family from Amazon's messaging feature for that very reason. I would never have co-workers or my boss on Alexa.


You mean dont have you boss's number in your contacts and curse him out all day at home with Alexa on?


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## Joe3 (Dec 12, 2006)

:tearsofjoy::tearsofjoy:


bobfrank said:


> Read the article at the following link and see if you still feel the same way.
> 
> Woman says her Amazon device recorded private conversation, sent it out to random contact


I was going to bring this up days ago, but I have seen this community change and didn't want the blowback so I justed waited for yet another article of caution and warning. It been documented in many articles that you are allowing an open listening device in your home. If you are cool with it fine. But drop the s**ity attitude that you know more than they do. You pathetically do not.

If I cut through the "strange" lets dance like its the 1990's noise and take a look at TiVo's new ownership. Clearly, the people currently running Tivo knew about this lack of privacy and didn't care to let it get in the way of making a cheap buck. They could give a flying f**k about you as a loyal costumer! Too bad, they use to:tearsofjoy:


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

TonyD79 said:


> So Alexa butt dialed someone. BFD.


See the post directly below yours above. And one can imagine a whole lot more, including through the use of legal process to obtain saved recordings, made from what one considers to be the privacy of one's home.


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## bobfrank (Mar 17, 2005)

Joe3 said:


> :tearsofjoy::tearsofjoy:
> 
> I was going to bring this up days ago, but I have seen this community change and didn't want the blowback so I justed waited for yet another article of caution and warning. It been documented in many articles that you are allowing an open listening device in your home. If you are cool with it fine. But drop the s**ity attitude that you know more than they do. You pathetically do not.
> 
> If I cut through the "strange" lets dance like its the 1990's noise and take a look at TiVo's new ownership. Clearly, the people currently running Tivo knew about this lack of privacy and didn't care to let it get in the way of making a cheap buck. They could give a flying f**k about you as a loyal costumer! Too bad, they use to:tearsofjoy:


So you let me take the heat instead.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

Amazon confirms that Echo device secretly shared user's private audio [Updated]



> "Echo woke up due to a word in background conversation sounding like "Alexa." Then, the subsequent conversation was heard as a "send message" request. At which point, Alexa said out loud "To whom?" At which point, the background conversation was interpreted as a name in the customers contact list. Alexa then asked out loud, "[contact name], right?" Alexa then interpreted background conversation as "right." As unlikely as this string of events is, we are evaluating options to make this case even less likely."
> 
> The company did confirm to Ars that the above explanation was sourced from device logs.


So the couple was accidentally conversing with Alexa, but didn't hear her responses. I'm guessing they turned the volume down. They had enabled messaging and left their co-worker as an active Alexa contact.

This was not a case of Alexa just recording conversations and sending them to random people as the news story linked above said.


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## foghorn2 (May 4, 2004)

foghorn2 said:


> You mean dont have you boss's number in your contacts and curse him out all day at home with Alexa on?


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Joe3 said:


> Clearly, the people currently running Tivo knew about this lack of privacy and didn't care to let it get in the way of making a cheap buck.


I missed the message from TiVo that said I'm required to start using Amazon Alexa else my TiVo service will be disabled.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

Mikeguy said:


> See the post directly below yours above. And one can imagine a whole lot more, including through the use of legal process to obtain saved recordings, made from what one considers to be the privacy of one's home.


Again. Butt dialing. I left my tinfoil hat at home.

You do realize that law enforcement can legally search any device in your home with a warrant? That includes confiscating your computer, your videos? Also, your phone call numbers and duration are recorded and your text messages can be subpoenaed.

This is no different.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

krkaufman said:


> I missed the message from TiVo that said I'm required to start using Amazon Alexa else my TiVo service will be disabled.


Don't get in the way of a good conspiracy post.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

TonyD79 said:


> Again. Butt dialing. I left my tinfoil hat at home.
> 
> You do realize that law enforcement can legally search any device in your home with a warrant? That includes confiscating your computer, your videos? Also, your phone call numbers and duration are recorded and your text messages can be subpoenaed.
> 
> This is no different.


But there is a difference: the authorities, or the other party in whatever lawsuit (the info. could be requesting in a civil lawsuit as well), is not getting the info. from me, but from a 3rd party--depending on the pertinent laws, I may not even know that it is happening and have the knowledge or ability to object and fight it (what if the subpoena on Amazon is occurring across the country--and so, I'm now required, even if I'm given notice, to travel 3000 miles to protect myself?). Due process as to one's rights and liberties is a good thing.

And, as we now hear on a weekly basis, hacks occur. Amazon retaining the info. on more than a transitory basis just invites potential issue. Let alone, tech. accidents do occur, with this being a case in point--personally, I don't want to be the victim of one.

Privacy--it's a good thing, and warrants protection, unless it absolutely must be let down for legal, due cause.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

Mikeguy said:


> But there is a difference: the authorities, or the other party in whatever lawsuit (the info. could be requesting in a civil lawsuit as well), is not getting the info. from me, but from a 3rd party--depending on the pertinent laws, I may not even know that it is happening and have the knowledge or ability to object and fight it (what if the subpoena on Amazon is occurring across the country--and so, I'm now required, even if I'm given notice, to travel 3000 miles to protect myself?). Due process as to one's rights and liberties is a good thing.
> 
> And, as we now hear on a weekly basis, hacks occur. Amazon retaining the info. on more than a transitory basis just invites potential issue. Let alone, tech. accidents do occur, with this being a case in point--personally, I don't want to be the victim of one.
> 
> Privacy--it's a good thing, and warrants protection, unless it absolutely must be let down for legal, due cause.


Uh, your position is faulty. I could list items for hours that can and are legally obtained from third parties. Banking records. Employment records. Emails. Voice mails. Telephone records. Texts. Traffic cameras. Purchases. Travel. Anything on a computer at work you have access to. Heck, they can parka van outside your house and do audio and video surveillance.

All would require a judge's consent. That is your safeguard. If you doubt that,then the black helicopters can come in.

And all of the above are hackable as well.

The Echo equivalent of a butt dial is a blip.


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## Charles R (Nov 9, 2000)

Mikeguy said:


> And, as we now hear on a weekly basis, hacks occur. Amazon retaining the info. on more than a transitory basis just invites potential issue. Let alone, tech. accidents do occur, with this being a case in point--personally, I don't want to be the victim of one.


