The last person in Austin, Texas without an Iphone or flat screen TV
June 9, 2011 12:07 PM Subscribe
I'm considering buying a internet-ready HDTV. Good idea?
We've been watching TV and movies off our laptop/broadband for several years now and haven't had a TV. We're moving to a larger place, so we have a place to put a TV, don't want to get cable and want to continue streaming programs via Netflix, Hulu, MLB, etc. The idea of an internet-ready TV is very appealing to me, as opposed to a regular HDTV plus a Boxee setup or other external device. What are your experiences with internet-ready televisions? Any experience with the Samsung internet-ready TVs? Could I effectively use the TV as way to play music from my PC/net? Any reason that I should either delay my purchase or just buy a (cheaper) HDTV + a media player?
We've been watching TV and movies off our laptop/broadband for several years now and haven't had a TV. We're moving to a larger place, so we have a place to put a TV, don't want to get cable and want to continue streaming programs via Netflix, Hulu, MLB, etc. The idea of an internet-ready TV is very appealing to me, as opposed to a regular HDTV plus a Boxee setup or other external device. What are your experiences with internet-ready televisions? Any experience with the Samsung internet-ready TVs? Could I effectively use the TV as way to play music from my PC/net? Any reason that I should either delay my purchase or just buy a (cheaper) HDTV + a media player?
Also, I just picked up a PS3 with a coupon ($178!) and with PS3 Media Server the thing is an absolutely perfect media streamer, along with a Netflix and Hulu (only plus, though) box.
posted by griphus at 12:18 PM on June 9, 2011
posted by griphus at 12:18 PM on June 9, 2011
Best answer: My parents have a DLNA-enabled Samsung tv from a few years ago. The thing is damned near useless, given the tiny selection of codecs and video sizes that it can play unassisted. The UI is also clunky and unresponsive. Things have probably gotten better since then, but I've been somewhat soured to the idea of a "do-it-all" TV. Also, expect all support for the TV to evaporate within a year or so, so if a hot new streaming service pops up, you'll likely be out of luck.
On the other hand, I'm pretty happy with my PS3. It plays a decent range of files, can stream Hulu/Netflix, and also acts as a Blu Ray player. (Sony are still the scum of the earth, but the PS3 is a surprisingly nice device). There are also a bunch of other Blu Ray players that do streaming.
AppleTV is more limited in terms of streaming, but has the benefit of being tiny, responsive, and cheap. Haven't used a Roku box, but I've heard great things about them too (and they're also about the size of a paperback)
Also, streaming boxes will continue to grow and evolve, while you'll probably have your TV for quite a long time. Odds are, you'll eventually end up buying one anyway. I would certainly not count on the media landscape remaining unchanged for the next 10 years, let alone the next 6 months.
posted by schmod at 12:19 PM on June 9, 2011
On the other hand, I'm pretty happy with my PS3. It plays a decent range of files, can stream Hulu/Netflix, and also acts as a Blu Ray player. (Sony are still the scum of the earth, but the PS3 is a surprisingly nice device). There are also a bunch of other Blu Ray players that do streaming.
AppleTV is more limited in terms of streaming, but has the benefit of being tiny, responsive, and cheap. Haven't used a Roku box, but I've heard great things about them too (and they're also about the size of a paperback)
Also, streaming boxes will continue to grow and evolve, while you'll probably have your TV for quite a long time. Odds are, you'll eventually end up buying one anyway. I would certainly not count on the media landscape remaining unchanged for the next 10 years, let alone the next 6 months.
posted by schmod at 12:19 PM on June 9, 2011
Any reason that I should ... just buy a (cheaper) HDTV + a media player?
To make changing out your media player easy. If you buy an integrated media player, that's the one you're stuck with for the life of the TV, whereas if you start with, say, Roku HD and ultimately decide you'd rather the features of the next generation then the upgrade cost is less.
posted by IanMorr at 12:19 PM on June 9, 2011
To make changing out your media player easy. If you buy an integrated media player, that's the one you're stuck with for the life of the TV, whereas if you start with, say, Roku HD and ultimately decide you'd rather the features of the next generation then the upgrade cost is less.
posted by IanMorr at 12:19 PM on June 9, 2011
The thing is damned near useless, given the tiny selection of codecs and video sizes that it can play unassisted.
Sorry to spam the thread but this is an excellent point. Independent media systems -- preferably the kind on/around which you can install your own software -- are infinitely more customizable (read: compatible) than anything that comes soldered into your television.
posted by griphus at 12:20 PM on June 9, 2011
Sorry to spam the thread but this is an excellent point. Independent media systems -- preferably the kind on/around which you can install your own software -- are infinitely more customizable (read: compatible) than anything that comes soldered into your television.
posted by griphus at 12:20 PM on June 9, 2011
Best answer: We picked up an open-box Samsung Blu-Ray player that supports Netflix etc for around $99 after Christmas. I can tell it's going to be a POS in about a year because they are not going to push updates, but at $99 it's a lot less expensive to replace than an entire TV. So I agree with griphus.
posted by desjardins at 12:32 PM on June 9, 2011
posted by desjardins at 12:32 PM on June 9, 2011
Don't. Get a less expensive TV (or a larger one for same money) and a PS3. As Griphus says, even if you never play a single game, it's still a dreamy media player.
I use them in a mixed Mac/Windows/Linux home and they're solid and wonderful.
posted by rokusan at 12:34 PM on June 9, 2011
I use them in a mixed Mac/Windows/Linux home and they're solid and wonderful.
posted by rokusan at 12:34 PM on June 9, 2011
Good idea? No, unless you're only planning on keeping it for a year or two (max).
posted by blue_beetle at 12:46 PM on June 9, 2011
posted by blue_beetle at 12:46 PM on June 9, 2011
Response by poster: Yes, given my history, we'll probably have the TV until 2030. These are great points and are offsetting my attraction to an all-in-one solution.
posted by seventyfour at 12:47 PM on June 9, 2011
posted by seventyfour at 12:47 PM on June 9, 2011
I have had a Roku box for two years and LOVE it. I would highly recommend it for watching Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and many other channels they offer that you didn't know you'd want.
So, instead of an All-in-one TV, I'd recommend getting an HD TV with multiple HDMI inputs and then getting a Roku box. (I do not currently have a Blu-Ray player, but we will be getting one in the next couple months, I'm sure)
posted by jillithd at 1:10 PM on June 9, 2011
So, instead of an All-in-one TV, I'd recommend getting an HD TV with multiple HDMI inputs and then getting a Roku box. (I do not currently have a Blu-Ray player, but we will be getting one in the next couple months, I'm sure)
posted by jillithd at 1:10 PM on June 9, 2011
I bought a Dell "Zino HD" PC recently, and it pretty much does everything I want via Windows Media Center. Now, the only thing I have to care about is how my TV displays what my computer is showing. I couldn't be happier. No need to buy a TV that duplicates the functionality of the computer. Rather than use whatever internet thingy comes on board a TV, I've got Firefox.
From what I've seen, the "internet" capabilities of these TVs are frustrating to anyone who uses a computer frequently, since they're so limited. That, and I don't even want to think about security issues with these things. Could your TV be part of a spam-generating botnet? Film at 11.
So, in summary: Buy a TV based on image and sound quality, and plug something else into it that does internet well.
posted by Citrus at 1:35 PM on June 9, 2011
From what I've seen, the "internet" capabilities of these TVs are frustrating to anyone who uses a computer frequently, since they're so limited. That, and I don't even want to think about security issues with these things. Could your TV be part of a spam-generating botnet? Film at 11.
So, in summary: Buy a TV based on image and sound quality, and plug something else into it that does internet well.
posted by Citrus at 1:35 PM on June 9, 2011
When we finally upgraded to a big HD TV (we moved to a place that had room for it), we also immediately bought a Blu-ray player. We have maybe used it 10 times in 4 years, what a waste! We do everything on our WDTV player or with Wii/NetFlix.
