Google Home and Chromecast vs. Amazon Echo and Fire TV: Which is the best hands-free TV experience?

Let's be honest: Reaching for the remote while watching TV isn't a major inconvenience. If you can control your TV by voice instead, why wouldn't you? To that end, Google and Amazon now offer hands-free TV controls through their respective connected speakers. Amazon added Fire TV voice controls to the Echo speaker and other Alexa devices a couple weeks ago, while Google has offered similar voice controls for Chromecast through its own Google Home speaker since last December. Both combos allow you to launch videos, pause, play, rewind, and fast forward without ever touching a remote control.