Consumer Reports – September 2019

IF YOU CUT the cord on

traditional cable and

switch to a cable-replacement

streaming service, you might

feel somewhat bewildered.

You’ll still have your favorite

channels—but they could

be tricky to fi nd.

It’s not like cable TV,

where you just hit the Power

button and start fl ipping

through channels.

“In many cases, you’ll need

to launch an app—or two—to

even get to the streaming

service,” says Matt Ferretti,

who tests TVs and streaming

players at Consumer Reports.

Along the way to your

show, you may fi nd yourself

threading through unfamiliar

layers of menus and icons and

switching between a couple of

remote controls.

Here’s why. First, modern

smart TVs have an onscreen

interface—the main home

screen for the TV—with their

own set of apps. If your smart

TV doesn’t have an app for

your cable-replacement

service, you’re going to need

a separate streaming player,

such as an Apple TV or a Roku.

Help!

How Do

I Change

the

Channel?

That player will have a second

menu system plus its own

remote control. (Check out our

ratings of streaming media

players, on the facing page.)

And once you open the

streaming service’s app, it has

its own interface, too.

Learning the Ropes

“There’s a learning curve for

many people who replace

cable with a streaming

service,” Ferretti says. “But

it’s probably less daunting

for those who already use a

popular streaming service

such as Netfl ix. Lots of cable-

replacement services mimic

that type of layout.”

The screen may display rows

of tiles representing programs

organized in any number

of ways. Depending on the

service, or which view you

choose, you might see content

separated by genres (sports

vs. news or sitcoms), movies

separated from TV series, or

live TV broadcasts set off from

on-demand content.

If you prefer, you might be

able to switch to a list of shows

that looks like a cable-TV-style

program guide. However,

the companies that design

these systems don’t think

you’ll want to.

“A majority of our users

have been traditional pay-TV

subscribers,” says Vikash

Sharma, assistant vice

president for video products at

AT&T. “We wanted to welcome

One way to find the

show you’re looking

for is to just ask your

TV. Digital voice

assistants, such as

Amazon Alexa and

Google Assistant,

are showing up on

many smart TVs

and streaming

media players.

You can use voice

commands to search

for movies, TV shows,

actors, and apps,

rather than pecking

out a search with

your TV remote.

Certain systems

also let you change

channels or pause

a show. You may

even be able to

voice-control lights

and thermostats

through the TV.

But every system

operates a bit

differently, and not

all apps support

voice. Some TVs

support multiple

voice assistants that

handle separate

tasks, which can get

confusing. Thankfully,

more sets now route

voice commands to

the right assistant

automatically.

WHY YOU MAY WANT TO START TALKING TO YOUR TV

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34 CR.ORG SEPTEMBER 2019