I’m fixing up our basement gym area, and rather than continuing to rely on iPads for entertainment while Mr. Athena and I work out, I’m gonna bit the bullet and buy a TV. We’d use it exclusively for streaming; I don’t think I’m going to hook it up to cable at all.
So what we’re looking for is something that will:
stream Netflix
stream Amazon
stream HBO GO
stream from YouTube
I’m guessing a whole lot of options for the above. Here’s the trickier ones:
I’m currently very much liking the exercise programs at https://coach.fitbit.com/. They have an iPad app I use to stream them currently; what can I use to stream them to the TV?
It’d be cool if it could be used for general web browsing.
I’m sorta-kinda leaning towards getting an XBox, because I hear the streaming from it is good, and then I’d have an XBox. Any reviews on that route? Or what else should I consider?
Bonus question:
What TV should I buy? It’s a pretty big space, so I’m thinking minimum 40". Could go bigger, but I’m also not looking to spend tons of $$ on this.
I know you will get lots of answers, but my suggestion would be a Roku unit. In my experience, they have the most channels available (including, I believe several fitness channels that MIGHT include Fitbit). Most of the models are capable of both wifi and wired operation, which works well for me. Some models also have a headphone jack in the remote control, which I also consider to be a benefit. They are also relatively inexpensive and you can get used ones for a steal.
I’m not a fan of any streaming system that relies on an external tablet, phone, or laptop. (I DO, however, use my Roku to stream media from my household media server downstairs.)
An Apple TV would allow you to cast the screen from your ipad/iphone video onto the TV. I don’t like using YouTube directly from the streaming device since it’s clunky to type. You have to use the remote to scroll around an on-screen keyboard to type things out. It’s much easier to bring up the video on your ipad and just have it show up on the TV. Casting also allows you to show any content from the web on your TV (like your training videos).
The stick is a little basic. If you want simple and cheap with no frills, go for it. The bigger FireTV box is more powerful and has more connectivity options.
One plus for some people is a voice remote. You can tell it to find Tom Hanks movies and such. People are adding stuff all the time so it’s like an an Alexa variant that replies via your TV.
They are also basically Android boxes so you can run a lot of Android apps on it. Look into this for your casting situation.
They do Amazon video out of the box, of course, plus Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, etc. are standard apps.
While Roku does all the major things, it’s a more limited ecosystem so less common sources that have Android apps may not be supported.
I know you said you don’t want to spend a ton of money but you may want to consider a smart TV. We just redid our basement and I splurged on a 65" 4K UHD (they do make them smaller). I get Amazon Prime, Hulu, Netflix, CBS All Access, Fox Now, Sling TV, You Tube and a ton of others I haven’t even tried… plus the picture is amazing. It also has Chromecast built in so if I can see it on my phone/tablet/laptop I can see it on the TV. Sure, I have to pay a bit for some of these but it is way cheaper than cable. I’m probably going to add an over the air antenna and cut the cable.
We have a Smart TV in the living room now, and the UI is so horrible that we pretty much never use it. The Tivo is much nicer.
We also have a Chromecast and a Fire stick (they’re cheap, wanted to try them) and those are OK, but i was hoping for something with more bells & whistles for the basement. I also don’t know if I can get my FitBit videos through them (I guess I should give it a try?)
If you have a Tivo, have you considered the Tivo mini? I don’t have one myself, so I can’t offer testimony, but as a fellow Tivo owner, that would be my first thought if I were trying to do what you are.
Like I said it wasn’t cheap but since we had already spent so much on the basement and this would be a focal point we decided to splurge. Even my wife loves it now.
This. I don’t think you’ll be “splurging” if you get a Smart TV. In fact, you’ll probably find that the TV you end up buying will have it built in anyway, even if you don’t intend to use it.
But in our Samsung experience, the UI is a horrible, clunky mess. This is definitely software written so that they could quickly add another bullet point to the side of the box. Roku (and I presume Amazon and Apple offerings) offers a much nicer experience. We have a Roku, and it works great.
My Sony is listed as an Android TV and the UI is as simple as using a smartphone.
I also love the voice command. I bought a movie for my wife the other day and I didn’t remember which app I got it from so I just said “Watch Casablanca” and it took me right to it.