Does anyone like smart TV operating systems or do you use a streaming device?

[MichaelL]

I saw this thread just after I finished installed a Fire TV Stick 4K on my Vizio TV. The Fire TV is so much better. The Vizio has apps that I used, mainly Netflix and Amazon and YouTube. YouTube would clog up and stall after a few minutes. It might advance for a bit and then stall again. I have to power off and power on to clear it. I decided that the problem was a bloated app on an under powered TV. It is a few years old and I could get a new one but the Fire TV was the right choice. YouTube works great on the Fire TV, and there are so many things on there that I plan to cancel my AT&T Uverse on Monday and only use the Fire TV Stick. The picture appears sharper and better colors too. And it only cost $27.

 

[Midpack]

I just took a quick look at the channels listed on roku.com and I don't see anything I'd be interested in that I can't already find on my smart-TV. I'm curious what content folks find useful on Roku that can't be found on a typical smart-TV?

How do you take a quick look at over a thousand channels? Your smart TV may have all the channels you want, but there’s no way they’re comparable to Roku, Amazon, Apple or Chromecast ***.

At one time, I would have agreed with you. And I probably posted that same sentiment a few years ago. But, as a blanket statement, it's clearly not true anymore.

*** I just looked at what’s now available on Samsung Smart TVs, and it’s about 200 channels vs Rokus over 1000. However, the quality of the additional 800 may/not be of value. So I may stand corrected…there are way more channels now than when I bought my smart Samsung TV.

 

[EdL3]

I agree that the LG OS is lacking, however we use it on our primary viewing set along with a cable subscription that includes HBOMax. We use it for Netflix, Hulu, Prime, & AppleTV.

On our older LG sets we use an AppleTV box. I’ve never tried Roku. What we have works fine. Definitely not cost effective though.

 

[Cobra9777]

...I just looked at what’s now available on Samsung Smart TVs, and it’s about 200 channels vs Rokus over 1000. However, the quality of the additional 800 may/not be of value. So I may stand corrected…there are way more channels now than when I bought my smart Samsung TV.

According to this Lifewire article, the Samsung TV app library has "more than a thousand apps." I would guess there's nearly 100% overlap with Roku channel availability. Even the Roku Channel app itself can be installed. I saw it when browsing the app library on DS's Samsung smart TV. I even have the Roku Channel app installed on my Fire TV devices.

Anyway, in my mind, it's less about quantity and more about the quality of apps, speed/performance, and versatility. On early smart TVs, the quality of common apps (like Netflix and Prime) was terrible and rarely if ever updated. Nothing at all like the one you'd have on a standalone streaming device at that time. On today's smart TVs, the apps are identical and sometimes better.

Also, early smart TVs had terrible performance problems with frequent stalling and buffering. I'm guessing the hardware just wasn't up to the task. I've never seen any buffering on my son's Samsung smart TV. Plus the interface is smooth, snappy, and pleasing to the eye, exactly the same as standalone streaming devices... and maybe better than my 1-year-old Fire TV Cube. You can also install almost any new app you want and they update automatically, same as streaming devices.

All that said, I still think the embedded smart functionality in a TV will likely be obsolete about 2-3 years after purchase. The TV display itself won't be obsolete for double or triple that time. So, I'm still a believer in standalone streaming devices. But not because smart TVs are inherently inferior. They are not. I'd just rather spend my money on a great display and buy a cheap new streaming device every 2-3 years.

 

[MC Rider]

We "stream" from an OTA antenna on our 2010 HDTV, which I guess is a dumb TV. At least it is not a rabbit ear.



This helps to minimize the slime from the video, oozing along on our living room floor.

 

[2177V]

According to this Lifewire article, the Samsung TV app library has "more than a thousand apps." I would guess there's nearly 100% overlap with Roku channel availability. Even the Roku Channel app itself can be installed. I saw it when browsing the app library on DS's Samsung smart TV. I even have the Roku Channel app installed on my Fire TV devices.
On today's smart TVs, the apps are identical and sometimes better.

