If you have Apple TV, you don’t need a Smart TV do you? What would a SmartTV give you that Apple TV doesn’t?
It’s just the convenience of having it all in one place.
With a dumb TV, my older parents would regularly call me on the telephone saying that they wanted to watch Netflix. Then I would spend 15 minutes or more explaining which remote control to use, how to change the TV inputs, how to change the audio inputs, how to plug in their laptop, how to change settings on the computer so audio is output to the TV speakers, etc. etc. etc.
Now they have a smart TV. They just have to press the Netflix button on the remote.
No, I’m not. I downloaded a bunch of new apps from Google Play, same as I’ve done with my phone and tablet. Heck, Google Play detects my TV and lets me know if an app is compatible same as it does for my other devices. And I could sideload apps if I wanted as well. Again, depends on the OS.
ZipperJJ, Hopefully a better interface. I understand that some smart TVs can use a full keyboard.
There’s no buying a second device and finding a spot to put it and it’s wire, plus you only use one remote on one device instead of multiple interfaces and multiple remotes (or kludgey remotes). My main TV has enough other devices connected to it that I don’t really need the smart features, but I like that the secondary TV on my dresser doesn’t need devices taking up top space and a mess of cables. It’s especially handy if I decide to use that second TV in another room, since I just have to move the TV and power cable, I don’t have to fiddle with multiple devices and getting their connections to the right ports.
So for my situation, how is it ‘far better implemented’ on a tablet, smartphone, or desktop computer? I don’t see how finding space for a desktop and hooking it to the TV or running a cable over to the bed for a tablet or smartphone, then using the remote to turn on the TV and change input, followed by the device interface to watch a movie, and being unable to use my tablet or smartphone while watching TV would improve my experience. The ‘improved’ experience sounds a lot more cumbersome and takes away major utility for the gain of… a possibly better app for netflix that I’m only going to use for a minute to pick a show anyway?
I’ll also note that a PC may offer “endless possibilities” but I own a TV primarily for cinematic media consumption. I don’t need to type emails on it or read SDMB or check Facebook. It does what I want a TV to do and it does it better and with more flexibility than my prior televisions.
Right, Roku is doing this too. Android TV is used by Philips, Sharp and Sony. Roku TV software is used by Haier, Hisense, Hitachi, Insignia, Sharp and TCL.
Android TV is also used by LeEco and, if they buy Vizio as planned, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it there in the future.
Oh, and on the topic of wires, I realized it’s not just the cables from devices to the TV, it’s also power cords. With a smart TV I have a device that can do Netflix, Pandora, Amazon, Hulu, and so on that only needs to find one free regular sized outlet. If I use other devices, I need more outlets, and if the plug is odd-shaped (like a lot of them are) it may block off more than a single additional outlet, or not fit behind furniture. I don’t move my TV all that often, but I have on occasion, and it’s nice to be able to take advantage of the lightness of modern LCD TVs.
Yeah, the same is true for Roku TVs. With very few exceptions, you can install any of the several thousand Roku apps on a Roku TV, the same as you can on a set top box, and they are automatically upgraded when new versions are released.
I have a Smart Samsung TV, and rarely use the apps, as I have a Chromecast for streaming. However, the Chromecast doesn’t support 4K/UHD, so I occasionally use the built in YouTube for high resolution videos. Same for Netflix, very occasionally.
Wikileaks claims the CIA was advantaged by your Smart TV. You, not so much.
I’ll take it a step even further, unless you are watching over the air (OTA) signals via rabbit ears, why do you even need a television with a tuner in it? I have DirecTV and we use the receiver for all channels including local ones. My TV is just a big ass monitor without even the tuner. Saved about $250-300 by going this route. Although they are more difficult to find.
Omar, I have DirectTV but it doesn’t have all the local channels, so I do use my antenna for OTA broadcasts.
I have a Samsung Smart TV and it is the dumbest thing ever. Every time I sit down to watch Netflix or Amazon, it has to “update”. The update always fails, or breaks. I’d say that less than ten percent of the time am I actually able to watch what I want. I have a Vizio Smart TV in the den and a Panasonic dumb TV in the living room. The dumb TV has a Chromecast and a Roku attached. Both the Vizio and the Panny are more reliable for online content than the Sammy. I can simply choose a program from my phone or tablet, select which TV I want to use, and I’m in entertainment Nirvana. Unless I choose the Sammy – then I get error messages.
Roku’s OS is based on Linux, just like Android is… its basically just a different user interface library and skin. And then LG’s WebOS is yet another version of Linux for mobile and smart TV’s…
Convenience: Smart TV technology combines Ethernet ports, integrated WiFi capability, Internet-based streaming video and online personal support with the medium of television. These features combined allow you to run apps, chat with friends, play games, check the weather, listen to music, engage in social networking and watch television on a Smart TV.
Interactive: The technology allows you to create your own television programming schedule so that you can watch what you want, when you want, with who you want.
Keyboard Remote Control
device Connections: Multiple USB ports enable connecting devices, such as a cellphone or digital camera, to the Smart TV.
I hardly know how to respond to this. It’s like saying the difference between World of Warcraft and Excel is “just a different user interface library and skin” because they both run on Windows. Roku and Android TV are very large and completely different bodies of software, many hundreds of thousands of lines of code that have nothing in common. The fact that they both run on Linux is hardly more relevant than the fact that they both use silicon in their hardware. Nothing of significance, not even the lowest levels of the video decoding software, are shared between them.