Posted on 11/17/2015 5:01:26 PM PST by NewJerseyJoe
Buy a tv without a built in camera unless you want to be spied on the manufacturer and any hacker.
My LG tv has 3 HDMI ports with 1 that says HDMI(MHL)
I also have 3 USB ports. I have used Amazon Fire Stick and Google Chromecast but do not any more.
I plug in a external hard drive with movies and tv shows and photos to a USB port. I plugged in a Time Warner cable box in to HDMI 1 and a ROKU 3 into HDMI 2. I will finally drop cable now that I have pretty much unlimited shows for a lot less money.
A tv antenna from MOHU Leaf is screwed into the RG connector. http://www.amazon.com/Mohu-MH-110583-Antenna-Premium-Connectors/dp/B004QK7HI8
I use the tv remote to switch between the inputs.
I have Netflix ($9 a month) and Amazon (already pay for Prime so they throw in tv and movies) and SLING TV ($20 a month for the cable tv shows that Time Warner wants over $100) on the ROKU plus PLEX TV for more shows from places on the internet and it also sees my pc files thru the router.
Everyone seems to hate 3D, but I love it. I have four sets of glasses (two came with the television, and I got two more as a promotional thing when I bought a new BluRay when the other one died)
Funny. A lot of people know there is 3D out there, but they never watch it. When they come over and we watch a movie, they are invariably impressed...they didn’t think it would look that good.
I guess a lot of people still think you have to wear the red-blue cardboard glasses or something!
Plex TV - This adds more tv and movies to watch on the ROKU.
https://plex.tv
Sign in with your PLEX account.
https://plex.tv/users/sign_in
You also will sign into your ROKU account at:
https://www.roku.com
Save all files to your Desktop. I suggest you create a folder and called it PLEX TV to organize everything.
PLEX: Download from https://plex.tv/downloads
1. Install for Windows: Plex Media Server
2. Install for ROKU device: Plex for smart TVs, game consoles, and streaming devices
It takes yuou to https://channelstore.roku.com/details/13535/plex for the download.
Leave the app running and on that screen
Visit https://plex.tv/pin while signed into your Plex account.
It should appear automatically. Enter the code. The app will detect the link to your account
3. Install the ss-plex.bundle:
https://github.com/mikew/ss-plex.bundle
4. Install UnSupportedAppstore.bundle:
Link to the Unsupported Apstore Bundle Plugin.bundle.zip
http://www.thestreamingadvisor.com/2014/04/30/how-to-install-the-plex-unsupported-app-store/
Unzip to the Desktop. Afterward you will see 2 new folders. Move them to the folder you created:
A. ss-plex.bundle
B. UnSupportedAppstore.bundle
Right click on the Plex icon in the Notification tray by the clock then select open plugins folder.
Now copy the ss-plex.bundle and UnSupportedAppstore.bundle folders and paste into the open plugins folder.
Server- Store your media library in a central place
Apps- Players that play back media from the Server
Windows: Find the Plex icon in the Windows System Tray at the lower right of the screen. Right click the icon and choose Media Manager...
Best Apps to install. Just click on the names to install then Update.
Same to uninstall. Sometimes they will say they could not be uninstalled but just go back a screen and come back and try again:
Click in PLEX click on Channels then Install Channels button to find these and many more
Ice Films
Let Me Watch This
iPlayer for British shows
ITV Player for British shows
I hear you! I’ll watch a 3D movie 5ft from the TV. It’s stunning!!! It gives you a “complete” world view, so much more like looking through a window - as well as objects coming out of the screen toward you. What’s not to like???
...yet, 3D IMAX still seems popular, I don’t get it. The worst part is the 4K Bluray specification has no support for 3D :( ...maybe it’ll change.
"Smart" TVs are a gimmick and a poor value. They cost more--typically well more than the combined cost of a "dumb" TV plus a separate streaming box. The built-in software is uniformly inferior to the dedicated streaming boxes and is seldom if ever updated, meaning that a year or two from now your "Smart" TV will be looking sadly dated while the streaming boxes will be running the latest software and apps. This is because the TV manufacturers have zero incentive to add value to last year's model--they want you to buy this year's model.
As others have pointed out, having a separate streaming box also allows you to replace it or move it to another TV easily as needed.
It's a matter of personal taste as to which streaming box to choose. I have both the Apple TV and the Roku and between the two probably use the Apple TV 90% of the time, however both are good boxes. The Roku advantage is that it has a wider selection of "channels", however given the new App store on the latest Apple TV that situation is likely to change. The main service currently unavailable on Apple TV is Amazon Instant Video, so if that's important to you then Roku is currently the way to go. The other major streaming services (Netflix, HBO Go, Showtime, Hulu, etc.) are all available on both.