Also, early smart TVs had terrible performance problems with frequent stalling and buffering. I'm guessing the hardware just wasn't up to the task. I've never seen any buffering on my son's Samsung smart TV. Plus the interface is smooth, snappy, and pleasing to the eye, exactly the same as standalone streaming devices... and maybe better than my 1-year-old Fire TV Cube. You can also install almost any new app you want and they update automatically, same as streaming devices.

All that said, I still think the embedded smart functionality in a TV will likely be obsolete about 2-3 years after purchase. The TV display itself won't be obsolete for double or triple that time.

I have a recent 82 inch Samsung TV and I agree that the interface of a recent smart TV is smooth, snappy and pleasing. When I press the "home" button on my remote, two rows of icons shows up on the bottom half of the screen. The upper half display what I was watching. The first row shows recommended movies and shows based on what I have been watching. Kinda scary that my Smart TV knows what I like to watch.

The second row shows icons of my TV antenna, DVD player, Sling TV, internet, Amazon fire, audio system, PC display, roku, etc, etc for easy assess and switching by my remote by simply pressing the up, down, right or left until the icon is highlighted and then press OK in the middle of the remote. Easy and intuitive.

Since access to the icons of different inputs is so easy and programmable, I do not see how they can improve this interface. They made it similar to a Window screen on your PC which you simply use your mouse to click the icon for Internet, Word, weather, etc. The only way they can make it better is to make a laser pointer on the screen to the icon and click OK.....rather using the up, down, right and left buttons. However, I am fine with using the up, down, right and left button to navigate on my Samsung smart TV.

The only issue is that when I switch to Roku or Amazon fire...I then have to use a different remote. I do have a logitech harmony remote which integrate my Samsung TV remote, my Sony stereo remote and Pioneer DVD player remote into a single harmony remote. However, integrating a Roku and/or Amazon fire remote has not happened yet but I am hoping logitech harmony is working on that.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Since access to the icons of different inputs is so easy and programmable, I do not see how they can improve this interface. They made it similar to a Window screen on your PC which you simply use your mouse to click the icon for Internet, Word, weather, etc.

Smart TV app menus are S-L-O-W. Not just the up-down-right-left maneuvering, but also opening the streaming apps. Roku and Fire Stick are noticeably faster, I would say they are snappy compared to Smart TV app menus.

The only way they can make it better is to make a laser pointer on the screen to the icon and click OK.....rather using the up, down, right and left buttons. However, I am fine with using the up, down, right and left button to navigate on my Samsung smart TV.

My LG TV has a "magic remote" which has a pointer like a mouse. This speeds up navigating the cursor significantly but opening the streaming apps is still maddeningly slower than my ROKU.

 

[Freedom56]

We have eight 4K TVs now over 3 residences. We use Roku streaming devices on our Samsung LCD TVs as well as our LG OLED TVs. The operating systems and apps on our LG and Samsung TVs are just too slow and often unstable. The Roku 4K streaming devices are much faster and are updated much more frequently. We have a TCL Roku TV at our condo and although it was the least expensive TV, it was the best integrated with one simple remote to control streaming channels, antenna and cable input, and hard drives containing media.

 

[2177V]

Smart TV app menus are S-L-O-W. Not just the up-down-right-left maneuvering, but also opening the streaming apps. Roku and Fire Stick are noticeably faster, I would say they are snappy compared to Smart TV app menus.

My LG TV has a "magic remote" which has a pointer like a mouse. This speeds up navigating the cursor significantly but opening the streaming apps is still maddeningly slower than my ROKU.

I have Roku, Fire TV and a 2 years old Samsung QLED high end TV ($5,000 retail when it first came out but are now discounted) and the speed and snappiness are similar for all three. Sounds like you have a low end TV (less than $5,000) which would explain why your smart TV is slower…or your smart TV is older than 2 years.

You get what you paid for. However I do not have a magic remote feature so I do have to use the up, down, left, right buttons to navigate but the highlighted icon moves very quickly.

