TV 'n' B
June 8, 2018 7:19 PM Subscribe
Helping a friend furnish an AirBnB rental unit in her home. What kind of TV should she get? Caveats: easy to use and inexpensive. The unit has wifi and DVDs, but no cable access.
The ideal TV situation is very easy to use, and inexpensive. Under $300 would be great- will likely try to find the actual TV secondhand on craigslist.
The AirBnB unit will not have cable, but it will have wifi, and friend has a large collection of DVDs the guests can use.
Perhaps the setup would allow guests to:
watch DVDs,
and/or watch Netflix (using friend's account),
and/or I guess hook up their own laptop/tablet to stream whatever content they want over wifi? (Is that a good idea?)
What do you expect from an AirBnB TV?
Please help two people who don't own TVs figure out what kind of TV to provide!
The ideal TV situation is very easy to use, and inexpensive. Under $300 would be great- will likely try to find the actual TV secondhand on craigslist.
The AirBnB unit will not have cable, but it will have wifi, and friend has a large collection of DVDs the guests can use.
Perhaps the setup would allow guests to:
watch DVDs,
and/or watch Netflix (using friend's account),
and/or I guess hook up their own laptop/tablet to stream whatever content they want over wifi? (Is that a good idea?)
What do you expect from an AirBnB TV?
Please help two people who don't own TVs figure out what kind of TV to provide!
Many tv sets come with Roku, which enables streaming of Hulu, netflix, Amazon, Youtube and much more streaming content, on the tv. It requires decent wifi. Some tvs have built-in dvd, or you can use a separate one, or a Wii, or other game machine. Amazon prime allows you to set up a family account, and you could use a different email address and change the password for each guest. You can buy a new 32" tv with Roku for 200 or so new. I'm happy with that size. It will almost certainly have HDMI and USB ports.
Depending on where you are, you might want to get a good tv antenna for over-the-air tv(old school broadcast television). Mohu Leaf is a good brand, I have one that is amplified and I get the local network channels in my area. Some people really want to watch sports that may not be available via streaming. This site may be useful.
posted by theora55 at 8:19 PM on June 8, 2018
Depending on where you are, you might want to get a good tv antenna for over-the-air tv(old school broadcast television). Mohu Leaf is a good brand, I have one that is amplified and I get the local network channels in my area. Some people really want to watch sports that may not be available via streaming. This site may be useful.
posted by theora55 at 8:19 PM on June 8, 2018
A Chromecast may be a better good option for letting people use their own accounts since they won't have to enter their account details into a device your friend owns. People will forget to log out or not be able to figure out how to do it (some of the UIs are not great, plus no one ever has to log out at home). Amazon Prime doesn't support Chromecast (because they're trying to get you to buy the Fire stick), but most other things do, I think.
If you do go with something external for streaming (Chromecast, Roku, Fire stick), you'll want to make sure there are two HDMI ports, as a modern DVD player likely uses HDMI as well. I have a low end television bought in 2014 and it has an antenna/cable jack, one HDMI port and component input (five ports--three video and two audio, rather than the old red/yellow/white). No USB (what are you going to use USB for on a television?), no wifi, no ethernet.
posted by hoyland at 4:40 AM on June 9, 2018
If you do go with something external for streaming (Chromecast, Roku, Fire stick), you'll want to make sure there are two HDMI ports, as a modern DVD player likely uses HDMI as well. I have a low end television bought in 2014 and it has an antenna/cable jack, one HDMI port and component input (five ports--three video and two audio, rather than the old red/yellow/white). No USB (what are you going to use USB for on a television?), no wifi, no ethernet.
posted by hoyland at 4:40 AM on June 9, 2018
You don't need to provide a netflix or prime account; you do need a tv that HAS netflix or prime access that they can use with their own accounts. A USB port is nice but not crucial.
I'd suggest a TV with two HDMI ports, one which you have a chromecast or similar in, and one of which has a cable that they can plug their laptop into. I think DVDs are unnecessary.
posted by jeather at 10:34 AM on June 9, 2018
I'd suggest a TV with two HDMI ports, one which you have a chromecast or similar in, and one of which has a cable that they can plug their laptop into. I think DVDs are unnecessary.
posted by jeather at 10:34 AM on June 9, 2018
My mom bought this $150 tv based on the wire cutter review and has had no complaints.
posted by phil at 12:53 PM on June 9, 2018
posted by phil at 12:53 PM on June 9, 2018
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There are relatively cheap (smaller screens would be within your budget) Roku TVs which allow a user to stream content like Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and a ton of other apps provided the user has their own accounts. I think something like this would be an ideal setup for most people and would not cause much of a liability to your friend.
I would not give open access to her own Netflix account. This is not an expected 'amenity' and anyone who is dependent on Netflix for their entertainment will have their own account. Most people will may watch DVDs as a last resort.
posted by Everydayville at 7:42 PM on June 8, 2018 [2 favorites]