7. Automating Home Entertainment

Smart technology goes well beyond lighting, home security, and heating/cooling. There’s a lot of smart technology available for your living room, much of it designed to enhance your viewing and listening pleasure.

Smart home entertainment starts with today’s crop of smart TVs and set-top boxes, and it progresses quickly to whole-house audio and smart entertainment/hub integration. Read on to learn more.

Except they really don’t. The term smart TV, as it’s used today, is nothing more than marketing hype. The appellation refers to television sets or set-top boxes that offer connectivity to the Internet, typically via Wi-Fi, as well as built-in apps that enable viewing of various streaming video services, such as Netflix and Hulu. There’s nothing inherently smart about one of today’s smart TVs; it’s a marketing term used to convey the ability to view Internet-based programming.

You can tell something’s up with the term when you realize that it predates today’s fascination with smart home technology. These so-called smart TVs have been around since 2007 or so, under many different labels, including connected TV, hybrid TV, IPTV, and Internet TV.

Smart TVs, then, don’t necessarily have anything to do with the smart home technology we’ve been discussing in this book. For that matter, a smart TV doesn’t actually have to be a TV. Streaming media boxes and dongles that connect to a TV and offer the requisite streaming video connectivity also fit under the broad category of smart TV devices. So Roku and Apple TV set-top boxes are smart TV devices, as are the Google Chromecast, Roku Streaming Stick, and Amazon Fire Stick. For that matter, Blu-ray players and videogame consoles that offer streaming video connectivity are also classified as smart TV devices.

At its most basic, a smart TV is a television set that can connect to and interact with the Internet, primarily for the purpose of streaming videos and music over the web. In practical terms, that means the television must include the following:

• Wi-Fi connectivity, for a wireless connection to your home network.

• Central processing unit (CPU), the computer brain that manages all the device’s operations and commands.

• Operating system that serves as the interface between the CPU and software-based applications.

• Graphical user interface (GUI) for displaying menus and other options.

• Software-based apps that enable connection to various web-based streaming video and audio services. For example, a smart TV might have built-in apps for Netflix, Hulu, Pandora, and more. Most smart TVs come with several apps pre-installed; some smart TVs enable additional apps to be installed after purchase.

Some smart TVs also include apps and associated technology that enable the device to play back media stored on your home network. In some cases, this capability is built into the operating system, as with the Apple TV; in other cases, this capability is enabled by DNLA or UPnP compatibility.

Some smart TVs include a built-in camera and microphone for connecting with video-sharing and chat services, such as Skype. Some more advanced smart TVs employ the built-in camera/microphone so you can navigate the onscreen menus via a series of hand gestures or voice commands.

Naturally, a smart TV (not a set-top box) also includes a traditional television tuner for viewing broadcast, cable, or satellite programming. You typically switch from the normal viewing screen to a GUI menu for the web-based services and apps.

And remember that a smart TV doesn’t have to be a literal TV. A smart TV device, like the aforementioned Roku set-top box, contains the same circuitry and apps as a literal smart TV, but without the TV part. Instead, the set-top box connects to a regular TV (typically via HDMI), enabling the TV to display media played on the external device.

Most smart TVs can perform the following functions:

• Connect to the Internet via a local network. That means connecting to your home network and sharing your Internet connection. Most smart TVs connect via Wi-Fi, although some can connect via Ethernet, too, for a faster connection.

• Play video content from web-based streaming video services, such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Video.

• Play music from web-based streaming music services, such as Pandora, Spotify, and TuneIn Radio.

• Play digital media stored on other devices connected to your home network. (Some smart TVs can do this, but not all.)

• Access selected websites and web-based services, such as Facebook, Twitter, and AccuWeather. Some smart TVs offer full-fledged web browsers, although it’s more common to find discrete apps for specific sites and services.

For example, let’s look at a typical higher-end smart TV, as of spring 2017: the Samsung UN55J6200, a 55” diagonal LED-LCD model that sells for around $500. This model has all the bells and whistles that you’d expect from a TV in this price range, including smart TV functionality in the form of what Samsung calls its Smart Hub.