Anyway, I just wanted to chime in and say the media player being separate is a good way to go. Let the TV just be the TV! Things that are different components put into one package are a great idea until one of those components break or is obsolete. For instance, our Blu-ray player is internet ready, but doesn't support NetFlix (even with firmware updates). If we would have just waited 6 months, we would have had NetFlix. Compare this to our WDTV that gets upgrades via firmware all the time and just added NetFlix.
posted by getawaysticks at 1:42 PM on June 9, 2011
Anyway, I just wanted to chime in and say the media player being separate is a good way to go. Let the TV just be the TV! Things that are different components put into one package are a great idea until one of those components break or is obsolete. For instance, our Blu-ray player is internet ready, but doesn't support NetFlix (even with firmware updates). If we would have just waited 6 months, we would have had NetFlix. Compare this to our WDTV that gets upgrades via firmware all the time and just added NetFlix.
posted by getawaysticks at 1:42 PM on June 9, 2011
I have a Panasonic 3D HDTV and while I've used the built-in Internet functionality a tiny bit (for showing YouTube videos and such), it is annoying and slow. I much prefer (as stated by others) using the PS3 for media.
posted by tacodave at 2:10 PM on June 9, 2011
posted by tacodave at 2:10 PM on June 9, 2011
My Panasonic plays Netflix just fine. Also youtube, pandora and some other things.
They've released a couple of upgrades since we got it last year, some of which were useful, some not.
Its codec support is fairly useless, but it shows jpegs and plays mpeg2 and mpeg4, so what more do you really need?
Sure, it's possible that in 5 years, netflix will break compatibilty so much that it'll be useless.
In the meantime, it has the advantage of simplicity (no extra wires, no extra remote). One less vampire power supply and one less thing to have to learn to use.
If you're planning on keeping it until 2030, _any_ internet connected device is going to be obsolete, Is Roku really going to release firmware updates for the next 20 year? Unlikely.
And honestly, the odds that any TV you buy today will actually last 20 years is pretty damn slim anyway.
posted by madajb at 3:31 PM on June 9, 2011
They've released a couple of upgrades since we got it last year, some of which were useful, some not.
Its codec support is fairly useless, but it shows jpegs and plays mpeg2 and mpeg4, so what more do you really need?
Sure, it's possible that in 5 years, netflix will break compatibilty so much that it'll be useless.
In the meantime, it has the advantage of simplicity (no extra wires, no extra remote). One less vampire power supply and one less thing to have to learn to use.
If you're planning on keeping it until 2030, _any_ internet connected device is going to be obsolete, Is Roku really going to release firmware updates for the next 20 year? Unlikely.
And honestly, the odds that any TV you buy today will actually last 20 years is pretty damn slim anyway.
posted by madajb at 3:31 PM on June 9, 2011
I've been quite happy with my Internet-enabled HDTV. Works great with netflix, and its updated its firmware automatically. Maybe in the future, I'll have to plug in some external box to get it to support some new streaming video service, but for now it works great, and I have to deal with less clutter.
I don't understand the comments saying you'll be stuck with something outdated by having the functionality integrated. If its no longer is useful, don't press the one button on the remote that brings it up. It in no way makes it any harder to use the HDMI inputs for whatever you want.
posted by Hither at 9:10 PM on June 9, 2011
I don't understand the comments saying you'll be stuck with something outdated by having the functionality integrated. If its no longer is useful, don't press the one button on the remote that brings it up. It in no way makes it any harder to use the HDMI inputs for whatever you want.
posted by Hither at 9:10 PM on June 9, 2011
If you're intending to keep your TV for a good long while (I'm the same way - I'm hoping my current HDTV lasts another six-ten years at least), I'd recommend focusing your cash on getting a solid, well- reviewed set without the Internet bells and whistles.
I can only nth everyone's points about limited software/firmware capabilities etc. Relying on that stuff being built into the TV feels much too limiting to me... barring some sort of miracle machine that does everything and does it well.
Right now I have a Mac Mini hooked up to my TV and for handling all the things you're looking for, it does an amazing job. Similar features could be had from a build-your-own Windows HTPC for cheaper, I'm guessing. I really like my Mac, though. Apple TV may be worth considering... I think it does netflix, dunno about hulu, but it's only 99 bucks, right? I imagine that if you had two HDTVs where the only technical difference was on-board Internet features, they'd charge you more than 99 dollars for the "fancier" one. (Note this is simply spiteful conjecture, and may not actually be true. I hope it's not, but the comparison shopping I did when I was in the market taught me otherwise; manufacturer will look for the slimmest excuse to justify jacking up the price).
posted by TangoCharlie at 11:34 PM on June 9, 2011
I can only nth everyone's points about limited software/firmware capabilities etc. Relying on that stuff being built into the TV feels much too limiting to me... barring some sort of miracle machine that does everything and does it well.
