What is your preferred TV set up top device these days?

Stewie

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Gone are the days when you had either a cable box, a DVD or disc player, or a gaming console connected to the TV -- also maybe a simple TV antenna for over the air TV broadcasts.

Now everything is condensed these days into one or two devices since they perform so many of the functions. Physical media is almost obsolete, cable is available on streaming, and most media devices provide casual gaming options as well. So what is your primary go to device for daily TV engagements?

I am curious because I need to upgrade and so many options out there are confusing me.
 
I still use a gaming console connected to the TV (Smart TV). I have a PS5 console.
 
I still use a gaming console connected to the TV (Smart TV). I have a PS5 console.

What can you use it for besides games? I know it does Netflix and some other streaming apps but its library of apps is very limited. I don't think it offers SLINGTV which is what I use for Pakistani channels and cricket.
 
What can you use it for besides games? I know it does Netflix and some other streaming apps but its library of apps is very limited. I don't think it offers SLINGTV which is what I use for Pakistani channels and cricket.

I mostly use it for gaming purpose (PS5 gaming) and I sometimes watch Netflix, news etc.

There are other features but I haven't tried those yet.
 
I mostly use it for gaming purpose (PS5 gaming) and I sometimes watch Netflix, news etc.

There are other features but I haven't tried those yet.
Interesting. What apps do you use for getting news on PS5?
 
Apple TV 4k . The UI itself is so clean and de-cluttered that even my parents an use it instinctively . If you are already in the apple eco system then its a no brainier. If you are not then still an amazing streaming device with plenty of support .

Honorable mention to nvidiva shield pro if you are a little bit technical and like android tv .Te biggest plus is that you can run video files off a flash drive on it .
 
You can turn most old school LCD TV’s into Smart like devices with a console or a fire stick which is budget friendly, I did that with a ps4 for some time; it had all the apps, Netflix, Prime, Apple, YouTube, WWE Network etc.

I’ve moved to a smart TV now and don’t have anything connected to it besides a magnetic antenna, wires are all hidden. Though I have no way off playing physical media this way, it would be good if the newer tech had a DVD/Blue-Ray player built in. I could connect a console, but that would ruin the current set up with the additional furniture.
 
Don’t even think twice and pull the trigger on Apple TV.

Tried everything fire stick, roku and other consoles.

Still the best out there. Black Friday might give you a 5-10 dollar discount at best so wait a week or pull the trigger.
 
Sky hub for all the sport and HBO stuff. Also gives me access to the sport in ultra HD which is the point of it really. The Samsung tvs have all the apps like Prime, Netflix, Apple, Disney etc. It's an all streaming set up, so depends on a superfast broadband but I've not had any issues. To be honest back in the satellite days you could have issues when you had extreme weather so it's six and two threes. The firestick is there for the few games which aren't on Sky or TNT but you have to watch them live, no playback options like you get with Sky or TNT.
 
Sky hub for all the sport and HBO stuff. Also gives me access to the sport in ultra HD which is the point of it really. The Samsung tvs have all the apps like Prime, Netflix, Apple, Disney etc. It's an all streaming set up, so depends on a superfast broadband but I've not had any issues. To be honest back in the satellite days you could have issues when you had extreme weather so it's six and two threes. The firestick is there for the few games which aren't on Sky or TNT but you have to watch them live, no playback options like you get with Sky or TNT.
Yeah I am in the US so none of the SKY stuff matters to me and SKY HUB is not available here.

My App list is:
Netflix, Amazon Prime, SlingTV, Plex and Youtube.

And they are mostly available on the usual suspects: Apple TV, Android TV, FireTV, etc. I am just trying to figure out what's best.
Currently I use the built-in streaming apps on the TV but they are getting old and are not being updated frequently because the TV is probably close to end of support cycle.


I like the flexibility of Android though. You can install so much shady hook up stuff on it and stream practically anything in the world. Apple TV does not give you that flexibility.
 
Nvidia Shield tv pro it is then.
I actually bought the very first version when it came out back in the summer of 2015. I "pimped" it out and gave it to my parents to use. Its still running strong.

