Howdy,
I use Plex on my Fire TV Stick. However, I’m in the market for a new TV and one that I’m considering is a Best Buy Smart TV that has the Roku stuff built in. This would mean I could install Plex on the TV itself and not need the Fire stick any more.
Are there any pros or cons of doing it one way vs the other? I do use Amazon Videos now and then and don’t know if I can install the Amazon App on the Roku system. Are there any features on the different Plex versions that I should be aware of?
Thanks!
The only way I would ever buy a “smart” TV, regardless of what the system is, would be if it was cheaper for the same level of performance that its dumb competition. Having Roku built in is just one more point of failure that can bring down what is usually the most expensive part of a home entertainment system.
Also TVs last for years longer than streamers remain viable so streamers need to be replaced well before TVs and you rarely can replace internal devices in a TV.
So my recommendation is to base your TV purchases on what the TV itself will do and the number of inputs available and other TV qualities you want.
I very much prefer the Roku over the Fire devices also I would not recommend any “stick” devices or any device that is wireless only as your primary streamer because wired is always (or nearly always) superior in reliability to wireless particularly for streaming. It should also be noted that most “smart” TVs are also wireless only which is another strike against them. (I think most Roku TVs can use a USB network adapter to act wired)
Having said all that in looking at TVs for a friend we ended up with a Roku TV because it was $75.00 less in price for all the same features and specs and overall review. When the Roku internal to the TV becomes outdated they can just get another streamer and attach it to one of the five HDMI inputs.
So bottom line my recommendation is buy the best TV for your needs and do not let its level of “smarts” play any part in the decision. If anything having extra smarts in a TV is a negative not a positive.
Edit: There is a quite good Amazon app for Roku so that is not an issue.
Well, the 50" Insignia TVs have 2 models. a 1080p model that’s a “regular” tv and the 4k model that’s a “smart” tv. I don’t care about the smartness of the TV but was debating if I wanted 4k or not since I’m sure more thing will come with that in the not-so-distant future. And if I get a Smart TV, I figured I’d look into using the smart features vs using what I use now…
I don’t generally upgrade a TV until it dies so whatever I buy I will hopefully have for many years…
TVs in question:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpage.jsp?cp=1&searchType=search&_dyncharset=UTF-8&ks=960&sc=Global&list=y&usc=All%20Categories&type=page&id=pcat17071&iht=n&seeAll=&browsedCategory=pcmcat333800050003&st=pcmcat333800050003_categoryid%24abcat0101001&qp=tvscreensizerange_facet%3DTV%20Screen%20Size~50"%20-%2054"^brand_facet%3DBrand~Insignia™
Just base you choice on your TV preferences. Clearly you can use the smart features of a TV if you want but do not let those features play much part in your choices.
I agree with Elijah on this. I bought a “smart” TV, and within a year there were “smart” features on the TV that the manufacturer was no longer supporting, and no longer work. In the future, if there’s a choice, I would buy a TV with no “smart” features at all, and rely on an external box like Roku (as I currently do). If the Roku ever gets unusably obsolete, it can be replaced for $100-ish or less, without having to replace the TV.
Of course the other danger of “Smart” TVs is this:
gocomics.com/ziggy
