Glossary (VSK Fire TV)

The following glossary defines terms commonly used when integrating the video skills on devices. For more specialized Alexa terms, see the Alexa Skills Kit Glossary.

A

Alexa app

The companion app for Alexa customers to set up devices, change settings, and see the displayed output from interactions with Alexa.

Alexa-enabled device

A device that provides access to the Alexa service. Examples include Amazon Echo, Amazon Echo Dot, Amazon Tap, Echo Show, and devices made by other manufacturers that use the Alexa Voice Service.

Alexa skill

A capability or ability of Alexa. Alexa provides a set of built-in skills (such as playing music), and developers can use the Alexa Skills Kit to give Alexa new skills. A skill includes both the code (in the form of a cloud-based service) and the configuration provided on the developer console.

Alexa Voice Remote

A remote control for Fire TV that offers a voice button. Interacting with this voice-enabled remote (even if you're far away from your TV) is still considered "near field" control because you're near the microphone array of the remote control.

Alexa Skills Kit

A collection of APIs, tools, and documentation for giving Alexa new capabilities. See What is the Alexa Skills Kit?.

Alexa Voice Service (AVS)

Amazon’s intelligent cloud service that allows a developer to voice-enable any connected product with a microphone and speaker with a limited set of Alexa features.

App-only integration

An integration approach with the VSK for Fire TV. In this approach, you receive directives directly in your app. A service on Fire TV called the VSK Agent routes directives from Alexa to your app by way of broadcast intents. The BroadcastReceiver in your app handles the intents to perform the user's request.

ARN

Amazon Resource Name. When you create a video skill, you configure it with the ARN from your Lambda function.

ASIN

Amazon Standard Identification Numbers (ASINs) are unique blocks of 10 letters and/or numbers that identify items. You can find the ASIN on the item's product information page at Amazon.com.

Ask

One of the words a user can say to ask Alexa to invoke a particular custom skill. This is used in combination with the invocation name for the skill. For example, Alexa, ask Astrology Daily for my horoscope. There are several phrases users can say to start a conversation with Alexa. See Understanding How Users Invoke Custom Skills.

B

BroadcastReceiver

The class in your app where you accept and handle the directives Alexa sends to your app by way of the VSK Agent. Used in VSK app-only integrations.

D

device cloud

Back-end cloud service that can control a cloud-enabled device. For a smart home skill, you write code hosted as a Lambda function that translates commands from the Alexa smart home skill API to the device cloud.

device with Alexa

A device that provides access to the Alexa service. Examples include Amazon Echo, Amazon Echo Dot, Amazon Tap, and third-party devices that use the Alexa Voice Service.

device directive

A set of data and instructions, expressed in JSON, sent from Alexa to a video skill. For example, the directive might to search for a TV show, or play a movie.

directive language

JSON protocol that enables communication between the Alexa smart home skill API and a smart home skill.

Dynamic capability

Functionality that can be invoked in a voice-enabled application that can change based on user state (e.g., signed in/out or subscription level). Used in VSK app-only integrations.

E

explicit

Voice command that specifies the content provider or app name, e.g. "Watch Bosch on Amazon Prime".

F

far-field

Using an Echo device that is paired to a Fire TV to issue a voice command.

Fire TV Cube

The first Fire TV device offering a hands-free TV experience (far field control). Without a remote, you can use your voice to access, launch, and control content, turn on your TV and AV devices, switch inputs, adjust the volume, search for content, and more from a distance. For details, see Device Specifications: Fire TV Cube.

Catalog

An index of the media on Fire TV. Integrating your media catalog with Amazon allows your content to be discovered and launched from Amazon devices. It will then be discoverable on the Fire TV home screen when users search for it (either through voice or text search). See Getting Started with Catalog Ingestion for details.

I

implicit

Voice command that does not specify the content provider or app name, e.g. "Watch Bosch".

intent

A message describing some operation to be performed by any service on the device. See Intent.

L

Lambda blueprint

An option in the AWS Lambda console that provides sample code and a sample configuration for a new Lambda function. There are multiple blueprints relevant to the Alexa Skills Kit. For example:alexa-smart-home-skill-adapter provides a sample skill for a smart home skill in Node.js. alexa-skills-kit-color-expert and alexa-skills-kit-color-expert-python provide samples of a simple custom skill in both Node.js and Python. See Host a Custom Skill as an AWS Lambda Function.

Lambda function

See AWS Lambda function.

local search

A search for content within a specific catalog-integrated app on Fire TV.

M

mediasession

The way Android allows applications to receive media commands. See Media Session in the Anroid documentation. Alexa on Fire TV makes use of the Media Session API to send commands to local media applications. Events from remotes, keyboards, headset, adb, and so on are also sent to the application through the Media Sessions APIs if the application implements it.

multimodal

Multimodal refers to an interface that has both a voice and screen-based experience. Each input changes the way a customer can interact with the experience, but the two should work together fluidly. Multimodal devices from Amazon currently include only Echo Show.

N

near-field

Using the Fire TV Voice Remote to issue a voice command. In the case of the new Fire TV Cube, requests made to the Fire TV Cube initialize Alexa on the device, so although it uses the microphone array, it is a near-field experience.

P

payload

Refers to the payload object within the request (a JSON object) that contains important, actionable information. The Video Skill API reference documentation defines each property in the payload object of the request. See also request.

P0

Top priority. When implementing a feature, a P0 means it has a high priority for implementation, whereas P1, P2, or more indicate less priority.

push notification

Cloud-based messages sent from Amazon Device Messaging that consist of real-time notifications to your app. In the context of the Video Skill API, push notifications include directives from your Lambda code to your app.

Q

quick play

Play content directly by title, actor, genre, sports, teams, leagues without stopping at a detail page.

quick play -- implicit

Quick play phrase that does not mention the content provider or app name in the play phrase.

quick play -- explicit

Quick play phrase that mentions the content provider or app name in the play phrase.

R

request

Generally refers to the directive sent from Alexa to your Lambda. Your Lambda code must handle the request sent from Alexa. 'Directive' refers to a specific part of the request that directs you to do something (such as search or channel change action).

response

The message you should send back to Alexa to confirm your receipt of the request. See also request.

S

sample utterance

A structured string of text that connects a specific intent to a likely utterance. You provide a set of sample utterances as part of your interaction model for a custom skill. When customers say one of these utterances, the Alexa service sends a request to your service that includes the corresponding intent.

Skill

A robust set of actions or tasks that are accomplished by Alexa. Alexa provides a set of built-in skills (such as playing music), and developers can use the Alexa Skills Kit to give Alexa new skills. A skill includes both the code (in the form of a cloud-based service) and the configuration provided on the developer console.

smart home skill API

An API to create skills that give Alexa the ability to control smart home devices such as lights and switches. The smart home skill API translates utterances such as turn on the lights into device directives that it routes to a lambda function that can control a cloud-enabled device.

smart home skill

A skill intended to control smart home devices such as lights and thermostats. When using the smart home skill API, the API defines the requests the skill can handle, such as device directives, and the words the users say to make those requests.

A complete smart home skill includes the code hosted as an AWS Lambda function and a configuration that provides the information the Alexa service needs to route requests to the Lambda function. The code for the skill must be able to control the device (such as a light) using the cloud.

Static capability

Functionality that can be invoked in a voice-enabled application that never changes regardless of user state. Used in VSK app-only integrations.

T

text-to-speech (TTS)

Converts a string of text to synthesized speech (Alexa's voice). The Alexa service can take plain text for TTS conversion.

transport controls

Playback controls while watching media (Play, Pause, Stop, Rewind, Fast-forward, etc.). Also called "media controls."

U

universal search

A search for content across all catalog-integrated apps on Fire TV. You can initiate a universal search using voice or text. All voice searches by default are universal searches. Any search using the search button within the Fire TV UI (rather than using the search provided within a specific app) is also a universal search.

utterance

The words the user says to Alexa to convey what they want to do, or to provide a response to a question Alexa asks.

V

Video Skills Kit

The name for implementing video skills for your Fire TV app.

Video Skill API

A set of APIs that enable the far-field control of video devices and streaming services using an Alexa-enabled device. For details, see Video Skills Kit (VSK) for Fire TV Overview.

voice chrome

Voice chrome is a visual indicator of the Alexa attention states, such as listening, thinking, etc. (You can see an image here.) The chrome will appear on Fire TV when the user is making a near-field voice request.

voice cliff

Voice experience that leads to the user having to pick up the remote control.

VSK Agent

A service built into Fire OS that receives Alexa directives and broadcasts them as intents to apps on Fire TV. Used in VSK app-only integrations.

VSKApplicationAgentAPI

Optionally used if you don't want to integrate the VSK Agent Client Library but instead want to write the code contained in the VSK Agent Client Library yourself. VSKApplicationAgentAPI contains the necessary .aidl files and java classes for communicating with the VSK Agent service that VSK Agent Client Library communicates with. Used in VSK app-only integrations.

VSK Agent Client Library

A JAR library required used if your app's voice capabilities change based on the user's login state. Used in VSK app-only integrations.

For more Alexa terms, see the Alexa Skills Kit Glossary.