I guess I am going to buy the newer cylinder version of it.
 
Yeah I am in the US so none of the SKY stuff matters to me and SKY HUB is not available here.

My App list is:
Netflix, Amazon Prime, SlingTV, Plex and Youtube.

And they are mostly available on the usual suspects: Apple TV, Android TV, FireTV, etc. I am just trying to figure out what's best.
Currently I use the built-in streaming apps on the TV but they are getting old and are not being updated frequently because the TV is probably close to end of support cycle.


I like the flexibility of Android though. You can install so much shady hook up stuff on it and stream practically anything in the world. Apple TV does not give you that flexibility.

If your idea is flexibility of streaming of international stuff than Amazon Fire is your option as you can easily jailbreak it. If you don’t even want to go through that trouble, there are plenty of Indian or other subcontinent origin streaming boxes that will give you access to everything in the world, new movies, sporting events etc but you will compromise on quality and also since it’s pirated personally not a fan but I understand if it’s preferred as lot of people I know have done it.

If you want quality and you are an audiophile and videophile who doesn’t like to compromise on qualty- Apple TV is your friend.
 
If your idea is flexibility of streaming of international stuff than Amazon Fire is your option as you can easily jailbreak it. If you don’t even want to go through that trouble, there are plenty of Indian or other subcontinent origin streaming boxes that will give you access to everything in the world, new movies, sporting events etc but you will compromise on quality and also since it’s pirated personally not a fan but I understand if it’s preferred as lot of people I know have done it.

If you want quality and you are an audiophile and videophile who doesn’t like to compromise on qualty- Apple TV is your friend.
I will disagree with the highlighted part. Apple TV does not bit stream. Nvidia Shield does. But yes in terms of PQ, ATV is probably the most premier device out there at the moment.

Also Fire OS is basically Android on the inside. You don't have to jailbreak either. You have to sideload applications. Jailbreaking a device is different, which thankfully you don't have to do in their case. For instance Apple TV wont let you sideload anything on it.
 
I will disagree with the highlighted part. Apple TV does not bit stream. Nvidia Shield does. But yes in terms of PQ, ATV is probably the most premier device out there at the moment.
It’s not about agreeing or disagreeing. I am
giving you a suggestion based on what worked for me as I have a home theater set up at home and I feel apple works the best seamlessly and I settled on it after trying Roku and fire stick. I have gaming consoles but I use them for games and not streaming content and like to keep them separated.
 
Google tv on hisense, haystack news for news.
Perfect combination for me.
 
@Stewie audio you need good sound system and speakers. No streaming device will help you 100% but they should be atmos enabled and I feel all of the new ones come with that. Now it’s what streams seamlessly is the choice. I am sure there are other high end stuff but this is for commercial usage and good price point, Apple is what I would go with.
 
It’s not about agreeing or disagreeing. I am
giving you a suggestion based on what worked for me as I have a home theater set up at home and I feel apple works the best seamlessly and I settled on it after trying Roku and fire stick. I have gaming consoles but I use them for games and not streaming content and like to keep them separated.
That's great, but most demanding audiophiles I know and I know quite a few swear that Apple TV is not best for original HD Audio formats. Because it compresses it and plays it back in a truncated format. I think for most people its still good enough but the enthusiast audiophiles have the ears to tell the difference. To me it probably wont matter if I heard it next to a full blown ulta HD disc player, which is typically the highest quality possible.
 
PS5

Has all the TV apps I need.
You are lucky. Playstation 5 has a totally of like less than 15 apps and most are gaming related. I think it has all I need as well except for SlingTV.

My current dilemma is: should I just go with it or buy a different device for just streaming purposes. I like the Playstation, I think it looks great.
 
That's great, but most demanding audiophiles I know and I know quite a few swear that Apple TV is not best for original HD Audio formats. Because it compresses it and plays it back in a truncated format. I think for most people it’s still good enough but the enthusiast audiophiles have the ears to tell the difference. To me it probably wont matter if I heard it next to a full blown ulta HD disc player, which is typically the highest quality possible.
I am more old school that I don’t trust the streaming bars, I actually picked and selected good atmos speakers and receiver: that’s the actual soul of a good sound system.

