The new smart home standard Matter is promising to fix the interoperability mess the smart home is currently in and make Apple,Samsung, and Amazon talk to each other. There are big jobs. One of the pain points in the connected home is TV control.
There is a specification for TVs and video players in the new protocol. Matter could become another way to control content in our homes. Matter has a TV spec that can replace proprietary casting systems like Apple's AirPlay or Google's Cast, and finally free our TVs.
Control of a television's core functions, such as volume up / down, changing the channel, controlling inputs and outputs, and switch between HDMI ports, will be possible with Matter TV. Chris De Cenzo, Principal Software Development Engineer at Amazon Lab 126, told The Verge that you can also do casting.
At least five proprietary protocols are present in this area. The result is a complete loss for everyone. It's a big deal for users to know which voice assistant can get this content and which remote will control the streaming stick. Amazon is leading the effort to define the specification for Matter, as it is currently the only large player without a proprietary way to cast content from a smartphone to a TV.
Noupscale is a file onchorusasset.com.
It can feel weird to control our smart TVs.
The photo was taken by James Bareham.
Control of media is one of the most popular use cases for Amazon's voice assistant, according to De Cenzo. He says the goal is to have a consistent way to use voice control and to launch their favorite content on those screens.
The Matter TV specification doesn't explicitly call for voice control, but it is the idea of standardization. Everything will talk to everything else in the same language, no matter who made it. You will be able to use your control interface of choice with all your streaming content devices and apps.
Matter could free our TVs with its promise.
Until TVs and streaming video players become Matter enabled, the Matter TV specification will use app-to-app communication. The spec supports casting from a Matter client to an app on a Matter-enabled TV or video player device. It also supports URL-based casting, which means a Matter client can cast to a TV even if there is no app for that client.
Chris LaPré of the Connectivity Standards Alliance says that the capability could be used to enable smart home notifications. It could send a message from your doorbell to your smart TV to let you know someone is at the door. Since cameras are not part of the first device roll out, it could be a way to show the video feed in Matter.
Noupscale is a file on thechorusasset.com.
The Matter logo will be on the devices to indicate they are compatible.
CSA / Matter.
The specification could allow for the use of context when delivering these messages, such as notifying you from the smart speaker in the room you are in that your laundry is done. LaPré says that it can be about casting anything, smart home notifications, local video, and all it needs is a URL to pull content from.
The technology here is not system-level specific. It seems like it will need to be built support for, at least initially. It is entirely local like all Matter communications. Matter is used as a channel for communication. At launch, Matter will use a number of communication protocols.
The requirement for the app makers to build support for Matter could make this something of a non-starter initially. The app developer will need to add Matter support to both the app in the phone or casting device in order to use it.
The Prime Video app on my phone can be used to communicate with the Prime Video app on the TV. LaPré says that streaming video players and TVs will have Matter built into them. It is likely that Matter will be supported on the Fire TV devices, and the company has already committed to upgrade all of its smart speakers to support Matter. Apple and Google are also involved with Matter. The list of companies that are not yet signed up is on the Matter website.
This is a way to use voice control to start a show.
The main goal is to avoid manufacturer lock-in. People should be able to buy whichever device they want, and it should be able to talk to all the other connected devices in their home, regardless of who made it.
If both were Matter-enabled, you should be able to control an appliance from a phone and receive a message from a smart washer when the laundry is done. There is nothing in the Matter spec that is required. A company that is on board with Matter as a whole is not obligated to adopt parts of the specification that they don't want to.
If Apple and Google don't want to, they don't have to adopt the Matter TV specification. Both companies have been blessed with this as part of the spec, according to LaPré. It is not certain whether they will adopt it. If Amazon does, it will mean that you can use Matter to cast from your Amazon Prime app on your phone to your Amazon Prime app on your Apple TV or Chromecast.
I reached out to both Apple and Google to find out how this would affect their current offerings. Both companies are members of the CSA and have committed to supporting Matter. Kevin Po said in an email that the current Works With Assistant offering will be equal to Matter. Apple didn't say anything.
Po said that the preferred method for sending media via apps and voice to Chromecasts, speakers, and displays is still called Google Cast. We can only assume that Airplay will be Apple's preferred method. A lot more choice could soon be involved in what your preferred method will be.
