Do you have a Smart TV?

[itsmyparty]

We need a new tv. Read somewhere that with a Smart TV can get NetFlix without having to go thru an xbox, etc. Any other advantages to this type of TV over the standard ones? They do cost more I noticed. Thanks for any info.

 

[serie1926]

I'm quite happy with our sony xbr. Can launch Netflix and pandora with the Logitech remote.

 

[donheff]

I have one with a USB key that gets the WIFI signal. Newer ones are all internal. Make sure that your device gets the channels you want. If you find a good set without streaming for a lot less, remember that Roku costs $50-$99 bucks. It comes with loads of channels and can be taken on vacation if the place you are staying has WIFI. I used an Apple TV box in FL last winter to watch the first few seasons of Breaking Bad.

 

[2B]

I have a smart LG TV and smart LG DVD player. I like them both. The cost difference between smart and "dumb" is almost nothing.

One suggestion is to look at what is included in your smart device. Amazon Prime was originally only on my DVD player but eventually LG added it to the TV in a software update. Everything has Netflix and Hulu but there are still significant differences between my devices. The TV has many more choices but I seldom use any of them.

 

[H2ODude]

If I was selecting anything right now it would include consideration of how many damn remotes will I need! Right now cannot watch normal channels without 2, Netflix without 3 (netflix comes through our smart DVD). Universal my a__!

 

[sailor]

Don't do this!
Most of them are slow and not keeping up with technology progress.
Instead of smart TV buy a $35 Chromecast, $50 Roku or $99 Apple TV depending on your needs - if you already have an Xbox or PS I would not even bother with anything else.
If all you need is Netflix & Youtube, even Chromecast does nice job.

 

[gozer]

I have a Smart TV as part of the home theater system. Since I also have a premier Tivo box on that TV, the smart TV doesn't really give me all that much I didn't already have. It does allow me to stream movies from my NAS drive in more formats than Tivo supports, but that is about the only useful thing I get out of it. I have two Tivo boxes and a Roku box in my house. If the Roku could stream from a NAS drive, it would be my first choice for turning a dumb TV into a smart TV.

 

[bUU]

Bundling two devices together is rarely a good idea until the technologies involved are not just mature, but verging on stodgy. It costs a little more to have a separate "tuner" and "display" but in the long run it is a superior option.

 

[RunningBum]

One less set of cables behind the TV, one less remote, one less device in the cabinet. If that's worth it to you, go ahead. Otherwise, I agree that it locks your TV into current technology. Mine is just a year or two old but I can't access my home network to stream anything from my laptop or a server. I wouldn't pay a lot more for a Smart TV. I had gone into a Crutchfield outlet looking for a cheaper LED or plasma and when they didn't have any I wanted I let myself get oversold on a new one.

 

[sailor]

It costs a little more to have a separate "tuner" and "display" but in the long run it is a superior option.

And for a lot of cases this is even not true ("costs a little more" part ), meaning smart TV price premium is higher than the cost of the external device.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

i just got a Samsung UN50F6400 and overall I'm quite happy with it, although a bit disappointed with the smart tv features. Netflix works well, as does Amazon Prime and Pandora, but one of the features was supposed to be automatically suggesting shows to watch. I've tried my best to troubleshoot that but so far have come up with zilch.

It's also a 3D TV, and Netflix is now streaming 3D (and 1080p) if your device supports it. So far there really aren't very many titles available in 3D, but I'm hoping more will come.

It also supports other streaming services including Vudu, Hulu Plus, but I haven't yet shelled out the money for those.

 

[Calico]

I have a stupid TV and a smart Roku. No cable channels - I find everything I want via the Roku, and when Roku updates their software it automatically updates my little first-generation Roku.

Of course, I am one of the few remaining people on the planet who still has a stupid phone, too, but that's another thread.......

 

[steelyman]

I have a stupid TV too, and a stupid phone. I think they match me!

 

[Sesq]

I have a 2009 panasonic that had some native apps, but no wifi or netflix (2010 models). The interface was a bit clunky. I am a gadget guy, so I have a PS3, a blu ray player, a googletv, a sony streaming box (w/usb) and a chromecast. I am soon going to buy an appletv because once in a while there is content on itunes that isn't on the other pay d/l services (Google, Sony, Vudu, Amazon) that I have access too. I also learned that if you have an appletv you can pay for a netflix subscription through the itunes stores. Since itunes gift cards are often discounted its a nifty backdoor for that. Probably take me a couple years to offset the price though, I will likely get the refurb model for $75 unless they announce a new model on October 22nd.