Streaming device like Apple etc is just a bridge.

However from personal experience whenever I had a power or internet outage due to weather etc, it was a nightmare to restart Roku and Amazon Fire, that’s why I am biased towards Apple for easier and smoother connectivity and less headaches like that.
 
Yeah I am in the US so none of the SKY stuff matters to me and SKY HUB is not available here.

My App list is:
Netflix, Amazon Prime, SlingTV, Plex and Youtube.

And they are mostly available on the usual suspects: Apple TV, Android TV, FireTV, etc. I am just trying to figure out what's best.
Currently I use the built-in streaming apps on the TV but they are getting old and are not being updated frequently because the TV is probably close to end of support cycle.


I like the flexibility of Android though. You can install so much shady hook up stuff on it and stream practically anything in the world. Apple TV does not give you that flexibility.

The shady stuff is great for when you want access to one off stuff, but if you are sports buff, or even a big movie fan, then it's worth paying for a legit hub in my opinion. The quality is still decent on the alternative hardware, but it's not 4K. Plus being able to access PPV sports events anytime is golden.

I don't know what the US version of Sky or TNT is, used to be TIVO back in the cable days, not sure if that tecnhology still holds up today.
 
I am more old school that I don’t trust the streaming bars, I actually picked and selected good atmos speakers and receiver: that’s the actual soul of a good sound system.

Streaming device like Apple etc is just a bridge.

However from personal experience whenever I had a power or internet outage due to weather etc, it was a nightmare to restart Roku and Amazon Fire, that’s why I am biased towards Apple for easier and smoother connectivity and less headaches like that.
Actually no, it does have a lot to do with how the audio signal is processed, based on hardware or software. But for most average users its not much difference to speak of.

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The shady stuff is great for when you want access to one off stuff, but if you are sports buff, or even a big movie fan, then it's worth paying for a legit hub in my opinion. The quality is still decent on the alternative hardware, but it's not 4K. Plus being able to access stuff anytime is golden.

I don't know what the US version of Sky or TNT is, used to be TIVO back in the cable days, not sure if that tecnhology still holds up today.


I am not talking about illegal TV boxes. There are certain apps that can be used on legit and premium streaming devices. You don't have to get an IPTV box from Amazon that are all the rage these days.
 
have 10-15 TB storage server (comes around $14-$15 per month) put series, movies..... all the stuff you like. Then stream via jellyfin.
 
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have 10-15 TB storage server (comes around $14-$15 per month) put series, movies..... all the stuff you like. Then stream via jellyfin.
Interesting. But you still gotta download any new content you want to watch right?

There's another setup people do with Streamio. It effectively streams content from torrents and stuff for free. You can install various add ons. Upto 4K. I have tried it and it's incredible. People hook that up with a debrid service to watch content instantly with no buffering and securely.
 
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Interesting. But you still gotta download any new content you want to watch right?

There's another setup people do with Streamio. It effectively streams content from torrents and stuff for free. You can install various add ons. Upto 4K. I have tried it and it's incredible. People hook that up with a debrid service to watch content instantly with no buffering and securely.
Don’t think this will work in US.
 
You are lucky. Playstation 5 has a totally of like less than 15 apps and most are gaming related. I think it has all I need as well except for SlingTV.

My current dilemma is: should I just go with it or buy a different device for just streaming purposes. I like the Playstation, I think it looks great.
PS5 has SKY, Plex, Prime, Netflix, Apple TV, Sony Movies apps - and these are just the ones I have installed.
 
I don't want the discussion veer towards shady content area. Let us keep it to the devices that you guys are using in your home theater set up please.

So far, I am not seeing anything out of the ordinary. Its the usual streaming boxes that are popular and very little otherwise, which makes sense because everyone is using streaming now.
 
Interesting. But you still gotta download any new content you want to watch right?

