**** TV! (1 Viewer)

[Lord Tammerlain]

I use the Playstation to access Netflix or Disney plus

 

[iamwhatiseem]

I've had Chromecast in the past and liked it and then I recently installed Chromecast/Google-TV on my mother's ancient 2010-era Samsung, which predates the Smart-TV age. I've been pleased with it, but I keep hearing that Roku is pretty good and I might just give it a try.

There is not a whole lot of difference anymore, Roku was first. And so they were more advanced than everyone else for awhile until they caught up.
Roku wins just about every "vs" rating system I have seen with few stragglers. Mostly because of content access. EVERYTHING works with Roku. Everything.
Also because of the earbud jack, ethernet port and is, of course, 4K

 

[Demon]

There is not a whole lot of difference anymore, Roku was first. And so they were more advanced than everyone else for awhile until they caught up.
Roku wins just about every "vs" rating system I have seen with few stragglers. Mostly because of content access. EVERYTHING works with Roku. Everything.
Also because of the earbud jack, ethernet port and is, of course, 4K

They might be phasing out the earbud jack - their newest voice remote pro doesn't have it.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

They might be phasing out the earbud jack - their newest voice remote pro doesn't have it.

I have used Roku since Roku 2, I think maybe I used the ear jack once.

 

[Demon]

I have used Roku since Roku 2, I think maybe I used the ear jack once.

I haven't used it at all yet, but it is nice to have the option. I guess you can do it through your phone, but that's just draining your phone battery.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

I called this years ago. We have SONY tv bought in 2016. We replaced aa perfectly good LG model that wasn’t set up to receive most streaming channels. We’ve been happy with the SONY until a few days ago. We sat down to look in on a NETFLIX series we were in the middle of. For three days we got an error message after the logo and drum roll had played. NETFLIX works on all the other devices in the house, phone, tablet and other tv.

So I got SONY customer support on the line and after a while I was told that I needed to get a “streaming device, (ROKU, Firestick or APPLE device,)” to continue to get NETFLIX. I had gotten the APPLE hardware when I bought a new phone a few years ago, so I dug it out and couldn’t get it to recognize my log in. I got ahold of APPLE support, (they have always been very helpful.) What I hadn’t remembered is that since I had opted out of the free trial period that came with the IPhone, we had changed our provider from cable to Verizon wireless. The rep held my hand as I turned over my device to his control and we found the problem and fixed it.

I knew this entertainment industry would end up getting all the “savings” back from cutting the cord. Everything that you really want to see is on some other service and after it is all said and done, we are probably paying more/same as we were before!

Tangential rants; damn whoever came up with the non keyboard system on newer TVs. I hate the scrolling through to enter user names and passwords!
I can’t say enough about the APPLE rep. We have always had the best customer service from them.

I absolutely HATE "exclusivity business model".
Essentially, streaming channels buy exclusive rights to popular shows/movies. Then highlight that it is available only on "****"
This is specifically designed, of course, to get people to subscribe to multiple subscriptions.
Coming next - I guarantee it - is no more "cancel anytime" which is the hallmark of streaming. To stop "roaming subscribers"

 

[BirdinHand]

My biggest frustration is how quickly tvs seem to “burn out” today.

Two of mine are starting to show “spots” around the edges of the screen.

One is a Roku and the other I think is a Panasonic smart tv.

Neither can be more than 6-7 years old.

I swear, my non-smart tvs have lasted much longer. (But maybe I’m not remembering correctly and am just old and whiny)

But I know I’m looking for at least 2 new tvs this holiday season/sales.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

My biggest frustration is how quickly tvs seem to “burn out” today.

Two of mine are starting to show “spots” around the edges of the screen.

One is a Roku and the other I think is a Panasonic smart tv.

Neither can be more than 6-7 years old.

I swear, my non-smart tvs have lasted much longer. (But maybe I’m not remembering correctly and am just old and whiny)

But I know I’m looking for at least 2 new tvs this holiday season/sales.