When I had Alexa (finding I didn't really use the service to any degree it was returned) I reviewed my logs and found nothing I would mine being released to the world... However I understand some people have concerns and that's well and fine. My wife happens to be one.

She simply doesn't want "it" listening to her. Now she couldn't say why just she didn't want it listening! Now can/will it be hacked to the point third-parties have access to Amazon's recordings or worse yet unlimited access to live audio... the past predicts it will in one degree or another.

However the computer you are typing on has much better odds of revealing data about you even if you are VPNing and using tracking/ad blockers. For me you have to judge the risk/reward ratio and decide where you fall. With my limited usage I couldn't have cared less just like I don't care about TiVo tracking my viewing usage.

I have zero issue with anyone who doesn't wish to partake of such activities and my only concern is keeping the risk/reward ratio realistic. Just like with anything there will be negatives however if one embraces the technology I'm guessing the odds are it will do more good than bad.


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## Megamind (Feb 18, 2013)

_Amazon confirmed the error in a statement and explained the improbable series of events that took place for it to happen. It wasn't a hack or a bug with the device, but a case of Alexa's always-listening microphones mishearing a series of words and mistakenly sending a voice message.

"Echo woke up due to a word in background conversation sounding like 'Alexa.' Then, the subsequent conversation was heard as a 'send message' request," Amazon said in a statement. "At which point, Alexa said out loud 'To whom?' At which point, the background conversation was interpreted as a name in the customers contact list. Alexa then asked out loud, '[contact name], right?' Alexa then interpreted background conversation as 'right'. As unlikely as this string of events is, we are evaluating options to make this case even less likely." 
_
In other words, a butt dial. And something that is easily avoided if you block contacts in the app. And now that it's happened once in a few billion device interactions, Amazon will find a way to prevent it from happening again.


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## foghorn2 (May 4, 2004)

Theres a mute button on my Dots. case closed


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

TonyD79 said:


> Uh, your position is faulty. I could list items for hours that can and are legally obtained from third parties. Banking records. Employment records. Emails. Voice mails. Telephone records. Texts. Traffic cameras. Purchases. Travel. Anything on a computer at work you have access to. Heck, they can parka van outside your house and do audio and video surveillance.
> 
> All would require a judge's consent. That is your safeguard. If you doubt that,then the black helicopters can come in.
> 
> ...


LOL, your discussion is faulty, as you studiously ignore the difference between what happens in public and what happens in what is supposed to be the privacy of one's home. Perhaps you are fine with Alexa recording conversations in the privacy of your home and sending them to people at random, or retaining those communications so that 3rd parties can obtain them, and without any notice to you, but some of the rest of us would like to keep an island of privacy to our lives. I don't aspire to be the next "Truman." And sometimes the courts even concur in this view.

The fact that the times indeed are proving that public sources are hackable seems to suggest to you that one should not expect privacy and that this is a forlorn cause. I don't buy that as an excuse not to try to protect it. Sadly, in the U.S., commercialism too often has been put ahead of personal liberties--the EU makes an attempt to correct that. And that is the fight against the "black helicopters," as you refer to them, that the Founding Fathers and Mothers in the U.S. certainly understood, in enacting a Bill of Rights and composing a system of many checks and balances.

You keep on making pejorative references to what occurred here. Until it happens to you, perhaps, and perhaps until it is more than a little "blip."


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## CloudAtlas (Oct 29, 2013)

Joe3 said:


> But drop the *s**ity attitude* that you know more than they do. You *pathetically* do not.
> Tivo knew about this lack of privacy and didn't care to let it get in the way of *making a cheap buck. T*hey could give a *flying f**k *about you as a loyal costumer!


Hey, this isn't a Trump rally so calm down.

Why is TiVO any different than all the hundreds of other companies that support Alexa? It's not like TiVO has Amazon Alexa built right into the hardware like Sonos does. Which means you have to already own an Alexa based device!

Most people see companies like TiVO supporting Alexa, or Google Home, as an added free perk. But it's a bit twisted to rationalize this to TiVO not caring about privacy and trying to making a cheap buck. You might want to stop watching FOX "news".


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## Charles R (Nov 9, 2000)

Mikeguy said:


> Perhaps you are fine with Alexa recording conversations in the privacy of your home and sending them to people at random, or retaining those communications so that 3rd parties can obtain them, and without any notice to you, but some of the rest of us would like to keep an island of privacy to our lives.


I think for most people this amounts to the old saying... Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Charles R said:


> I think for most people this amounts to the old saying... Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.


Now you have me worrying about my Alexa-enabled Roomba.


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## PSU_Sudzi (Jun 4, 2015)

Joe3 said:


> :tearsofjoy::tearsofjoy:
> 
> I was going to bring this up days ago, but I have seen this community change and didn't want the blowback so I justed waited for yet another article of caution and warning. It been documented in many articles that you are allowing an open listening device in your home. If you are cool with it fine. But drop the s**ity attitude that you know more than they do. You pathetically do not.
> 
> If I cut through the "strange" lets dance like its the 1990's noise and take a look at TiVo's new ownership. Clearly, the people currently running Tivo knew about this lack of privacy and didn't care to let it get in the way of making a cheap buck. They could give a flying f**k about you as a loyal costumer! Too bad, they use to:tearsofjoy:


Was talking to my brother last night about this, it seems like it's just a matter of time before law enforcement will obtain warrants to see if someone has an Alexa device in their home and request all data. Or obtain a warrant to set it to record conversations, etc. Now this would all happen under a judge's review but it doesn't change the fact it could be used to spy against you. And in the case of a National Security Letter, the FBI can wirite these themselves without a judges warrant and request information from Amazon for surveillance, etc. Some people like to ridicule those of us concerned about such things but it will happen some day.


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## mschnebly (Feb 21, 2011)

Mikeguy said:


> And, as we now hear on a weekly basis, hacks occur. Amazon retaining the info. on more than a transitory basis just invites potential issue. Let alone, tech. accidents do occur, with this being a case in point--personally, I don't want to be the victim of one.
> 
> Privacy--it's a good thing, and warrants protection, unless it absolutely must be let down for legal, due cause.