Samsung is a good smart TV. No to Sony.ANYTHING Sony is a piece of junk. The company hasn’t a clue as to on/off switches. We’ve been thru 1 computer flat screen monitor (in less than a year) which had to be tossed due to the fact it would turn itself off. The Sony TV lasted about 3 years (only due to the fact it was not used for one of those three) The switch failed in that as well, not to mention the audio which had developed its own high pitched language and verb. Never again will anything Sony be purchased.
Roku 3 isn’t a bad devise, the only challenge with the remote is attempting to use the keyboard for searches and names. The battery completely goes quiet, must be taken out and put back in to make complete contact. There has to be a better way If possible, purchase Roku with a keyboard (if they make them) It will be much faster and better for your blood pressure control.
We have a Sharp Aquos 70” and like it a LOT. It’s a smart TV, but we use our BluRay player for streaming apps (Netflix, Vudu, etc.). If you think you’ll play DVD’s (Red Box, e.g.), you’ll need a BluRay anyhow. We use a Roku box in our RV and it works well, too.
We also have a nice surround system because we watch movies a lot.
Not a cheap set up, but very effective. Friends and family who watch with us are impressed.
To small, recommend at least 55” or larger.
i bought one, but don’t know how to read the manual to wire it up.
The Vizio 32" smart TV I installed today has an 'opt out ' feature for all the spying.
It was so simple, even I figured how to 'opt'out'.
Go here for 'opt out' instructions. Simple.
The 1080 pixel TV does not include Roku, I just used the old one I had.
All three work, just sometimes I get slightly frustrated as one version has a feature I really like and it is missing in the other two.
As for Roku - I've got a couple of them, mostly having been given them as gifts; they work as advertised, just get a better picture out of the on board programs vs the boxes. Seems more an antenna issue than anything dramatically different between the two.
you make good points.
Could one buy a smart TV and use the internal device until such time than an external device has more features than the internal SMART TV and then later use an external box in tandem with a SMART TV? Then one would get some benefit for a while of a single remote
You are correct. Still don’t understand why people pay for all the doodads and services. I hook my IPad up to the tv and voila!!! Anything and everything I want to watch. I don’t even watch regular tv anymore. I watch everything on my schedule.
I have several devices. Apple TV puck, Roku puck, and a Sony Blu-ray box. I prefer the Apple TV, and seldom use the Roku. However, as some stated, there are different offerings from each device. YouTube disappeared from my Apple TV puck, which is still available on the others. The offerings (channels) change over time, usually more are added as time goes by. So I would recommend that people check what channels meet their needs and buy accordingly. Or buy multiple devices. I would not necessarily buy a TV with built-in WiFi as your needs may change and pucks are cheaper to acquire than tossing out the TV.
If you are simply going to use netflix or amazon, there may not even be a need for an external device. However, what happens to most people (at least that I know of) is that as their knowledge and experience on the subject expands, they begin to realize there are more and more options (like having a home video streaming device for example), you will start wanting to add more stuff. The more options you have, the less dependent you are on rip-off cable or satellite services. Ultimately, you may even end up with a home media center PC like I did.
So, to the point, no... it's not necessary to jump all-in and start buying external devices. I don't follow the market so I don't know how much more expensive a "smart" TV is than a regular LCD with a few HDMI ports. If you are a smart and patient shopper, I suppose you could make it work without too much trouble and extra expense.
As far as Tv technology goes, I'm not really into the latest high refresh, fastest gizmo 4k TV blabla stuff, regular old HD TV @ 1080 is more than sufficient for me. That being said, I like the LED TV's rather than LCD because, and this may sound silly to a lot of people, the LED TV's don't put off the massive amount of heat like the older LCD TV's do.
I know I'm getting off topic now, but my uses for entertainment aren't to the level of home theater nut. I just like to have a lot of options and variety for sources of media... so adjust accordingly if you are the type who likes the latest and greatest.
TV should just be a TV and have a choice of which device to use for WIFI, otherwise you’re stuck with what comes with the TV.
If the technology changes, you always have the standard HDMI inputs to leverage with an external device.
I have WD, Roku and Sony external devices that I’ve used for my other TVs, but my new 32” smart TV came with it and it was worth the $30 premium over the next model down the scale.
Well, if you trust the Chinese....
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