There's another setup people do with Streamio. It effectively streams content from torrents and stuff for free. You can install various add ons. Upto 4K. I have tried it and it's incredible. People hook that up with a debrid service to watch content instantly with no buffering and securely.
You can use qbittorrent on the server to download the content on the server.

Jellyfin will subsequently add those shows to it's database and will show up in your mobile/tv.
 
I actually bought the very first version when it came out back in the summer of 2015. I "pimped" it out and gave it to my parents to use. Its still running strong.

I guess I am going to buy the newer cylinder version of it.
don't get the cylinder version , its junk . Get the pro , The AI upscale itself is worth it . I have both , shield and ATV4k . ATV has been a hit in my household because it just works for most people. The shield still gets a little getting used to .
 
I just have a normal TV with sky and fire stick.

I don't think I'd even notice all the stuff you guys are going on about in terms of audio and different platforms.

When it comes to TV I'm a simple man with simple needs. No need for fancy technical outputs.
 
I just have a normal TV with sky and fire stick.

I don't think I'd even notice all the stuff you guys are going on about in terms of audio and different platforms.

When it comes to TV I'm a simple man with simple needs. No need for fancy technical outputs.

Depends what you call a normal TV. If you are still on HD technology, the Sky Q boxes are probably better for your needs anyway as you can record directly to the hard drive if you want to keep stuff.
 
I just have a normal TV with sky and fire stick.

I don't think I'd even notice all the stuff you guys are going on about in terms of audio and different platforms.

When it comes to TV I'm a simple man with simple needs. No need for fancy technical outputs.
This.

Most TV have streaming apps built in, it just the crazy encrypted apps like SKY that need to be on a secure device (like a Phone, Tablet, PS5). Otherwise, all the popular apps are available, and even games within the TV.
 
This.

Most TV have streaming apps built in, it just the crazy encrypted apps like SKY that need to be on a secure device (like a Phone, Tablet, PS5). Otherwise, all the popular apps are available, and even games within the TV
Once you buy a new high end TV, a smart one with all the apps, the hardware lasts you a good 10-12 years at least. The issue is that most software for the hardware these days is not supported as frequently and updated as often as new features and enhancements are geared and designed for newer hardware and chipsets. So the older hardware becomes obsolete pretty quickly. The TV will do its job wonderfully as a "dumb screen" for years but its smart features start getting long in the tooth after a while.

This is something I am finding out the hard way. My expensive high end TV from 2010 is now extremely slow with some of the apps, almost unusable. It is more cost effective to buy a cheaper, smaller smart device that is updated more regularly than your TV. Obviously it is cheaper to upgrade them than the whole TV once they run out of support and updates.

Think in terms of phones. We are mostly expected to upgrade them in a few years time. They are not meant to last you longer than 5-6 years. Most smart gadgets these days are not designed to last you that long. They slow them down intentionally so you are forced to upgrade. They try to do the same with TVs.

I am not upgrading my TV. Hope that makes sense why I am looking for other home theater or smart devices for the TV.
 
Once you buy a new high end TV, a smart one with all the apps, the hardware lasts you a good 10-12 years at least. The issue is that most software for the hardware these days is not supported as frequently and updated as often as new features and enhancements are geared and designed for newer hardware and chipsets. So the older hardware becomes obsolete pretty quickly. The TV will do its job wonderfully as a "dumb screen" for years but its smart features start getting long in the tooth after a while.

This is something I am finding out the hard way. My expensive high end TV from 2010 is now extremely slow with some of the apps, almost unusable. It is more cost effective to buy a cheaper, smaller smart device that is updated more regularly than your TV. Obviously it is cheaper to upgrade them than the whole TV once they run out of support and updates.

Think in terms of phones. We are mostly expected to upgrade them in a few years time. They are not meant to last you longer than 5-6 years. Most smart gadgets these days are not designed to last you that long. They slow them down intentionally so you are forced to upgrade. They try to do the same with TVs.

I am not upgrading my TV. Hope that makes sense why I am looking for other home theater or smart devices for the TV.
I have a 4K QLED Samsung from 5 years ago, it still has everything I need, and plus the apps are regularly updated, as is the TV system OS. So I am not sure which TVs you have experience with, my TV gets updated regularly.

