Smart TV - how long updated?
Discussion
Don't buy a TV for the Smart features ... proprietary OSes never have the same capabilities or update support as a mainstream OS like Android TV, Amazon Fire TV or Apple TV.
But - even if the set runs a mainstream OS, chances are that the computing spec of the TV is minimal and it won't receive updates for more than 3-4 years after release.
eg. I have an old Sony Bravia from 2015 that stopped getting updates years ago .. it runs Android TV and is stuck around 2-3 versions back compared to my NVidia Shield boxes. It still works OK but doesn't support all modern apps and the performance overall is very poor which is annoying as it all runs on top of the Android OS, even just normal TV viewing. I also have an older 2013 vintage Samsung which has some sort of Samsung proprietary OS and is absolutely rubbish for Smart functions (even from the day I bought it) but the Smart part is only an afterthought and the TV treats it like a built-in dongle that you can switch to rather than actually running day to day on top of the platform like most modern Smart TVs do. Hence, it doesn't bother me in the least and is actually my favourite set.
Buy on the actual native features of the TV and if possible get one with the most minamlist Smart OS that you can. Just buy an external dongle/box for Smart functions. They tend to be more powerful, better supported and in the worst case that they eventually stop getting support you can just buy the latest and greatest new box when needed.
But - even if the set runs a mainstream OS, chances are that the computing spec of the TV is minimal and it won't receive updates for more than 3-4 years after release.
eg. I have an old Sony Bravia from 2015 that stopped getting updates years ago .. it runs Android TV and is stuck around 2-3 versions back compared to my NVidia Shield boxes. It still works OK but doesn't support all modern apps and the performance overall is very poor which is annoying as it all runs on top of the Android OS, even just normal TV viewing. I also have an older 2013 vintage Samsung which has some sort of Samsung proprietary OS and is absolutely rubbish for Smart functions (even from the day I bought it) but the Smart part is only an afterthought and the TV treats it like a built-in dongle that you can switch to rather than actually running day to day on top of the platform like most modern Smart TVs do. Hence, it doesn't bother me in the least and is actually my favourite set.
Buy on the actual native features of the TV and if possible get one with the most minamlist Smart OS that you can. Just buy an external dongle/box for Smart functions. They tend to be more powerful, better supported and in the worst case that they eventually stop getting support you can just buy the latest and greatest new box when needed.
Just before Xmas I bought a small 24" RCA one for the kitchen with the intention that it would never be plugged into an aerial and only ever connected to WiFi.
Its was crap. Really slow to start up, loads of latency between button pushes on the remote and something happening, continuously dropped the WiFi connection and regularly lost the credentials (how???).
In the end it went back for a refund and I got a Samsung one which so far has been perfect (responsive, not lost a connection).
Its was crap. Really slow to start up, loads of latency between button pushes on the remote and something happening, continuously dropped the WiFi connection and regularly lost the credentials (how???).
In the end it went back for a refund and I got a Samsung one which so far has been perfect (responsive, not lost a connection).
Get one with an inbuilt Roku if you are worried about updates and must have it all built in.
Otherwise I’d do what the others suggested. Buy a TV based on its panel / sound quality first.
Then plug in a Google TV, Roku, Apple TV or whatever suits you and ignore your TV’s smart features. Replace these devices once they fall out of support. The TV itself will outlast any of these smart devices. One of my Samsung TV’s is 12 years old now and courtesy of a Roku Smart Stick that cost £35, is very much upto date in terms of smart features.
Otherwise I’d do what the others suggested. Buy a TV based on its panel / sound quality first.
Then plug in a Google TV, Roku, Apple TV or whatever suits you and ignore your TV’s smart features. Replace these devices once they fall out of support. The TV itself will outlast any of these smart devices. One of my Samsung TV’s is 12 years old now and courtesy of a Roku Smart Stick that cost £35, is very much upto date in terms of smart features.
Edited by wyson on Monday 27th March 16:05
I'm definately in the camp of buying your preferred plug in smart device rather than hoping a TV will update.
We use Chromecast and even the earliest one we bought is still working fine. That's on a mix of smart and dumb TVs. Even our expensive smart TV in the living room has one plugged into it.
We use Chromecast and even the earliest one we bought is still working fine. That's on a mix of smart and dumb TVs. Even our expensive smart TV in the living room has one plugged into it.
'Chromecast with Google TV' is also very good. Basically Android TV with a slightly nicer interface, on a pebble-shaped dongle. On offer at £25 (down from £35) at the moment too:
https://store.google.com/product/chromecast_google...
https://store.google.com/product/chromecast_google...
ked people over again with ITVX not being compatible with it.Gassing Station | TV, Film, Streaming & Radio | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff