And what brands. Im looking to buy one but cant decide. Do i go SONY Android TV only or a combo Samsung TV + Shield (or some other Android Box). Please also help with brand selection. P.S. i need to sidevload apps (android)
And what brands. Im looking to buy one but cant decide. Do i go SONY Android TV only or a combo Samsung TV + Shield (or some other Android Box). Please also help with brand selection. P.S. i need to sidevload apps (android)
Shield + TV (dumb or all smart options turned off). I take the stance that TV manufacturers have no interest or ability to be an Android developer. Anything they bake into their TVs is going to be stale and out of date in a year. I know that will infuriate me, so just get a well supported box to attach to it. Right now, for me, that is the Shield.
I have a recent Sony TV - I use the built-in Android TV all the time, it's perfectly adequate for about 96% of what I want to do. I've been able to turn off some of the bloat that all of these Android TVs come with that has made it more useable; see THIS thread for tips.
However, I also use a cheap Android-based TV box with the Sony TV to run a couple programs that aren't in the Android TV store; I haven't been able to load the programs on to the Sony TV; they need to be side loaded, too much of a hassle. Also the Android box has a slot for extra memory up to 128GB; the Sony is limited to 16GB including the OS.
We also have a HiSense TV that has OperaTV as it's operating system; OperaTV is very basic and doesn't run things like Amazon Prime or HBO Now, so we have a Fire TV Stick on that TV that we use for almost all our viewing. The only thing OperaTV does that the Fire TV Stick does not is play media from USB.
Samsung TVs use Tizen OS (IIRC) that will run most of the major streaming services and online TV services, but I think at least in my case I'd be in the same boat with Tizen as I am with the Sony Android TV; I'd still need a separate box to run my programs.
I'll point out that unless you're wanting to run a program not in the Android or Tizen store, I'd say don't bother with the cheap, generic Android TV boxes , mine's not very stable, it's slow, and the interface is difficult to impossible. I WOULD recommend a Fire TV, Chromecast (only if you don't use Amazon Prime, though), Shield or Apple TV - they're excellent, and at least my Fire TV's interface is the best I've experienced so far for ease of use and intuitiveness.
I think ill go with samsung + shield, all family uses Samsung phones/tables..maybe i can take advantage of that ecosystem
If I could go back again I wouldn’t touch a Sony android tv. It’s the slowest POS you’ll ever use. I have a shield thank god so I never have to see the TVs own interface. I still get the pleasure of an app crashing every few days on the TV and a pop up coming up to the foreground over the shield that I have to dig the TV remote for to dismiss
Do yourself a favor and get a good quality TV that isn’t a Sony and won’t crash all the time and then maybe you won’t need to buy a $200 piece of hardware just to make your tv usable.
Best looking TV in my budget regardless of any features + a device that I can attach which can easily be replaced when I'm ready to upgrade
I think this one but too expensive for a tv (for now)
Never ever a smart TV. Ever.
Vizio makes a killer(for the price) Media Display line.
I have the cheapest Philips Android TV with Ambilight, and am very happy with it. Seems a rare breed in here.
Having said that, the android tv was a bonus, I primarily wanted the ambilight system and good picture quality.
But it is a good bonus. I had an android box and now I don't need to use it with the main tv. And I never needed the power of the Shield.
Dumb TV + Apple TV 4K because I need Dolbyvision which no Android Box is capable of.
Plus with the next iOS Firmware update switching of refresh / resolution rates and REC 709 / BT2020 / DV is all automatic.
That is also broken on the NVIDIA Shield.
Decently priced TV, if I could find one with DV + Apple TV 4K because I want Dolbyvision which no Android Box is capable of.
Plus with the next iOS Firmware update switching of refresh / resolution rates and REC 709 / BT2020 / DV is all automatic.
That is also broken on the NVIDIA Shield because it results in incorrect colorspace outputs.
I agree with the posts here, get a dumb tv and a shield. I have several shields, and had a Sony w built in Android. The last firmware made an improvement but still VERY slow compared to the shield. I sold the Sony w built in and got a regular Sony wo the built in and paired with another shield. BIG difference. Side note I do like the Sonys not for the picture, it's fine, but I like the Bravia Sync CEC, allows you to use the Sony remote Home button for use with the Shield home function. There may be more sets that work like this but I don't have experience with them.
Dumb TV + Shield. Just focus on getting the best screen.
As someone who owns a TV with Android TV baked in, I wish I went the other way.