I will not upgrade my TV until 8K goes mainstream, plus there is not much in 8K. So it will be 4K for a while.
 
I have a 4K QLED Samsung from 5 years ago, it still has everything I need, and plus the apps are regularly updated, as is the TV system OS. So I am not sure which TVs you have experience with, my TV gets updated regularly.

I will not upgrade my TV until 8K goes mainstream, plus there is not much in 8K. So it will be 4K for a while.
Samsung. It is incredibly slow now and given the TV was manufactured around 2010 its understandable. I think in your case you will start noticing the frequency of these updates becoming longer soon. That's my personal experience with even high end manufacturers.
 
I have a 4K QLED Samsung from 5 years ago, it still has everything I need, and plus the apps are regularly updated, as is the TV system OS. So I am not sure which TVs you have experience with, my TV gets updated regularly.

I will not upgrade my TV until 8K goes mainstream, plus there is not much in 8K. So it will be 4K for a while.
Now that you mentioned this, it piqued my curiosity if there is any official policy around these updates like PC/Laptops do and I discovered something interesting. Apparently Samsung has a policy of providing support for 5 years. LG upto 7 years.
On average most manufacturers will give you 4-7 years, maybe more but on paper you will be hard pressed to find any that go longer than 7.

Google is your friend.
 
Samsung. It is incredibly slow now and given the TV was manufactured around 2010 its understandable. I think in your case you will start noticing the frequency of these updates becoming longer soon. That's my personal experience with even high end manufacturers.

In my experience the slowness problem is not the software, it is actually the network (home) that is the problem. Over time a lot of kak is on the network and things like ARP cache cause the biggest problems. Changing your home router alone can cause problems.

Everything from WiFi standards to MTU, to contention ratios - all of it can affect streaming media etc.

Sometimes a good network clean can double your throughput!
 
In my experience the slowness problem is not the software, it is actually the network (home) that is the problem. Over time a lot of kak is on the network and things like ARP cache cause the biggest problems. Changing your home router alone can cause problems.

Everything from WiFi standards to MTU, to contention ratios - all of it can affect streaming media etc.

Sometimes a good network clean can double your throughput!
It is not the network. I have my house hardwired with Ethernet. Its a TV made in 2010, my friend. I know you don't like to hear it but the truth is this stuff gets old pretty quick. Netflix in particular keeps refining its compression techniques for better quality over lower bandwidth and unless your app has not been updated in while, it wont work as well. I believe my Netflix app last got an update 5 years ago. haha.
 
It is not the network. I have my house hardwired with Ethernet. Its a TV made in 2010, my friend. I know you don't like to hear it but the truth is this stuff gets old pretty quick. Netflix in particular keeps refining its compression techniques for better quality over lower bandwidth and unless your app has not been updated in while, it wont work as well. I believe my Netflix app last got an update 5 years ago. haha.
I work in the Network industry.

Your problem is MTU framing and fragmentation - this causes retransmissions of packets.

Google it.
 
I work in the Network industry.

Your problem is MTU framing and fragmentation - this causes retransmissions of packets.

Google it.
Thanks for sharing your technical expertise. I would still much rather explore other options if you don't mind because on the same segment they are performing better than the TV. I have isolated the issue to the TV itself, not exactly a novice at this stuff either.
 
Thanks for sharing your technical expertise. I would still much rather explore other options if you don't mind because on the same segment they are performing better than the TV. I have isolated the issue to the TV itself, not exactly a novice at this stuff either.
Great, next up read up on how bandwidth is not so important with compression/streaming, but it is the buffer settings of the device.
 
Great, next up read up on how bandwidth is not so important with compression/streaming, but it is the buffer settings of the device.
It is wonderful, you should be working for the TV manufacturers so their products all function efficiently regardless of their age. I am sure they will pay top dollars for a talent like yours. :sneaky:
 
It is wonderful, you should be working for the TV manufacturers so their products all function efficiently regardless of their age. I am sure they will pay top dollars for a talent like yours. :sneaky:
Not as much as network companies pay.

