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hashbrown

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#157158 21-Nov-2014 13:52
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My parents are in the market for a new TV and with the recent Netflix announcement, I thought I'd ask if there were any standouts for App usability/performance.

Usability is the key, so if the apps are all the same it probably comes down to the interaction with the remote.  I'd like to get something with a good stock remote, that can ideally have a button mapped to take them straight into Netflix.  Once in Netflix navigation should be as straightforward as possible.

Thanks in advance.



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michaelmurfy
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  #1180773 21-Nov-2014 14:13
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Samsung TV's are king IMO.




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scuwp
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  #1180812 21-Nov-2014 14:58
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Samsung do seem to have the TV app market for most things.




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PoHq
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  #1180825 21-Nov-2014 15:18
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I really regret jumping on the smart TV band wagon. I have a pretty high end Samsung 55 inch but it hasn't got anything on devices such as Apple TV. It's ok ish apps are not great. Rarely updated. Bit laggy to. BBC iPlayer for example buffers like mad but only on the Samsung app. Apps are also quite featureless to. Very basic. I'd advise anyone now looking for a smart tv to get a normal TV and spend the money you save on an Apple TV or Roku or one of the othe main boxes that turn your TV into a smart TV. I have hardly used the smart features on mine.

Just my opinion.



alisam
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  #1180828 21-Nov-2014 15:25
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Very happy with the Samsung H6400 for:
Netflix
BBC iPlayer
ITV Player

via Unotelly.




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trig42
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  #1180854 21-Nov-2014 15:34
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I have a Samsung, and the Smart features (whilst I don't use them that often) are IMO the best of any brand on the market currently.

If you got your parents a Samsung now, you could sign them up to six months of Lightbox while you are waiting for Netflix - their app on the Samsung is good, and the quality of picture is great.
One button to get to the SmartHub, then cursor to the App you want (and you can move them around, so Netflix/Lightbox is the first app in the grid).

Other advantage of the Sammys is you get TVNZ and TV3 on demand apps there too.

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  #1180855 21-Nov-2014 15:34
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LG / Samsung / Philips TV's.
Apple TV / Roku / laptop / PC / PS3 or PS4 / Xbox etc.
The options are huge. However with smart TV's, getting one with a faster processor does make it quite a lot nicer to use.
The older Samsung Smart Hub design seemed a little more intuitive to me...

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JimmyH
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  #1180986 21-Nov-2014 18:27
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My instinct would be to say none.

IMO, you are better off buying a TV because it is a good TV (essentially picture quality, but with some attention to connection options and sound quality).

A cheap media player (a WD Live, a Roku, or an android box) or plugging an existing laptop will give you smarts that are pretty good. More materially, this option is easily upgradeable in a year or so as things change - for low hundreds of dollars rather than the thousands to replace a higher-end TV.


adida101
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  #1180989 21-Nov-2014 18:40
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As others have said, save the money you'd spend on a smart TV and buy a media device instead. If you use apple devices and buy an Apple TV you get the added advantage of being able to wirelessly mirror your devices to your TV with this option. On the other hand if you use a samsung device then you can wirelessly mirror with a Samsung Smart TV so in that case a samsung smart TV might be a better option. I think there are android equivalents if you use a different android device but I'm not sure about this. Point being, basically to help you make your decision you can consider what other tech devices you own and which ecosystem you want to invest in.





hashbrown

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  #1181337 22-Nov-2014 17:05
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Sounds like it's Samsung then.

Thanks for everyone's input.

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