Every day new features are added to Google Home to create a bigger ecosystem of things you can do and products you can interact with using your voice – today it’s Fetch TV. The TV set top box which already opens up a world of entertainment to owners can now be controlled using Google Home.
I’ve been testing this for several months, and I have to say it’s one of the most impressive Google Home integrations I’ve seen – not just because it’s cool, but because it’s comprehensive.
Similar to many other third party integrations the Fetch TV Google Home commands require you to specifically mention Fetch in your command – this is probably the only negative thing I can say about it right now – meaning you have to mention Fetch when talking about channel or volume, you can’t set all “TV” like commands to be sent into the Fetch TV.
And it’s entirely configured to work with multi-room Fetch TV households too, so you can control each box and switch between them.
The most common command we use is “Hey Google tell Fetch to pause” – so when you walk into a room to talk to someone you can pause the TV without looking for the remote.
Sony & JBL’s Google Assistant enabled Speakers – side by side
Then there is of course the channel changing, volume and other basic TV functions – however – it’s the deep integration where it gets impressive. “Show me Seinfeld” and Fetch will search the electronic program guide for you.
Ask Fetch what’s on now on any given channel, what’s on next.
Given Fetch TV Mighty is a powerful PVR also, you can use Google Home to instruct Fetch to Record (or tape) a program too.
And to further that deep integration, even menu items and apps can be launched – “Hey Google, tell Fetch to Show me Stan” and the Stan streaming app is launched – from there you’ll need the remote.
The whole integration is a very impressive example of innovation and planning, this is not some “on a whim” product announcement, this is an entirely new feature of the Fetch TV ecosystem.
Make sure you have the Fetch app, a Google Assistant capable speaker and the Google Home app to begin linking your devices together for a voice controlled future.