I just had my Netflix hacked by someone in Venezuela. They changed my email addy and password and plan. Netflix made it right before any charges were made but it was a wake-up call and I've now hardened all my online passwords. It's wise to be concerned about who has access to your stuff!


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## mattyro7878 (Nov 27, 2014)

PSU_Sudzi said:


> Was talking to my brother last night about this, it seems like it's just a matter of time before law enforcement will obtain warrants to see if someone has an Alexa device in their home and request all data. Or obtain a warrant to set it to record conversations, etc. Now this would all happen under a judge's review but it doesn't change the fact it could be used to spy against you. And in the case of a National Security Letter, the FBI can wirite these themselves without a judges warrant and request information from Amazon for surveillance, etc. Some people like to ridicule those of us concerned about such things but it will happen some day.


So no need to sneak Carrie and the gang into a house to bug it. sign the warrant, fire up the Alexa in question. We truly are giving our privacy away, without even being aware of it. If the government mandated you keep a recording device active in your home, you probably wouldnt do it.


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## gbenrus25 (Nov 2, 2017)

I hear you guys but that's the price of innovation. If people were this concerned about privacy back then, phones would never have gotten off the ground because there would have been a chance of these guys eavesdropping on your intimate phone conversations. Sending letters through the mail, same story (could be intercepted). Webcams on laptops, same story. Satellites, they can track your whereabouts. GPS on phones... The list goes on and on.

The reality is tech moves forward and you decide whether you want to move with it (and bear the really small risks of you being negatively affected by the advancements) or you stay behind and ignore the advances. For me, I'm much more than willing to live with the low risks while enjoying the impressive benefits. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

PSU_Sudzi said:


> Was talking to my brother last night about this, *it seems like it's just a matter of time before law enforcement will obtain warrants to see if someone has an Alexa device in their home and request all data*. Or obtain a warrant to set it to record conversations, etc. Now this would all happen under a judge's review but it doesn't change the fact it could be used to spy against you. And in the case of a National Security Letter, the FBI can wirite these themselves without a judges warrant and request information from Amazon for surveillance, etc. Some people like to ridicule those of us concerned about such things but it will happen some day.


That time already is here:
Alexa, go ahead and hand over recordings in murder case - CNN


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

foghorn2 said:


> Theres a mute button on my Dots. case closed


Or use a different wake word. I use "Echo"


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

PSU_Sudzi said:


> Was talking to my brother last night about this, it seems like it's just a matter of time before law enforcement will obtain warrants to see if someone has an Alexa device in their home and request all data. Or obtain a warrant to set it to record conversations, etc. Now this would all happen under a judge's review but it doesn't change the fact it could be used to spy against you. And in the case of a National Security Letter, the FBI can wirite these themselves without a judges warrant and request information from Amazon for surveillance, etc. Some people like to ridicule those of us concerned about such things but it will happen some day.


I have no problem with that, but I'm also not a Tin Foil Hat person. If a person is so concerned about the Echo recording their conversation then they should not have one. Or they should mute it. Or just not have some special conversation they are concerned about in the area of an echo.

Personally I don't care if the Echo were to record any of my conversations. There is nothing in them I am concerned about. Just normal, regular conversation.

But if I were a Tin Foil Hat person I would be concerned about many more things than the Echo. And would need to disable cameras and microphones on all cell phones, tablets, PCs, TVs etc. Because otherwise if someone thinks one device is an issue, then they should also think all those devices are issues as well.


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## Scottie99 (Sep 24, 2008)

PSU_Sudzi said: ↑
Was talking to my brother last night about this, *it seems like it's just a matter of time before law enforcement will obtain warrants to see if someone has an Alexa device in their home and request all data*. Or obtain a warrant to set it to record conversations, etc. Now this would all happen under a judge's review but it doesn't change the fact it could be used to spy against you. And in the case of a National Security Letter, the FBI can wirite these themselves without a judges warrant and request information from Amazon for surveillance, etc. Some people like to ridicule those of us concerned about such things but it will happen some day.



Mikeguy said:


> That time already is here:
> Alexa, go ahead and hand over recordings in murder case - CNN


--
The suspect allowed it - Amazon said No until the persons whose recordings it was gave consent.
--
A prosecutor had sought recordings from the defendant's Amazon Echo smart speaker as evidence in the case, a request the online retailer had rebuffed.
According to a court document, lawyer Kathleen Zellner ended the legal tug of war Friday when she filed a motion saying her client, James Bates, would voluntarily hand over the recordings. Amazon provided the data to prosecutors later that day, the document says.


----------



## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Mikeguy said:


> That time already is here:
> Alexa, go ahead and hand over recordings in murder case - CNN


From a case in Arkansas; no doubt WalMart pressuring the prosecutor to file the motion, to damage Amazon.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

gbenrus25 said:


> I hear you guys but that's the price of innovation. If people were this concerned about privacy back then, phones would never have gotten off the ground because there would have been a chance of these guys eavesdropping on your intimate phone conversations. Sending letters through the mail, same story (could be intercepted). Webcams on laptops, same story. Satellites, they can track your whereabouts. GPS on phones... The list goes on and on.
> 
> The reality is tech moves forward and you decide whether you want to move with it (and bear the really small risks of you being negatively affected by the advancements) or you stay behind and ignore the advances. For me, I'm much more than willing to live with the low risks while enjoying the impressive benefits.


I agree with you, but there are ways to dampen the potential harm to one's privacy and, dare I say it, liberty, it seems to me. Technologically, the problem (well, at least the current) can be avoided initially simply by Amazon's (and Google's) not saving of information--if there's no info. there, there is nothing to search. This is an approach that some browsers have taken. Legally, there can be a change in emphasis: right now, capitalism and commercialism in the U.S. seem largely to reign supreme over individual rights--it would be nice to see, as the EU has attempted to do, individual rights being given more of their due as well.


----------



## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Scottie99 said:


> PSU_Sudzi said: ↑
> Was talking to my brother last night about this, *it seems like it's just a matter of time before law enforcement will obtain warrants to see if someone has an Alexa device in their home and request all data*. Or obtain a warrant to set it to record conversations, etc. Now this would all happen under a judge's review but it doesn't change the fact it could be used to spy against you. And in the case of a National Security Letter, the FBI can wirite these themselves without a judges warrant and request information from Amazon for surveillance, etc. Some people like to ridicule those of us concerned about such things but it will happen some day.
> --
> The suspect allowed it - Amazon said No until the persons whose recordings it was gave consent.
> ...


