Amazon Echo Club

[issybird]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Sure wish my 1st gen Echo Show 5 would stereo-pair with an Echo Dot. As is, it will stereo-pair with another Echo Show 5. Why? Do I get stereo videos out of that arrangement?

3D! It’s Amazon’s version of a stereopticon.

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Sure wish my 1st gen Echo Show 5 would stereo-pair with an Echo Dot. As is, it will stereo-pair with another Echo Show 5. Why? Do I get stereo videos out of that arrangement?

Come on, Amazon. You can do better.

It requires this special set of glasses though!

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by OtinG

It requires this special set of glasses though!

I don't think so. It's too Orwellian for my taste:

[John F]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Sure wish my 1st gen Echo Show 5 would stereo-pair with an Echo Dot. As is, it will stereo-pair with another Echo Show 5. Why? Do I get stereo videos out of that arrangement?

Come on, Amazon. You can do better.

Just a guess, but an Echo Show speaker seems different then a Dot speaker? Does it make sense to stereo pair two different sounding speakers?

I can see spacing two Dots to get stereo sound, but a Show and a Dot?

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by John F

Just a guess, but an Echo Show speaker seems different then a Dot speaker? Does it make sense to stereo pair two different sounding speakers?

I can see spacing two Dots to get stereo sound, but a Show and a Dot?

The Dot uses a 1.6" speaker and the Show 5 uses a 1.65" speaker. They may even use the same speaker model (getting exact specs isn't easily done). I see no reason why they couldn't be paired.

Getting a second Show 5 in order to stereo-pair is not only a needless expense, but it's rather stupid to have two video screens reacting when all you need is a second speaker.

Anyway, it's just wishful thinking and I hold no hope of it ever coming to fruition.

[OtinG]

TM was joking around, but it does bring up an interesting topic:

Amazon seems to limit the stereo pairing to two of the same Echo model and (I think) same generation. I'm not sure why exactly, but it is probably easier on their end. I would think that trying to pair two different speaker types could get rather complicated and might result in weird sound. Even worse, trying to pair a single speaker Dot to a multi-speaker Echo Plus would be even more complicated.

I have two Echo Dots 3rd generation paired and they sound pretty good for a set of small speakers. That is, when they stay paired. Sometimes they wonder off and do their on thing, usually after a FW update. I wish Amazon, and Apple, would offer sound bar types of speaker sets with a single set of ports, both wired and wireless, so they could be used with computers, TVs, etc. None of their current crop of Echos and HomePods lend themselves very well to such connections. I think there are some 3rd party sound bars with Alexa built in, but none made directly by Amazon. Apple certainly doesn't have, nor apparently care to have, a sound bar with HDMI and other ports.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by OtinG

TM was joking around, but it does bring up an interesting topic:
.

What part was joking?

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by ApK

What part was joking?

The part about "stereo video" of course.

[cc_in_oh]

Originally Posted by cc_in_oh

I doubt if any of these devices support wifi6 yet My deck is right below a window near the router (which is a AX5400 FWIW) so I'm optimistic. It streams to the bowels of my basement with no problems. It's winter again here this week but when I deploy I'll post an update. I'm hoping to be able to add some outdoor lights on the opposite side of the house but not as optimistic about the prospects.

So I installed the Govee floodlights and so far no problems at all with WiFi connections. I was a little worried because the sight line from router to controller goes through a corner brick fireplace as well as the outside wall. So next time they're on sale I plan to get some more outdoor lights and maybe some of those "neon" tube lights for the bar area. There is one annoying aspect - an outdoor outlet's weatherproof cover can only be closed if you plug the power brick into the top plug, blocking the lower plug. Outdoor devices need to do a better job of accommodating standard outdoor outlets.

[issybird]

I got a targeted coupon from Amazon for $55 off an Echo Show 5, which according to the offer would knock the price down to $29.99; right now the Show is on sale for $79.99, so I don’t know if that means I’d get it for $24.99 or not. And, as a rider, I’ve got a Discover rewards offer right now for 30% off for up to $15, but obviously I could use that on other stuff.

So. Here’s my question: Is it worth it? That is, would I use it and enjoy it? I don’t have a need for it, obviously. I’m already fully Echoed, but would the screen add a little something to my life?

