smart tv......right

[village dreamer]

just purchased a new smart tv, it aint that smart. 2 hours later, fine pass words?? go on to all the apps. what a pain in the butt. i miss the old days, plug it in hook up rabbit ears .... done. i feel like im 100 years old.

[tophcfa]

Hook up a Roku to it and it will become a good smart TV.

[Pugchief]

just purchased a new smart tv, it aint that smart. 2 hours later, fine pass words?? go on to all the apps. what a pain in the butt. i miss the old days, plug it in hook up rabbit ears .... done. i feel like im 100 years old.

Hook up a Roku to it and it will become a good smart TV.

Roku or some other platform, it matters not. You will still have to log in to any streaming service you pay for every time you get a new TV or Roku device.

An external Roku/Firestick/Chromecast, etc requires initial log in to apps. Yes, then the stick can be moved to another TV without passwords.

[retiredguy123]

Hook up a Roku to it and it will become a good smart TV.
I agree. All 4 of my TVs are smart TVs, but I have a Roku stick connected to every one because it just works better than the built in smart TV features.

[Pairadocs]

I agree. All 4 of my TVs are smart TVs, but I have a Roku stick connected to every one because it just works better than the built in smart TV features.

100% AGREE with every word. Did the same, the basic Roku sticks were so inexpensive at Christmas time (so often they are a "come on" item during the Thanksgiving sale day) we just bought 4 one year. Much easier than going through the annoying routine on our "smart" TV's. Only regret... wish now we had the "fancy" voice activated search ones...lazy, lazy. I do miss the simple life, plug in TV that was it, and you always KNEW which channel to watch the Olympics, the U.S. open, which channel had the Friday night fights... all so confusing now it makes me feel like an imbecile !

[JMintzer]

During Amazon Prime sales, their FireSticks are dirt cheap. And yes, they have the voice recognition you want...

[dhdallas]

During Amazon Prime sales, their FireSticks are dirt cheap. And yes, they have the voice recognition you want...

FireSticks are cheap because they are made to drive business to Amazon. Roku is the best.

[dhdallas]

I agree. All 4 of my TVs are smart TVs, but I have a Roku stick connected to every one because it just works better than the built in smart TV features.

Why didn't you buy a smart TV with Roku?

[dhdallas]

just purchased a new smart tv, it aint that smart. 2 hours later, fine pass words?? go on to all the apps. what a pain in the butt. i miss the old days, plug it in hook up rabbit ears .... done. i feel like im 100 years old.

What are "fine" passwords? What kind of smart tv did you buy? Mine are all Roku enabled TV's and are easy to setup.

[village dreamer]

need pass words for netflex and disney apps, and we also have fire stick.

[retiredguy123]

Why didn't you buy a smart TV with Roku?
I do have one. But, they are difficult to find in large size TVs. Also, I still think you get more flexibility by using a Roku stick because, if it fails, you can always just buy another Roku stick for less than 40 dollars.

[sdeikenberry]

just purchased a new smart tv, it aint that smart. 2 hours later, fine pass words?? go on to all the apps. what a pain in the butt. i miss the old days, plug it in hook up rabbit ears .... done. i feel like im 100 years old.

It's understandable that as you approach new technology it may be a bit confusing and feel like it's more work. I believe if you stick with it, in a short time...after you are more comfortable with how it all works...you'll come to appreciate not being tied to a cable service and you'll spend less money for better product. My advice is to NOT use the smart TV apps but purchase a ROKU Ultra which has voice with it. Much better interaction experience.

[Papa_lecki]

The secret now, as we age, is to plan to buy the same brand TV in all your rooms. We settled on LG - and both houses, every room with a TV has the same interface.
I am not a big Roku fan, we use the apps on the TV - get TV from YouTubeTV.

[Ptmcbriz]

So you have to log into each app with your password once in the entire lifetime of the tv. So what is your complaint? Oh….got it. You want the tv to read your mind so you don’t have to use your fingers.

[Kamaaina]

Easy fix: Have the grand kids come for a visit. Hand them the remote, your smart phone, and a plate of grandma's cookies. Challenge them to make it all work and leave them go at it.

[La lamy]

I love Samsung TVs. They come with their own streaming service that has hundreds of free channels. So easy to set up too.

[Rzepecki]

During Amazon Prime sales, their FireSticks are dirt cheap. And yes, they have the voice recognition you want...

July 16-17, I believe.

[MidWestIA]

Just get the you tube tv app has most channels

[DrHitch]

just purchased a new smart tv....

Think of a smart TV the same way that you're driving on an interstate.

Once you're on I-4, You only see billboards and exits that are on that interstate... Similar to the world of Netflix.

So you have to exit that interstate and go to a different route (e.g. Amazon Prime, YouTube, etc)....each smart app is its own world.

That said, the world can be at your fingertips. Much more than antenna or cable TV.

Unless you watch a lot of movies, I'd suggest you install an all-in-one app such as YouTube TV. Under one app account, you get BOTH local TV channels plus much more news, sports, etc.

And, as others have said, your TV runs (operating system) on Amazon Fire or Roku.... Some say that Roku is easier to operate. IMHO, they're about the same. Yes, each app requires a login password and lots of your money! Haha.

[mike234]

The secret now, as we age, is to plan to buy the same brand TV in all your rooms. We settled on LG - and both houses, every room with a TV has the same interface.
I am not a big Roku fan, we use the apps on the TV - get TV from YouTubeTV.
yup..I do the same thing. same tv in all my rooms, everywhere. one tv remote works all of them. and I thought I was the smartest guy in the world...

[midiwiz]

just purchased a new smart tv, it aint that smart. 2 hours later, fine pass words?? go on to all the apps. what a pain in the butt. i miss the old days, plug it in hook up rabbit ears .... done. i feel like im 100 years old.

This thread is WAY too funny I can't stop laughing!

[rsmurano]

Apple 4K devices are the best. They can do so much more than the cheap roku, fire sticks, chromecast, and smart TVs. For example, when somebody comes to my front door with my ring doorbell,my Apple TV gives me a screen to show me who’s at the door. So much more on downloadable apps, hub functions, streaming music and videos from phones/tablets

[cphague]

1 - You can hook up an antennae on your roof or in your attic, point it at Orlando and maybe get your TV the old way. Just remember to cancel your subscriptions. Then you can go back to the old days you want.
2 - The closest thing you can get to old cable TV without cable TV is YouTube TV, Hulu Live TV or several others. You'll pay for it, but it sure is nice; log on and only open one app for all your channels, if that is your thing.
2 - Everyone is right, if you use streaming services, you have to log into them all. One time and done unless you buy a new TV or streaming device.
3 - Roku, Google TV, Fire TV essentially all do the same thing. Load the apps you want, log on to those services and move on with your life. You just figure out which OS you like best.
4 - I have a Sony with Google TV - it's great. On the lanai I have an old TV with a Google TV Chromecast in the HDMI. In my wife's sewing room, I have a 24" with an old Roku for her.

Final thought - I grew up with an antennae on the roof and three or four stations. While free is nice, I do not want to go back to that. I like the freedom of watching what I want, when I want.

[jimmy o]

just purchased a new smart tv, it aint that smart. 2 hours later, fine pass words?? go on to all the apps. what a pain in the butt. i miss the old days, plug it in hook up rabbit ears .... done. i feel like im 100 years old.
Todays tvs are more complicated, but yesteryears tvs were extremely limited. The tvs had about 20 channels on the dial, but only 4 stations to pick from. Then tuned into mosly static and constant fiddling with antenna. Then once you picked a station that did finally produce a decent quality black and white picture a tube would suddenly blow. Yep, I sure miss those old tvs.

[airstreamingypsy]

I have 7 smart tvs and a Firestick in each one. If I go visit family, I simply bring a Firestick with me so I can still watch my shows. I like Firesticks because the interface on smart tvs is not very intuitive, but Firesticks are easy with their little easy remotes.

[JGibson]

Be warned if you use a Roku, Firestick, Google TV, or Apple TV don't use the USB on the TV for power. Plug it directly into an electrical outlet.

The excessive heat from the USB can overheat the TV and either shorten its lifespan or damage the circuitry and render the TV useless.

Been there and learned a valuable lesson, good thing TVs don't cost as much as they did.

[Topspinmo]

My recommendation don’t buy Hisense in about 4 years they won’t upgrade updates and stuck going through several clicks with tV remote to get message off screen so you can watch TV if you’re that lucky. Yes it also not so smart tV.

[Topspinmo]

Todays tvs are more complicated, but yesteryears tvs were extremely limited. The tvs had about 20 channels on the dial, but only 4 stations to pick from. Then tuned into mosly static and constant fiddling with antenna. Then once you picked a station that did finally produce a decent quality black and white picture a tube would suddenly blow. Yep, I sure miss those old tvs.

Cable TV came out around 1970 or earlier.

I don’t think he was talking about that old of TV. Like comparing model T ford to 49 ford. I think he was referring to 49 ford when comparing to Tesla.

[retiredguy123]

Be warned if you use a Roku, Firestick, Google TV, or Apple TV don't use the USB on the TV for power. Plug it directly into an electrical outlet.