Do you have a habit of leaving the TV on?
Smart TVs, depending on brand and quality, will only last so many hours of being on. You can Google your specific model and see it's longevity ratings.
Our Samsung curved TV literally has a lifetime double that of cheap "WalMart" TVs

 

[BirdinHand]

Do you have a habit of leaving the TV on?
Smart TVs, depending on brand and quality, will only last so many hours of being on. You can Google your specific model and see it's longevity ratings.
Our Samsung curved TV literally has a lifetime double that of cheap "WalMart" TVs

They do get left on frequently. Because I live with a bunch of men who don’t understand the concept of turning things off that aren’t being used

From the 81 year old to the 8 year old.

So that is the likely problem

 

[iamwhatiseem]

They do get left on frequently. Because I live with a bunch of men who don’t understand the concept of turning things off that aren’t being used

From the 81 year old to the 8 year old.

So that is the likely problem

I am a man... and I might occasionally do this... maybe...

 

[Superfly]

I called this years ago. We have SONY tv bought in 2016. We replaced aa perfectly good LG model that wasn’t set up to receive most streaming channels. We’ve been happy with the SONY until a few days ago. We sat down to look in on a NETFLIX series we were in the middle of. For three days we got an error message after the logo and drum roll had played. NETFLIX works on all the other devices in the house, phone, tablet and other tv.

So I got SONY customer support on the line and after a while I was told that I needed to get a “streaming device, (ROKU, Firestick or APPLE device,)” to continue to get NETFLIX. I had gotten the APPLE hardware when I bought a new phone a few years ago, so I dug it out and couldn’t get it to recognize my log in. I got ahold of APPLE support, (they have always been very helpful.) What I hadn’t remembered is that since I had opted out of the free trial period that came with the IPhone, we had changed our provider from cable to Verizon wireless. The rep held my hand as I turned over my device to his control and we found the problem and fixed it.

I knew this entertainment industry would end up getting all the “savings” back from cutting the cord. Everything that you really want to see is on some other service and after it is all said and done, we are probably paying more/same as we were before!

Tangential rants; damn whoever came up with the non keyboard system on newer TVs. I hate the scrolling through to enter user names and passwords!
I can’t say enough about the APPLE rep. We have always had the best customer service from them.

You should have tried deleting and then reinstalling the app. That often works when apps shut down.

 

[Superfly]

I'm scared! And you're right! DirecTV is like 90 bucks a month, and I have NO premium channels. Is there a course out there I could take on streaming?

Ask us. We will be glad to help you. I’m a streaming queen.

 

[Superfly]

Its already connected, I just haven't subscribed to Roku or any of the other streaming services (except Amazon) because I'm scared to give up DirecTV!

I was too until they tried to rip me off a few days after my husband died. I’d been customers of theirs for literally 20 years and walked away based on customer service.

I’ll never, ever go back. Ever. It was scary to put your toe in the water, but it’s really not that bad once you realize how easy it is to get it working. And sis - the choices you will have are ****ing insane. You’ll spend as much time scrolling through all the movies as you do actually watching them.

 

[Lovebug]

New technology, we always have to keep up with something, don't we?

 

[iamwhatiseem]

Ask us. We will be glad to help you. I’m a streaming queen.

And I am the king - LOL
Little bragging - I am a "founding member of Netflix". I was at work, on a T-1 line, and as soon as they went live - I signed up.
And I have never stopped my subscription. I still pay only $8.99/mo for premium Netflix which includes one free "rider" that pays nothing. (My daughter)
I received a hand signed thank you note from the CEO a couple years ago.
No shit

 

[Superfly]

I've had Chromecast in the past and liked it and then I recently installed Chromecast/Google-TV on my mother's ancient 2010-era Samsung, which predates the Smart-TV age. I've been pleased with it, but I keep hearing that Roku is pretty good and I might just give it a try.

Roku is fantastic. I’ve never used Chromecast but I have nothing bad to say about Roku.

I even prefer the Roku/TCL TVs. They are cheaper, and the interface is great and easy to navigate.

 

[Superfly]

My biggest frustration is how quickly tvs seem to “burn out” today.

Two of mine are starting to show “spots” around the edges of the screen.

One is a Roku and the other I think is a Panasonic smart tv.

Neither can be more than 6-7 years old.

I swear, my non-smart tvs have lasted much longer. (But maybe I’m not remembering correctly and am just old and whiny)

But I know I’m looking for at least 2 new tvs this holiday season/sales.

