School me on Smart TVs

[Rodt]

Hello all,

I have started to think about getting a new tv for home. Initial research is indicating that I should be able to get a reasonable quality one for under a grand. I don't fully understand the features of the smart tvs though so looking for some advice from those in the know. I am leaning towards the smart tvs to cut down on having to plug a device into non-smart and / or stream from another device however depending on smart tvs capability in this regard it may be better to not bother.

Is it right that a smart tv essentially connects to your internet modem and you can then connect to websites and watch content ie: youtube, Netflix, Foxtel Go etc or do they work like a mobile device that you need to download apps and then access content that way or do some work one way or the other? I have also been told that they can't download all apps that you want and that you are restricted to what is pre-installed.

Probably all sounds like dumb questions so hoping someone can break it down into really easy to understand concepts.

Cheers

Rod

[D4D]

Yes a 'smart tv' will connect via wifi or physical cable to your Internet connection to stream content. My preference though is to get a good TV and not worry about it's built in apps. Then get a specific media device of your choosing Apple TV, Telstra TV, Fetch etc. Reason is there is more processing power in a dedicated media device than in your TV and the apps will run better and be updated more often.

[paceman]

Yes a 'smart tv' will connect via wifi or physical cable to your Internet connection to stream content. My preference though is to get a good TV and not worry about it's built in apps. Then get a specific media device of your choosing Apple TV, Telstra TV, Fetch etc. Reason is there is more processing power in a dedicated media device than in your TV and the apps will run better and be updated more often.

+1 to all of this...

TV manufacturers are notorious for not updating their apps...

Apple TV (which i have) and Vodafone TV are both quality units with good reviews...

[Pete79]

Generally most smart TVs are very easy to use for Netflix and YouTube, having dedicated buttons on the controllers.

The difference between the really cheap units and the rest is the operating software. There can be significant differences between various brands in a similar price range. Would probably pay to get into a store somewhere when you can and get them to show you the apps and menus of the 2 main operating software that most brands use.

Our low to mid range Hisense is good for everything except for searching the web. It’s extremely cumbersome, but we very rarely (basically never) open a web page on the tv.

The biggest annoyance for me is that you can’t use BigPond movies on the TV. We still need to connect the laptop to the TV if we want to stream a new release movie.

[chester ver2.0]

All i can say is as above buy quality. i bit the bullet and spent some money on the Samsung Q7 and have not looked back

All the apps built in
Additional apps easy to load
Software seems to self update every fortnight

[Rodt]

Thanks all for the comments so far.

With the comments to connect a device is there one device that does all or would I be stuck with having to connect multiple?

Chester when you say buy quality what sort of price range are you talking about?

Thanks

[paceman]

Thanks all for the comments so far.

With the comments to connect a device is there one device that does all or would I be stuck with having to connect multiple?

Chester when you say buy quality what sort of price range are you talking about?

Thanks

depends on what streaming services you need access to?

apple TV and vodafone TV cover most major options...  chromecasts are also a cheaper option, but with less features...

our apple TV's access netflix, kayo, disney+, amazon prime, all of the FTA catchup services and also allow me to use the infuse app to connect to my local collection of movies and TV shows...

i also have a chromecast on our outdoor TV... perfect for that environment...

[DannyG]

We have several smart tv's in our house (adult kids have them in their rooms etc) and in my experience the Sony was the most buggy in regards to its operating system crashing and needing to be rebooted but did allow all apps.

Our LG has a nice operating system, updates regularly but has some limitations on the catch up tv apps for some channels, although they can be used on a web browser which is clunky. But the LG rarely if ever has operating system glitches.

The Samsung appears to be very good also. Does everything without glitches and seems to allow all apps.

All three tv's were in the middle of the range in regards to each manufacturers offerings, so not the most expensive but definitely one or two steps up from the cheapest for the size.

I do know that there are a lot of chingsing type brands on the market at a very reduced price but I do not know if they are any good or not sorry.

None of the tv's impress me much when it comes to mirroring devices or other computers to them. For the most part they are either clunky or too slow and laggy or have audio syncing issues. We generally use Apple TV for all that type of thing as it just works

[xcvator]

If your'e a bit computer savvy you could get an android tv box and connect that to your tv. They range from about $50  up to $ 300. 

I bought 1 of these and it works well with our wifi 

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Amlogic-S905X3-X96-Air-8K-4-32G-Android-9-0-OS-Quad-Core-TV-Box-Media-Player-AU/293545335898?hash=item4458aa5c5a:g:1ZYAAOSwu6telCo8
I would also suggest that you get a wireless usb mouse/keyboard to use with it

[D4D]

With the comments to connect a device is there one device that does all or would I be stuck with having to connect multiple?

We have 3x Telstra TV devices all on Samsung Series 7 or above TVs

[Rodt]

Thanks guys. A wealth of information as is usually the case.

xcvator does the android box allow you to download apps to it? I couldn't see it mentioned anywhere in the ebay description. I did see a pic though where your mobile device bluetooths so am assuming not

Also I have probably erred not describing why I am specifically going down this path. I currently have satellite Foxtel (old Mystar box) and when we have a bit of cloud then the signal is problematic. As part of my subscription though I have connection to 5 devices through Foxtel Go. My hope was that if the weather is giving me the sh*ts then I could access the Foxtel Go and go from there as the internet is still going strong. My kids have told me to get Netflix also as they have a subscription and have given me "permission" to access using their login if I wish.

My only real point of concern is the streaming from another device and are there any lag issues using bt assuming that the internet is going strong of course.

