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Need a Smart TV if have a Apple TV? (UK)

M

MrMister111

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jan 28, 2009
3,900
382
UK
Needing a TV for a bedroom so nothing fancy. I attach my Apple TV to it, so wondering if I need to get a Smart TV or just a dumb ;) one? In (UK).

Can get Netflix, and also airplay from my iPad/iPhone from my NAS using the app filebrowser, iPlayer can be airplayed also.

So should I spend this little more to get a Smart TV, or not needed? Anyone else had this decision?

Thanks
 
MrMister111 said:
So should I spend this little more to get a Smart TV, or not needed?
Click to expand...

Smart TVs are Dumb: the internet TV scene is moving too fast for it to make sense to build the functionality into a TV that you expect to keep for years. TV makers have a lousy track record when it comes to supporting last year's Smart TV platform after next years model comes out.

Main omission on Apple TV is lack of support for the UK catch-up TV services but, as you said, you can AirPlay BBC iPlayer (and now 4OD) from an iDevice.

Just look for a TV with more than one HDMI input, then if you are missing a service you'll probably be able to get an external box or dongle to provide it.
 
Thanks, agree UK is lagging, it's frustrating as well.

It's only for a bedroom TV, I have a Smart TV in The main room, just wondered if I should pay a little extra or just get a normal one as I'll use my Apple TV anyway
 
As noted by the other poster, a Smart TV would duplicate capabilities of the ATV. The issue I ran into when TV shopping was that most non-Smart TVs had only 2 HDMI ports, I needed 3 unless I wanted to upgrade my audio system also.
 
Thanks. I would probably only need one HDMI got the Apple TV, although looking must have 2 now, and a lot have USB for playing movies off to.

I'll either use the freeview, Apple TV, or iPhone to airplay iPlayer, or stuff from my NAS.
 
MrMister111 said:
Thanks. I would probably only need one HDMI got the Apple TV, although looking must have 2 now, and a lot have USB for playing movies off to.

I'll either use the freeview, Apple TV, or iPhone to airplay iPlayer, or stuff from my NAS.
Click to expand...

don't forget that your cable box will also need an HDMI port, so you want at least two. Plus, you may also want something like a rook or Amazon Fire stick in the future.

If you want something smallish - like 24-27", you might take a look at monitors vs. TVs. No built in TV tuner, but you are most likely sending that in through HDMI anyway.
 
Need a Smart TV if have a Apple TV? (UK)

Won't be using a cable box as it's for a bedroom. Wanting 32" as measured and that's max would fit comfortably.
 
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MrMister111 said:
So should I spend this little more to get a Smart TV, or not needed? Anyone else had this decision?
Click to expand...
As others have indicated it would be mostly redundant. Our TV connected to our AppleTV is a smart TV but it was selected for its other features not because it was a smart TV -- like our other TV.

You might want a smart TV if it offers some functionality that you need/want that is not available via the ATV or your other existing solutions.
 
Thing I hate about Apple TV is the constant in and out of apps and menu after menu when you're browsing apps like Netflix. Found the UI of my LG WebOS far nicer to switch between apps even though it can be a little slow to warm up. I've even found myself preferring Chromecast over Apple TV when watching iPlayer on my "dumb" TV.
 
bandrews said:
Thing I hate about Apple TV is the constant in and out of apps and menu after menu when you're browsing apps like Netflix.
Click to expand...

In case you are not aware, holding down the menu button on the Apple remote always takes you to the home screen.

A.
 
We've got a "smart" TV in the lounge and never, ever use its connected features. In fact, I've recently disconnected it from the network to use the cable for a Sonos Playbar
Smart TVs are, IMO, a solution to a problem that doesn't exist and are a complete waste of time :)
 
Same here. Between the Virgin Media TiVo and Apple TV, the "smart" features built into the TV are never used.

I wanted to buy just a high quality TV panel, no additional features. I don't know what the TV market is like now, but when I was buying a few years ago it was almost impossible to get a "dumb" TV panel.
 
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theluggage said:
Main omission on Apple TV is lack of support for the UK catch-up TV services but, as you said, you can AirPlay BBC iPlayer (and now 4OD) from an iDevice.
Click to expand...

Completely agree with this - there seem to be quite a few apps on the Apple TV now but (as a UK user) I can't say I really use any of them other than Apple Movies / TV & Netflix.

I ended up getting a smart TV. As only Samsung TVs (at the time) had the ITV Player, I ended up going for one of them, although I'm not a fan of Samsung.

And hey - the UI is a bit ropey, but it works fine & it's good only having 1 remote in the bedroom
 
Alrescha said:
In case you are not aware, holding down the menu button on the Apple remote always takes you to the home screen.

A.
Click to expand...

Yes, but going up and down a level or two is frustrating due to Apple's rules on how an app should look/work. Netflix on every other platform is leagues ahead.
 
Based on my experience with our Samsung Smart TV, I'd say stick with ATV and get a "dumb" TV. We have found our smart TV to be just a bit too buggy; Netflix and Hulu often hang/crash which requires a reset of the TV. When this happens I know I'm going to spend the next 20 minutes reentering all the settings, user names and passwords just to get things back up and running.
 
I have an Apple TV connected to the bedroom TV. No point in paying more for a Smart that gives you less functionality.

Stick with the Apple TV and you have Netflix, iTunes, and Airplay. For me, that covers all bases except live TV. I have a cable (Virgin Media) box for that. I also have a DVD player but only have 2 HDMIs so I just swap the cable from the ATV to the DVD when needed (which isn't often).

Smart TV is far too hyped if you ask me. I keep my TVs for years - bedroom one is now about 8 years old (Panasonic - good as new) and I can't see any reason to upgrade it. Apple TV gave it a new lease of life.
 
Ok, "dumb" it is! Cheers everyone. Makes it cheaper. There's a Panasonic 32" for £200 so seems that will be decent, rather pay, say £80 more for a brand, 5 year warranty to.

The only live TV I'll have is on the inbuilt freeview, if I can get sky piped up there on a coax someday...

Is 720P ok for a 32", expect so on that size TV, rather than 1080P
 
Maybe too late but

A couple of HDMI inputs suited my needs for bedroom TV:

1 - Youview box for channels plus recording features (G/F bulk watches cooking nonsense in bed)
2 - ATV 3 for iTunes stuff and internet radio
Also have NOW TV box on wifi for PLEX and catch up channels

This covers everything and just uses cheap 32 inch TV.
 
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