Cheap Google/Fire TVs
Discussion
We could do with a new TV for our bedroom. We currently have an ancient 27" Samsung which is really only used for the little one to watch Programs on apps while we get ready, and the occasional thing in bed in the evening.
It needs to go as its painfully slow, looks lost in the current room and the remote has had it. Its got to be at least 8-9 years old and only cost a couple hundred quid at the time so its done well, but its time for something better.
I am looking specifically at the FireTV/Google TV based systems as I don't want a separate Firestick for watching F1TV, and I also hope that the OS is more likely to be supported long term over proprietry systems.
However, I do not want a TV that is laggy and horrid to use, which I have fell foul of before when buying a cheap LG TV for our sunroom.
Does anyone have any experiences of these cheaper TVs?
Would be looking at 40" version of the TCL Fire TV or Google TV systems, or theres also Toshiba and Panasonic TVs with Fire/Android.
Not precious about out and out picture quality or sound (as long as it doesn't sound dreadful) but can't deal with really laggy operating systems.
Can anyone offer any assistance?
Cheers
It needs to go as its painfully slow, looks lost in the current room and the remote has had it. Its got to be at least 8-9 years old and only cost a couple hundred quid at the time so its done well, but its time for something better.
I am looking specifically at the FireTV/Google TV based systems as I don't want a separate Firestick for watching F1TV, and I also hope that the OS is more likely to be supported long term over proprietry systems.
However, I do not want a TV that is laggy and horrid to use, which I have fell foul of before when buying a cheap LG TV for our sunroom.
Does anyone have any experiences of these cheaper TVs?
Would be looking at 40" version of the TCL Fire TV or Google TV systems, or theres also Toshiba and Panasonic TVs with Fire/Android.
Not precious about out and out picture quality or sound (as long as it doesn't sound dreadful) but can't deal with really laggy operating systems.
Can anyone offer any assistance?
Cheers
For exactly the same reason I just bought a Amazon Fire TV 40-inch 2-Series | 1080p HD smart TV for £209. We haven't noticed an issues at all; BBC ITVX, U, Channel 4, Prime, Amazon Music, YouTube all OK with no lag and sound is acceptable.
Our only 'grouse' is that the R/C buttons aren't backlit.
Our only 'grouse' is that the R/C buttons aren't backlit.
Honestly, I'm going the other route. Get the best, dumbest TV I can get, and have a fire TV cube to run the intelligent side of things. Then replace the firestick or fire TV cube as necessary. Current TV is a 14-year old Sony. It's getting replaced soon for other reasons, but it works fine with the cube.
jimmyjimjim said:
Honestly, I'm going the other route. Get the best, dumbest TV I can get, and have a fire TV cube to run the intelligent side of things. Then replace the firestick or fire TV cube as necessary. Current TV is a 14-year old Sony. It's getting replaced soon for other reasons, but it works fine with the cube.
Agreed. Buy the screen for the size/picture quality/speakers/cost & use which ever external box is best/most cost effective at the time.I wouldn't worry too much about the software the TV itself is running, if you're buying on the budget end then they will all be slow and outdated pretty quickly. The operating system is there to subsidise the cost of the TV and to collect data on you to sell. If you find a TV that works for you with the OS you want great otherwise just buy something with a good picture and expect to pay 50 quid or so for a stick with the OS you want.
jimmyjimjim said:
Honestly, I'm going the other route. Get the best, dumbest TV I can get, and have a fire TV cube to run the intelligent side of things. Then replace the firestick or fire TV cube as necessary. Current TV is a 14-year old Sony. It's getting replaced soon for other reasons, but it works fine with the cube.
Agreed. We use chromecasts in our house so when we recently needed a new TV for the dining room we picked up a 32inch Samsung for £140. I don't care what features it comes with as standard because all our TV's work the same way with chromecast.Adding to the last couple of comments, but I now buy TVs with no thought to their smart features, and then stick a streaming device on them. Streaming devices seem to have much better features and support than TVs today.
The expensive 2017 OLED TV in the living room has an Apple TV 4K connected to it (and it's the ethernet model which still feels too pricey for what it does) which does all the smart functions, and once I realised the 2025 model year cheap LCD TV I bought for the spare room required me to create an LG account just to install some streaming service apps I connected a £40 Fire TV Stick to it.
None of the TVs in the house have network connections (other than the rare occasions I update firmware), and the Apple TVs get cascaded down when I buy a new one.
You get a consistent experience across all the TVs regardless of brand (although I realised all my currents TVs are LG) and for the moment at least I trust Apple more than I trust Samsung/LG/ Random Chinese brand. Wish Apple did a £40 streaming device, the Fire TVs would go as well.
The expensive 2017 OLED TV in the living room has an Apple TV 4K connected to it (and it's the ethernet model which still feels too pricey for what it does) which does all the smart functions, and once I realised the 2025 model year cheap LCD TV I bought for the spare room required me to create an LG account just to install some streaming service apps I connected a £40 Fire TV Stick to it.
None of the TVs in the house have network connections (other than the rare occasions I update firmware), and the Apple TVs get cascaded down when I buy a new one.
You get a consistent experience across all the TVs regardless of brand (although I realised all my currents TVs are LG) and for the moment at least I trust Apple more than I trust Samsung/LG/ Random Chinese brand. Wish Apple did a £40 streaming device, the Fire TVs would go as well.
The LG OS on the latest TVs is great IMO, no lag and very straightforward. So much so that the main TV in the lounge no longer has the Apple TV plugged in, I've put that in my office on an old monitor for TV while I work.
Samsung which we have on an older TV in the basement is a dog in comparison, almost unusably slow and very frustrating. Apple TV sorted that too.
For a bedroom TV I'd go for screen as has already been said, ours is a rarely used 32" something or other, again with Apple TV and bluetooth speakers we put closer to the bed which ATV streams to. Means the volume can be a little lower so doesn't risk waking the kids,
Samsung which we have on an older TV in the basement is a dog in comparison, almost unusably slow and very frustrating. Apple TV sorted that too.
For a bedroom TV I'd go for screen as has already been said, ours is a rarely used 32" something or other, again with Apple TV and bluetooth speakers we put closer to the bed which ATV streams to. Means the volume can be a little lower so doesn't risk waking the kids,
Mr Pointy said:
jimmyjimjim said:
Honestly, I'm going the other route. Get the best, dumbest TV I can get, and have a fire TV cube to run the intelligent side of things. Then replace the firestick or fire TV cube as necessary. Current TV is a 14-year old Sony. It's getting replaced soon for other reasons, but it works fine with the cube.
Agreed. Buy the screen for the size/picture quality/speakers/cost & use which ever external box is best/most cost effective at the time.The alternative was £4-500 on a new but crap sounding smart TV that I wouldn't use the "smart" part of.
SteBrown91 said:
Cheers all but I do not want the faff of multiple remotes - it annoys me I have to use a firestick just to watch F1 for the main TV.
I've got a price alert set up for the the Fire Tv Series 2 hoping it drops into a black friday deal at some point soon.
The firestick/cube is the only remote in use. I think I could find the TV remote in a pinch, but it's not been used in literally years.I've got a price alert set up for the the Fire Tv Series 2 hoping it drops into a black friday deal at some point soon.
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