Looking for a bit of help as there doesn't seem to be much discussion about this online.
Getting a new TV, is there any advantage to buying a 1080p SONY Android TV (@$1.7k) or getting a Vizio 4kTV (@$1.5k) and buying the Nvidia Shield for $200?
Basically is there any difference in software between a Sony android TV, and another TV with an android tv box.
Thank you!
Edit: Thanks for the tips everyone! This seems unanimous.
Every TV should be a dumb TV. Then get an nVidia shield to make it smart. Just worry about getting a high picture quality TV in the first place.
Avoid smart TV's. Even the good ones are bad.
Shield
If the picture quality is the same, the dumb tv would be preferred as stated by others. I don't know if it is any different on the two you are looking at it, but it's something to look into.
I was in the same boat as you and purchased a 65" Sony 4K Android TV for $2300 plus tax. Ended up canceling it before delivery and went with the 70" Vizio 4K from Costco ($1900) and picked up an Nvidia Shield. Couldn't be happier.
If you're still looking, this site is one of the best: www.rtings.com
Cheaper TV + shield
I would only get a TV with builtin Android TV if the price and specs were competitive AND the hardware is unlocked/unlockable and could be supported by a third party dev community for extended support, customization, etc. like smartphones.
Basically is there any difference in software between a Sony android TV, and another TV with an android tv box.
The manufacturers can customize Android TV any way they like, but the biggest difference is in bang for buck performance from the hardware and long-term (or not) software support (upgrades).
Definitely go for the cheaper TV and get the Shield