[ApK]

Originally Posted by issybird

I got a targeted coupon from Amazon for $55 off an Echo Show 5, which according to the offer would knock the price down to $29.99; right now the Show is on sale for $79.99, so I don’t know if that means I’d get it for $24.99 or not. And, as a rider, I’ve got a Discover rewards offer right now for 30% off for up to $15, but obviously I could use that on other stuff.

So. Here’s my question: Is it worth it? That is, would I use it and enjoy it? I don’t have a need for it, obviously. I’m already fully Echoed, but would the screen add a little something to my life?

We just got a video doorbell that works with Alexa, and uses our Echo devices as doorbell chimes. If I understand correctly, if we had a Show, it would chime and also show the video, which might be nice.

A very niche application, but that's the only feature I can think of that might get me to spend money on a Show or any additional Echo device right now.

BTW, while I haven't had it long enough to comment on it's battery life, cold weather performance, or durability, We're really liking this Eufy battery powered video door bell. Cheap, small, no recurring fees or any cloud access required (though there is an option for it if you want it).

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by issybird

I got a targeted coupon from Amazon for $55 off an Echo Show 5, which according to the offer would knock the price down to $29.99; right now the Show is on sale for $79.99, so I don’t know if that means I’d get it for $24.99 or not. And, as a rider, I’ve got a Discover rewards offer right now for 30% off for up to $15, but obviously I could use that on other stuff.

So. Here’s my question: Is it worth it? That is, would I use it and enjoy it? I don’t have a need for it, obviously. I’m already fully Echoed, but would the screen add a little something to my life?

If you can get one for $30 or less then it is probably worth it. Besides, Amazon has a great return policy. TubeMonkey has had a good experience with his 1st gen, but I’ve had issues with mine. The hardware is fairly good, but my 1st gen is mostly deaf. Probably a bad mic. Most of my complaints are FW related, and Amazon is continuously changing the FW. I mostly use mine as a clock that displays a few custom backgrounds. It does take a while to figure out how to program it to stop inundating you with tips and commercials, but once you do it works fairly well, until the next time they change the FW. The 2nd gen might be a lot better, but I haven't heard anything about it.

One nice feature is you get the lyrics to songs displayed, but only for some. You would need to be fairly close to read them though. You can use BT to connect it to a better speaker(s).

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by issybird

I got a targeted coupon from Amazon for $55 off an Echo Show 5, which according to the offer would knock the price down to $29.99; right now the Show is on sale for $79.99, so I don’t know if that means I’d get it for $24.99 or not. And, as a rider, I’ve got a Discover rewards offer right now for 30% off for up to $15, but obviously I could use that on other stuff.

So. Here’s my question: Is it worth it? That is, would I use it and enjoy it? I don’t have a need for it, obviously. I’m already fully Echoed, but would the screen add a little something to my life?

Of course, this all hinges on how you use your Echo devices and if you think you might benefit from added video features. For me, it's well worth it.

My Echo Show (1st Gen) is my primary Echo, music player (Spotify, Pandora, etc), and clock-radio. It produces a slightly better sound than an Echo Dot. I keep the mic turned off and the camera shuttered. Since it's within arm's reach, I mainly use the touch screen to access content, but occasionally turn the mic on long enough to issue voice commands. Even though it has a small display (5.5 inch), I still use it to watch cartoons and short YouTube videos.

Even though I'm not using its full potential (video calling, video monitoring, recipes, digital photo display, etc), it's still worth it for me; especially since I paid very little for mine. When this one gives up the ghost, I'll definitely replace it and might even upgrade it to the 8-inch model.

Good luck

[issybird]

Thanks to all for the input. It was close, but I knew that the deal created the want and I really couldn’t come up with a value-added for me. And I don’t need more stuff for the sake of stuff. Thanks again for taking the time to reply.

[OtinG]

Amazon will probably have some nice deals in their annual summertime event. I read that Amazon sales are the worst they've been since the dot com bust in the early 2000's. Covid+shipping issues+war+whatever else has befallen us has led to a lot of surplus items sitting on warehouse shelves. So they might have some really good sales/deals to try to move more merchandise. Other big retailers are also having a tough year. So keep your eyes open for good deals!