The excessive heat from the USB can overheat the TV and either shorten its lifespan or damage the circuitry and render the TV useless.

Been there and learned a valuable lesson, good thing TVs don't cost as much as they did.
I agree. Also, the USB port usually doesn't provide enough power anyway. And, some USB ports on TVs are not even designed to provide power.

[Joe Mack]

just purchased a new smart tv, it aint that smart. 2 hours later, fine pass words?? go on to all the apps. what a pain in the butt. i miss the old days, plug it in hook up rabbit ears .... done. i feel like im 100 years old.

If you have a smart TV you don't need a roku, firestick or any add ons. Their sole purpose is to make dumb tvs smart, but are redundant on modern tvs. Yes, setting up your app passwords is a pia, but you only have to do it once. I feel your pain, but it's like stubbing your toe. It hurts but goes away quickly.

[dawabeav]

Don't buy the cheap one, get the one with 4k and volume control built in. That way you don't have to use the tv control for volume.

[retiredguy123]

Don't buy the cheap one, get the one with 4k and volume control built in. That way you don't have to use the tv control for volume.
You can buy a Roku stick that does that for $34.99 from Amazon, or $39.99 from Best Buy.

[bshuler]

Just get the you tube tv app has most channels
YouTube TV does not have History Channel. That’s huge for me.

[retiredguy123]

YouTube TV does not have History Channel. That’s huge for me.
You can add the "Frndly" streaming service for $7.99 per month and get the History channel.

The website, "suppose.tv" is an excellent website to find any streaming service that has the channels you want.

[Battlebasset]

I've been exclusively buying Roku TV's for about the past five years. I've had Insigna, and currently have an RCA and a TCL. The RCA is 65", the TCL is 50".

I like the interface. I have voice remotes for both. I have an antenna in the attic for network and other OTA channels, and pay for Netflix and Amazon Prime. Wife likes Britbox, and I'll go on and off ESPN+ and other platforms to watch what they have that I want to see, and then cancel when I'm done.

Works for me, but I understand the pain with logging in/out with everything. But the additional programming, view on demand is far superior to just turning it on and surfing, hoping you see something you like.

[Bill14564]

You can buy a Roku stick that does that for $34.99 from Amazon, or $39.99 from Best Buy.

I've been exclusively buying Roku TV's for about the past five years. I've had Insigna, and currently have an RCA and a TCL. The RCA is 65", the TCL is 50".

I like the interface. I have voice remotes for both....
...



Have you found any significant differences between the Roku and the Firestick or is it mostly personal preference and what you are used to? I haven't found my Firestick lacking but I'm considering a Roku next just to see what it's like.

I certainly like the idea of traveling with the Firestick. With an HDMI connector on the television and hotspot capability on my phone, I have all the channels I am used to having in the interface I am comfortable with.

[Battlebasset]

Have you found any significant differences between the Roku and the Firestick or is it mostly personal preference and what you are used to? I haven't found my Firestick lacking but I'm considering a Roku next just to see what it's like.

I certainly like the idea of traveling with the Firestick. With an HDMI connector on the television and hotspot capability on my phone, I have all the channels I am used to having in the interface I am comfortable with.

I've got both Roku sticks and Amazon Fire Stick. I prefer the Roku, but it's probably because its the one I use the most. Not a great deal of difference, other than because the Firestick is Amazon, they tend to steer you to their content, vs the Roku being more open platform.

[Professor]

Agreed!

[Professor]

You can add the "Frndly" streaming service for $7.99 per month and get the History channel.

The website, "suppose.tv" is an excellent website to find any streaming service that has the channels you want.

Suppose.tv is what I used as well. It makes your choice relatively easy after you select the primary channels that are "must haves" for you.

[Professor]

Don't buy the cheap one, get the one with 4k and volume control built in. That way you don't have to use the tv control for volume.

Agreed.

[tophcfa]

Switched over to streaming this year and loving it and saving lots of $$. Bought 6 Roku devices last year during 50% off Christmas sale, 3 each for each of our homes. Everything has the exact same interface. Now have YouTube TV, Netflix, Prime, and Peacock (free with Xfinity internet) and the best part is we can watch everything at either home under the same subscription. Screw Comcast, we were paying almost twice as much and could only watch at one home.

[retiredguy123]

Have you found any significant differences between the Roku and the Firestick or is it mostly personal preference and what you are used to? I haven't found my Firestick lacking but I'm considering a Roku next just to see what it's like.