Everything from phones, laptops, consoles, TVs, tablets, desktops, Alexa, Siri, Ai, Machine Learning - anything and everything needs a network to communicate, and they all communicate by the same standards.

Networks have principles and axioms, and once you know them the rest falls into place. I bet you have everything configured on your network as default. Like your duplex settings on Ethernet to auto/auto.

Anyway, enjoy your ultra fast streaming when you replace your new TV.

😎
 
Not as much as network companies pay.

Everything from phones, laptops, consoles, TVs, tablets, desktops, Alexa, Siri, Ai, Machine Learning - anything and everything needs a network to communicate, and they all communicate by the same standards.

Networks have principles and axioms, and once you know them the rest falls into place. I bet you have everything configured on your network as default. Like your duplex settings on Ethernet to auto/auto.

Anyway, enjoy your ultra fast streaming when you replace your new TV.

😎
Thanks for your valuable input and excellent insight into the whole matter. Maybe you can explain why I am getting close to ~ 800 mbps down and ~ 800mbps up to an iPERF server setup in my basement talking to a laptop as well as 250 mbps down and 30 mbps up on a speed test ON THE SAME SEGMENT and while also using the NETFLIX NETWORK help tool on the TV?

I am not replacing the TV, was the whole point.

It is amazing how on PP a simply discussion to solicit opinions on what people are using for their day to day entertainment can be converted into an argument why the poster should not even be asking that question. Just amazing and awesome stuff.

:facepalm


I am sure you are great at your job but you are not understanding the actual ask or the challenge here. You can have maximum bandwidth but the packet processing on the device could not be upto scratch. So how is the issue with the network? As far as I know, there is no way to optimize and tweak network settings on the TV itself. There is nothing that needs optimized or tweaked with the network, the router, the modem, any of that.
 
Thanks for your valuable input and excellent insight into the whole matter. Maybe you can explain why I am getting close to ~ 800 mbps down and ~ 800mbps up to an iPERF server setup in my basement talking to a laptop as well as 250 mbps down and 30 mbps up on a speed test ON THE SAME SEGMENT and while also using the NETFLIX NETWORK help tool on the TV?

I am not replacing the TV, was the whole point.

It is amazing how on PP a simply discussion to solicit opinions on what people are using for their day to day entertainment can be converted into an argument why the poster should not even be asking that question. Just amazing and awesome stuff.

:facepalm


I am sure you are great at your job but you are not understanding the actual ask or the challenge here. You can have maximum bandwidth but the packet processing on the device could not be upto scratch. So how is the issue with the network? As far as I know, there is no way to optimize and tweak network settings on the TV itself. There is nothing that needs optimized or tweaked with the network, the router, the modem, any of that.
You are the one throwing your toys out of a the pram. Why are you getting insecure and defensive about it? Condescending comments about how I should work in the TV industry etc?

You asked a question in the OP, you get an answer, you make an incorrect claim (on PS apps), and when someone explains that it could be the network, you get your knickers in a twist.

If you don't want technical advice then don't start threads like this.

And for the record, your TV has enough network settings to be tweaked to improve performance - Google is your friend, but I know for a fact changing your TV will not make a blinding difference.

You can have the last word.
 
You are the one throwing your toys out of a the pram. Why are you getting insecure and defensive about it? Condescending comments about how I should work in the TV industry etc?

You asked a question in the OP, you get an answer, you make an incorrect claim (on PS apps), and when someone explains that it could be the network, you get your knickers in a twist.

If you don't want technical advice then don't start threads like this.

And for the record, your TV has enough network settings to be tweaked to improve performance - Google is your friend, but I know for a fact changing your TV will not make a blinding difference.

You can have the last word.
Thanks but no thanks. Last words, "mate". But your input added absolutely jack to the original topic. If someone needs to know how to cook pasta, they can get in touch with you on how lasagna is better than pasta. That's how your brain works. So kudos to you for being a valuable member of this forum. LOL.
 
FTAO MODS: kindly delete this exchange with Technics 1210 because it really is not adding any value to the thread at all.

Thanks
 
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