Alexa adds DISH support for your DVRing pleasure

DISH DVR owners can now connect directly to the Amazon Echo or Dot and tell Alexa to turn on ESPN, find Matt Damon movies, or bring up lots of comedies. The feature will be rolled out in the “first half of the year” according to a DISH press release.

“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,” said Rob Pulciani, director of Amazon Alexa.

Users have found various workarounds to add Alexa support to their devices. Currently if you want to talk to your DVR, for example, you can train your smart remote to respond to IFTTT triggers – not the most user-friendly of solutions. This direct interaction will be a hoot for parents with small kids – get ready for Junior to call up Blue’s Clues all the time – and could help solve the ever-growing micro remote control black hole problem that we have in our house caused by tiny vortexes which suck our remotes into the Upside Down and leave us sputtering on the couch as we dig through cushions and under chairs.