Right now I have a Mac Mini hooked up to my TV and for handling all the things you're looking for, it does an amazing job. Similar features could be had from a build-your-own Windows HTPC for cheaper, I'm guessing. I really like my Mac, though. Apple TV may be worth considering... I think it does netflix, dunno about hulu, but it's only 99 bucks, right? I imagine that if you had two HDTVs where the only technical difference was on-board Internet features, they'd charge you more than 99 dollars for the "fancier" one. (Note this is simply spiteful conjecture, and may not actually be true. I hope it's not, but the comparison shopping I did when I was in the market taught me otherwise; manufacturer will look for the slimmest excuse to justify jacking up the price).
posted by TangoCharlie at 11:34 PM on June 9, 2011
I bought a Samsung HDTV recently and got the internet capable one because it was only $39 more. We weren't even looking for that in a TV, but I'm glad we got it. Going to the internet features is a click of a button. It updates the apps every now and again.
I mainly use the internet feature for Netflix, but for the price it was well worth it for me, even if it becomes outdated in a year or two.
posted by bubonicpeg at 6:57 AM on June 10, 2011
I mainly use the internet feature for Netflix, but for the price it was well worth it for me, even if it becomes outdated in a year or two.
posted by bubonicpeg at 6:57 AM on June 10, 2011
Best answer: I think a lot here depends on what sources you're going to be playing from.
If you rely solely on streaming media (Netflix, MLB, Hulu Plus, etc.), then a Roku would probably be my first choice and a Boxee Box would be an alternative.
If you want to do a lot of hacking and such because you enjoy it, then an HTPC is probably your best bet. The Zotac, the Dell Zino, etc., would be good choices. Read about this on avsforum.com to your heart's content.
If you want to play local media in addition to streaming but don't want to hassle with the technology, then in my view the best solution is what I settled with: save your local media to a NAS (I went with a Synology, but QNAP is also a solid choice) both for convenience (you can play anything on your TV or on any computer or anywhere else) and also for reliability (if one har drive fails, you don't lose everything). Then get a Boxee Box to play the media. The Boxee Box isn't nearly perfect (it's still a little buggy but getting better), but it's miles ahead of its competition (such as the WDTV Live) if you want things to "just work."
No one has quite nailed the implementation in this space yet. Home-brew HTPC's are expensive and klunky unless you put a lot of time into them. The WDTV Live is lightweight but inelegant and there's a lot it can't do. The Boxee Box plays anything but it's still a bit buggy and unrefined. The upshot is that "all in one" solutions baked into the TV are a waste, because this space is going to change heavily in the next few years, I think.
posted by gd779 at 12:12 PM on June 10, 2011
If you rely solely on streaming media (Netflix, MLB, Hulu Plus, etc.), then a Roku would probably be my first choice and a Boxee Box would be an alternative.
If you want to do a lot of hacking and such because you enjoy it, then an HTPC is probably your best bet. The Zotac, the Dell Zino, etc., would be good choices. Read about this on avsforum.com to your heart's content.
If you want to play local media in addition to streaming but don't want to hassle with the technology, then in my view the best solution is what I settled with: save your local media to a NAS (I went with a Synology, but QNAP is also a solid choice) both for convenience (you can play anything on your TV or on any computer or anywhere else) and also for reliability (if one har drive fails, you don't lose everything). Then get a Boxee Box to play the media. The Boxee Box isn't nearly perfect (it's still a little buggy but getting better), but it's miles ahead of its competition (such as the WDTV Live) if you want things to "just work."
No one has quite nailed the implementation in this space yet. Home-brew HTPC's are expensive and klunky unless you put a lot of time into them. The WDTV Live is lightweight but inelegant and there's a lot it can't do. The Boxee Box plays anything but it's still a bit buggy and unrefined. The upshot is that "all in one" solutions baked into the TV are a waste, because this space is going to change heavily in the next few years, I think.
posted by gd779 at 12:12 PM on June 10, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
Hardware upgrades. Everything you want goes through lots of revisions and, eventually, the hardware won't support the latest one (whether it actually can't or they stop supporting older hardware so you buy newer hardware or, as it is usually, both.)
If you don't have a TV yet, you are probably the type to buy this thing and keep it for an extended period of time. A media center -- or PS3 or XBox or Roku or whatever -- can be upgraded for a trivial cost, at least compared to how much it costs to replace a television with outdated media center hardware.
posted by griphus at 12:16 PM on June 9, 2011 [2 favorites]