Given I only have 3 screens (projector w/120" screen in the basement, 55" plasma, 22" LCD, aka the sick tv that gets put in bedrooms when some one is sick) its silly to have all these different devices. I do wish the "sick tv" was a smart tv since it would be less stuff to wire up when we put it in the kid's rooms. But they are cheap enough not to matter.

 

[Calico]

I have a stupid TV too, and a stupid phone. I think they match me!

So there are two of us on the planet - good to know.

 

[Nodak]

If I was selecting anything right now it would include consideration of how many damn remotes will I need! Right now cannot watch normal channels without 2, Netflix without 3 (netflix comes through our smart DVD). Universal my a__!

I use a Logitech Harmony remote it operates everything I use. With a box Lgitech sells it will even be a Bluetooth remote for PS3.

 

[Koogie]

Smart tvs aren't worth the extra money, IMHO, for most of the above reasons. We got an LG that we really liked and just hook up our tablets or laptops to it with HDMI cable. You have the whole Internet at your command then, not just whatever native apps they build into the TV.

 

[GrayHare]

Smart tvs aren't worth the extra money, IMHO, for most of the above reasons. We got an LG that we really liked and just hook up our tablets or laptops to it with HDMI cable. You have the whole Internet at your command then, not just whatever native apps they build into the TV.

Some of the streaming boxes include a generic Web browser (Sony makes one, and probably other brands do too). Of course, that does limit you to the awkward on-screen keyboard with typing via a remote. To reduce the awkward typing, I'd like the remote to come with voice recognition, like smartphones have, but I do not believe such remotes exist yet.

 

[W2R]

Yes, and I looked at all that it can do but wow, most of it has little appeal to me. The only use I have made of the smart capabilities is the easy connection to Amazon Prime videos. Frankly, the various internet apps are pretty boring.

They can make the TVs smart, but buyers like me just stay stupid (or hopefully "old fashioned" is a better description).

 

[sailor]

To reduce the awkward typing, I'd like the remote to come with voice recognition, like smartphones have, but I do not believe such remotes exist yet.

What do you think is a remote for Chromecast? Any Android device or iPhone or iPad. Very easy to use voice recognition, although I prefer phone touch-screen keyboard.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

Some of the streaming boxes include a generic Web browser (Sony makes one, and probably other brands do too). Of course, that does limit you to the awkward on-screen keyboard with typing via a remote. To reduce the awkward typing, I'd like the remote to come with voice recognition, like smartphones have, but I do not believe such remotes exist yet.

The Samsung has voice recognition but only for a limited set of commands, not as voice input for typing. Some of them have cameras, either built-in or as an add-on, that allow one to use a hand in mid-air as a mouse, clenching a fist to "click," which is a viable alternative to using the remote's cursor for typing. A downside is that DW likes to talk with her hands and often brings up the on-screen cursor.

The AppleTV is integrated with the other iOS devices such that a keyboard pops up on your iPhone or iPad when needed. It even vibrates the phone as it pops up to remind you to look.

If I weren't such a gadget freak I'd probably stick with a good "dumb" TV and use one or more external streaming devices. Actually, though, once you climb the TV picture quality ladder to a certain point you start getting the smart tv features whether you want them or not.

 

[GrayHare]

The spread of voice recognition should soon make the technology cheap enough to package in a remote such that we don't need yet another device (phone or tablet) to make it useful.

 

[bUU]

Yes, and I looked at all that it can do but wow, most of it has little appeal to me. The only use I have made of the smart capabilities is the easy connection to Amazon Prime videos.

Connecting to online sources of content is the most important aspect of smart television technology. Most everything else is just window dressing. There's nothing about most of the other features that add hardware requirements to the device.

 

[ERD50]

While I would normally lean towards the concept of separate boxes, with the idea of 'jack of all trades, master of none', my own experience was just the opposite.

We got a Vizio Smart-TV last year, and we have ROKU boxes on two other TVs. Initially, the Vizio had problems with Netflix, but they finally resolved that (firmware can be upgraded over the 'net). Recently, Netflix finally allowed multiple profiles - this was important as DW did not want my documentaries in her queue and I didn't want her 'dramas' in mine. Surprisingly, Vizio updated and works with the separate profiles, ROKU says sometime next year.

If you get the Smart-TV, you can always add a ROKU box to it. They aren't that much, and I don't think the price difference of smart/dumb TVs is much either.

Though, ROKU does mean one more remote. Oh, that reminds me - the 'instant replay' of the last 10 seconds seems to work better on ROKU, and that is its own button.

-ERD50

 

[Katsmeow]

I guess I have one (didn't know it was called that). It is a Sony and you get Netflix, hulu, and some other stuff (I mostly use the netflix and hulu).