Best gadget for non smart tv to make smart?
Discussion
Hi all, I have a non smart TV which is in a room without a TV point, and thought I'd attach it to 'something' so I can watch a few things (sky news, freeview etc).
There is a good wifi signal, but I don't want to go down the expense of Sky Glass etc. What's the best thing I can connect to it? I don't need to be able to cast things from laptop/phone, so want a decent remote for navigating screens etc. I've previously used an old Apple TV but is there something better these days?
Thanks all for any advice.
There is a good wifi signal, but I don't want to go down the expense of Sky Glass etc. What's the best thing I can connect to it? I don't need to be able to cast things from laptop/phone, so want a decent remote for navigating screens etc. I've previously used an old Apple TV but is there something better these days?
Thanks all for any advice.
Chromecast with Google TV - silly name as everyone assumes you mean the Chromecast which you can only cast to from anther device, but the "with google tv" ones have a remote, apps, etc. I use it for iPlayer, Youtube, Prime and Plex mostly.
Fire Stick - I had the 4k one and much prefer the Chromecast with Google TV, the menu's were always really slow and it kept buffering trying to run iPlayer and a VPN. I think there's a newer one now that's a bit more powerful though.
Roku TV Stick - Never used one
NVidia Shield - the above 3 are all pretty similar capabilities, the Shield gives you all those abilities, plus you can play games on it
ETA: If you're with Virgin or Sky check what thier apps are compatible with, eg can you install the Sky Go app on one of the above devices and therefore get all your channels on. Not sure what the equivalent Virgin app is called and don't intend to search for "watch virgin" on my work computer
Fire Stick - I had the 4k one and much prefer the Chromecast with Google TV, the menu's were always really slow and it kept buffering trying to run iPlayer and a VPN. I think there's a newer one now that's a bit more powerful though.
Roku TV Stick - Never used one
NVidia Shield - the above 3 are all pretty similar capabilities, the Shield gives you all those abilities, plus you can play games on it
ETA: If you're with Virgin or Sky check what thier apps are compatible with, eg can you install the Sky Go app on one of the above devices and therefore get all your channels on. Not sure what the equivalent Virgin app is called and don't intend to search for "watch virgin" on my work computer
Edited by RizzoTheRat on Monday 21st March 15:33
audi321 said:
Thanks guys. I won’t be streaming from phone so a stand alone unit is best. Yes there’s a HDMI slot. Can you get freebies channels on a fire stick? If so is there an EPG?
I've got a Firestick 4k and I've not seen anyway to watch live TV like you would through on a "normal" TV with an external aerial. I guess there could be app which does it but everything we use it for is app based, so you load up the app for whichever channel you want eg iPlayer, More4, 5 OD, ITV Hub etc.Edited by audi321 on Monday 21st March 15:36
audi321 said:
Can you get freebies channels on a fire stick? If so is there an EPG?
Generally speaking you'll be using iPlayer, ITVHub, More4, etc on any of these devices, all of which are free apps. You can also get paid apps like Hulu or Sling that will give some TV channels, and of course there's all the services like prime, netflix, HBO Max, etc. Each will have thier own EPG but it's all a bit different from freesat/sky/virgin with an EPG covering all channels.To complete the list of options, a XBox or PS4 if you can still get a media remote would be another option. Some apps have cut support for the 360 or PS3, but I'd expect there's still plenty of support for the last gen models - I have used both for the same purpose at various points.
Don't be tempted by a Bluray player, as updates for these tend to be infrequent and they can be less flexible.
Don't be tempted by a Bluray player, as updates for these tend to be infrequent and they can be less flexible.
hoegaardenruls said:
To complete the list of options, a XBox or PS4 if you can still get a media remote would be another option. Some apps have cut support for the 360 or PS3, but I'd expect there's still plenty of support for the last gen models - I have used both for the same purpose at various points.
Don't be tempted by a Bluray player, as updates for these tend to be infrequent and they can be less flexible.
