Amazon Echo Club

[issybird]

issy: Alexa, when is it going to rain?
Alexa: It's raining right now.

It isn't, but let's see.

issy: Alexa, when will it stop raining?
Alexa: It's not raining right now.

Schrödinger's meteorology.

[mlewis78]

My TV sound was working with my Fire TV Cube for a long, long time, but it stopped working this evening. I paired the Fire TV to my Echo Show 5, it connects and then disconnects right after that. I've tried restarting the Fire TV Cube many times. I also rebooted the TV a few times. This was a frequent problem with my old Fire TV and I spent a lot of time talking to Amazon help, but they didn't know what was going on. One of them told me you can't pair the Show with the Fire TV, but I used to do that.

I also just tried to pair my new Sennheiser bluetooth headphones to the Fire TV Cube, but it doesn't show up. What does show is the Echo Show 5 (that won't stay connected) and a Samsung TV that must be in one of the neighboring apartments.

[mlewis78]

Originally Posted by mlewis78

My TV sound was working with my Fire TV Cube for a long, long time, but it stopped working this evening. I paired the Fire TV to my Echo Show 5, it connects and then disconnects right after that. I've tried restarting the Fire TV Cube many times. I also rebooted the TV a few times. This was a frequent problem with my old Fire TV and I spent a lot of time talking to Amazon help, but they didn't know what was going on. One of them told me you can't pair the Show with the Fire TV, but I used to do that.

I also just tried to pair my new Sennheiser bluetooth headphones to the Fire TV Cube, but it doesn't show up. What does show is the Echo Show 5 (that won't stay connected) and a Samsung TV that must be in one of the neighboring apartments.

Next day: my Echo Show 5 was showing that it was connected to the Fire TV Cube. I turned on the TV and still had no sound. I went into bluetooth settings of the Fire TV and disconnected the Echo Show 5 and then I had sound from the TV. I couldn't make this happen yesterday.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by issybird

issy: Alexa, when is it going to rain?
Alexa: It's raining right now.

It isn't, but let's see.

issy: Alexa, when will it stop raining?
Alexa: It's not raining right now.

Schrödinger's meteorology.

[mlewis78]

I've had my Echo speakers set up to play NPR as my "flash briefing." For the past three days it won't play it. I say "Alexa, what is my flash briefing" or "Alexa play my flash briefing" (or "what is the news"). It tells me "getting your flash briefing" but won't play it. I wouldn't mind, but I was getting Len Edgerly's Morning Journal immediately following the flash briefing, but it won't play at all either. There is no other way to get his Morning Journal except to have it follow the flash briefing.

I google searched and went into the Alexa app on my phone and NPR is checked off as my news source. I tried undoing that and then putting it back on but it won't play.

[DNSB]

Anyone here still allowing their Amazon Echo devices to eavesdrop on their lives 24/7?

[mlewis78]

Originally Posted by mlewis78

I've had my Echo speakers set up to play NPR as my "flash briefing." For the past three days it won't play it. I say "Alexa, what is my flash briefing" or "Alexa play my flash briefing" (or "what is the news"). It tells me "getting your flash briefing" but won't play it. I wouldn't mind, but I was getting Len Edgerly's Morning Journal immediately following the flash briefing, but it won't play at all either. There is no other way to get his Morning Journal except to have it follow the flash briefing.

I google searched and went into the Alexa app on my phone and NPR is checked off as my news source. I tried undoing that and then putting it back on but it won't play.

Today my Echo speakers are giving me the flash briefing and the Morning Journal. Maybe it helps to post here!

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Anyone here still allowing their Amazon Echo devices to eavesdrop on their lives 24/7?

Not me. I have Dots and Shows scattered all over the house and they all have their mics turned off and their cameras blocked. When I need to issue a command, I turn the mic on, give the command, then turn the mic back off again. I have no need for the cameras, so I never activate them.

[John F]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Not me. I have Dots and Shows scattered all over the house and they all have their mics turned off and their cameras blocked. When I need to issue a command, I turn the mic on, give the command, then turn the mic back off again. I have no need for the cameras, so I never activate them.

Has it been shown that Alexa sends info to Amazon before the trigger word?

[ApK]

Originally Posted by John F

Has it been shown that Alexa sends info to Amazon before the trigger word?

No, in fact, it's been tested and no evidence was found. There's links to the documentation in another recent thread here on the topic.

And if you are going to believe that fear-mongering premise, then turning off the mic does you no good. If you don't trust that software works as it claims, only sending back audio when the wake word is spoken and blue light is on, then you have no reason to trust that the same software ISN'T listening just because you touch a software-controlled mute button and software-controlled red light comes on.

[John F]

Originally Posted by ApK

No, in fact, it's been tested and no evidence was found. There's links to the documentation in another recent thread here on the topic.

And if you are going to believe that fear-mongering premise, then turning off the mic does you no good. If you don't trust that software works as it claims, only sending back audio when the wake word is spoken and blue light is on, then you have no reason to trust that the same software ISN'T listening just because you touch a software-controlled mute button and software-controlled red light comes on.

Originally Posted by DNSB

Anyone here still allowing their Amazon Echo devices to eavesdrop on their lives 24/7?

So, I am going to say no. And I don't think I ever did.

[mlewis78]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Not me. I have Dots and Shows scattered all over the house and they all have their mics turned off and their cameras blocked. When I need to issue a command, I turn the mic on, give the command, then turn the mic back off again. I have no need for the cameras, so I never activate them.

There are no cameras on my Echo speakers.

[mlewis78]

This is not exactly Echo/Fire TV related, but last night I used the manual button on my Sharp TV to switch to input 1 (cable TV) and the button froze up. When I pushed it again, it went down into the hole, so I can't use that button at all. I thought I was going to have to buy a new TV, but I can control it with the remote to switch between inputs for cable and streaming (there is also an input for the dvd player, but my dvd player doesn't work).

I suppose I should buy another TV soon, considering that the sound goes out now and then for streaming through the Fire TV Cube. I was looking at TVs on BH Photo and Amazon. There is a 32" Samsung for $227 that might be good or a Sony for about $300. I do not want anything larger than 32" (my Sharp is that size). It appears from the specs that TVs are not as heavy as they were when I bought my flat screen around 2006-2007. 9.5 pounds.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by mlewis78

This is not exactly Echo/Fire TV related, but last night I used the manual button on my Sharp TV to switch to input 1 (cable TV) and the button froze up. When I pushed it again, it went down into the hole, so I can't use that button at all. I thought I was going to have to buy a new TV, but I can control it with the remote to switch between inputs for cable and streaming (there is also an input for the dvd player, but my dvd player doesn't work).

I suppose I should buy another TV soon, considering that the sound goes out now and then for streaming through the Fire TV Cube. I was looking at TVs on BH Photo and Amazon. There is a 32" Samsung for $227 that might be good or a Sony for about $300. I do not want anything larger than 32" (my Sharp is that size). It appears from the specs that TVs are not as heavy as they were when I bought my flat screen around 2006-2007. 9.5 pounds.

If you haven't purchased your TV yet, Prime Day is sure to have some deals. It runs 11~12 July. Other stores also have their version of Prime Day to compete with Amazon.

See this thread for details.

[booklover6]

The sound the echo makes after turning on my plug changed and I don't know how to change it back. Anyone else have their sound change?