If you ever buy TVs through, say for instance, Walmart on Black Friday? ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS buy the extended warranty. The TVs are manufactured more cheaply to make them faster and they use lower quality components. That’s how they sell them so cheap.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

Roku is fantastic. I’ve never used Chromecast but I have nothing bad to say about Roku.

I even prefer the Roku/TCL TVs. They are cheaper, and the interface is great and easy to navigate.

Roku is awesome.
First to do cross channel searching (search all channels at the same time for content)
First to list rent cost for movies across all available platforms
First to use voice commands

The interface is soooo superior to others. I have heard the "cube" is the only real contender to beat Roku's superior speed/interface

 

[Superfly]

And I am the king - LOL
Little bragging - I am a "founding member of Netflix". I was at work, on a T-1 line, and as soon as they went live - I signed up.
And I have never stopped my subscription. I still pay only $8.99/mo for premium Netflix which includes one free "rider" that pays nothing. (My daughter)
I received a hand signed thank you note from the CEO a couple years ago.
No shit

Holy shit that’s awesome. I was with Netflix years ago when they used to mail you DVDs. Then stuck around for streaming. I haven’t been with them as long as you tho, and definitely haven’t stuck with them consistently, but I’ve had them for years now. I have the $25 4K UHD plan, because I’m a huge fan of the Mike Flanagan shows and it’s worth it for me to pay more to get the most out of my 4K tv.

 

[Superfly]

Roku is awesome.
First to do cross channel searching (search all channels at the same time for content)
First to list rent cost for movies across all available platforms
First to use voice commands

The interface is soooo superior to others. I have heard the "cube" is the only real contender to beat Roku's superior speed/interface

Yep. I agree. Roku is far better and the interface is just so easy to navigate. I am on Google tv now with my new tv, only because we couldn’t find a Roku/TCL in the tv we wanted. We wanted a 4K QLED in 75”. The place we bought the tv only offered Roku up to 55”. The Google interface isn’t as friendly and is weird to get used to, but it’s a great tv.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

Yep. I agree. Roku is far better and the interface is just so easy to navigate. I am on Google tv now with my new tv, only because we couldn’t find a Roku/TCL in the tv we wanted. We wanted a 4K QLED in 75”. The place we bought the tv only offered Roku up to 55”. The Google interface isn’t as friendly and is weird to get used to, but it’s a great tv.

I love our Samsung Curve - 65" I think it is, might be bigger I don't know.
The picture is sooo superior to cheaper models. One of the most important aspects of a picture is how black the blacks are.

 

[Superfly]

I love our Samsung Curve - 65" I think it is, might be bigger I don't know.
The picture is sooo superior to cheaper models. One of the most important aspects of a picture is how black the blacks are.

Is it OLED? They usually have much darker blacks, because the pixels are actually black, instead of just the absense of color, which is how most of them work.

We have a QLED. The OLED was what we wanted, but wasn’t in the budget. That’s the best picture out there, but the price is still really high. It hasn’t dropped in price much yet.

 

[Geoist]

Learn. I have SO much more to watch since I left Directv and went to Hulu (for live tv), Peacock, BritBox, Acorn.....and I'm still paying less than I was at Directv. Plus, no contracts!

Edited to add: Also, it's so easy. I put it off for a long time - partly because I wanted to upgrade my internet first, but partly because I didn't know what it really was or how to do it. And if I can do it, so can you.

Been a cordcutter since 2012 and never regretted it. Just never made sense to me to pay MORE to what? Watch more commercials and have networks decide what I get to watch and when?

 

[Demon]

My biggest frustration is how quickly tvs seem to “burn out” today.

Two of mine are starting to show “spots” around the edges of the screen.

One is a Roku and the other I think is a Panasonic smart tv.

Neither can be more than 6-7 years old.

I swear, my non-smart tvs have lasted much longer. (But maybe I’m not remembering correctly and am just old and whiny)

But I know I’m looking for at least 2 new tvs this holiday season/sales.

I had a Sanyo a long time ago - lasted 19 years! Of course you didn't want to have to pick it up....

 

[Helix]

We like the Firestick, but I doubt that we're saving anything after all of the subscriptions. I try not to think about it. As for me, I generally watch YouTube when I have the time to do it. There's a lot of content. The subscriptions are mostly used by my wife and kiddos.