Correct. But answering the inquiry whether law enforcement would try to get Alexa recorded information. It has. Next up, whether a court allows that.


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## CloudAtlas (Oct 29, 2013)

PSU_Sudzi said:


> Was talking to my brother last night about this, it seems like it's just a matter of time before law enforcement will obtain warrants to see if someone has an Alexa device in their home and request all data. Or obtain a warrant to set it to record conversations, etc. Now this would all happen under a judge's review but it doesn't change the fact it could be used to spy against you. And in the case of a National Security Letter, the FBI can wirite these themselves without a judges warrant and request information from Amazon for surveillance, etc. Some people like to ridicule those of us concerned about such things but it will happen some day.


If the FBI is coming at you due to national security I think you have bigger problems than privacy. Ditto for a murder investigation.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

aaronwt said:


> I have no problem with that, but I'm also not a Tin Foil Hat person. If a person is so concerned about the Echo recording their conversation then they should not have one. Or they should mute it. Or just not have some special conversation they are concerned about in the area of an echo.
> 
> Personally I don't care if the Echo were to record any of my conversations. There is nothing in them I am concerned about. Just normal, regular conversation.
> 
> But if I were a Tin Foil Hat person I would be concerned about many more things than the Echo. And would need to disable cameras and microphones on all cell phones, tablets, PCs, TVs etc. Because otherwise if someone thinks one device is an issue, then they should also think all those devices are issues as well.


Yes, that's a way to go. The issue I have with that is that it puts a burden on the individual: if you want to maintain a right to privacy, leave all technology behind and get left behind. Another approach could be, recognizing that individuals have a right to privacy even with the advent of technology, and not allow the technology to abrogate that right.

Years ago, when there were video stores (remember video stores?), a 3rd party could get the records of what someone had rented. (Infamous was the obtaining of the rental record at one store for conservative Appellate Judge Robert Bork, whose nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court was rejected by the U.S. Senate.) Laws were passed to make the records confidential. Society and laws can accommodate technology and the advances in society.


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## humbb (Jan 27, 2014)

I can see the issue as a positive for an innocent suspect who otherwise doesn't have an alibi for the time of the crime:
"Where was your client on Friday the 13th at 10pm?"
"He was at home drinking and watching TV."
"Was anybody with him?"
"No, but we will gladly waive access to his TiVo and Alexa e-records for the date and time in question."
[queue the Law & Order "dump-dump" sounder]


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

Mikeguy said:


> LOL, your discussion is faulty, as you studiously ignore the difference between what happens in public and what happens in what is supposed to be the privacy of one's home. Perhaps you are fine with Alexa recording conversations in the privacy of your home and sending them to people at random, or retaining those communications so that 3rd parties can obtain them, and without any notice to you, but some of the rest of us would like to keep an island of privacy to our lives. I don't aspire to be the next "Truman." And sometimes the courts even concur in this view.
> 
> The fact that the times indeed are proving that public sources are hackable seems to suggest to you that one should not expect privacy and that this is a forlorn cause. I don't buy that as an excuse not to try to protect it. Sadly, in the U.S., commercialism too often has been put ahead of personal liberties--the EU makes an attempt to correct that. And that is the fight against the "black helicopters," as you refer to them, that the Founding Fathers and Mothers in the U.S. certainly understood, in enacting a Bill of Rights and composing a system of many checks and balances.
> 
> You keep on making pejorative references to what occurred here. Until it happens to you, perhaps, and perhaps until it is more than a little "blip."


Public? Your bank transactions are more public than Alexa? Really. I listed activities done in your home mostly.

Even if it happens to me, it will be a blip. Jeez. I've accidentally sent an email to the wrong person in my life. It was embarrassing and I took the consequences. I didn't complain about technology.

And from your reaction to my black helicopter comment, I can tell you are not rational on this topic.


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## tonyquan (Feb 26, 2003)

BTW, on the Alexa functionality, it looks like TiVo has made big strides on the reliability and accuracy of the features. The change channel by name feature works consistently for me now when it didn't before. @TiVo_Ted please pass this back to the team.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

gbenrus25 said:


> I hear you guys but that's the price of innovation. If people were this concerned about privacy back then, phones would never have gotten off the ground because there would have been a chance of these guys eavesdropping on your intimate phone conversations.


Because of a flaw in the design of the mobile phone system, that's already possible now. With only your phone number, it's currently possible to listen in on call, read you text messages and listen to your voicemail. This is a known flaw that was already used to bypass 2-factor authentication at some German banks, yet no one is making a big fuss about it or even working on fixing.

A Cell Network Flaw Lets Hackers Drain Bank Accounts. Here's How to Fix It

That's a lot worse than Alexa accidentally messaging one of your contacts.


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## Charles R (Nov 9, 2000)

Mikeguy said:


> Technologically, the problem (well, at least the current) can be avoided initially simply by Amazon's (and Google's) not saving of information--if there's no info. there, there is nothing to search.


It always goes back to risk/reward... why they keep what they keep...

_Note: When you use an Alexa device, we keep the voice recordings associated with your account to improve the accuracy of the results provided to you and to improve our services. If you delete these recordings, it may degrade your experience using voice features._

Amazon.com Help: View Your Dialog History

I think everyone agrees they should do what they can to protect one's privacy. At the same time if you place a device in your home that listens and has the ability to record (per your instructions most of the time ) one would be hard pressed to not be aware of the related risks.

Like everything else eventually the majority of the public will drive how secure the devices are with their wallet. In 2017 over 430 million smart devices were shipped...


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## southerndoc (Apr 5, 2003)

Am I in the minority by not caring that government might listen to me? I don't try to have a secret conversation while in Starbucks. If you need to have a sensitive conversation, you need to do so without any electronics nearby. Go to a room, close the door, and make sure your cell phones aren't in the room and there isn't a device that can transmit anything. For talking about the news, finances, family life, etc., I couldn't give a rats arse about the government listening to me and I actually encourage it if it helps national security. The government doesn't have enough people to listen to everyone's conversation. It's targeted.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

TonyD79 said:


> Public? Your bank transactions are more public than Alexa? Really. I listed activities done in your home mostly.
> 
> Even if it happens to me, it will be a blip. Jeez. I've accidentally sent an email to the wrong person in my life. It was embarrassing and I took the consequences. I didn't complain about technology.
> 
> And from your reaction to my black helicopter comment, I can tell you are not rational on this topic.