 

[2177V]

We have eight 4K TVs now over 3 residences. We use Roku streaming devices on our Samsung LCD TVs as well as our LG OLED TVs. The operating systems and apps on our LG and Samsung TVs are just too slow and often unstable. The Roku 4K streaming devices are much faster and are updated much more frequently. We have a TCL Roku TV at our condo and although it was the least expensive TV, it was the best integrated with one simple remote to control streaming channels, antenna and cable input, and hard drives containing media.

Your remote control probably cannot control a separate high end Dolby sound audio system that some people add to compliment the TV. Sounds like you are using the TV sound for your audio. This means you do not get the immersive effect of a IMAX theater. As I stated previously, the older and cheaper smart TV are indeed slow but the newer high end smart TV are just as fast as a Roku since I have both to compare. I really like my harmony remote because pressing one button turns on both my high end $5,000 TV and all of my high end $5,000 audio system including my CD/DVD player and other equipment. However I have to use the separate Roku remote because logictech has not integrated both remotes at this time.

When people are comparing an older and cheaper smart TVs with a Roku then I do agree that Roku is faster and snappier. However when you compare Roku to a recent top of the line TV then the speed and snappiness are similar. Do you really expect a buyer who just paid $5,000 or more for a recent top of the line smart TV will be happy with a slow navigational system?

My Samsung TV is 8K and I do not think wireless routers have the bandwidth to support wireless video transmission in 8K. I will use an Ethernet cable connected directly to my 8K TV when 8K content becomes available. Even if Roku comes out with 8K then you may be limited by your router. I have yet to see a home use router that can support 8K wireless transmission.

 

[Freedom56]

Your remote control probably cannot control a separate high end Dolby sound audio system that some people add to compliment the TV. Sounds like you are using the TV sound for your audio. This means you do not get the immersive effect of a IMAX theater. As I stated previously, the older and cheaper smart TV are indeed slow but the newer high end smart TV are just as fast as a Roku since I have both to compare. I really like my harmony remote because pressing one button turns on both the TV and all of my high end $5,000 audio system and my CD/DVD player and other equipment. However I have to use the separate Roku remote because logictech has not integrated both remotes at this time.

When people are comparing an older and cheaper smart TVs with a Roku then I do agree that Roku is faster and snappier. However when you compare Roku to a recent top of the line TV then the speed and snappiness are similar. Do you really expect a buyer who just paid $5,000 or more for a recent top of the line smart TV will be happy with a slow navigational system?

My Samsung TV is 8K and I do not think wireless routers have the bandwidth to support wireless video transmission in 8K. I will use an Ethernet cable connected directly to my 8K TV when 8K content becomes available. Even if Roku comes out with 8K then you may be limited by your router. I have yet to see a router that can support 8K wireless transmission.

Our condo neighbors would not appreciate an immersive audio system so we use the sound from the TV. We have two 5.1 sound systems at our primary residence but the sound is controlled using a separate remote. We connect our TVs and Roku streaming devices with Ethernet connected to a 1 GB/sec switch then to our router. So we have no bandwidth issues even when we transition to 8K. However, other than YouTube, there is very little 8K content available. Even 4K broadcasts have not become mainstream yet.

 

[DayDreaming]

...When people are comparing an older and cheaper smart TVs with a Roku then I do agree that Roku is faster and snappier. However when you compare Roku to a recent top of the line TV then the speed and snappiness are similar. Do you really expect a buyer who just paid $5,000 or more for a recent top of the line smart TV will be happy with a slow navigational system?

My $400 Samsung TV is as fast and snappy as my Roku was. (Not saying that Roku was slow, just that my low-end TV works pretty darn well).

 

[2177V]

My $400 Samsung TV is as fast and snappy as my Roku was. (Not saying that Roku was slow, just that my low-end TV works pretty darn well).

That was my point when people was making a statement that their Roku is so much faster than a smart TV. It all depends on the TV.

