Smart TV's

[Electric_Andy]

Of course it's up to you, and there's no arguing with personal preference. But I prefer to get a basic TV of the appropriate size (most are 4k now anyway), and use a Firestick or other plug in box. Just because cheaper TVs now have perfectly adequate picture and sound. Sound can be rememdies by using Soundbar/peakers if you want. The slow and sometimes dysfunctional "smart" aspects of the TV are therefore remedied with a Firestick. Mine plugs into the back so you can't see it. The remote is small and simple, and has a voice control button if you want to use it. And if anything goes wrong, you can return/but another Firestick at £35 odd.

I just remembered that my Dad's Sony TV which was £689, he's not had it a year and can only watch iPlayer 50% of the time, the shop he bought it from are stumped also. He doesn't want to return it becasue of the inconvenience (luckily he has a very good Freeview recorder for his smart apps). In some cases I htink you're paying a lot more for SMart bells and whistles when you don't need to.

 

[Sharky]

Not convinced with all this smart technology. My OH bought me a smart shirt for work and I pressed all the buttons and they did nothing.

 

[Oldhippy]

TV stopped this morning I have checked the Sony website and it says it wants a factory reset possibly? It is a Sony bravia with only a virgin box plugged in anyone got any ideas? Remote does nothing and plugged in a green light flashes at 30 second intervals. Destructions on Sony site ridiculously odd. Was fine until yesterday evening TV is a couple of years old.

 

[vickster]

Try the factory reset?
Still under warranty? If so, contact retailer

 

[Oldhippy]

Doubt it is under warranty should really pay more attention to these things. Will attempt to follow the complicated destructions on website. It goes on about is it an android set? No idea.

 

[vickster]

Doubt it is under warranty should really pay more attention to these things. Will attempt to follow the complicated destructions on website. It goes on about is it an android set? No idea.

Where did you buy it from? If John Lewis or Richer Sounds you’d have a 5/6 year warranty...Curry’s or Argos naff all.

if you turn the Smart Tv on, presumably,y it would say if it has an Android OS?

 

[Oldhippy]

She probably got it from Currys at a guess. I was away working.

 

[vickster]

She probably got it from Currys at a guess. I was away working.

Ah well hopefully a reset works

 

[BoldonLad]

We bought a Samsung 43", from Richer Sounds. It has 6 year warranty, and cost about £350. Had it for approximately one year now, no complaints. My only gripe is the input of "typing" it is tedious. The TV has bluetooth, so, I guess I could attach a bluetooth keyboard (which I have lying around, with my Raspberry-Pi), just have not got around to trying it on TV yet.

 

[itboffin]

Not sure I agree. What’s the point of paying a couple of grand for a decent tv and then having to pay for and have the inconvenience of having more gadgets to plug in to it to get full functionality. If anything the operating systems in tvs are actually getting better and more capable of doing even more?

a few smart companies that make TVs have realised they can’t compete and now have the ability to install a third party smart software into their hardware that will most likely be the route the big brands all start following, my Samsung is 4-5 years old now and hasn’t had any updates for 3 years, all the built in app stopped working even their own Samsung app. I now use the built in Freeview and an Amazon fire stick. My 17 year old 42” plasma screen I’ve hobbled together a roku stick with a vga to hdmi adapter and the picture quality and depth is every bit as good as a HD tv I also have an Alexa hooked up to that screen which connected to all my smart devices for my turbo trainer setup, super lazy but I can turn on off the whole setup, trainer, screen, fan, lights by voice alone.

 

[itboffin]

Mind you trying to tell Alexa to turn the fan on when you’re dying on an intervals session can throw up some interesting interpretations of your commands

 

[keithmac]

We have a Toshiba Smart TV, probably crashes once a week, absolute pile of sxxt!.

HDR, 4k all the bells and whistles but preferred my old Samsung..

Next one will be running pure Android or Android TV, so any app can be installed.

I use a Minix Neo U1 even with this TV.

Source button will bring up all inputs though at any time so that's a bonus.

Picture is amazing, software and operating system have let it down unfortunately.

 

[Mike_P]

Watching through iPlayer on the Roku I can sort of see why that batch of Sonys have been ditched, the picture was ultra hd in contrast in comparison to the low HD or even sd of the Sony; but still annoying.