Public: things done with outside organizations; private: those done entirely within the home or otherwise within oneself. Really, not such a hard concept. And gov't organizations, and the court, readily understand it and base distinctions on it.

Sorry that you can't see the rationality in wanting to protect one's privacy; and then have the need to take refuge in trying to cast an aspersion. This isn't "complain[ing] about technology"--it is keeping it in check and not allowing it to be used to trample or intrude upon personal liberties. You seem content in leaving the protection of your affairs to others--that's fine, if that's what you want to do, for yourself; I see the pitfalls in that, for me, historically and otherwise. It was you who brought up the idea of "black helicopters"--and that indeed, under different terms, is something that this country was concerned about at its founding and which forms a basis of the amendments to the U.S. Constitution. And which still warrants vigilance, in my opinion. Nothing "irrational" in that.

But probably, enough of this left veering off the thread topic (sorry, folks).


----------



## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

Exactly. It is irrational to think that the legal system is suddenly going to ignore your “privacy” just because it is Alexa. You actually have privacy in many things you define as public (which is not just because you’ve engaged another party..there is still privacy in most of those cases). The point is that everyone engages in tons of activities every day that are subject to investigation under the right conditions and/or hacking. Drawing a line with Alexa is irrational as it is driven by fear and fueled by a “blip” that actually harmed no one.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Charles R said:


> It always goes back to risk/reward... why they keep what they keep...
> 
> _Note: When you use an Alexa device, we keep the voice recordings associated with your account to improve the accuracy of the results provided to you and to improve our services. If you delete these recordings, it may degrade your experience using voice features._
> 
> ...


I guess that part of my point is that the government (and private companies) need to keep the fundamentals in mind and not allow advances in technology to erode that--and that people need to keep this in mind as well. At least some courts have done so, having recognized the vast amount of one's personal life that now often is contained on a smartphone, which warrants protection (no pun intended) from unneeded law enforcement intrusion. Technology changes, and society with it; our guiding laws and their application need to keep up with that as well.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

TonyD79 said:


> Exactly. It is irrational to think that the legal system is suddenly going to ignore your "privacy" just because it is Alexa. You actually have privacy in many things you define as public (which is not just because you've engaged another party..there is still privacy in most of those cases). The point is that everyone engages in tons of activities every day that are subject to investigation under the right conditions and/or hacking. Drawing a line with Alexa is irrational as it is driven by fear and fueled by a "blip" that actually harmed no one.


It seems to be the nature of human beings to push matters to their advantage--law enforcement routinely does so, sometimes stepping over the lines, including through new technology. Hence, the need to be vigilant as to that, and for many court decisions reigning that in. And where courts don't do so, which indeed can be the case, the need to enact protections, such as the earlier-mentioned video rental privacy laws. There is nothing "irrational" in that. And I don't draw the line at Alexa--that simply is a latest developing issue and the topic here.

As to no harm and what you term a "blip": perhaps not for you, but the family at issue felt enough concern to contact Amazon about matters, repeatedly. Personally, I think that this incident again appropriately raises the more general privacy concerns that people have had in this field and otherwise with the development of technology. Mark Zuckerberg does tape over his laptop's webcam. 
​


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## chiguy50 (Nov 9, 2009)

geekmedic said:


> Am I in the minority by not caring that government might listen to me? I don't try to have a secret conversation while in Starbucks. If you need to have a sensitive conversation, you need to do so without any electronics nearby. Go to a room, close the door, and make sure your cell phones aren't in the room and there isn't a device that can transmit anything. For talking about the news, finances, family life, etc., I couldn't give a rats arse about the government listening to me and I actually encourage it if it helps national security. *The government doesn't have enough people to listen to everyone's conversation. It's targeted.*


The "listening" isn't done by people. NSA has the capability to intercept almost any electronic communication. There are laws (which, BTW, have been ignored in the past) that restrict what can be done with that raw information, but SIGINT casts an enormously wide net.


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## Charles R (Nov 9, 2000)

Mikeguy said:


> I guess that part of my point is that the government (and private companies) need to keep the fundamentals in mind and not allow advances in technology to erode that--and that people need to keep this in mind as well.


Again I don't think anyone has stated other wise. Also once again with new rewards comes new risks and society will decide their comfort level with their wallet. And since we are in repeat mode I'll drop out of the conversation.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Psssst... Alexa, Smart Home et al and concerns over privacy


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## southerndoc (Apr 5, 2003)

chiguy50 said:


> The "listening" isn't done by people. NSA has the capability to intercept almost any electronic communication. There are laws (which, BTW, have been ignored in the past) that restrict what can be done with that raw information, but SIGINT casts an enormously wide net.


Yes, I'm intimately familiar with SIGINT. I have family members in the intelligence community.


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## Joe3 (Dec 12, 2006)

Who is really wearing a tin foil hat here. The one who warn's against a money grubbing company placing an open mike in the home, where you and your love ones sleep, or the people here who are saying it just new technology, get with it.
Technology is inert, it an inanimate tool, and cannot make decisions of how it is used. We are not living in the 1990's, but in the post Snowden era. If some here, pulled there head out of the ground or worse, they would know that their bullsh**t doesn't really fly here and never did. They would notice who's wearing a tin foil hat by seeing it in the mirror. Just because we have been giving you a pass on issues concerning a box, doesn't mean when important issues of being free in our own homes come up, affecting all of us, we are not just going let your defense of bullsh**t thinking (for whatever your reason or motive) go by without a warning. Don't let the pass we give you on inconsequential issues go to your heads.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

All ready and waiting for just this sort of debate...


krkaufman said:


> Psssst... Alexa, Smart Home et al and concerns over privacy


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## chiguy50 (Nov 9, 2009)

geekmedic said:


> Yes, I'm intimately familiar with SIGINT. I have family members in the intelligence community.


I myself am a retired military intelligence specialist, although on the HUMINT side.


