Sony TVs can now be voice-controlled using the Amazon Echo

Ready to get started with that connected-home smart-future we've all been promised? Well, Sony has taken another little step towards it by adding Alexa support - Amazon's voice assistant found in the Amazon Echo - to some of its TVs.

According to a support post, "with this feature you can use your voice to turn your Android TV on or off, change channels, control volume, and more".

"More", in this case, means playing, pausing, fast-forwarding, rewinding, and stopping your content. If you've got multiple TVs, you lucky thing, you can control them individually by saying their specific name; "Media Room TV", or "TV 1" are two examples Sony gives.

Selected 2016 and 2017 Sony TVs will have the "TV Control Setup with Amazon Alexa" app (catchy name) added to the home screen automatically, including the new A1 OLED. To check if your TV is one of the compatible televisions, you can use this list here.

The news means that the Google Home speaker is no longer the only smart speaker capable of controlling Android TVs - it uses Chromecast - and could mean that other speakers from Apple (the HomePod), Microsoft (the Invoke), and Samsung (the, uh, as yet unnamed speaker that has Bixby built-in) might follow suit.

While the current popularity of the Echo range certainly gives it an advantage, expect more link-ups between various manufacturers and devices to follow.

Read more:

Best 4K TVs

10 of the world's most expensive TVs

Amazon's next Echo speaker will focus on sound quality

25 Amazon Echo tips, tricks and features

Amazon Echo vs Google Home – which is better?

Samsung's Bixby personal assistant could soon sound much more human

Adam was a staff writer for What Hi-Fi?, reviewing consumer gadgets for online and print publication, as well as researching and producing features and advice pieces on new technology in the hi-fi industry. He has since worked for PC Mag as a contributing editor and is now a science and technology reporter for The Independent.