Smart TV

[Allen In Texas Hill Country]

I'm going to replace my hot plasma with an LED. LED prices have come way down from 4 or 5 years ago. Summers coming and the heat a plasma throws out is too much. I have a techy question about a smart TV. I'm know all about Netflix and have no use for any online movie stuff. Does or can I bring up a browser like Firefox on a smart TV? It costs about $300 for for a smart TV versus one without and since I'm not interested in online movie stuff I don't know if its worth it. Thanks.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Netflix automatically adjusts the resolution, according to how much bandwidth you have available at the time. It will deliver true HD, if you have sufficient bandwidth. I don’t know about the others.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Get an HDTV with HDMI input and get a cheap laptop to hook up to it. That's a lot smarter than a "smart TV."

There is SOOOO much free stuff to watch online. You do not need cable.

[mconley22]

There are several brands available. The one that I bought is the Minnix Neo G4, which was about $68 (it is now $63) at Amazon.com. Most of them have similar features and run Android Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean. (Mine shipped with Jelly Bean installed.) Single core versions are quite a bit cheaper, but the Neo G4 is based on an ARM Cortex A9 processor running at 1.6 GHz. My Blackberry Playbook is based on the same processor running at 1.0 GHz. It is a shame that Minix ships it with an under powered adapter but the device has been working perfectly since I replaced the adapter with a Samsung one that received favorable reviews on Amazon.

[Allen In Texas Hill Country]

Thank you, I’ll print that out. Just noticed you’re a ‘98 newbie too :<))

[OldRanchHand]

I’m assuming one must have access to broadband to enjoy it fully? I still live in an area without access to broadband or anything beyond the slowest DSL.

[Allen In Texas Hill Country]

As do I. No cable so the internet connection speed is whatever the DSL can manage. Thats why I have a 40’ tower with a 12’ UHF antenna to reach San Antonio 75 miles away. All prime time TV is recorded by 2 desktops and we watch TV from the computers in the evening.

[steve86]

I bought the Logitech Review (set top box w/ Google TV) right after Logitech discontinued them — for a song ($95 or so). The only browser than runs on it (AFAIK) is a slightly stripped version of Chrome, but it does work and was updated a few months ago. This is the only way my wife accesses the web and is quite adequate for her.

[Gene Eric]

I think it makes sense to go this route where the monitor selection is free from the concern of extras.

[Gene Eric]

A good combo today would be a 1080P display with a device that can playback Blu-ray (HD content). And as mentioned in this thread, the extensibility/Smart TV stuff can often be found in the new players (throw-away gear compared to the monitor).

[Gene Eric]

LOL, good point!

[TomGuy]

Some LG models have a built-in browser.

But, from what I have read, those browsers on SmartTV’s are extremely limited.

Don’t expect it to work like Firefox and don’t expect to use many/any add-ons like Firefox.

[bigheadfred]

thank you and May the 4th be with you

[Allen In Texas Hill Country]

This supposedly new 55” Samsung has a “Full Web Browser”

http://www.samsung.com/us/video/tvs/UN55F6300AFXZA-specs

I wonder if I can get a demo down at the local Walmart. Unfortunately their people while attentive are not very knowledgeable.

[TomGuy]

I haven’t had much luck with Samsung products.

Had a Samsung DVR that died after about 2 years.

Had a Win7 Samsung laptop that died 2 months after the 1-year warranty. Local repair shop said it was the motherboard, and Samsung did not have replacement boards.

Samsung is on my s*it list, along with Lexmark. A Lexmark inkjet died 2 days after the 90 day warranty. I had printed about 20 sheets and it crapped out.

[Fire_on_High]

That’s a shame...I’ve got a Samsung monitor that’s about 7 years old now and it’s still in gorgeous shape, works perfectly.