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## CloudAtlas (Oct 29, 2013)

Joe3 said:


> a money grubbing company placing an open mike in the home,


You need to own and already setup an Amazon Echo or Dot (aka open mike) in your home before setting up Alexa to work with TiVO. TiVO has no control over the mike. It's ON and listening regardless of your TiVO, or AV receiver or smart TV. Just a matter of routing the commands to which device.



Joe3 said:


> Just because *we* have been giving you a pass on issues concerning a box, doesn't mean when important issues of being free in our own homes come up, affecting all of us, *we* are not just going let your defense of bullsh**t thinking (for whatever your reason or motive) go by without a warning.
> Don't let the pass *we* give you on inconsequential issues go to your heads.


Not sure who *we* are but it seems like *we* really don't like when others disagree with *we*.


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## GardenBear (Feb 9, 2018)

tonyquan said:


> Here's a useful support article:
> 
> TiVo Customer Support
> 
> One thing of note, it mentions that Alexa stops listening for TiVo commands if 90 minutes go by without an Alexa TiVo command or someone pressing a button on the remote (presume they mean the TiVo remote). To reestablish the functionality after 90 minutes you have to either press a remote button or give the Alexa command using the TiVo box name (eg Alexa, pause on Living Room) That could explain why it stops working especially if you are watching a long program or have just powered up your setup after not using it for a while.


So...? I just watched a video of the operation of Alexa, looks decent, a bit of a delay, but thats going to happen depending on version and speed of your network devices. So my ? is just a quick wake up call to Alexa 
("Alexa Pause") will reconnect Tivo Box functionality.... ?


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## connie_w (Jan 10, 2015)

GardenBear said:


> So...? I just watched a video of the operation of Alexa, looks decent, a bit of a delay, but thats going to happen depending on version and speed of your network devices. So my ? is just a quick wake up call to Alexa
> ("Alexa Pause") will reconnect Tivo Box functionality.... ?


Perhaps that is what happens if you have it linked to multiple tivo boxes, but I havent found that I ever have to give the name of my Tivo box. I only have it linked to one, though. I just say Alexa, pause Tivo. In fact if you say Tivo after the command it seems to me that Alexa is much faster at executing the command.


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## buckyswider (Aug 31, 2003)

Welp, the projected rollout completion date is now pushed back to June 15 (It was June 1). Who was it upthread a couple weeks ago who was anticipatingt people complaining about not getting the new version prior to June 1? Can I complain now??


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

GardenBear said:


> So...? I just watched a video of the operation of Alexa, looks decent, a bit of a delay, but thats going to happen depending on version and speed of your network devices. So my ? is just a quick wake up call to Alexa
> ("Alexa Pause") will reconnect Tivo Box functionality.... ?


Yes, so long as an "alexa tivo pause" was stated in the last hour or so.


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## XIBM (Mar 9, 2013)

I wanted to try Alexa on my Minis that my wife uses but it is still coming soon even though it appeared on my Bolt+ and PXL4 both on Te3 at least a week ago...


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## connie_w (Jan 10, 2015)

XIBM said:


> I wanted to try Alexa on my Minis that my wife uses but it is still coming soon even though it appeared on my Bolt+ and PXL4 both on Te3 at least a week ago...


I've had the Alexa on my Roamio for maybe 3 week but my minis don't have it yet, either.


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## cwoody222 (Nov 13, 1999)

Using with two units I find it very confusing because I never know what command will work. For example,

"Alexa, pause"
Or 
"Alexa, pause on TiVo"
Or
"Alexa, pause on [name of unit]"
Or 
"Alexa, pause on [name of unit] TiVo"

It seems I can't find a standard that works every time.

More often than not she tells me "I can't find a skill named tee vee oh"


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## tampa8 (Jan 26, 2016)

Alexa understands the word/command TIVO perfectly, everytime for everyone in the family. The key is to do voice training if you have not done it, or re do it.

With two units it's best to only associate with one device each.


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## DVRMike (Aug 30, 2013)

tampa8 said:


> Alexa understands the word/command TIVO perfectly, everytime for everyone in the family. The key is to do voice training if you have not done it, or re do it.
> 
> With two units it's best to only associate with one device each.


I can't get my echo dot second generation to understand the word TIVo. Says it can't find a device called "TV" or sometimes "TV show". There doesn't seem to be a voice training option in my Alexa app.


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## TBoyd (Apr 9, 2000)

Anybody know how to exit back to LIVE TV once you've used 'Alexa go to GUIDE' or HOME?

Thanks


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## cbrrider (Feb 2, 2005)

TBoyd said:


> Anybody know how to exit back to LIVE TV once you've used 'Alexa go to GUIDE' or HOME?
> 
> Thanks


Say "Alexa, go to guide." twice, to exit back to live tv.

Curious ... Alexa pronounces TiVo correctly, while saying, "Getting guide from TiVo." But, still emphasizes the second syllable when changing channels.


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## TBoyd (Apr 9, 2000)

cbrrider said:


> Say "Alexa, go to guide." twice, to exit back to live tv.
> 
> Curious ... Alexa pronounces TiVo correctly, while saying, "Getting guide from TiVo." But, still emphasizes the second syllable when changing channels.


Ah, a classic toggle. Thanks!


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

What happened to the Alexa app? On both my Mini v1 and Mini Vox the app still shows as coming soon. Even though it says the roll out should have been finished by June 1st.


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## windracer (Jan 3, 2003)

cbrrider said:


> Curious ... Alexa pronounces TiVo correctly, while saying, "Getting guide from TiVo." But, still emphasizes the second syllable when changing channels.


What I found, when I was working on my TiVo Alexa skill, that using the text "TiVo" in an utterance (what Alexa will say) caused her to say "tee-VO" but "Tivo" (lowercase V) she would pronounce correctly "TEE-vo." So I had to make sure I was using the capital V in any text I was displaying but the lowercase V in any speech. Probably the same thing with their skill.


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## Megamind (Feb 18, 2013)

aaronwt said:


> What happened to the Alexa app? On both my Mini v1 and Mini Vox the app still shows as coming soon. Even though it says the roll out should have been finished by June 1st.


As long the app works on your Premiere, Roamio, or Bolt, it doesn't matter what the app says on the mini. You only need a code from one of your devices to connect all of the devices, including the minis, in your house.


