Altice USA has unveiled a new smart home speaker to compliment its Altice One CPE platform.

Altice Amplify combines Devialet-built audio and Amazon Alexa voice technology into a singular device that can play music, and respond to commands to control both the entertainment center and any connected home technology.

The device includes Speaker Active Matching (SAM) sound processing and Adaptive Volume Control (AVL). The latter automatically adjusts audio levels to match the scene in a video, eliminating the need to manually adjust the volume when he dialog stops and the explosions start.

Altice is selling the device for $399 to its subscribers and $499 to everyone else. Altice USA subscribers can also lease the device for $10 a month along with the Altice One platform.

“Altice Amplify is the next step on our mission to provide consumers with powerful new technologies and experiences that brings their homes to life,” said Hakim Boubazine, co-president and chief operating officer of Altice USA. “Whether it’s streaming music, watching a favorite show or movie, or controlling the smart home, Altice Amplify gives consumers ultimate control over their entertainment and smart home needs.” 

Espial said its cloud-based “Elevate” video platform has added voice support following an integration that makes its managed offering for cable operators and other service providers compatible with all Amazon Alexa-enabled devices such as the Echo, Echo Dot and Echo Show.

The integration enables consumers with those Amazon products to search, discovery and control live TV, VOD and DVR-recorded content with their voice.

Espial’s Elevate platform was derived from Espial’s acquisition of Arris’s Whole Home Solutions business last year. Espial introduced a managed, turnkey IPTV service for operators under the Elevate brand in July.

RELATED: Espial Seals Deal for Arris’s Whole Home Solution Platform

Espial’s cable operator customers include MCTV; Easton Utilities; HBC (Hiawatha Broadband Communications of Minnesota); Ritter Communications; Shaw Communications; WideOpenWest; Buckeye Broadband; EastLink; Comporium; Consolidated Communications; Service Electric Cable TV, and NOS, a Portuguese service provider.

RELATED: MCTV Teams With Espial on IPTV

MVPDs such as Dish Network and Layer3 TV have also integrated their services with Amazon’s Alexa-powered devices.

RELATED: Dish’s Hopper DVRs Connect to Amazon Alexa

Hulu will head into the voice-based navigation and search mix this fall, when the OTT service extends support for Amazon’s Alexa platform.

RELATED: Fire TV Lights Up Far-Field Control

Once integration is complete, “You can ask your Alexa Voice Remote to find, launch, and control content on Hulu or pair your Fire TV to an Echo device to enjoy hands-free, far-field voice control to perform an array of actions on their TV including pause, rewind, fast-forward and start watching favorite titles and channels,” Richard Irving, VP of product at Hulu, explained in this blog post.

RELATED: Amazon Building New Fire TV Models: Report

At launch, Hulu’s integration will support voice commands such as, “Alexa, tune in Bravo,” and “Alexa, watch The Handmaid’s Tale,” and “Alexa, go back two minutes.”

Voice navigation is a small but growing trend. In Q2, 10.9% of consumers of a new TiVo video trends survey said they use voice search functionality to find something to watch on TV, and 19% of respondents said they want that capability. Voice search, TiVo concluded, “is a sticky feature capable of driving higher user engagement” while helping viewers find what content faster.

Hulu, which launched its live TV beta in May, has seen average daily sign-ups rise 98% since March, thanks in part to the popularity of  Hulu’s award-winning original series The Handmaid’s  Tale, Ben Smith, the company’s head of experience, told The Hollywood Reporter.

A batch of programmers said they have upgraded their “skills” for the Amazon Echo Show, the new Alexa-powered home hub that features a touch screen and sells for $229.99.

Here’s a snapshot of how programmers are supporting the new product:

-CNBC’s upgrade features a “video flash briefing” tailored for the new platform that features business and market news, updates on stocks, futures and indexes, as well as Cramer  Remix, the digital video series from Mad Money’s  Jim Cramer. Users with the CNBC skill activated can access the latter by saying, “Alexa, ask CNBC for the Cramer Remix,” or “Watch the Cramer Remix.”

-CNN is also updating its skill for the Amazon Echo, Tap and Dot with its own flash briefings, including video clips from CNN soon after they air on the network, updates from New Day anchors Chris Cuomo and Alisyn Caerota, along with curated news. Users can tap in by saying, “ “Alexa, Open CNN.” CNN said it’s also adding a new voice to audio news with CNN Politics reporter and editor-at-large, Chris Cillizza.

-Food Network updated skill for the Echo Show adds a visual component that lets users browse through Alex’s top picks based on searches, select recipes and watch a video of the recipe being prepared. Users also have the option to have the full recipe emailed to them.

Update: 

-Bloomberg Media has also launched an enhanced skill for that features visuals and video content, including live feeds from Bloomberg TV, U.S. stock prices and world market indices in chart form, market summary videos and Bloomberg flash briefings.

Food Network said it’s the first culinary network to launch a “skill” on Alexa-powered devices, such as the Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Amazon Tap and Amazon Fire TV, enabling users to ask for and receive info about network shows, the network's schedule, and recipes that are featured on-air.

Users can add this element by asking, “Alexa, enable the Food Network skill.”

Once set up, Alexa will recognize several voice-delivered questions such as, “Alexa, what’s on Food Network right now?” and “Alexa, send me the recipe I saw on The Pioneer Woman yesterday.”

Food Network is adding the feature as consumers continue to gravitate to smart home platforms, including those that rely on voice to navigate and obtain information. 

“Voice is emerging as a way for consumers to connect and interact with brands in a way that provides value in their lives, and this launch is a first step toward more utility-based services down the road as we integrate with Alexa,” Liesel Kipp, vice president of product management for Food network parent company Scripps Networks Interactive.

“As the consumer experience evolves, it’s important that we super-serve our Food Network fans, meeting them anytime, anywhere they wish to engage with our brand as we continue to be the leader in food information, inspiration and entertainment,” added Henry Ahn, Scripps Networks’ president of content distribution and marketing.