Which smart tv brand do you rate?
Discussion
Looking for some feedback on how well the various brands smart tv software works with networked content and recording tv.
I've been running a PC Media Centre solution with 4 extenders for the past six years and it's worked well for recording tv / pics and home videos but it's starting to creak a bit now - doesn't work with HD (tv anyway, pre-recorded is fine) and replacement extenders are getting harder to find.
Given the proprietary software out there from Sony, Samsung, Panasonic and LG what do people think for applications such as watching films on a shared drive, sharing recorded tv, picture viewing?
Big decision to make as will need to refresh all the TV's to get to the same place again
Cheers,
Phil
I've been running a PC Media Centre solution with 4 extenders for the past six years and it's worked well for recording tv / pics and home videos but it's starting to creak a bit now - doesn't work with HD (tv anyway, pre-recorded is fine) and replacement extenders are getting harder to find.
Given the proprietary software out there from Sony, Samsung, Panasonic and LG what do people think for applications such as watching films on a shared drive, sharing recorded tv, picture viewing?
Big decision to make as will need to refresh all the TV's to get to the same place again
Cheers,
Phil
Given you are comfortable with PC stuff:
One of the little HP Proliant Servers with cashback
OS of your choice
Serviio
RaspberryPi for old TV without smart apps, but with HDMI
I have a Panasonic from about two years ago, and the App plays shared video music etc without any issues at all. The online stuff is OK, but nothing on a PC, and the updates are erm, intermittent.
One of the little HP Proliant Servers with cashback
OS of your choice
Serviio
RaspberryPi for old TV without smart apps, but with HDMI
I have a Panasonic from about two years ago, and the App plays shared video music etc without any issues at all. The online stuff is OK, but nothing on a PC, and the updates are erm, intermittent.
Samsung for me
Got one last year initially 40” can’t tell you model number got it from Currys very happy with it went wi fi with it which worked fine but junked wi fi for wired recently the wi fi was through their proprietary dongle as you can’t just bang in a netgear dongle. Interestingly you can get a result that is as good if not better than using their dongle by using one of these:
http://www.netgear.co.uk/home/products/hometheater...
Have a modest set up comprising Samsung TV + WD My Book Live Drives one with Films on one with TV Programmes ( have nice friend who lets me use his offices back up system for me to back up my stuff so if the WD's fail I should be able to retrieve) I rip my DVD’s (and friends) to the drive using DVD Decrypter it has worked well for me
I get :
Fast access to any stored movies TV programmes etc the drives are set to idle after I think 10 minutes so sometimes going into SMART HUB on TV and accessing the network drive can take a few moments – nothing to worry about only potential disadvantage is that I can only get to pause/stop playback of a movie no rewind fast foreward etc doesn’t bother me may bother some others.
Another thing I like is that the Samsung can be hooked up to a USB Hard Drive I build some PC’s etc and ended up “breaking” some Western Digital Elements drives simply for the drives I popped an older 320GB drive that came out of a PC into one of these caddies and hooked it up it works brilliantly I can record stuff to it (admittedly only the programme the TV is tuned to) and it can be set to record programmes when switched off playback quality is excellent and you can this way pause rewind fast foreward etc with no issues
I use BBC I player and it works well I didn’t have issues wirelessly but as I am now wired there is simply no issues whatsoever I have good broadband and a good router set up so experience no buffering issues the lady of the house has a film subscription and she uses the TV to access that regularly again with no issues
We have an LG 27" in the bedroom NOT SMART TV but I managed to get a LG Smart box thing about the sixe of an A6 diary hooked it up etc had some issues the playback was VERY picky and wouldnt playback some films from the Network Drive it was also slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
That could be down to ikt being an external add on box but a friend who wanted Samsung but went for LG as he got more bang for his bucks has a similar spec 40" LG SMART its nice looking and gives a great picture - if you told me the screens came from the same factory I'd believe you BUT the software is slower its not sluggish just slower and again there are some odd incompatability issues playing back some networked stuff, his i player works well so it may be a bad comparison to mine I dunno
Got one last year initially 40” can’t tell you model number got it from Currys very happy with it went wi fi with it which worked fine but junked wi fi for wired recently the wi fi was through their proprietary dongle as you can’t just bang in a netgear dongle. Interestingly you can get a result that is as good if not better than using their dongle by using one of these:
http://www.netgear.co.uk/home/products/hometheater...
Have a modest set up comprising Samsung TV + WD My Book Live Drives one with Films on one with TV Programmes ( have nice friend who lets me use his offices back up system for me to back up my stuff so if the WD's fail I should be able to retrieve) I rip my DVD’s (and friends) to the drive using DVD Decrypter it has worked well for me
I get :
Fast access to any stored movies TV programmes etc the drives are set to idle after I think 10 minutes so sometimes going into SMART HUB on TV and accessing the network drive can take a few moments – nothing to worry about only potential disadvantage is that I can only get to pause/stop playback of a movie no rewind fast foreward etc doesn’t bother me may bother some others.
Another thing I like is that the Samsung can be hooked up to a USB Hard Drive I build some PC’s etc and ended up “breaking” some Western Digital Elements drives simply for the drives I popped an older 320GB drive that came out of a PC into one of these caddies and hooked it up it works brilliantly I can record stuff to it (admittedly only the programme the TV is tuned to) and it can be set to record programmes when switched off playback quality is excellent and you can this way pause rewind fast foreward etc with no issues
I use BBC I player and it works well I didn’t have issues wirelessly but as I am now wired there is simply no issues whatsoever I have good broadband and a good router set up so experience no buffering issues the lady of the house has a film subscription and she uses the TV to access that regularly again with no issues
We have an LG 27" in the bedroom NOT SMART TV but I managed to get a LG Smart box thing about the sixe of an A6 diary hooked it up etc had some issues the playback was VERY picky and wouldnt playback some films from the Network Drive it was also slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
That could be down to ikt being an external add on box but a friend who wanted Samsung but went for LG as he got more bang for his bucks has a similar spec 40" LG SMART its nice looking and gives a great picture - if you told me the screens came from the same factory I'd believe you BUT the software is slower its not sluggish just slower and again there are some odd incompatability issues playing back some networked stuff, his i player works well so it may be a bad comparison to mine I dunno
I have the same setup as the OP but it's not creaking just yet. Mainly because I'm now using xboxes for extenders and they do support Freesat HD and Freeview HD with 5.1.
Ceton have a new very small extender coming out called the Echo and there are a few others appearing soon so you could always replace your extender setup?
Ceton have a new very small extender coming out called the Echo and there are a few others appearing soon so you could always replace your extender setup?
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