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## tampa8 (Jan 26, 2016)

DVRMike said:


> I can't get my echo dot second generation to understand the word TIVo. Says it can't find a device called "TV" or sometimes "TV show". There doesn't seem to be a voice training option in my Alexa app.


In the App (not online)
Go to the list of all choices
Pick Settings
Scroll Down to Alexa Account
Pick Recognized Voices
Pick the first choice Your Voice
After that you can turn on the second choice and refine a little more.


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## BlackBetty (Nov 6, 2004)

Megamind said:


> As long the app works on your Premiere, Roamio, or Bolt, it doesn't matter what the app says on the mini. You only need a code from one of your devices to connect all of the devices, including the minis, in your house.


Thanks! Wish I knew this before as I have been waiting for 2 weeks to connect my mini's. I'll try this tonight.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

To keep the thread in the Shoop loop...

------------------------------------
From: David Shoop; 6/10/2018 9:08pm PDT (link)
*
*** Alexa Power Users ****

Who is interested in a power user feature for Alexa? If you enable *"Follow-up Mode" *on your Alexa you can string commands together within ~10s without having to say "Alexa" very cool if you like to quickly change channels or trick play through content.

Example: if I want to rapidly surf between ABC, CBS and NBC I would say "Alexa tune to ABC" <pause 3sec to see what's on> "tune to CBS" <pause 3sec to see what's on> "tune to NBC.

To enable follow up mode open the Alexa app. Go to Menu ->
Alexa Devices ->
select your device ->
scroll down until you see Follow-Up mode ->
tap follow up mode ->
turn on with slider. See photo.






​
You will need to enable on all Alexa devices you want to use follow up mode with. Important note, this is NOT TiVo specific. Follow up mode is an Alexa feature that works with ALL skills and Alexa interactions. It will hold the mic open for ~10s after any initial command. Enjoy!

(video example via Facebook)
------------------------------------


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

I'm not sure "Follow Up Mode" and watching TV are a good match. Not unless you want a lot of random requests coming in from whatever happens to be on the channel you tune to.


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## lifterguy (Jan 31, 2015)

Megamind said:


> As long the app works on your Premiere, Roamio, or Bolt, it doesn't matter what the app says on the mini. You only need a code from one of your devices to connect all of the devices, including the minis, in your house.


Thanks for this info. I wanted to use my Echo Dot with my Mini, and was waiting for the App on the Mini (which still says "coming soon") - not realizing setting it up with the Roamio would work for the Mini too. Now that I'm up and running, I have a question for anyone who has Alexa and a Roamio OTA. Has anyone found a way to change the channel to a digital subchannel? If I say watch CBS, ABC or NBC, it goes to the correct channel. If I say "Watch channel 53" it goes to 53-1. But if say "Watch channel 53-dash-2" or 53-dot-2, Alexa says "tuning to 53-dash-2 on TiVo" and the picture blinks, but the channel doesn't change. Also tried using the names of a couple of subchannels, such as ME-TV or Create, but that doesn't work either.


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## ADG (Aug 20, 2003)

All of a sudden my Sony (XBR 43X800) started flashing that a new bluetooth connection has been initiated and then loses sound. I had to unpair Alexa (or disable bluetooth) for the sound to return. This only just started a few days ago - I've had Alexa linked for several months with no problem prior to this. Wonder if it's a recent app update?


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## buckyswider (Aug 31, 2003)

lifterguy said:


> Thanks for this info. I wanted to use my Echo Dot with my Mini, and was waiting for the App on the Mini (which still says "coming soon") - not realizing setting it up with the Roamio would work for the Mini too. Now that I'm up and running, I have a question for anyone who has Alexa and a Roamio OTA. Has anyone found a way to change the channel to a digital subchannel? If I say watch CBS, ABC or NBC, it goes to the correct channel. If I say "Watch channel 53" it goes to 53-1. But if say "Watch channel 53-dash-2" or 53-dot-2, Alexa says "tuning to 53-dash-2 on TiVo" and the picture blinks, but the channel doesn't change. Also tried using the names of a couple of subchannels, such as ME-TV or Create, but that doesn't work either.


DOH! Yep, thanks for this. I've been patiently waiting for my Mini also. But just go into the Alexa app and it allows you to pair your alexa devices with your tivo devices. So far so good!


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## buckyswider (Aug 31, 2003)

cwoody222 said:


> Using with two units I find it very confusing because I never know what command will work. For example,
> 
> "Alexa, pause"
> Or
> ...


Hijacking this post not for its original intent, but because I just tried "pause" on live TV and it worked like a charm. But now I want a way to resume 'real time' tv. I can see using this when watching something live and pausing for whatever reason (bathroom break, phone call, whatever) and then wanting to resume real-time at a commercial break. "Fast Forward" apparently doesn't work. Anybody know of any way???


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## buckyswider (Aug 31, 2003)

buckyswider said:


> Hijacking this post not for its original intent, but because I just tried "pause" on live TV and it worked like a charm. But now I want a way to resume 'real time' tv. I can see using this when watching something live and pausing for whatever reason (bathroom break, phone call, whatever) and then wanting to resume real-time at a commercial break. "Fast Forward" apparently doesn't work. Anybody know of any way???


OK, "Fast Forward" does in fact work. But I was trying "on tivo". If you "pause tivo" and then just "play" then "fast forward" it works. This was probably linked before, but here is the reference chart: https://explore.tivo.com/content/dam/tivo/explore/how-to/AlexaCommands_ReferenceGuide.pdf


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## connie_w (Jan 10, 2015)

I don't understand why they don't give a complete reference guide on how to use it and navigate it. Like how do you navigate the Home screen or the items you have recorded or how to navigate the guide.

Things I have found to work that are not referenced.

If you say "Alexa go to Home" and then again say "Alexa go to Home", it moves to the list of recordings. If it lands on a recording you wish to play, you can say "Alexa Play" or "Alexa Play Tivo" and it will start playing that recording.
If you are in the Home or Playing a recording you can say "Alexa go to Live TV" to go back to watching live tv.

