M+E Daily

LAS VEGAS — Two days before the show floor opens at the Consumer Electronics Show, Amazon has made perhaps the earliest splash at the conference, announcing several new partnerships.

First, the company announced that Amazon Fire TV will be built in to 4K Ultra HD Smart TVs from Seiki, Westinghouse Electronics and Element Electronics, with the solution covering over-the-air programming, streaming content, music and games, allowing users to use Alexa voice control to search more than 100 channels and apps, and control everything on their TVs.

“Smart TVs can be cumbersome and difficult to use,” said Sung Choi, VP of marketing for Tongfang Global, owner of Element Electronics. “Our new line of 4K Ultra HD Smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV Edition represent an elevated customer experience powered by the highest performance processors in the industry, a unique voice-controlled remote control, and Amazon’s cinematic viewing experience. With Amazon Fire TV built in and a voice remote with Alexa, access to movies, videos, music, gaming, and more is simple, easy, and intuitive.”

Marc Whitten, VP of Amazon Fire TV, added: “Teaming up with brands including Seiki, Westinghouse and Element on a new range of smart TVs allows Amazon to deliver an experience that’s familiar and easy to use. Fire TV Edition offers access to a great selection of streaming and over-the-air TV and movies, Alexa for easy voice search and content control, and the many other features and experiences customers have come to expect from the best-selling line of Amazon Fire TV products.”

The TVs will feature an Alexa-enabled voice remote that can control smart home devices from several brands, including the Belkin WeMo, Philips Hue, Wink, Insteon, Samsung SmartThings, Nest, TP-Link, Ecobee and others.

Also at CES, Amazon announced that the Dish Hopper DVR will be enabled with Alexa voice control, making it the first TV provider to announce compatibility with Alexa. The DVR can be paired with the Amazon Echo or Echo Dot.

“We constantly evaluate emerging technology, like Alexa, and its potential to improve how people watch and control their TVs,” said Niraj Desai, Dish VP of product management. “This allows us to design strategic roadmaps and deliver products that make TV more valuable, at no extra cost to subscribers.”

Rob Pulciani, director of Amazon Alexa, added: “Amazon is excited to be working with DISH to develop an Alexa skill that offers a hands-free television experience, expanding the ways that our customers can use Alexa devices like Amazon Echo to make their lives easier. You no longer have to set down your popcorn to change the channel, or spend time searching for what channel the game is on – just ask Alexa to do it for you.”