Echo Show 5 & Netflix | How It Works + Step by Step Guide

Author
Recent Posts

Gained early experience with automation technology in the private and industrial sector, can turn his living room into a movie theater with one voice command and is the owner of this website. He is happy to share his accumulated experience with every new article.

Key Takeaways

You cannot expect perfect quality for Netflix with high-resolution pictures and a crisp sound from the Echo Show 5, but the smart display is still better than the smartphone.
Netflix is set up quickly: Connect Echo Show 5, set it up, open the app, and set it up.
On the Echo Show 5, Netflix can be operated via the voice assistant Alexa as well as via the smart display itself.
Please note when operating via Alexa: Voice commands are not evaluated locally, but travel once to the cloud and back. This means for you: Before your commands are implemented, some time always passes. If you are in a hurry, use the display for operation.
Particularly practical: If you do not want to be disturbed while streaming, you can cut the power supply for the camera and microphone via the small slider at the top of the display.

Why Netflix with the Echo Show 5?

The Echo Show 5 has a display of 5.5 inches, which means a diagonal of about 14 centimeters. Is it really fun to watch blockbusters and stream series on such a small screen? Then there is the resolution, which is also only 960 x 480 pixels in the Echo Show 5.

The display is thus a bit bigger than most smartphones, but the resolution still leaves something to be desired. The Echo Show 5 is not really designed for streaming as a smart display with a speaker, but as a small, practical and inexpensive helper for the bedside table and desk. It is also good for reading recipes in the kitchen. But movies and series?

Colors are fairly true to life on the small display. The brightness is also okay, and the sound quality is usable. You also have to consider the speaker’s size here; the Echo Show 5 achieves a quite decent volume. However, music sounds a bit muffled and hollow.

The Echo Show 5 is thus quite suitable for short clips and the Netflix series shortly before falling asleep. Not for binge-watching on the weekend, though, because that is really exhausting with the small display.

Another thing you should always keep in mind: Netflix only allows a resolution of 540 pixels on the devices of the Echo Show series. So it doesn’t matter what your Echo Show 5 can do and whether you have a basic, premium or other subscription with Netflix. This makes streaming Netflix with the Echo Show 5 a bit more attractive because the small screen offers a bit more sharpness at a low resolution than a large screen would.

Echo Show 5 Setup without Smartphone

Unlike other devices like the Echo Dot, you don’t need a smartphone to set up the Echo Show 5. You do everything directly on the smart display. The first step is to connect the Echo Show 5. Your display needs power, otherwise, nothing works. When you plug it into the power outlet for the first time, the device starts by itself and begins the setup process.

Select your preferred language. This is the language in which the device will guide you through the setup and show you information. Then connect the Echo Show 5 to the Wi-Fi network and log in to Amazon. This is the only way the Echo Show 5 connects to the account. If you want, you can now tell the device which room it is in. However, this is not absolutely necessary; the device works perfectly well without room naming.

Now the Echo Show 5 performs a software update. The device is now ready when you see the home screen again. If you use the Alexa app on your smartphone, you will now see the Echo Show 5 under “Devices”.

Customizing the Echo Show 5

Before you use the Echo Show 5 for Netflix, you customize the device:

Adjust the screen brightness to your preferences. You do this via the slider that is displayed when you swipe down from the top edge of the display.
You can call up your Prime Video series and movies with voice commands (“Alexa, show me my watchlist” and the like). You can also swipe to the right on the display and tap “Video”.
Set night mode: Night mode can be set manually, but it can also be set automatically. With the automatic setting, the display takes itself when the lighting conditions in the room change.
If you want to turn off the camera, you should do so with the small slider on the far right at the top of the display. With this switch, you interrupt the power supply of the camera.
You can turn off the camera and microphone at the same time with the mute button on the upper-left edge of the Echo Show 5.
You can change the background of the home screen via the Alexa app on your smartphone. Select the Echo Show 5 you just set up under “Devices” and load the photo you want as the background on the home screen under “Home screen background”.
It might also be interesting to set up routines. For example, you can specify that the lights are timed on command and soft music starts at the same time. Or, if you want to watch Netflix, the camera and microphone are muted, the lights are dimmed and the music is off.
Set the audio features of your Echo Show 5 via “Devices”. Components like bass and treble can be customized.

Installing Netflix on the Echo Show 5

Netflix has been available for the devices of the Echo Show series for a good year. The installation and operation is not witchcraft but works smoothly as usual. Let’s get straight to the point: You simply log in with your Netflix login on the Echo Show 5, that’s all you need. You neither need the Alexa app nor do you have to activate any skills. The voice assistant Alexa helps you set up Netflix.

Start with the voice command “Alexa, open Netflix! If you want to work without a voice command, swipe left on the home screen of your Echo Show 5. Tap on Video and select Netflix.
Now the app starts and offers you the login. Enter your access data. Tap on Next.
Select the profile you want to use Netflix with.

