View Full Version : Smart tv--how exactly will this work?
iris lily
9-24-14, 11:49pm
We now have stronger, faster internet. It's "U-Verse" internet if that means anything. But yes, it does successfully stream Hulu tv shows without loooooooooong buffer periods unlike our old, slower internet connection.
So here's my question: If I spring for a smart TV, will this U-Verse internet via Wi-Fi be adequate to stream films on the new, smart tv?
I am still trying to avoid cable tv and having a monthly cable bill.
There is some talk about allowing folks without cable service to stream cable programs, but that talk is still in its infancy and concentrated around HBO GO's service, which carries with it its own price tag. There's almost surely no "free cable" magic coming any more than there is "free money" coming. If you find cable worth the cost, then you'll probably buy it. If you don't find cable worth the cost, then you'll probably live without it.
I've considered for a while getting a Smart TV. I think your question is, can you stream cable shows, but can you stream the things like Netflix films, as well as Hulu and other content that IS free on the internet.
The answer, is, probably. When DS lived with us, he had a playstation that he connected to our TV which had thousands and thousands of Netflix movies and TV episodic shows, etc. and the streaming quality was fantastic. You wouldn't think you were watching it online. Our internet is FiOS, and we don't have the super duper "Quantum" package, but we had it installed last year so I'm assuming the bandwidth is better than it used to be.
We watch shows via wifi on our smart tv.
I think you might still need something such as a LAN adapter, an appletv, roku box, type of item to use it that way.
When compared to the cost of cable the cost of the adapters are minimal investments.
Miss Cellane
9-25-14, 7:49am
I looked up "U-Verse" internet and it's internet over a cable from AT&T. They have various speeds--which one did you get? The faster the speed, of course, the higher the monthly charge.
But my guess is that if the new internet connection can stream Hulu to your computer without trouble, then it is going to be fine streaming to a smart tv.
Here's a link from Hulu: http://www.hulu.com/help/articles/20196801
It explains what download speeds you need, and gives a link so you can test the speed of your specific internet connection. I don't know of any reason why download speed would differ from your computer to a smart tv.
We cut the cable and watch content via the internet on a smart TV or from a digital antenna in the attic. Our internet service is billed as "high speed", but is moderate at best in practice. Most of what we watch (when we decide to watch) is YouTube based or Netflix (House of Cards, baby!). I have Amazon Prime for my work to get the shipping benefit, but we can also use that password to watch content there. It all works just fine and it is a very rare occurrence to see the infuriating little spinning buffering symbol. My favorite part is the complete lack of wires, additional boxes and other crap to clutter up the living room. The antenna hooks to the TV via coaxial cable that I put in the wall when we renovated, but the internet is completely wireless.
ToomuchStuff
9-25-14, 9:03am
We now have stronger, faster internet. It's "U-Verse" internet if that means anything. But yes, it does successfully stream Hulu tv shows without loooooooooong buffer periods unlike our old, slower internet connection.
So here's my question: If I spring for a smart TV, will this U-Verse internet via Wi-Fi be adequate to stream films on the new, smart tv?
I am still trying to avoid cable tv and having a monthly cable bill.
If you can play Hulu on your computer without buffering, then you can do that as well on the tv. Buffering other services, such as Netflix, depends on their speed requirements. (what your told you get and actual via something like dslreports.com speedtest).
Not sure why you consider this avoiding the monthly cable bill, as you have just shifted the bill to another media service provider. (Dish, ATT, Comcast, etc. are all effectively the same bill: entertainment).
I am not a big fan of Smart tv's though, because the software tends to be slower then things such as a Roku box, etc. I also am not a fan, of running one of them wireless, because the few that I have dealt with (TV and Bluray players) wanted an open, unsecured, wireless connection. (I don't want that on my network)
We stream netflix to our tv with an apple tv box. Our tv, though, is not "smart". It's just a regular flat panel tv. (insert smart tv is an oxymoron joke here...) I can't tell a difference between that and regular cable tv.
If all you're trying to do is watch streamed hulu or whatever on your tv you don't need a new tv, you just need a roku or apple tv or similar such device. They each have their pluses and minuses. I picked the apple tv to give SO for christmas a couple years ago because he's already fully in the apple environment so setup and use was/is a snap.
Miss Cellane
9-25-14, 10:09am
Iris lily might be saving money by just having internet and not paying extra for the cable tv. Depends on the packages offered by her cable company in her area.
About the smart tv--as jp1 says, you don't need a smart tv to stream videos to your tv. Currently, I can stream Netflix wirelessly from a very old Wii, a Roku and a Blu ray player, over a secured wireless connection. (All three were gifts from family members who were shocked, shocked that I didn't have all these devices. Thus preventing me from getting the Apple TV I wanted, because now I can't justify the cost and I'm not sure there are any more interfaces left open on the tv set.)
The Roku is faster, but I like the Netflix interface on the Blu ray better. The Wii is so old it can't stream HD video, and since the cable company gave me a free upgrade to HD last year, I really have been enjoying that.
However, most of these devices will only stream Hulu Plus, the pay version, not the basic free Hulu. So you would need to check that out carefully before you buy. If your current tv has the right connections and you have a laptop computer that is easily to connect to the tv, you could stream Hulu shows to the computer and then watch them on the tv. Depends on how old the tv is and what connections both it and the computer have.
iris lilies
9-25-14, 10:30am
Yes, catherine is right--my real question is can I stream content using Hulu and Nexflix type services.
And that Roku box option keeps coming up, I need to look into that. But I love the idea of NO FREEKIN' WIRES like Gregg says. (or additional wires, I have enough of them now)
Miss Cellane--thanks for the tips about speed checks. Also, that is very good to know that is a difference between both Hulus and what the devices support.
I should have started out saying: I want to avoid a monthly cable bill. Our internet is only $14.95 and I don't want to go up from that. I don't mind upfront costs of a new tv and would actually like a bigger one, anyway. How can I get more content?
I will say that I continue to be very happy with discs dvds form the library and from Netflix and may not puruse this at all.
SteveinMN
9-25-14, 10:47am
I would echo the suggestion of others that you not bother with a smart TV; just pick one you like and then get a Roku/Apple TV/whatever (I think Linksys may sell one, etc.). Cheaper and it future-proofs you a little more. I can't speak to the Roku but it is possible to "jailbreak" many Apple TV models, which gives you the ability to stream many more kinds of content through that box. Might work for the Roku or others, as well.
We are able to stream to our "dumb" TV by initiating the content on either our iPhone, iPad, or MacBook; recent versions of those can relay the video to the Apple TV which then feeds the TV. No issues with wireless speed; in fact, if the picture breaks up it's far more likely Comcast's fault. Oh, BTW, "recent" in the case of my MBP is 6+ years, so anything recent ought to be able to do it. So if it is content we cannot get through the Apple TV itself, we can get it through one of the other Apple devices. Works well for what little we watch.
catherine
9-25-14, 10:47am
Here's CNET article on "Which streaming device is best for you?" A year old, so it may not be fully updated, but gives you good basic info.
http://www.cnet.com/news/which-streaming-media-device-is-right-for-you/
You can use a Roku box to stream Netflix. The lowest model is in the $40-50 range. I also stream Amazon (we're Prime subscribers) and have a host of "free" (ad supported) channels like the Drive In Movie channel which has the really bad B grade science fiction movies like they show on Mystery Science Theatre 3000. :)
ToomuchStuff
9-25-14, 6:40pm
Here's CNET article on "Which streaming device is best for you?" A year old, so it may not be fully updated, but gives you good basic info.
http://www.cnet.com/news/which-streaming-media-device-is-right-for-you/
One I didn't see on that list, will only stream from your computer is the Chromecast. If your only a laptop user, and keep it close to where you sit, you could load what you want on your computer and send it to the tv via Chromecast. (Greg will probably chime in on that)
Lol, we actually have a Chromecast, but haven't ever used it. DS gave it to us the same Christmas that DW and I gave each other a smart TV! I was under the impression you could run one from a laptop, tablet, smart phone or whatever device has connectivity, but have no first hand experience to back that notion up.
I want to avoid a monthly cable bill. Our internet is only $14.95 and I don't want to go up from that. I don't mind upfront costs of a new tv and would actually like a bigger one, anyway. How can I get more content?At that price point, I think it is unlikely that you'll be able to enjoy the same exact cable network choices you have with cable today. Unfortunately, the way to get more content is to go back to paying for it, as ToomuchStuff said, you wouldn't be "avoiding" the monthly cable bill - just changing who you pay.
I will say that I continue to be very happy with discs dvds form the library and from Netflix and may not puruse this at all.The hardest part of that transition is the year or two you need to live without many good choices, between the time when the next episodes of your favorite cable network series are broadcast on the cable network and the time when they are available on DVD from Netflix. Once you have made that transition, then that's great. The number of cable network programs worth seeing that never make it to DVD on Netflix is rather small, and the wait definitely saves you money. We didn't manage to make the transition entirely, but rather only with regard to HBO, Showtime and Starz. Aided but a great number of great (basic) cable network series, like The Shield, we were able to do without the premium channels for a couple of years, after which we have remained sufficiently "behind" such that we kept up with shows like Dexter exclusively on DVD through Netflix.
...The hardest part of that transition is the year or two you need to live without many good choices, between the time when the next episodes of your favorite cable network series are broadcast on the cable network and the time when they are available on DVD from Netflix. Once you have made that transition, then that's great...
Agreed. I didn't watch the cable classic dramas until they were long done and the entire series out on DVD: The Sopranos, The Wire, Deadwood. I just watched The Shield last year. So, I had a long lag time, but actually, I was used to that because I got many films from the library and it took as long as 18 months for waiting lists to be depleted.
Back in days prior to that I watched only film. Now I prefer tv series. But I'm spoiled and want to watch the entire series, from beginning to end, when *I* want to watch it.
I'm waiting for Games of Thrones to be completely finished before I watch it, and that will be years, no doubt. That's fine, I can wait! I stopped watching Justified after season 2 because I loved it and will wait for the series to finish.
The inexpensive Sony DVD/Blueray player I bought a couple years ago streams practically everything for you - it knows about netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Youtube, and half a dozen other things. It connects to my house network via wifi (or I could have plugged it in via Ethernet).
My TV is a "smart TV", but I never bothered to set that up, as the DVD/bluray player is already smart, and I didn't want to have to deal with multiple remote controls and so on.
Whether your TV or Roku or computer or DVD will stream content properly is strictly a factor of how fast (and reliable) your internet connection is.
We have a smart TV with lots of built in apps for services such as Hulu, Netflix, etc. It has a wireless adaptor and an ethernet jack, as well as several HDMI ports. I've found the apps to be slow at times, although workable. We added a Chromecast device to one of the HDMI ports and that has become my go-to method of streaming content to the TV. I like the versatility of chromecast since I can initiate streaming content from my phone or tablet, as well as easily use the big screen TV as a monitor for my laptop since the Chrome browser will stream any content directly to the chromecast device.
Most apps for portable devices have Chromecast support built in, with Amazon's Prime streaming service being the one notable exemption. Apparently they're not interested in facilitating a competitor.
Before I bought SO the apple tv we used our cheapy blu ray player to stream netflix. Like bae's it could also stream other stuff but we only did it once just to see if it really could. The benefit of the apple tv has been that it's waaaaaay more user friendly than the blu ray player was for streaming. (trying to type words with a slow to react number pad remote kind of sucks...) The remote on the apple tv works just like an old school ipod with the wheel, and the ability to stream any video that will play on SO's macbook air directly from the computer, makes viewing stuff like youtube super easy to do. For something that was less than $100 it was definitely a good christmas present purchase.
Back when I had a 10 mbps connection , we could have 2 roku boxes streaming without issues through a single wifi router (caveat - this was before HD, which takes more bandwidth). Now it's 25 mbps (my cable providers current minimum), and we have no issues.
We have a Vizio SMART TV which streams internet through our DSL line as we did not want to pay for Satellite. (We don't yet have broadband cable or cell service in our town if you can believe it although we are actually happy about that.) We like it OK but am not sure we would purchase it in retrospect as we often hook up our laptop to the TV anyway since the apps are limited. We use NETFLIX, CRACKLE, PANDORA and YOUTUBE mainly on the TV but it does not let us go to any WEB site we want to stream video and even some of those apps are cumbersome and easier to browse/use on our laptop. It doesn't allow us to use HULU unless we buy HULU Plus subscription. Sometimes we have buffering issues and sometimes issues with some of the apps but not usually. Most of the apps on it are useless and I think they add them just to make it seem like there are lots of apps. The positive side of it all is that because it is not optimal we watch a lot less TV than we possibly might otherwise. We don't really miss all the advertisements and NETFLIX has a relatively good assortment of programs and documentaries which we love.
I like the versatility of chromecast since I can initiate streaming content from my phone or tablet, as well as easily use the big screen TV as a monitor for my laptop since the Chrome browser will stream any content directly to the chromecast device.
Alan, just curious: does the content being streamed have to be the active application? Or can it run in the background while you do something else on the laptop/tablet/whatever?
Alan, just curious: does the content being streamed have to be the active application? Or can it run in the background while you do something else on the laptop/tablet/whatever?
No, it doesn't have to be the active application. The application actually transfers responsibility for the stream to the chromecast device.
Thanks, Alan. Good to know.
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