Saturday, June 29, 2019

how to control netflix with alexa


Have you ever wanted to know how to control Netflix with Alexa? Amazon is creating it easier to use Alexa to do more than launch apps and streaming services on Fire TV devices.

Pairing an Echo to a Fire TV is automatic if you merely have one Fire TV device. Just use any TV-related voice command (such as “Alexa, watch Mozart in the Jungle on Amazon Prime”) and you will be on your way.


Setting up additional Fire TV devices needs some extra steps:
·         Open the Alexa app on your phone, tap the menu button in the top-left corner, and select Music, Video, and Books.

·         Then Select Fire TV from the “video” section.
·         After selecting video section select “Manage devices,” and then “Link another Fire TV.”
·         Select  the Fire TV you want to  command.
(You can solely control one Fire TV per Alexa device. If you have more than one Alexa device, select which one should control the television.).

Netflix has just updated its Fire TV app with deeper support for Alexa voice controls. Where before it was only possible to use Alexa to launch the Netflix app, now you can use the voice assistant to jump directly into playing a movie or TV show, control advanced playback in the app, and perform voice searches within Netflix. how to fix Netflix buffering issues and Netflix black screen issues.

Saying “Alexa, play Queer Eye” will launch the Netflix app on Fire TV devices and automatically begin playing the series. The same is true when asking for movies that are available on Netflix. On the Fire TV Cube, you can make this request while your TV and A/V equipment is off and the Fire TV Cube’s universal remote capabilities will turn everything on for you and jump right into playing what you requested from Netflix.


Once you have something playing on Netflix, whether you started it through Alexa or not, you can now use the voice assistant to control playback. As you would expect, saying “Alexa, play/pause/stop” is supported to start and stop video playback in the Netflix app. You can also fast forward or rewind by saying “Alexa, skip ahead [#] minutes/seconds” or “Alexa, jump back [#] minutes/seconds.

Netflix recommendations has also added support for changing episodes within a series using Alexa. While watching a TV show, you can say “Alexa, next/previous episode” to move forward an episode or move back an episode. There’s currently no way to start playing a specific episode, such as requesting an episode number from a specific season. When you ask to play a show, the first episode you haven’t completed will begin playing. If you’ve previously stopped in the middle of an episode, the episode will resume where you left off.

HBO go buffering - how to fix it


Currently, HBO Go is one of the best online video streaming services available in the market. It’s an everywhere TV offered by the media giant Time Warner-owned cable network HBO. Although, just because it’s one of the most famous videos streaming service out there, it’s not exempt from the technical glitches software’s or apps face every now and then. In case you are currently experiencing an issue with the HBO Go, we are here to help.

One of the most commonly recurring problems with the HBO Go app is the HBO Now the buffering problem. While streaming online, the video will suddenly stop and start buffering.


How to fix it
Buffering can spoil any good movie, TV show or event. It, arguably, is the worst thing that can happen when you are watching a video. You need a high-speed internet connection, the minimum download speed of 5 Mbps if you want to stream HD videos.

HBO Go adjusts the video quality, based on the network strength, bandwidth and connection speed. The videos only buffer when you have set the video quality yourself, when your internet speed is too slow to stream the lowest quality video or when the connection speed is fluctuating. In case the internet connection is disrupted or disconnects, the video will come to a halt and you will have to reconnect your device to continue.

If you having to buffer problems with HBO Now and HBO Go, here are some things you can try:
1. It could simply be a browser issue. You can try using a different browser to see if the buffering issue persists. The HBO go down services support several browsers including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Microsoft Edge, etc.

2. Check the cables on your Network and streaming device. There is a possibility that loose cables are affecting your internet speed or streaming. Make sure all the wires are tightly connected to the ports.


3. Check whether the internet is working and if so, check whether the internet speed is higher than the minimum download speed required by the service. There is a possibility that the internet is temporarily down, or that it is fluctuating. The minimum download speed for HBO Go is 5 Mbps. In case your download speed is lower than the minimum requirement, you need to contact your Internet service provider.

4. The restart may be a cliched troubleshooting method, but it still works. Simply restart all your devices and check to see if the issue has been resolved. To restart your device:
·         Close all apps
·         Turn off computer
·         Unplug your computer and network devices (modem, router, etc)
·         Reconnect power to pc and network devices
·         Let the devices turn on
·         Turn on your computer
·         Go to HBOGO.com and try to play a video

5. If you are using other devices on the same network as well, you need to reduce network traffic. Each device sucks a lot of data from the network, slowing it down for others. If you want heavy internet usage over a period of time, you need to temporarily disconnect other devices from the network.

6. If a wireless connection is a too much trouble, you can try a wired connection for faster and direct connection.
The steps above usually resolve all HBO GO buffering problems with the HBO Go and HBO Now services. Although, if you still experience any HBO NOW buffering issues with your streaming service, you can contact the customer support helpline.