That’s all – now you can watch movies and series via Netflix on the Echo Show 5.

Control Netflix via Alexa or on the Display

Since Alexa is a bit slow to respond, controlling Netflix via the smart display is more pleasant. It basically works the same way as on a smartphone or tablet PC: You open the Netflix app and find all series and movies in the menu bar at the top, as well as your watch lists and the content you recently added.

Simply swipe through the lists. As with other mobile devices, the search function is also available on the Echo Show 5, as usual via the magnifying glass icon. You can either enter a genre and look for something suitable in the hits, or you can enter the title of a certain series or movie.

Changing profiles also works the same way as on other devices. Tap on your profile picture, which you will find in the upper right corner. Then select the desired profile. You can start your movie or series by tapping on the content. If you want to stream via voice command, say “Alexa, play (title of movie or series)”.

Important: Alexa will respond to this command even if the Netflix app is not active. It is enough if you have set it up once. This is convenient for you, but should always be considered when controlling the media consumption of children in the household! Of course, it’s also enough if a child calls out “Alexa, play Paw Patrol” in the room. If you want to prevent this, always remember to turn off the microphone.

Otherwise, you have the usual control options at your disposal, which were already found with the good old VHS, with cassette, CD and DVD up to BlueRay:

Fast forward: Tapping the screen reveals a small circle on the right of the image. If you tap on it, playback jumps forward by 10 seconds. Tap again – another 10 seconds.
Rewind: Tapping the screen reveals a small circle on the left of the image. If you tap on it, the playback jumps back by 10 seconds. Tap again – another 10 seconds.
Rewind via Alexa: “Alexa, rewind 10 minutes forward.” or “Alexa, rewind 5 minutes back.”
Pass film: “Alexa, pause.”
Stop movie: Tap or via Alexa. Alexa always likes to listen to “Alexa, go to home screen”.

Important: The command to go to the home screen does not stop Netflix! The command only moves Netflix to the background and shows you the start screen. If you really want to quit Netflix, log out of the Netflix app in your profile. This is the point “Log out”. Then you exit the app. On the profile page in the app, you can also cancel your Netflix membership under the “Account” item; you don’t have to be on your smartphone or desktop to do this.

Facts: Here’s what you should know about Netflix and the Echo Show 5!

It doesn’t matter if you have a basic subscription, a standard subscription, or even a premium subscription with Netflix. You will basically only see the content on the Echo Show 5 in 540p. Netflix does not allow a higher setting.

This is also the case for the Echo Show, Echo Show 2, Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 10. The devices offer much better options themselves, but Netflix does not follow suit. You cannot use Netflix at all on other devices, such as the small Echo Spot, because the content is not supported.

Alexa Keeps Her Mouth Shut – If You Tell Her To

Privacy is always a problem with Amazon. You can cover the camera of the Echo Show 5 with a mechanical latch so that no one can watch you while streaming.

And you can also turn off the microphone. But then you cannot use the voice assistant Alexa. All voice commands are processed in the cloud, not locally. What you command Alexa, therefore, goes to the Amazon servers. Amazon claims that the messages are not evaluated or used. But what is stored? In the end, you have to trust that your commands will be treated confidentially.

Voice recordings are always saved locally. However, you can delete them if you don’t want the recordings to remain available on the Echo Show 5. This works with two different commands:

“Alexa, delete what I just said.”
“Alexa, delete everything I said today.”

Then, at least locally, it is no longer possible to track what you have watched on Netflix, how exactly, and with which detours and extras. You can also use the display to operate the device: If you do not give voice commands, no voice commands are recorded.

Conclusion

The Echo Show 5* is not made for streaming Netflix, and that is obvious. But that’s not a bad thing, since you can do a lot of other exciting things with the smart little display. If you do want to check out Netflix, it is very easy thanks to the Alexa Skill. Set up Netflix once, and the service is always available.

Is streaming with the Echo Show 5’s display, which measures only 14 centimeters diagonally, so pleasant? You will have to think about that again. The fact is that a larger screen like in other models of the Echo Show series would not change the resolution.

Netflix only offers a resolution of 540p on the Echo Show devices. The smart display is good enough for a short clip in between. If the kids still want to watch the Sandman in bed, the Echo Show 5 is also the better choice than the smartphone. It does not replace a home theater system.

Attention: When installing electronic equipment, please be sure to observe the manufacturer’s safety instructions. You have to take care of your own safety. The information on this site only helps you to learn.
Disclosure: This website is the property of Martin Lütkemeyer and is operated by Martin Lütkemeyer. Martin Lütkemeyer is a member of the Amazon Services LLC Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to enable Web sites to earn advertising revenue through advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Links marked with * are affiliate links.