Amazon is showing no sign of slowing down when it comes to putting its Alexa virtual assistant into pretty much everything, including a projector.
At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, projector specialist Optoma took the covers off its latest 4K UHD projector revealing that it has integrated Alexa into its snappily-named UHD51A.
And the UHD51A is the first projector of its kind to have Alexa, which not only promises voice controls but also the ability to neatly connect up with additional entertainment and smart home tech like speakers and lighting to control everything through the projector.
You may wonder why you’d want such a feature in a projector when a smart speaker like the Amazon Echo could do the same job.
But in a situation where you want the conditions to be setup quickly and neatly for a movie or gaming session on the projector, the ability to do so with a voice command or two rather than trying to tweak everything individually could be a boon.
The UHD51A itself is a pretty well-specced projector not only offering ultra high-resolution pictures and a 2,400-lumen brightness with a 500,000:1 contrast ratio, but also throwing HDR10 into the mix as well as a 4K UHD media player, two HDMI 2.0 ports for gaming at 60fps, and Android as its operating system.
Set to go on sale at the end of March for $1699, around £1255, Optoma is offering a version of the projector without Alexa, named the UHD50 and coming in at $1499, around £1108.
Related: Best projectors for big screen entertainment
Is a projector with Alexa taking the idea of a smart home too far? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