 

[2177V]

Our condo neighbors would not appreciate an immersive audio system so we use the sound from the TV. We have two 5.1 sound systems at our primary residence but the sound is controlled using a separate remote. We connect our TVs and Roku streaming devices with Ethernet connected to a 1 GB/sec switch then to our router. So we have no bandwidth issues even when we transition to 8K. However, other than YouTube, there is very little 8K content available. Even 4K broadcasts have not become mainstream yet.

Some of my friends thought I was crazy to spend $5,000 on a high end TV and another $5,000 on a high end audio system to get the IMAX theater effect.

If I had a choice between a $35,000 new car or a $25,000 used car (that was $35,000 new) plus a $10,000 killer TV and killer audio system, I will always choose the latter. This is because I can fix my own cars and I enjoy getting the very best video quality and with the very best audio quality. I also enjoy listening to high quality music when I am not watching TV. My TV is 82 inches because a 75 inch TV was way too small for a IMAX theater effect.

 

[Qs Laptop]

I have Roku, Fire TV and a 2 years old Samsung QLED high end TV ($5,000 retail when it first came out but are now discounted) and the speed and snappiness are similar for all three. Sounds like you have a low end TV (less than $5,000) which would explain why your smart TV is slower…or your smart TV is older than 2 years.

Yes, my TV is not a $5,000+ TV and yes, it is older than 2 years. I did have several chances to use my sister's high end 75" Samsung and found it's user interface for streaming apps to be slow. However, that TV was 4 or 5 years old.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

My 55" TCL Roku TV was $269 4 years ago, I still love it and have no problems with lagging or anything else.
I would never spend anywhere near 5K for any equipment simply because technology keeps changing so fast and it will be obsolete in a couple of years.
But to each his own, as long as we're happy that's all that counts

 

[2177V]

My 55" TCL Roku TV was $269 4 years ago, I still love it and have no problems with lagging or anything else.
I would never spend anywhere near 5K for any equipment simply because technology keeps changing so fast and it will be obsolete in a couple of years.
But to each his own, as long as we're happy that's all that counts

I purchased high end Polk RT7 speakers 25 years ago and I found it amazing that these speakers still sound good although they are in my bedroom. I now have top of the line Polk LSiM703 speakers in my living room which should last until I kick the bucket. High end amplifiers and receivers and TV only last 7 or 8 years but I do not mind spending big bucks since I am 70 now so there may be a time when I can’t drive any more so entertainment at home is important to me. I can’t take money with me when I kick the bucket.

 

[cathy63]

That was my point when people was making a statement that their Roku is so much faster than a smart TV. It all depends on the TV.

Yes, exactly. I just did a comparison test where I timed how long it takes to go from "TV is off" to watching the first episode of "Wheel of Time" on Amazon Prime via the 2021 Samsung TV native app or via the Roku Streaming Stick purchased in Sept 2020. The TV app took 1:02 and the Roku was 1:03, so basically the same performance.

All a/v stuff was restarted yesterday when we rearranged the furniture and nobody had watched Amazon Prime on either device since. Both the TV and Roku have the Amazon app in the 2nd position on the home screen. (The Samsung remote does have a button for Amazon Prime, but I did not use it for this test.) The UI for the apps is identical, so I chose the same profile and did the same search in both cases.

 

[Luvtoride]

Yes, exactly. I just did a comparison test where I timed how long it takes to go from "TV is off" to watching the first episode of "Wheel of Time" on Amazon Prime via the 2021 Samsung TV native app or via the Roku Streaming Stick purchased in Sept 2020. The TV app took 1:02 and the Roku was 1:03, so basically the same performance.

All a/v stuff was restarted yesterday when we rearranged the furniture and nobody had watched Amazon Prime on either device since. Both the TV and Roku have the Amazon app in the 2nd position on the home screen. (The Samsung remote does have a button for Amazon Prime, but I did not use it for this test.) The UI for the apps is identical, so I chose the same profile and did the same search in both cases.

