Smart TVs and Youtube

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: dishdude
Why do you need that to find documentaries on YouTube?


You need a cursor so that you can select stuff and adjust your YouTube settings.

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Why do you need that to find documentaries on YouTube?


You need a cursor so that you can select stuff and adjust your YouTube settings.


You do all of that on the phone, you just touch what you want and it automagically happens.

 

[grampi]

I don't have a smart phone...yet...

 

[hatt]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: JustinH
The interface on the smart tv's is poor at best.



I just got a brand new 4k TV, and we have used youtube for our preschooler to watch some educational stuff, and we also used Netflix. The interface wasn't clunky, though a qwerty keyboard would be faster/easier, as would a wii-type finger-pointing interface. But thats a tiny bit of speed, nothing else. Works great.

A brand new TV might work OK. How bout in 2 years when the manufacture couldn't care less about sending out updates. Smart TVs seem like just another gimmick to get people to replace TVs more often. Hopefully when it's time for me to replace my TV I can find a dumb TV without a bunch of extra stuff to fail.

 

[KrisZ]

I recently bought an android media box and it made my dumb TV into a media center genius that no smart TV to date can match. A similar thing can be achieved with Roku, Apple TV or Amazon Fire TV.
It can run pretty much everything that Google has for their Android devices.

 

[Jetronic]

Originally Posted By: hatt
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: JustinH
The interface on the smart tv's is poor at best.



I just got a brand new 4k TV, and we have used youtube for our preschooler to watch some educational stuff, and we also used Netflix. The interface wasn't clunky, though a qwerty keyboard would be faster/easier, as would a wii-type finger-pointing interface. But thats a tiny bit of speed, nothing else. Works great.

A brand new TV might work OK. How bout in 2 years when the manufacture couldn't care less about sending out updates. Smart TVs seem like just another gimmick to get people to replace TVs more often. Hopefully when it's time for me to replace my TV I can find a dumb TV without a bunch of extra stuff to fail.


ours is maybe 5 years old now, still gets updates

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: hatt
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: JustinH
The interface on the smart tv's is poor at best.



I just got a brand new 4k TV, and we have used youtube for our preschooler to watch some educational stuff, and we also used Netflix. The interface wasn't clunky, though a qwerty keyboard would be faster/easier, as would a wii-type finger-pointing interface. But thats a tiny bit of speed, nothing else. Works great.

A brand new TV might work OK. How bout in 2 years when the manufacture couldn't care less about sending out updates. Smart TVs seem like just another gimmick to get people to replace TVs more often. Hopefully when it's time for me to replace my TV I can find a dumb TV without a bunch of extra stuff to fail.


Interesting.

Our Nintendo Wii is I don't even recall how old, and still can run Netflix, Youtube, Amazon Instant Video, etc.

Im sure the TV will be supported for some amount of time...

But how long the SW is supported is irrelevant to how clunky or user friendly the interface is, which is the point of the OP request it seems - inputting info.

Originally Posted By: grampi
I like using the smart function of my TV to watch documentaries on Yotube, and also for watching movies on Netflix, however, using that stupid search box with all the letters and numbers in it that you have to select with the up, down, and side arrows on your remote is a royal PITA! Is there any way a keyboard can be used for this, and if so, how?


Unless youre implying that to plan obsolescence, the vendor will push clunkier and poorer UIs to the TVs as time goes on until the input functionality is unbearable.

 

[hatt]

Originally Posted By: Jetronic
Originally Posted By: hatt
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: JustinH
The interface on the smart tv's is poor at best.



I just got a brand new 4k TV, and we have used youtube for our preschooler to watch some educational stuff, and we also used Netflix. The interface wasn't clunky, though a qwerty keyboard would be faster/easier, as would a wii-type finger-pointing interface. But thats a tiny bit of speed, nothing else. Works great.

A brand new TV might work OK. How bout in 2 years when the manufacture couldn't care less about sending out updates. Smart TVs seem like just another gimmick to get people to replace TVs more often. Hopefully when it's time for me to replace my TV I can find a dumb TV without a bunch of extra stuff to fail.


ours is maybe 5 years old now, still gets updates
Count yourself lucky. You can do a google search and see all of the cases where stuff isn't supported any longer. And there are numerous reason to lose support such as outdated hardware, licencing agreements, manufactures decides to stop supporting, etc. I'd much rather have an expensive TV simply display content and leave the 3rd party stuff to $25-100 appliances that can be replaced periodically.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: hatt
Originally Posted By: Jetronic
Originally Posted By: hatt
A brand new TV might work OK. How bout in 2 years when the manufacture couldn't care less about sending out updates. Smart TVs seem like just another gimmick to get people to replace TVs more often. Hopefully when it's time for me to replace my TV I can find a dumb TV without a bunch of extra stuff to fail.


ours is maybe 5 years old now, still gets updates
Count yourself lucky. You can do a google search and see all of the cases where stuff isn't supported any longer. And there are numerous reason to lose support such as outdated hardware, licencing agreements, manufactures decides to stop supporting, etc. I'd much rather have an expensive TV simply display content and leave the 3rd party stuff to $25-100 appliances that can be replaced periodically.


Yeah but that is still the case.

Nobody is forcing anyone to use the "smart" capabilities of any TV.

If I wanted to connect our Wii up to the TV and watch content, I could. Computer via displayport to HDMI? I could.

Ditto if I bought an apple TV or an Amazon fire stick or whatever else. Nothing forces me to use the interface that Samsung provided on our TV.

So that is always the case. That's part of the reason in fact that new TVs have so many USB ports and HDMI ports. I believe ours has three USB and 5-6 HDMI, plus the component, RCA composite, and some other stuff (TOSlink, etc).

Short of killing the TV by horrid firmware, the futureproofing via an external $30-100 item is alive and well.

But good internal interfaces means I don't NEED to buy anything. I highly doubt that if they removed all of the special smart stuff and took the internal firmware back to my ca. 2002 CRT, that the price would be dropped a cent.

 

[hatt]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2


Interesting.

Our Nintendo Wii is I don't even recall how old, and still can run Netflix, Youtube, Amazon Instant Video, etc.

Im sure the TV will be supported for some amount of time...

But how long the SW is supported is irrelevant to how clunky or user friendly the interface is, which is the point of the OP request it seems - inputting info.

Originally Posted By: grampi
I like using the smart function of my TV to watch documentaries on Yotube, and also for watching movies on Netflix, however, using that stupid search box with all the letters and numbers in it that you have to select with the up, down, and side arrows on your remote is a royal PITA! Is there any way a keyboard can be used for this, and if so, how?


Unless youre implying that to plan obsolescence, the vendor will push clunkier and poorer UIs to the TVs as time goes on until the input functionality is unbearable.
The Wii was still being made until 2 years ago and sold like 100 million units. Your TV model will not be in production for 8 years and sell millions of units. Apples to oranges. My old PS3 still worked OK with streaming apps until it died recently.

 

[hatt]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2


Yeah but that is still the case.

Nobody is forcing anyone to use the "smart" capabilities of any TV.

If I wanted to connect our Wii up to the TV and watch content, I could. Computer via displayport to HDMI? I could.

Ditto if I bought an apple TV or an Amazon fire stick or whatever else. Nothing forces me to use the interface that Samsung provided on our TV.

So that is always the case. That's part of the reason in fact that new TVs have so many USB ports and HDMI ports. I believe ours has three USB and 5-6 HDMI, plus the component, RCA composite, and some other stuff (TOSlink, etc).

Short of killing the TV by horrid firmware, the futureproofing via an external $30-100 item is alive and well.

But good internal interfaces means I don't NEED to buy anything. I highly doubt that if they removed all of the special smart stuff and took the internal firmware back to my ca. 2002 CRT, that the price would be dropped a cent.
The extra hardware, software, and frequent updates can be a source of problems for the rest of the TV. Every updates gives you a chance to screw up something. My 09 plasma has never had or needed an update.

I had to return a Sony BD player recently. The thing simply ran poorly with all the apps. Long startup, freezes up, etc. I currently don't have a BD player cause it looks like I'll have to spend big $$ on a Yamaha/etc without added nonsense.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: hatt
The Wii was still being made until 2 years ago and sold like 100 million units. Your TV model will not be in production for 8 years and sell millions of units. Apples to oranges. My old PS3 still worked OK with streaming apps until it died recently.


Do you argue just to hear yourself argue?

Originally Posted By: hatt
Originally Posted By: Jetronic
ours is maybe 5 years old now, still gets updates
Count yourself lucky. You can do a google search and see all of the cases where stuff isn't supported any longer. And there are numerous reason to lose support such as outdated hardware, licencing agreements, manufactures decides to stop supporting, etc. I'd much rather have an expensive TV simply display content and leave the 3rd party stuff to $25-100 appliances that can be replaced periodically.



Originally Posted By: JHZR2

Yeah but that is still the case.

Nobody is forcing anyone to use the "smart" capabilities of any TV.

If I wanted to connect our Wii up to the TV and watch content, I could. Computer via displayport to HDMI? I could.

Ditto if I bought an apple TV or an Amazon fire stick or whatever else. Nothing forces me to use the interface that Samsung provided on our TV.

So that is always the case. That's part of the reason in fact that new TVs have so many USB ports and HDMI ports. I believe ours has three USB and 5-6 HDMI, plus the component, RCA composite, and some other stuff (TOSlink, etc).

Short of killing the TV by horrid firmware, the futureproofing via an external $30-100 item is alive and well.

But good internal interfaces means I don't NEED to buy anything. I highly doubt that if they removed all of the special smart stuff and took the internal firmware back to my ca. 2002 CRT, that the price would be dropped a cent.

 

[hattaresguy]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
There should be a way to control a TV the same way as a laptop - using a keyboard and a trackpad.


I can airplay a laptop right to my TV threw the AppleTv.

Like I'm doing right now as I eat lunch. BITOG at 55in is kind of pointless though.

 

[hattaresguy]

Originally Posted By: grampi
I don't have a smart phone...yet...


That's kind of the issue, can't do any of this without a phone.

 

[hatt]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: hatt
The Wii was still being made until 2 years ago and sold like 100 million units. Your TV model will not be in production for 8 years and sell millions of units. Apples to oranges. My old PS3 still worked OK with streaming apps until it died recently.


Do you argue just to hear yourself argue?

Do you intentionally overlook the content of posts you quote?

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: hatt
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: hatt
The Wii was still being made until 2 years ago and sold like 100 million units. Your TV model will not be in production for 8 years and sell millions of units. Apples to oranges. My old PS3 still worked OK with streaming apps until it died recently.


Do you argue just to hear yourself argue?

Do you intentionally overlook the content of posts you quote?


Not at all.

You claim obsolescence. users claim 5+ years support and I can still use a Wii.

You claim a $30 add on box is better. I claim I could still buy one and use it if needed.

You claim TVs stop functioning. Where is the proof? Even you stated that:
Quote:
My 09 plasma has never had or needed an update.


My old 2002 32" Panasonic CRT is "future proof" because there is no darn updateable firmware or way to drive it unstable, and I can add a $30 "box" to it any time I want (as I could to a brand new TV). But I can do the same with the new TV too.

Vendors make these things obsolete by changing interfaces and increasing performance/resolution. Either you want the latest or you don't. I never bought a flat screen LCD until now because I wasn't impressed. 4K impresses me. So we got one. Im scared of capacitors and power supplies, not the slightest in software and "smart" capability, which as you stated, can be bought in a $30 box to add in via any interface I want.

And, amazingly, my new TV still supports RCA composite video. If they really wanted to force people to buy more stuff, they would make TVs without that kind of connectivity.

Everything is interoperable. Youre barking up the wrong tree since your "superior" approach is implementable both backwards and forward, and is commonplace right now.

 

[hatt]

I know this is difficult, but do a google search on the subject.

If you like your TV fine. I like my dumb TV. I turn it on and after a couple seconds it's ready for business and displaying whatever I'm sending to it. I don't like slow buggy unnecessary "all in one" products in place of simpler products that do exactly what I want them to do.

 

[Quattro Pete]

The smart tv functionality of my 2009 samsung is so slow, it is unusable. Hopefully the new tvs are better at it. I just use roku.

 

[hatt]

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/201405...d-parties.shtml

 

[raytseng]

The top of the line samsungs are designed like monitors where the screen really is just a screen and all the software, connectors, and circuitry including all the processors are offloaded to a replaceable box. So if the newest connectors or doodads come out you can just upgrade the box.

So this is one layer of future proofing even more comprehensive then software updates

However you need to realize that is correctly targetted just at the top of the line.

Mid and budget models don't get this future proofing because consumers dont want to pay for that feature. Theyd rather just replace their tv in 5 to 10 years for 1000 each time instead of paying 2000 once.

So it exists, but the market has spoken that they arent willing to pay for it.