I certainly like the idea of traveling with the Firestick. With an HDMI connector on the television and hotspot capability on my phone, I have all the channels I am used to having in the interface I am comfortable with.
I have avoided the Firestick because of the possibility that Amazon will limit my app options. This is based on my experience with Amazon Fire tablets that I have owned. The Amazon Fire tablets pretend to be Androids, but they are not true Android tablets. I have always used Roku sticks, but maybe I am misinformed about the Firestick?

[Bill14564]

I have avoided the Firestick because of the possibility that Amazon will limit my app options. This is based on my experience with Amazon Fire tablets that I have owned. The Amazon Fire tablets pretend to be Androids, but they are not true Android tablets. I have always used Roku sticks, but maybe I am misinformed about the Firestick?

I have the same frustration with the fire tablets.

I am not aware of any streaming apps that are not available on the firestick. That said, I haven't tried many obscure apps, I have stuck with Hulu, Netfilx, Max, Peacock, etc.

[tophcfa]

Have you found any significant differences between the Roku and the Firestick or is it mostly personal preference and what you are used to? I haven't found my Firestick lacking but I'm considering a Roku next just to see what it's like.

I certainly like the idea of traveling with the Firestick. With an HDMI connector on the television and hotspot capability on my phone, I have all the channels I am used to having in the interface I am comfortable with.
Unlike Roku, Firestick (Amazon), Chromcast (Google), and Apple TV, all have an agenda that goes far beyond providing the best streaming device.

[jedalton]

Absolutely correct

[Bill14564]

Unlike Roku, Firestick (Amazon), Chromcast (Google), and Apple TV, all have an agenda that goes far beyond providing the best streaming device.

Exactly what is the Firestick (Amazon) agenda that goes far beyond providing the best streaming device and how does it make my streaming experience different than retiredguy's?

[Bill14564]

With the fire stick you can side load a lot of programs you cannot do that with Roku especially streaming programs

If you had my streaming service for $35 a month you would get all that included with the service

I have not yet found a program that requires sideloading. I know there are a number of pirating apps but I prefer to stay on the legal side of streaming.

Given the choice between my conscience and your $35 pirating service, I choose my conscience.

[Runway48]

During our last stay in TV we rented a house with Apollo group TV app. Once I got used to it, I found it rather amazing. I could view almost anything from current movies to local TV broadcasts. And by local, I mean local anywhere across the country as long as I knew the station call letters, I could look at the local news from any station from California to New York. Having just paid my $350 monthly cable bill which supplies me with 500 channels of which I only look at about 6, I decided to look into apollo group tv. It requires a firestick or roku type device. It's incredibly inexpensive, less than $200/yr. When I look to cutting the cable, it seems I need to subscribe to a half dozen services to cover the cable offerings at which point the savings are not that great and there is a lot of redundancies. As the saying goes, "if it sounds too good to be true...." Does anyone have any experience with the apollo tv group app? Thanks.

[Bill14564]

During our last stay in TV we rented a house with Apollo group TV app. Once I got used to it, I found it rather amazing. I could view almost anything from current movies to local TV broadcasts. And by local, I mean local anywhere across the country as long as I knew the station call letters, I could look at the local news from any station from California to New York. Having just paid my $350 monthly cable bill which supplies me with 500 channels of which I only look at about 6, I decided to look into apollo group tv. It requires a firestick or roku type device. It's incredibly inexpensive, less than $200/yr. When I look to cutting the cable, it seems I need to subscribe to a half dozen services to cover the cable offerings at which point the savings are not that great and there is a lot of redundancies. As the saying goes, "if it sounds too good to be true...." Does anyone have any experience with the apollo tv group app? Thanks.


1. Legitimate rebroadcast services are only allowed to provide the local channels in your viewing area (I can get Orlando channels but not Baltimore channels)
2. Network owners (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, etc) are allowed to charge for rebroadcast of their content. This is why occasionally a channel will not be available on cable until the cable provider and the network agree on fees
3. Hulu Live and YouTube TV are in competition with one another yet both feel they need to charge about $75/month for local channels
4. Netflix, Max, and Showtime all need to charge $10-$20 per month to cover their costs for providing movie content
5. The NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and others all charge a significant amount for rebroadcast of their content
6. If all the above is accurate then I should only be able to get one set of local channels which alone should cost about $75/month and any licensed content such as movies should come with additional costs with sports being very expensive
OR,
7. all that is because most providers aren't as intelligent as the Apollo Group who can provide all of the above and more for only $100/year.

