Currently we are using Directv on our 12 year old flatscreen. I ‘m looking to upgrade to a Smart TV that will help me cut the big Directv cost with some streaming alternatives. Do the installed apps on the Smart TV dictate what services I can use, or can other apps be installed to use? I’m thinking about using YoutubeTV as my primary viewing service then adding one of the other services like Philo to add some channels not available on YouTube TV.
Does your TV have a browser?
Keith it depends on the TV and what it uses for the software interface. We have a TCL with built-in Roku so the TV's only limit is what Roku limits (which isn't much-I think HBO Max is it, and that's probably coming soon).
If you look for a TV with built in Roku or Amazon Fire you'll be fine.
U really think players are going to duke without being paid over Kentucky?--Gilbert Arenas, 9/12/19
My next will be a Roku TV. You will have additional HDMI ports if you ever additional stream devices.
Android TV or Web OS would be my 2nd option.
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Roku does not have a decent web browser yet. But I personally prefer to cast my browser from my laptop to my TV.
Roku is easy to use and supports pretty much every app.
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I am sure that the current Roku TVs are much better than the ones from a million years ago. But I just posted on another thread that the problem I was having with YouTube TV was not a problem with YouTube TV at all, but the very crappy wireless card built into the Roku TV that I had.
Keith, I think your plan is ideal. I don't know if this helps or not, but here are a couple of links that you might find interesting.
Hulu Plus Live TV vs. YouTube TV vs. Sling TV vs. Philo vs. FuboTV vs. AT&T TV Now vs. T-Mobile TVision: 100 channels compared - CNET
https://www.cnet.com/google-amp/news...nels-compared/
Philo vs YouTube TV - Cordcutting.com
https://cordcutting.com/compare/philo-vs-youtube-tv/
I will say that the Firestick has been by far the best device I have used. I have used built-in Roku, a Roku stick, and a Google Chromecast before the Firestick and the Firestick has been my favorite by far. Everything just works perfectly, quickly, and I really love the ability just to talk into the remote and tell it to turn on the Kentucky game, turn on Jeopardy, etc. any go straight to it without having to even go through a channel guide list. My son showed me some really cool things like I can tell it to show me my front door (we have a Ring doorbell) and I see immediately what is at my front door and my front yard on my television. Plus I can speak into my remote and it will speak through the Ring doorbell if there's someone that I need to speak with at my door.
Realize, of course, that I have been using very outdated technology, and it could be that just getting the latest of ANYTHING makes everything fly and work wonderfully.
(By the way, I'm back to recommending YouTube TV, notwithstanding the price hike. They are over 80 channels now, plus some optional add-ons if you want. I would think that if you take the channels that Philo has that YouTube does not, you'd cover just about anything that most people might want.)
Last edited by Darrell KSR; 11-26-2020 at 07:56 PM.
The TV I am looking at is a Samsung, the description says, “ Netflix, HBO NOW, Hulu, CBS, VUDU, Google Play Movies & TV, YouTube, Smart TV with Bixby Voice, Apps and Full Web Browser” under the streaming services heading.
I need to bookmark this thread as we will be addressing this within the next few months. Our CO house has no cable.... heck, most cellphone companies lack coverage ( we are way out in the boonies). We won't have traditional internet either. So I am looking for web options so I can have the internet. Most likely that will be satalite vased. Are those fast enough for TV streaming? Or am going to be forced to go DTv again?
Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been.--David Bowie.
Probably back to TV Doc. You may check into the business option of Satellite Internet. I don't think they throttle it.Originally Posted by Doc
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I know very little about all the things you need, but I don't think that the Internet speed has to be all that great for TV streaming to be fine. In my case, I just had an old television with built-in Roku and apparently a weak Wi-Fi card, and it would drop down to 1 or 2 Mbps, even though Wi-Fi devices right next to it would be well over 100. In any event, most of the time it would be fine, but I never remember it being over 18 Mbps and probably usually was under 10. Now, my services 400 Mbps, so what you receive from your ISP won't necessarily be what your television will be receiving, but mine was an anomaly. The whole purpose of this lengthy paragraph was just to say that I don't think you need all that much true Internet speed for good television streaming.
I have various smart TVs at work. I just personally do not like the browser on any of them. I just find them to be annoying. But maybe try one out in a store and form your own opinion. My brother's TV has a browser and he never uses it either. Overall I just like the interface of the Roku the best, and all of the ones I have do fine with YouTube and any major streaming app that I have tried. Roku is pretty simple and my 4 year old can use it. If your opinion differs than mine, I'd really like to hear it.
You can also add a chromecast, microsoft adapter, or firestick to the Roku if needed. A fire stick certainly has advantages if you are willing to get into the questionable area of legal streaming.
Do not go with Roku if you are looking for the latest and greatest video technology. They offer a fine picture IMO but they do not compare to the higher end TVs. I've not tested this out in depth, but you can also cast your laptop (or other devices) to most smart TVs these days.
You need a solid 4-6 Mbps to stream one device. At that speed it will likely be decent quality with limited buffering. Obviously, more is better and more devices need more. We give our students 5 Mbps on their guest network.