Ahhhhhhhh yes! I think we have a winner. I’d completely forgotten about my sons old PS4 and if I remember correctly, there is a sky go app for it!Don't be tempted by a Bluray player, as updates for these tend to be infrequent and they can be less flexible.
That means I can get full tv (apart from BBC1 & 2 I think?) so should be good to go. Unless any of these other devices previously mentioned can get sky go too?
Edited by audi321 on Tuesday 22 March 16:24
Roku for me.
Appears to be the only one which actually keeps an eye on the apps and makes sure they work. After a while many other devices seem to abandon them due to android updates etc. They are fairly neutral so don’t hamstring other providers apps, like when Amazon decided they didn’t want YouTube on their fire stick.
I like the simple remote.
We have two sticks, one sound bar, mother in law has a stick and my mum has a Hisense tv with it built in. Not completely fault free, but far fewer issues than other devices we’ve tried.
We take a stick away with us when we go on holiday, connect it to local Wi-Fi and don’t need to go through the rigmarole of signing in on new devices all the time.
And pretty reasonably priced.
Appears to be the only one which actually keeps an eye on the apps and makes sure they work. After a while many other devices seem to abandon them due to android updates etc. They are fairly neutral so don’t hamstring other providers apps, like when Amazon decided they didn’t want YouTube on their fire stick.
I like the simple remote.
We have two sticks, one sound bar, mother in law has a stick and my mum has a Hisense tv with it built in. Not completely fault free, but far fewer issues than other devices we’ve tried.
We take a stick away with us when we go on holiday, connect it to local Wi-Fi and don’t need to go through the rigmarole of signing in on new devices all the time.
And pretty reasonably priced.
RizzoTheRat said:
Chromecast with Google TV - silly name as everyone assumes you mean the Chromecast which you can only cast to from anther device, but the "with google tv" ones have a remote, apps, etc. I use it for iPlayer, Youtube, Prime and Plex mostly.
Fire Stick - I had the 4k one and much prefer the Chromecast with Google TV, the menu's were always really slow and it kept buffering trying to run iPlayer and a VPN. I think there's a newer one now that's a bit more powerful though.
Roku TV Stick - Never used one
NVidia Shield - the above 3 are all pretty similar capabilities, the Shield gives you all those abilities, plus you can play games on it
ETA: If you're with Virgin or Sky check what thier apps are compatible with, eg can you install the Sky Go app on one of the above devices and therefore get all your channels on. Not sure what the equivalent Virgin app is called and don't intend to search for "watch virgin" on my work computer
Yep, it's a great little device with a long winded name.Fire Stick - I had the 4k one and much prefer the Chromecast with Google TV, the menu's were always really slow and it kept buffering trying to run iPlayer and a VPN. I think there's a newer one now that's a bit more powerful though.
Roku TV Stick - Never used one
NVidia Shield - the above 3 are all pretty similar capabilities, the Shield gives you all those abilities, plus you can play games on it
ETA: If you're with Virgin or Sky check what thier apps are compatible with, eg can you install the Sky Go app on one of the above devices and therefore get all your channels on. Not sure what the equivalent Virgin app is called and don't intend to search for "watch virgin" on my work computer
Edited by RizzoTheRat on Monday 21st March 15:33
I have 3x Shield TVs which are great, but this device does about 95% of what I do on the Shields at about 1/3 the cost.
Yes, you can theoretically do more on the Shield in terms of emulation, plex server and installing tonnes of apps etc, but for straightforward streaming the CC with Google TV is every bit as good and the interface is almost the same.
RizzoTheRat said:
If you're not already aware, you can get proper TV style remote controls for PlayStation. We used to use our PS3 as a DVD player and to watch Prime and controlling with the standard PS3 controller gets a bit annoying after a while.
Thanks, no I didn't know this and I've just ordered one thanks for the information.Gassing Station | Computers, Gadgets & Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff