If you are a DIRECTV customer still using older devices like the Genie HD DVR or a Tivo DVR, you will soon be unable to use Alexa to control your TV.
Late last week, DIRECTV started to inform customers that on November 8, 2023, DIRECTV would no longer support commands from Amazon’s digital assistance to control your TV.
Here is the message DIRECTV is sending to customers “Customer Nofitication: as of 11/08/23, the Alexa Voice feature will be removed from Alexa devices & DIRECTV Genie HD DVS.”
This all comes as DIRECTV has been rolling out new Android TV-powered set-top boxes for its streaming and satellite customers. These new devices are the Gemini and the smaller Gemini Air using the Google voice-powered assistant.
The big selling point with the new Gemini Air player will be improved WiFi over the older box to offer a better streaming experience. The device will also come with a quad-core 2.6 GHz processor, 4GB of Ram, 15GB of storage, and a Broadcom VideoCore 6 GPU. For an Android TV dongle, it’s a fairly powerful streaming player.
The Gemini Air offers a similar experience to DIRECTV satellite service, but without the hassle of installation. With this device, you can change channels by using the channel numbers, giving DIRECTV via Internet customers a more traditional cable TV-like experience.
The Gemini Air will cost existing customers $120, but new customers who signup for a two-year contract can get it for free.
Here is how DIRECTV describes the Gemini Air:
The DIRECTV Gemini Air delivers video and integrated content to your TV over the internet. It enables you to watch videos, listen to music, use thousands of third-party apps, and play games—all on your TV.
The Gemini Air is used on its own as a standalone device (one per TV) so you don’t need any other devices. It comes with a voice remote, so you can talk to Google Assitant to control your TV and more using your voice. You can also get all the top apps and games on Google Play
The Gemini Air was first tested by a select number of DIRECTV STREAM customers, but it is now being targeted at DIRECTV via Internet customers.