Hope this assists with the advice and that I haven't led you down a path by not being detailed earlier. Also don't want to just buy a smart tv if it is basically useless in the smart aspect. Would rather buy a better plain tv and add on if that is the best option

Thanks all 

[chester ver2.0]

55 inch Samsung Q7 starts at about $1800

Only issue with these style of TV (big flatscreen) is that you pretty well need to buy a soundbar as well to get anything decent out of them as the inbuilt speakers are rubbish

My Setup is a Samsung Q7 65 Inch that i paid $2500 matched to a Samsung 330W soundbar with Subwoofer and dolby atmos for another $1000

You crap your pants handing over the credit card but trust me the first time you fire up Star Wars in BluRay on that big boy you cant wipe the smile off your dial even the missus looked at me and went "totally worth it"

[k100dennis]

I'm not sure of the price now, but we bought a 55" LG OLED smart tv a couple of years ago and was expecting to need a sound bar but the sound is quite good actually.  Very crisp picture, especially on 4K (blue ray).  I think Samsung and maybe others now do the OLED thing as well.

[WilSurf]

We are also looking at buying the 55" LG OLED.
@k100dennis what is your opinion of that TV?

[Nifty1]

That’s an important comment about sound quality. We run sound thru the big old stereo and although we don’t bother with the elaborate cinema style options - too complicated - it’s a great experience. I’d suggest you get the biggest screen you can afford, and with 4K capability as some of the stuff available is stunning. Also, look at Choice website for clues on what to buy. It details how the model numbers work, when new models come out for each brand, and what improvements there are. That way you will not get snowed by the salesmen. We bought 65” LG OLED, previous years model, nearly $2000 cheaper than the current one (this was last year). Apparently the processor is just a little bit slower.

[GBC]

As others have said, buy a name brand which has the processing power to keep up. Mates have bought Aldi and other no names and they continually reset. I got mum the LG super ultra HD tele at Christmas, then as luck has it (haha) one of our sony's died and I chose the Samsung 7 series over the LG - mainly because of the remotes - the point at screen mouse in the LG gets old quick, and the samsung has an app with a keyboard for the smart phone which works very well. Just plug in any HDMI devices and the samsung recognises them and sets them up automatically.
My advice would be to try to future proof yourself a bit by buying the latest version if you can. Price is size driven, so be prepared to buy a slightly smaller, better quality screen rather than 'bigger than the neighbour's' but low quality.

[Spada]

Price is size driven, so be prepared to buy a slightly smaller, better quality screen rather than 'bigger than the neighbour's' but low quality.

ditto that, we recently upgraded to a Samsung 72". For the same money we could have got the LG 75", but the Samsung had a significantly higher pixel refresh rate, which is important for sports or action movies. As others have already said, the Internet search function is a bit clunky, but all the apps like netflix, stan, youtube etc, and the free to air internet based channels are all a simple click on the menu bar to access.

[xcvator]

Thanks guys. A wealth of information as is usually the case.

xcvator does the android box allow you to download apps to it? I couldn't see it mentioned anywhere in the ebay description.
Thanks all 

Yes    the only app I have had a problem with was Disney plus from the app store, so I found instructions to "side load" it and it runs well.
It came preloaded with Netflix etc, I don't know about Amazon Prime though

[Bird]

is there that much on TV anymore to bother spending money on a new Tele?

Full of fake bullShit reality crap and cooking shows where its more about who the biggest arsehole is, and the cooking is a peanut butter sanga..

but you do get to watch people build lego, or pretend to marry someone they hate at first sight. And if your lucky you can watch someoen watching someone watching someone watching TV.

Im off to buy a 100incher for that quality.

[paceman]

is there that much on TV anymore to bother spending money on a new Tele?

Full of fake bullShit reality crap and cooking shows where its more about who the biggest arsehole is, and the cooking is a peanut butter sanga..

but you do get to watch people build lego, or pretend to marry someone they hate at first sight. And if your lucky you can watch someoen watching someone watching someone watching TV.

Im off to buy a 100incher for that quality.

maybe not on FTA, except for the Legomasters show, which my boys and i love...

each to their own.  no-one is forcing you to buy/watch anything...

plenty of good stuff on the streaming apps...

[Rodt]

but you do get to watch people build lego, or pretend to marry someone they hate at first sight. And if your lucky you can watch someoen watching someone watching someone watching TV.

Im off to buy a 100incher for that quality.

Not sure what you mean  but last night I watched Gogglebox who were watching Lego Masters so it saved me from watching one show at least. Also found Monster Hunters interesting this morning too when they nearly caught a bigfoot roaming the Appalachian Mountains in the US. I reckon they might get one next week 

Thanks all for the comments so far and based on what you have all said I am starting to change my mind about the smart tv option and think seriously about an android box (am I allowed to buy from China?).

[moeite]

Our daughter, who just HAS to have the latest and biggest, got herself a new, whiz bang, HUGE, TV which suited the house she was in at the time. She moved and now, no matter how they set up the lounge, they just can't sit far enough away from it for comfortable viewing. Thanks to the lesson from her when we got a new TV a few weeks ago we got a size that put it at a good viewing distance and because it was smaller and we didn't want a smart TV we were able to get one with much, much better picture and sound specs for a decent price.

[Bird]

and think seriously about an android box (am I allowed to buy from China?).

No... it must be Aussie made or bust.. ROTFLMAO

[GeoffA]

is there that much on TV anymore to bother spending money on a new Tele?
....

Telly is a great thing to sleep in front of....

[Bird]

Telly is a great thing to sleep in front of....

xbox