I’ve sort of decided that I will buy some kind of smart tv device, but I can’t quite decide which one.
Choices seem to be:
Amazon FireTV (or stick version of same)
Roku (various flavours)
Apple TV
Mini Windows/Android dual boot PC
Which should I choose and why? Does any of them do everything that the others do? Do any of them have conspicuously missing features?
I can only speak to Roku, which has everything that I need, including Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, Crackle, and Vudu. Simple to install, simple to use, plus the remote can double as a game control for simple games like Angry Birds.
We have the Roku 3, and I highly recommend it. Double check for each one in the running that it has all the services you use. For example, I think the Apple TV didn’t have an Amazon application. I think that has been, or is about to be, rectified.
We use Netflix, Amazon, HBO Go and Hulu, and the Roku has them all, along with a lot of things we don’t use.
You said “Smart TV”, but I consider all of these as alternatives to that. Our Samsung TV is a “Smart TV” in that it technically has all of these streaming applications too. Despite having this functionality we chose to buy the Roku anyway, because the Samsung user interface is a frustrating, slow, confusing mess. I generally am distrustful of software written by manufacturers just trying to tick a check box on the features list. Interfaces written by software companies (e.g. Amazon or Google or Apple) or by companies where they live or die by their interfaces (e.g. Roku) tend to provide a much more superior experience. Its easy to neglect this point since it isn’t as well documented in the feature list but in my humble opinion makes a huge difference in the value provided by these sorts of devices.
Thanks - yes - I’m definitely not intending to buy a TV with these features built in, but rather a box that adds ‘smart’ features to my relatively dumb existing TV.
It comes down to where you buy your movies and stuff. If you’re invested in the Apple ecosystem - you probably want AppleTV because it will connect seamlessly with your other Apple devices.
If you’re a Prime subscriber, and you get your stuff at Amazon, you’ll be very happy with the FireTV.
We have a Roku, and we’ve liked it just fine, although the wireless signal isn’t great. Until last week, Amazon didn’t have a way to get AcornTV, so that’s why we chose them. But when we replace it with a newer model, we’ll probably switch to Amazon, just because we’re Prime subscribers and we’re always there, anyway. Amazon just made a deal with AcornTV so that all works out
The big benefit to Roku is that it’s platform and TV agnostic.
Don’t get a Smart TV, because then you’re limited to whatever your TV manufacturer wants to support, and if you don’t like it, you’ll have to get a whole new tv.
I like my Roku stick. I got it so that my parents would be entertained during their Thanksgiving visit, and it was a success. They didn’t go into cable TV withdrawals. And I’m enjoying it too. Very easy to set up and I can watch my Netflix, Amazon, and youtube programs. And then with my SlingTV app, I feel like I’ve got it just as good as any cable subscriber.
At the moment, I am no subscribed to any streaming movie services - so I guess I’m looking for the solution that has the best range of choices available for it.
I don’t have any Apple devices. Does AppleTV offer anything unique besides integration?
This isn’t even remotely true.
I have a Vizio 4K TV, and we use the Netflix app to watch movies, but if we wanted to do something else, we could just hook a stick or an Apple TV to one of the 5 HDMI inputs.
Given what you’ve said, I’d say either a Roku or an HTPC - the latter of which has significant needs in exchange for the greater versatility. With an HTPC, you’d need a wireless keyboard, and it would need all the care and feeding of a regular windows computer. The Roku, I gather, is far more set it up and then forget it, and it appears to be the most versatile of the streaming boxes out there. And I’m speaking as a fellow who has used an HTPC for ten years…
I have a Chromebox. It looks like a PC to services on the internet so you don’t have the content restrictions of streaming devices- if you can stream it on a PC you can on a Chromebox- without the overhead of a Windows system.
Here’s an ariticle comparing the various living room set top boxes; it may help.
More or less, all the devices support all the major stream providers. Amazon Instant Video doesn’t have an app for the Apple TV yet, but it’s expected to arrive soon.
Some unique features of the Apple TV are HomeKit integration- so if you want to buy some smart home appliances (door locks, lights, thermostat, etc) you can control them remotely. Also, if the iOS App Store is any indication, you can expect the Apple TV App Store to have the most robust app selection of any of the other devices.
This is more of a question than a statement but it relates directly to what the OP seems to need. The new Google Chromecast (the one shaped like a hockey puck, with an HDMI cable coming out) seems like just the thing to turn a dumb TV into a smart TV. AFAICT, it’s not a streaming device in itself, but allows a phone or tablet to “cast” content including local or streaming video to the TV. Basically it seems to be a Wi-Fi connector, equivalent to an HDMI adapter for the device.
My concern would be that the Wi-Fi would limit bandwidth, depending on your Wi-Fi configuration. Many Wi-Fi configs don’t have the bandwidth to support 1080p, for instance – or even 720p – and it’s even worse if you’re streaming because the device has to receive the content over Wi-Fi, play it, and send it out again to the Chromecast unit.
But other than bandwidth this seems like a cheap and convenient wireless solution if you already have decent streaming capability on a mobile device.
Instead of getting boxes, I bought a 27" iMac to use as my main TV. I don’t have cable or an antenna, I get all my stuff either streaming via Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, or I get DVDs from Netflix.
I don’t think that’s true. Even a several years old 802.11n router has the real world throughput (provided the conditions don’t totally suck) to both download a 1080p stream and send that stream from computer to a TV device.
edit
nm
But then what’s the value of a smart tv over a dumb one? I purchased a smart tv to avoid having to attach another device, then LG stopped supporting both Amazon and Hulu on that model. I really don’t understand what good I get from having a television hooked to the network if it can’t do the things I want it to do online. I think I wasted money buying a smart tv and caution others against doing the same.
Maybe some of you smart people can help me. I have an old TV that I bought at Montgomery Wards several years ago – so long ago I can’t even remember what year. The picture is still very good so I can’t justify buying a new TV. Are any of these devices a viable choice for me so I can cut cable? Would I need another device to make sure my roku, etc., worked correctly?
I think this is a particularly egregious example of the concern I expressed earlier. The manufacturer just wanted to be able to print “Smart TV!” and “Apps!” on the side of the box. Actually doing a half decent job is secondary. And actually supporting those applications a year later, when the specific model isn’t even on the market anymore, is even less of a concern.
Personally I think the value of a “Smart TV” is limited by the manufacturer’s unwillingness or inability to engineer a solid user experience with streaming applications. The external box providers seem to have a better track record.
I have a similar problem with my LG Blu ray. Amazon decided to stop supporting it pretty much randomly so I have been considering getting a Roku also. This thread has been interesting reading.
Depends. Does your TV have an HDMI input? Do you have a reliable internet connection for the Roku (or any other such device)? On the latter, wifi is fine, but I would suggest running an ethernet cable from your router to the set top box.
There may be adapters from the device to the TV for alternate video inputs, but then you run into problems with getting sound to the TV; an HDMI connection handles both sound and video.