[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]

Originally Posted by JMintzer

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]

Originally Posted by village dreamer

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by jimmy o

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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.