Alexa now controls your FiOS TV set-top box

Verizon's FiOS TV boxes haven't lived on the cutting edge of technology, but they're catching up in an important way: voice control. Big Red has quietly introduced an Alexa skill for its FiOS Video Media Server set-tops, letting you change the channel (by name or number) and steer DVR playback with spoken commands. You'll need Multi-Room DVR Enhanced or Premium service, but this makes life a little easier if you happen to have an Echo speaker (or any Alexa device) and would rather not find the remote buried between the couch cushions.

This won't help much if you prefer Google Assistant, and recording is conspicuously absent from the command list. Still, it's evident that voice guidance is quickly becoming a must-have for modern cable and satellite services -- it's no longer enough to offer a mobile app as a remote substitute.