Nice test methodology! I'd hire you as a consumer reports tester. I think the biggest improvement most of the streaming services have done is added "signing in" to the service via phone or computer, rather than typing your log on credentials onto the TV itself.
There are so many ways to watch streaming services now ( I don't think anyone here mentioned watching via the App on your tablet or phone and doing "airplay" or "Screencast" to your TV) Its really just a matter of what you're most comfortable with.
I know that my wife thinks any of these methods take too long and feels like you need at least 5 minutes lead time before watching ANYTHING via a TV App or streaming device.

 

[2177V]

Now that the unofficial speed test implied that Roku and late model Samsung TV are similar in performance, I can now answer the question on whether I use Samsung TV apps or my Roku or Amazon Fire stick. Currently I am using Samsung TV apps more when I need to watch 4K content. This is because I have an Ethernet cable connection from my Samsung TV to my gigabyte output of my Asus router. The wireless speed of my router is slower and will never be as fast as an Ethernet cable. However for HD content, it does not matter. For 4K content it does matters for larger screen TV.

A side issue: I have ExpressVPN service which cost $99 for 12 months. VPN service is important to me because I watch sports event in the SF Bay Area which are subject to blackout for the local team home games. With a VPN, I connect to a server in Denver CO and I am assigned an IP address in Denver. I can now circumvent the SF Bay Area blackout sporting events. I can now watch 100% of the Golden State Warriors basketball games for both home games and away games. The other benefit of a VPN is the VPN encrypt the signal from my modem to Denver CO servers. Not an issue while watch TV since who cares whether someone knows that I am watching squid games on Netflix but when I use my PC and do online banking, I feel more secured knowing the VPN encryption is securing my banking transactions. Just another layer of privacy from prying eyes.

 

[rayvt]

Some people don't know how to shop.

Our VPN is PIA (Private Internet Access), $31/year.

Sams Club has "Top Rated" 4K TVs for $800 for 75" up to $1400 for 82". Ditto for Costco. No reason to pay $5000. Nobody cares, nobody envies you for paying that much.

We got a 65" 4K UHD smart TV last year Black Friday sale for $425. Works perfectly fine. great picture.

 

[2177V]

Some people don't know how to shop.

Our VPN is PIA (Private Internet Access), $31/year.

Sams Club has "Top Rated" 4K TVs for $800 for 75" up to $1400 for 82". Ditto for Costco. No reason to pay $5000. Nobody cares, nobody envies you for paying that much.

We got a 65" 4K UHD smart TV last year Black Friday sale for $425. Works perfectly fine. great picture.

According to the following link....

https://www.top10vpn.com/top10/unit...-EN&utm_term=best vpn&utm_content=Best VPN-EX

Express VPN is rated number 1 while PIA is rated number 2.

According to the following link on my Samsung TV that I purchased........

At 1:36 minute into this video the reviewer stated: "Everyone's budget is different".

It does appear that my budget is different than your budget. This is because I am age 70 and I cannot take money with me when I kick the bucket. Therefore I want the very best which includes the number 1 VPN and a $5000 TV

This debate between the "very best" versus the "highest value" reminds me of comparing a $80K C8 Corvette with a $30K Miata. People who wants one of the very best buys the $80K corvette while buyers who wants the highest value buys the Miata. Budget is the most important consideration as noted in minute 1:36 of the above video.

I do not dispute that your recommendations represents a higher value like the Miata. However, you should not dispute that buying a C8 corvette represents one of the very best. (Car guys understand this point. A car guy who owns a C8 corvette would not take too kindly if someone tells him that he does not know how to shop).

Bottomline: You should not state that people who buys a C8 corvette does not know how to shop. Ditto for me who decided to get the very best VPN and a $5,000 TV. Otherwise we will regress into the "very best" versus the "highest value" debate. We should let the readers decide what is best for them. The very best? The highest value? or somewhere in between?

 

[FIREarly]

Now, use Google Chromecast... it's great!!