That sounds about right. Probably about what I was getting--barely--on my old Philips TV. What was confusing to me was that I had ISP service of 400 Mbps, and next to the TV with a laptop, chromebook, and cell phone, it was still 150 Mbps. But yet 1 or 2 at the TV when we saw buffering.
Firestick fix!
I'd guess a bad NIC card or a NIC card compatibility issue with your router.
NIC = network card
The speed...is it download or upload? ( yes, probably a stupid question). Also, streaming as in Youtube uses your data alotment but does the TV?
Example Hughes offers
While Viasat is[Download speed: up to 25 Mbps
Upload speed: up to 3 Mbps
No Hard Data Limits
If you exceed 20 GB/mo., stay connected at reduced speeds.
Looks like the viasat does not support HD (ie only 480p). Is that correct? If not, welocme to 1995Up To 25 Mbps Download SpeedUnlimited Data
$85.00/mo
$120/mo after 3 months
Up to 480p Video Streaming
Built-in Wi-Fi
Last edited by Doc; 11-27-2020 at 09:36 AM.
Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been.--David Bowie.
Doc that is download.
The issue with Satellite when I had it was not the speeds they offer. But they would throttle your speeds during certain times. And they would throttle down protocols to stream video. Meaning back then I could watch the first half of the game but not the 2nd half.
They are worth a try but be careful of contracts and make sure you can get out. I have been told they do not throttle the business lines.
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Any internet service will use your bandwidth and data allotment.
YoutubevTV
Hulu
Netflix
YouTube
Streaming games
Etc
Normal TV service will not. Cable, antenna, satellite TV
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Cool...as I stated, this is our vacation home so it is not like we will be using a ton of it however we may rent it out so dont want people renting then have them complain about crappy TV and internet
Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been.--David Bowie.
I am confused by normal TV service. We have no cable....heck, we don't have phone lines. I had to run power to the house, as in have power poles put in to bring electricity up the mountain. So I assume everything will go thru, be it espn or abc/nbc/msnbc (oh, we can exclude that)...I dont even think antenna service works. Wonder if DTv super basic AND either hughes/Viasat is the way to go
Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been.--David Bowie.
Have you talked to the locals? I wonder if they have a wireless mesh type of solution. Many remote areas offer something thru utility providers.
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Normal TV like cable, direct TV or Dish network will not use You bandwidth.
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For any satellite. TV or Internet. You need a clear view of the southern sky
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I bought the Black Friday 65 inch Oon TV from Walmart. $229 I believe it was.
A great TV it seems with a good picture. The sound needs a little upgrade though. And ROKU is the way to go for us. We've had great success with it.
“Before I leave I’d like to see our politics begin to return to the purposes and practices that distinguish our history from the history of other nations,
“I would like to see us recover our sense that we are more alike than different. We are citizens of a republic made of shared ideals forged in a new world to replace the tribal enmities that tormented the old one. Even in times of political turmoil such as these, we share that awesome heritage and the responsibility to embrace it.”
-Patriot and Senator. John McCain
It sounds like you will end up needing satellite TV and satellite internet service.
I would reach our to the locals and maybe the chamber to see if anyone has a local solution. We have a local wireless internet provider here that works out well for many. You would not know about them unless someone just told you about them.
That's the same brand TV we got for my daughter, but the smaller (42") version for her bedroom. Great prices. Reviews were good for that brand (which I had not heard of, but was fine for the price). She watches Hulu most of the time, and has a 12" Macbook thing she watches on, so this will be an upgrade for her.
Which model is $229? This 65 inch ONN is nearly $400. https://www.walmart.com/ip/onn-65-Cl...2587/476550098
Doc streaming TV over the satellite services is no bueno. You quickly use your bandwidth and when they throttle down speeds it is difficult to even get a web page to load. We have had both Hughes and Exede (Viasat), we now use an ATT hotspot with much better service. At the time we had those services the cost was about $80 a month. You can probably get by with those services for internet, but not by using streaming TV. For TV the best option would be Directv or Dish.
Thats the one,
It was the Walmart early black friday sale or something. The wife said it was just a four day sale early in the month.
The TV is slim and trim with a really good picture. And the sound is alright, I just prefer at least a dedicated sound bar.
Last edited by kingcat; 11-27-2020 at 07:55 PM.
“Before I leave I’d like to see our politics begin to return to the purposes and practices that distinguish our history from the history of other nations,
“I would like to see us recover our sense that we are more alike than different. We are citizens of a republic made of shared ideals forged in a new world to replace the tribal enmities that tormented the old one. Even in times of political turmoil such as these, we share that awesome heritage and the responsibility to embrace it.”
-Patriot and Senator. John McCain
And they make some affordable ones (ONN), not to the audiophile ears that you have but dang passable in the old bedroom. Don't have a tv without a soundbar; even the one in the kitchen, I have it mounted up underneath the cabinets and hidden from sight...
One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can't utter.
Yes...now I understand. Thanks
Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been.--David Bowie.
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