Before you can access the Smart Hub, you first have to connect the TV to your home network. This particular model includes both wireless and wired connectivity, so there is an Ethernet connection on the back if you want to use it.

To access the Smart Hub, press the Smart Hub button on the TV’s remote. This displays pre-installed apps and those apps you’ve added to the Smart Hub. Click to open an app, sign into the service (if necessary), and then start watching, listening, communicating, or whatever.

Browsing streaming media apps in Samsung’s Smart Hub

Consider the Roku Premiere. This one’s more or less in the middle of the Roku line (between the Roku Express and Roku Ultra) and sells for about $80. It connects to your home network via Wi-Fi and to your TV via HDMI, and it includes its own remote control. Configuration is as easy as navigating through a handful of setup screens.

Roku Premiere streaming media player and accompanying remote control

Like all Roku models, the Roku Premiere comes with a number of popular apps (they call them “channels”) preinstalled, including Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Video, HBO GO, Vudu, YouTube, Vevo, Pandora, Spotify, and TuneIn Radio. You can download a plethora of additional channels online for a variety of different streaming services; because of its popularity, Roku has the most available third-party apps of any of the currently available smart TV devices.

Navigating online content from the Roku home screen

If one of these little boxes is too big for you to deal with, consider a smart TV on a stick. These are streaming media devices in the form factor of a USB dongle, such as Google’s Chromecast, the Roku Streaming Stick, and Amazon’s Fire TV Stick. As you can see in the next figure, these devices plug into any open HDMI connector on your TV and provide similar app functionality for web-based streaming media services. There are fewer cables to worry about, plus the cost is lower, ranging from $35 for the Chromecast to $50 for the Roku Streaming Stick. The Roku and Fire sticks come with their own remotes; you operate the Chromecast with the accompanying smartphone app. It’s a nifty way to add smart TV functionality to any TV set that has an HDMI connection.

That’s not the kind of system we’re talking about here, mainly because most people don’t have multiple thousands of dollars to run high-fidelity sound throughout their homes. Most of us just want to play a little music in the bedroom, basement, or kitchen, and don’t want to spend a fortune—or run the wires—to do so.

Fortunately, two of the smart devices we discuss in this book are ideally suited for this sort of wireless multiroom audio. So let’s look at how you can use your Amazon Echo or Google Home devices as speakers throughout your home.

On its own, the Amazon Echo device is a wireless speaker. It’s a cylindrical device that contains two internal speakers, a 2.5” woofer and a 2” tweeter, along with a reflex port to enhance the bass response. As such, it’s small enough to sit on any table yet can still fill a good-size room with quality sound.

You control the Echo with Amazon’s Alexa virtual personal assistant. When you want to play music, just tell it what you want to hear. Say “Alexa, play ‘Jumping Jack Flash,’” or “Alexa, play some Fleetwood Mac,” or “Alexa, play country music.” Alexa will find the music you want and start playback. (To stop playback at any time, just say “Alexa, stop.”)

By default, Alexa plays music from the Amazon Music service. (It’s an Amazon device, after all.) You can, however, configure Alexa (from the Alexa smartphone app) to play music from other sources. Or you can just ask Alexa to do so, as in “Alexa, ask Pandora to play my Easy Listening channel,” “Alexa, ask Spotify to play my Party playlist,” or “Alexa, ask TuneIn Radio to play the Oldies channel.”

While you can install multiple Echo devices in different rooms of your house, you can’t sync the audio between them. That is, you can’t play the same music at the same time on multiple devices.

You can, however, play different music in different rooms. You can have your living room Echo play music from Amazon Music, while the Echo in your bedroom plays a Pandora channel and the Echo in your kitchen plays a Spotify playlist. Just ask each Echo to play what you want in that room, and that’s what you hear.

The Google Home device is a little shorter than the Amazon Echo. It contains a 2” high-excursion speaker and two 2” passive radiators, for a surprisingly big sound from such a little device. Just put it on a table and let it do its thing.

When you want to play music on Google Home, just tell it what you want to hear. Say “Hey Google, play some Dave Brubeck,” or “Hey Google, play ‘California Dreamin’,” or “Hey Google, play some classical music.” By default, the Google Assistant plays music from your Google Play Music account, although it can be configured or instructed to play music from other sources. For example, you can say “Hey Google, ask Pandora to play some classic rock” or “Hey Google, ask Spotify to play my Motown playlist.”

Unlike the Amazon Echo, you can sync playback to multiple Google Home devices throughout your house. You do this by creating what Google calls an audio group, consisting of multiple Google Home devices.

Let’s say you created an audio group called “Cocktail Party.” To play music, say “Hey Google, play some jazz on Cocktail Party.” All the Google Home speakers start playing the same music, exactly in sync.

Unfortunately, none of the smart hubs and systems we’ve discussed—Insteon, SmartThings, and Wink—interface with your home electronics. But there is a hub that controls both your smart home devices and your TV and home/theater receiver. It comes from Logitech, the company behind many popular universal remote controls, and it’s called the Harmony Hub.

Logitech’s Harmony Hub with smartphone app and Harmony Elite remote control

First, the Harmony Hub functions as a universal remote control gateway for all your electronics devices, essentially replacing all your traditional handheld remote controls. You can configure the Harmony Hub like any Logitech Harmony remote control to control your TV set, Blu-ray or DVD player, audio/video receiver, Roku or other smart set-top box, and just about anything else you have connected to your system.

Second, the Harmony Hub functions as a smart hub, much like the Insteon, SmartThings, and Wink hubs. You connect your various smart devices to the Harmony Hub (via your home’s Wi-Fi network), and then control them through the Hub.

In terms of control, you have several options. First, you can control the Harmony Hub via your smartphone or tablet using the Harmony app. Second, some models of the Hub come with an accompanying remote control unit, so you can control both your entertainment system and selected smart devices in that fashion, too. And third, if you have the Harmony Hub connected to your Amazon Echo or Google Home device, you can control the Hub via voice commands.

Logitech sells three variations of the Harmony Hub. The basic package comes with just the Harmony Hub, no remote control (you control it via smartphone app), and sells for about $100. The Harmony Companion includes the Harmony Hub and a basic universal remote, and sells for about $150. The Harmony Elite comes with the Harmony Hub and a more sophisticated touchscreen universal remote, and sells for about $350.

Learn more at www.logitech.com.

As a universal remote control, the Harmony Hub is compatible with all manner of home electronics. It’ll work with any brand TV, disc player, set-top box, and just about everything else manufactured in the last dozen or so years.

As a smart hub, it’s the most compatible hub I’ve found. It works with both the Amazon Alexa and Google Home smart controllers, along with Insteon and SmartThings hubs and devices. It can control devices from Aeon Labs, August, Cree, Ecobee, Ecolink, GE Link, Honeywell, Hunter Douglas, Jasco, Kwikset, Leviton, LIFX, Lutron, Osram LIGHTIFY, PEQ, Philips Hue, Schlage, Yale, and more. It also works with IFTTT commands.

You start by telling the app or software which components and devices you have. Based on what you have, the software then automatically creates certain activities, such as Watch TV or Listen to Music. You can then add your own custom activities; just select which devices should be included and in what order. The app or software figures out the rest and creates the activity.

You can create as many activities as you need. Activities can be strictly entertainment based (Watch a Movie, Watch the Food Network, Listen to Pandora, and so on), strictly smart home based (Leave Home, Go to Sleep, Reading Lights, and so forth), or both.

Launch the app on your smartphone or tablet, then tap the Activities tab. Here you see all the activities you’ve created—Watch TV, Play Games, Listen to Music, and so forth. Tap the desired activity, and everything else is triggered automatically. The Harmony Hub turns on the necessary devices, switches inputs and channels and such, and even raises or lowers the lights and locks the doors, if that’s part of the scene. It’s the most automatic operation for smart home devices (and electronics equipment!) you can imagine.

Selecting activities in the Android version of the Harmony app