Tech question

[JimmyDaHeel]

Hey folks,

Santa brought me a new Vizio 4k 75" TV a little early for Christmas. I currently have YTTV and fiber optic internet.

Are there better or more efficient ways to connect for streaming?

Firestick, ONN, or others?

I used to be up to date on new technology, but life got in the way and suddenly it seems like I've been transported from the 20th Century to the present.

So many options, so little time (or knowledge).

Help this old Heel out if you can!

I should mention I am not in a large city (Greenwood, SC). That may limit my options.

 

[Unc12003]

Apple TV (device not the service) is really good and better than the majority of tv native apps

 

[ronjon]

Apple TV (device not the service) is really good and better than the majority of tv native apps

+1 to this unless you find the cost prohibitive or you’re not into the apple ecosystem. The native Vizio interface isn’t great, but it’ll launch yttv and basically any other app you want.

 

[ronjon]

Also better to hard wire the tv rather than use WiFi if possible.

 

[JimmyDaHeel]

Also better to hard wire the tv rather than use WiFi if possible.

I currently hardwire the TV directly to the fiber optic router. Seems like going over wifi would just slow things down. Am I wrong?

 

[ronjon]

I currently hardwire the TV directly to the fiber optic router. Seems like going over wifi would just slow things down. Am I wrong?

If you have good WiFi speed you wouldn’t notice in normal conditions. Hard wiring will be more stable.

 

[MES19]

Also better to hard wire the tv rather than use WiFi if possible.

Absolutely. A wired connection is always more desirable than wireless..

 

[Potomac]

I have a Fire Stick connected to a wifi router that in turn connects to a cable modem. Works fine for my streaming.

 

[Hugh J Hoal]

Another supporter of the AppleTV as the best (or one of the best) streaming device. I have also had good experience with Rokus. Ive used the Ultra box, a Roku integrated soundbar, and just got a Roku 4K stick for travelling. The interface is pretty clean and compatible with Apple air play. Cheaper than the Apple TV if cost is a concern. I think the Onn stuff is Roku but branded for Walmart. I'd imagine there is a technology or quality drop off, but not certain. But for the minor cost savings, I'd just get the Roku as they are quite affordable and frequently on sale.

I'm done with the Amazon Fire devices. Had several over the years and they all start out great, but quickly deteriorate to slow and clunky performance, remote unpairs and wont pair back. Similar issues with the Echo devices, so Bezos can suck it, i'm not buying any more of his crappy hardware.

 

[THEericstrattonrushchairman]

Geek squad. They’ll answer all the other questions you haven’t asked

 

[nc1984]

I have almost all of them (Firestick, Google’s old device which is no longer on the market; Roku; and 3 Apple TV decides). Apple is definitely best device. Definitely go with wired connection if you can.

 

[Yipper003]

Another supporter of the AppleTV as the best (or one of the best) streaming device. I have also had good experience with Rokus. Ive used the Ultra box, a Roku integrated soundbar, and just got a Roku 4K stick for travelling. The interface is pretty clean and compatible with Apple air play. Cheaper than the Apple TV if cost is a concern. I think the Onn stuff is Roku but branded for Walmart. I'd imagine there is a technology or quality drop off, but not certain. But for the minor cost savings, I'd just get the Roku as they are quite affordable and frequently on sale.

I'm done with the Amazon Fire devices. Had several over the years and they all start out great, but quickly deteriorate to slow and clunky performance, remote unpairs and wont pair back. Similar issues with the Echo devices, so Bezos can suck it, i'm not buying any more of his crappy hardware.

starting to agree that firesticks wear out. i’ve been buying them on discount during prime day events. they are all I’ve used for years on all our tvs. but I’m thinking about switching to a different device.

anyone have experiences with apple or roku devices wearing out?

 

[Hugh J Hoal]

No issues with my Rokus (Ultra, Soundbar, 4K stick) or AppleTV 4K boxes (2), oldest of which are 6+ years old. The only concern I see with Apple is the OS/Software will become incompatible before the device craps out. I still have a couple Gen1 Apple TV's that I used for travel and/or to give me an "Apple Ecosystem" connection to a dumb tv. Those still work fine, but some apps are no longer available or compatible. I think YTTV is one of those. But I'm not a techie so i could be overlooking an obvious and easy fix to that. But as you can gather, i have redundancy of devices and use the ones that I know how to make do what I want to do. And now that Roku is pretty seamless with the apple ecosystem, i dont think i'll need to use those old ATV's anymore.

I'd say roku is best overall for value, performance and ease of use. Apple TV is best performance, but at higher cost.

 

[PINEHEEL]

I'm late to the party on this so I assume you've already made a decision, but don't do anything except turn the TV on. If you have fiber your speeds should be more than fine over WiFi, and all TVs are SmartTV's now so you don't need a Chromecast, FireStick, AppleTv, Roku, etc. device.

The only thing you could potentially do is upgrade your YTTV to the extra tier that gives you 4K, but honestly so little is actually aired in 4K it's probably not worth it. I only have that tier because it allows for unlimited simultaneous streams. The 4K is a side perk that rarely gets used, and I'm not even sure I can tell a difference even when it is.