[Runway48]

1. Legitimate rebroadcast services are only allowed to provide the local channels in your viewing area (I can get Orlando channels but not Baltimore channels)
2. Network owners (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, etc) are allowed to charge for rebroadcast of their content. This is why occasionally a channel will not be available on cable until the cable provider and the network agree on fees
3. Hulu Live and YouTube TV are in competition with one another yet both feel they need to charge about $75/month for local channels
4. Netflix, Max, and Showtime all need to charge $10-$20 per month to cover their costs for providing movie content
5. The NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and others all charge a significant amount for rebroadcast of their content
6. If all the above is accurate then I should only be able to get one set of local channels which alone should cost about $75/month and any licensed content such as movies should come with additional costs with sports being very expensive
OR,
7. all that is because most providers aren't as intelligent as the Apollo Group who can provide all of the above and more for only $100/year.


Thanks for your reply,

With cable I feel like I am paying for a lot of content that I don't use or want. I don't watch a lot of TV. With apollo I was able to dial in what I wanted. While in TV this winter I was able to check on the local reporting of nasty weather back at my home in NY as well as the local take (as opposed to national new reports) on issues that may be affecting my son in California. My only complaint was that there were sometimes buffering issues. But I wasn't sure if that was a problem with Apollo or with the local ISP. And while we don't watch most of the recent movies, we were able to watch Oppenheimer in the comfort of the living room. I may give it try before cutting the cable. Interestingly they want you to pay with cryptocurrency. Which I can do through paypal. But it's different. While I get your comment about conscience, I don't think there is a lot of conscience in the cable companies. Competition is fundamental to our very successful capitalistic society. Others may change in the face of it.

[JMintzer]

What are "fine" passwords? What kind of smart tv did you buy? Mine are all Roku enabled TV's and are easy to setup.

"Find"... You really couldn't figure that out?

[JMintzer]

FireSticks are cheap because they are made to drive business to Amazon. Roku is the best.

I've never had an ad for Amazon on any of my Firestick loaded TVs. Where did you get that info?

[JoMar]

Just get the you tube tv app has most channels

The operative work is "most", which is not all. History channels for live broadcasting not available. Whenever you go to streaming you need to know what you don't get and/or what you can live without.

[Dorebea]

Alternately you can use a Firestick for the "one and done" setup. Similar to Roku.

[Nell57]

Switched over to streaming this year and loving it and saving lots of $$. Bought 6 Roku devices last year during 50% off Christmas sale, 3 each for each of our homes. Everything has the exact same interface. Now have YouTube TV, Netflix, Prime, and Peacock (free with Xfinity internet) and the best part is we can watch everything at either home under the same subscription. Screw Comcast, we were paying almost twice as much and could only watch at one home.
I do the exact same thing.
6 TVs , two different homes, all different brands. And by now they are all at least 7 years old. Originally they had a total of 13 different remotes. (Not sure what all we had going on)
After my husband died I put ROKU on all of them, so they all operate exactly the same. Six TVs …..six remotes. I am now the master of my TV life.
I agree with everyone who says to buy one brand and stick with it for all your TVs. When I start replacing TVs I’ll definitely do that.
But with Roku everything has worked flawlessly for 7 years. Changing TVs just seems like too much trouble.

[jedalton]

not true, you can't sideload many apps on Roku like you can with firestick.

[jimmy o]

Cable TV came out around 1970 or earlier.

I don’t think he was talking about that old of TV. Like comparing model T ford to 49 ford. I think he was referring to 49 ford when comparing to Tesla.
Yes I agree with you. But to set record straight. The first so-to-speak cable station was “On-tv”. Launched in1977. It was a box that had to be wiggle-tuned (if that’s such a word) to only a handful of available programs. It was cool, but it also needed constant tuner fidgeting.

[harby]

I understand how confusion you r with sticks for old or new smart tv sets...I did install with fire stick with my (recently becoming old) tv set to get tv streaming...it works well as if I have a new smart tv set, smile. For our improved FL room (formerly lanani room), I decided to install onn (sell at Walmart) for half price with our oldest tv set, it runs well. Or you may find Fire Stick at Home Depot for $30 or so...maybe the sale is over? Enjoy shopping...glad that you ask for The Villagers' recommendations.

[Two Bills]

Seeing all this information, I think I am ready to get rid of my B&W tv and upgrade to a color set.
Don't think I would go as far as having a tv that's smarter than I.
What's with all these remotes and sticks people use with their sets?
Sounds very dangerous!

[Topspinmo]

Seeing all this information, I think I am ready to get rid of my B&W tv and upgrade to a color set.
Don't think I would go as far as having a tv that's smarter than I.
What's with all these remotes and sticks people use with their sets?
Sounds very dangerous!

Gotta ask do you still have commodore 128?:ho:

[Two Bills]

Gotta ask do you still have commodore 128?:ho:

No. Still using my trusty C.64.:thumbup: