Device makers can provide a full Alexa experience in their connected soundbars and AV Receivers with Alexa built-in. Customers can talk to these products to play music, listen to the news, set timers, conduct phone calls, and control smart home devices. Customers can also control their home theater experience using voice, including adjustment of EQ (e.g., “Alexa, turn up the bass”), setting sound modes (e.g., “Alexa, set movie mode”), and switching inputs. With Alexa Multi-Room Music (MRM), these devices can be grouped with other Echo family devices and other MRM-compatible devices for a whole-home music experience. Finally, customers can also use Alexa Cast to cast music to any Alexa built-in soundbar or AVR from any Alexa Cast compatible mobile app.
The Polk Audio Command Bar is a Soundbar with Alexa built-in that’s designed to enrich listening and viewing experiences with its two tweeters, two midrange speakers, and an included wireless subwoofer. The Command Bar’s industrial design features two HDMI inputs (with one specially designed for FireTV Stick and other streaming media devices) and optical and HDMI ARC capable outputs for easy installation and compatibility with most TVs. The included remote control also features a unique Alexa action button that when depressed ducks the volume on the device and puts Alexa into listening mode.
The Polk Audio Command Bar leverages a far-field, 2-microphone audio-front-end solution from Synaptics, one of Amazon’s certified third-party development kits, and Amazon’s Wake Word Engine for wake word detection at high volumes. Polk Audio also partnered with Tonly, an AVS Solutions Integrator and manufacturer, to develop a custom AVS device firmware tailored to Polk Audio's specifications. The Polk Audio Command Bar also provides a voice-control feature for implicitly switching inputs on the device (“Alexa, switch to HDMI2”) and controlling EQ modes and levels (“Alexa, turn up the bass”; “Alexa, switch to movie mode”). Finally, Polk Audio certified their architecture for Amazon’s Multi-Room Music (MRM) time synchronization protocols and integrated the MRM synchronization library and protocol from Amazon. The Polk Audio Command Bar can participate in a group with MRM-compatible and Echo family devices to synchronize music playback across many devices in multiple rooms.
The AVS Device SDK makes it easy for commercial device makers to leverage the AVS APIs and build clients that handle core Alexa functionality.
Solution components:
AVS Device SDK »
Alexa MRM Binary »
Video Skill » (optional)
Development Kits are reference solutions for creating devices with Alexa built-in. Start building with MRM-qualified development kits.
Amazon works with Systems Integrators (SIs) and Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs) to help commercial device manufacturers bring new devices with Alexa built-in to market. Libre (SI), Linkplay (SI), and Tonly (ODM) offer MRM solutions.
See Systems Integrators »
See Original Design Manufacturers »
Industrial Design
Learn about industrial design requirements and recommendations so that you can provide a delightful experience to your customers.
Setup and Authentication »
Attention System »
Notifications »
Logo and Brand Usage »
Hardware Design
Learn about our hardware reference kits, chipsets, and audio front end recommendations to simplify your design and build of an Alexa built-in product.
Wake Word Verification
Cloud-based wake word verification is required for all voice-initiated products. Learn about how to enable this and the requirements.
Enabling Cloud-Based Wake Word Verification »
Wake Word Verification Requirements »
Functional Guidance
Customers who purchase an Alexa built-in product expect a familiar and reliable experience. Learn about our functional and design requirements and recommendations to help you meet customer expectations as you develop, prototype, and prepare to launch your product.
Companion App & Display Cards
For products with iOS and Android Apps, learn how to render multi-modal Now Playing metadata and implement GUI-based controls for music and media.
For products with small displays, learn about how to use display templates for multi-modal responses from Alexa, including Weather, Info, and Now Playing metadata.
Music Service Providers
Learn about the music and media services offered from Alexa and the codec support required to play Alexa-initiated content.
Music Service Providers Overview »
Recommended Media Support »
Tech Docs and Tools
SDKs and APIs are only as good as the documentation! Read our technical docs and API reference, and learn about the solution components and tools to build this category of products.
Read Tech Docs »
AVS Device SDK »
Alexa Multi-Room Music Overview »
Video Skill » (optional)
Security Guidance
We take privacy very seriously at Amazon, and we apply those same standards to our work with third-party device makers. You must comply with a set of security requirements that allow you to be proactive in identifying and resolving security defects, strengthen the security of your devices, and protect the privacy of Alexa end users.
Alexa Built-in Badge Requirements
Certifying your products through the Alexa Built-in program increases your customers’ confidence that they will have a great Alexa experience. Learn about the program and the requirements.
Alexa Built-in Certification Program »
Badge requirements for Soundbars & AVRs with Mics »
FAQs
Have a question about AVS? Read our FAQs for answers and resources.
What's New?
Read the latest news, announcements, and updates from AVS.
Read about new features and documentation changes.
Community
Post questions, share comments, and read about new ideas from other developers and engineers.
Product Testing Process
Amazon Alexa users expect a high-quality and consistent experience across all products. To help you meet this bar, we provide a series of checklists for self-testing before you submit your product for certification. See here for an overview.
Applicable tests:
Functional, UX, Acoustic, Music, MRM.
Self-Test Room Requirements
Our experience has helped us hone in on some standard characteristics that make a self-test room effective for voice performance evaluation. Learn about setting up a self-test room.
Submit Product for Certification
After your product has passed all the self-test requirements, you must submit your device to Amazon for review and certification of media services prior to commercial distribution. Please contact us using the email form below, and we will help guide you through this process.
Marketing and Branding Guidelines
Our marketing and branding guidelines provide you with an overview of how to integrate Amazon Alexa brand and messaging into your marketing, including packaging, promotional materials, and advertising.
Marketing Opportunities Overview
Amazon offers numerous ways to increase exposure for your device with Alexa built-in to the millions of customers who shop on Amazon.com every day. Whether you’re preparing to launch a new device on Amazon.com or looking to increase sales momentum throughout the year, we offer several solutions to help get you started.
We offer tools that make it easy to manage your product once it has launched, including an Analytics Dashboard and Product Capability settings. We continue to add new self-service tools that equip you with the knowledge to quickly update your product to support the latest features when available. You can see these features and many more in the AVS Developer Console.
Amazon Developer Services Agreement
All device makers building with AVS must adhere to our terms and agreements.
AVS Program Requirements
These Program Requirements are part of the Amazon Developer Services Agreement. You must ensure that you and all of your AVS Products and AVS Components (if applicable) comply with these Program Requirements at all times.