For sub channels.
If you say "Alexa watch channel 15 dash 2" she will change channels to 15-2 or whatever channel you tell her. She will say "Tuning to 15 to 2 on TiVo" However, you cannot ask her to "Watch channel 15 to 2"
(note every once in a while she will say she doesn't know that, when you say 15 dash 2 but then if you repeat it a couple more times she will know how to change to that channel)

I have found that she performs the task a little quicker if you add "Tivo" to the end of your commands. Especially for things like Pause or Play. So if she is taking her sweet time or fails to Pause or Play, 
Say "Alexa, Pause Tivo" or "Alexa, Play Tivo"


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## cwoody222 (Nov 13, 1999)

Anyone run into a problem where Alexa refuses to “refocus” devices?

She refuses to stop thinking she’s “on” TiVo and will refuse to do basic commands like changing inputs by saying “I can’t do that on TiVo”. Even “Watch FireTV” won’t work.

Even switching inputs manually and performing activities on the Fire won’t work. She refuses to unfocus off TiVo.

I even did a hard and soft reboot and re-set up devices.


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## cwoody222 (Nov 13, 1999)

Found my answer. Alexa update caused the error.

https://www.amazonforum.com/forums/devices/fire-tv/487737-fire-tv-cube-switch-command-no-longer-working


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

Tons of new devices and features announced today.

New hardware:

Amazon Echo Dot, Basics Microwave, Echo Sub: Everything Amazon just announced

There's a new Dot, new Echo Plus with thermometer, new bigger Show, a microwave (yes microwave), smart plug, dumb speaker add-on, subwoofer, a wall clock, an amp and a ton more.

New features:

Amazon Wants Alexa to Hear Your Whispers and Frustration

New features coming sometime soon include Alexa being able to tell if you are whispering and whisper in response, detect frustration in you voice and Alexa Guard which listens out for sounds of break-ins and smoke alarms and notifies you.

Also Amazon announced the ability to pair speakers (allowing for 2.1 sound) like can be done with Sonos and Apple's speaker.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

I see that Amazon also announced a DVR.

Amazon Fire TV Recast: The Amazon DVR is real, and starts at $230



> ....It will be available later this fall in 2 versions: the 2-tuner 500GB model for $230, and the 4-tuner version with 1TB of storage is $280.


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## connie_w (Jan 10, 2015)

aaronwt said:


> I see that Amazon also announced a DVR.
> 
> Amazon Fire TV Recast: The Amazon DVR is real, and starts at $230


Pretty cool that it will help you decide the best place to put your antenna and the box and then you can stream from it to any capable display device in your home. This is worth a look.


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## nuraman00 (Dec 28, 2012)

Is Alexa compatible with all Tivo Premiere XL 4's?

Also, is there any way for Alexa to tell me whenever I'm scheduled to record a sporting event, and that event is starting on another channel because the first game has gone beyond its scheduled time?

For example, if Game 1 and Game 2 are back to back on ESPN. Game 1 goes beyond 3 hours, so Game 2 then starts on ESPN News. Can Alexa tell me this is happening, so I can then manually record ESPN News? (Or maybe I can tell Alexa to just start recording ESPN News).

It sucks to start watching games on the Tivo in the evening, that were scheduled for the morning, and then see that I missed the first 30 - 120 minutes of a game, because it got moved to another channel.


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## NorthAlabama (Apr 19, 2012)

alexa on tivo has been discontinued:

Tivo Customer Support Community


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## connie_w (Jan 10, 2015)

NorthAlabama said:


> alexa on tivo has been discontinued:
> 
> Tivo Customer Support Community


Cracks me up "TiVo devices have included many over-the-top apps throughout the years. These are the apps which have been retired:"
I don't think Amazon Alexa is "over-the-top". These days, most everything is scrambling to include Alexa integration and HomeAssistant. Apparently not Tivo.
Are they being purposely foolish or what? Some of their decisions just freaking slay me. Like reducing to 2 tuners for the OTA edge, coming out with Tivo+ and getting rid of other apps. 
I suppose next they will try to come out with their own home assistant device. Much like they think they are going to take over the world with their new streaming device.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

connie_w said:


> I don't think Amazon Alexa is "over-the-top".


Yeah, you're interpreting OTT differently than it is used within the context of Internet apps.

What is OTT (Over-The-Top) and How Does it Relate to Apps? | CleverTap


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## connie_w (Jan 10, 2015)

krkaufman said:


> Yeah, you're interpreting OTT differently than it is used within the context of Internet apps.
> 
> What is OTT (Over-The-Top) and How Does it Relate to Apps? | CleverTap


Ahh, yes, I understand. If they had said OTT (Over-The-Top), it would have clued me in a bit better. Or even Over-The-Top instead of over-the-top. Thanks for the info!!


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

connie_w said:


> These days, most everything is scrambling to include Alexa integration and HomeAssistant. Apparently not Tivo.


They did scramble to include Alexa and IFTT integration and made a big deal about it.

That they killed Alexa support a two years after rolling it out shows they must have had a major shift in priorities from corporate.


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## nuraman00 (Dec 28, 2012)

NorthAlabama said:


> alexa on tivo has been discontinued:
> 
> Tivo Customer Support Community


Thanks for that link.

Oh well, about Alexa.

What does it mean HBO is retired? So no one can use HBO Streaming through their Tivo now?

I used to have HBO, but the HBO Go app stopped working for me in June.

I then learned that they were transitioning to HBO Max.

I figured there should have still been some way for me to use the Tivo app with HBO Max.

But I guess not?


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## nuraman00 (Dec 28, 2012)

morac said:


> They did scramble to include Alexa and IFTT integration and made a big deal about it.
> 
> That they killed Alexa support a two years after rolling it out shows they must have had* a major shift in priorities from corporate.*


What are their priorities?


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## connie_w (Jan 10, 2015)

nuraman00 said:


> Thanks for that link.
> 
> Oh well, about Alexa.
> 
> ...


I'm OTA, so when I want HBO, I subscribe through Amazon Prime and access HBO through the Amazon Prime app on Tivo.


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## NorthAlabama (Apr 19, 2012)

nuraman00 said:


> What does it mean HBO is retired? So no one can use HBO Streaming through their Tivo now?...I figured there should have still been some way for me to use the Tivo app with HBO Max.
> 
> But I guess not?


retired, yes, and no way to stream hbomax at this time.


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