Explain to me the benefits of a streaming device (Roku, AppleTV, Firestick, etc) over my TV (1 Viewer)

[Waymer]

I have an LG OLED tv. No complaints. Most everything is easily accessible from the TV's smart controls: Youtube, Netflix, Prime, HULU, etc (the only negative is LG and HBOGO/NOW aren't compatible so that app isn't available).

So with that said -- and HBO compatibility aside -- someone tell me why a streaming device would be beneficial for me and my wife? I say this with truly no idea. I definitely get the "it's all in one place" discussion, so is it really just ease of use? Or are there other significant benefits?

Thanks.

 

[MLU]

The ROKU, FireTV, etc. are going to be a whole lot faster than any TV apps. I don't have the patience to wait for any of our TV apps to load, much less actually use. There are way more apps out there to use than what TVs have available as well. The one time cost of such a device is pretty minimal.

 

[Brennan77]

The ROKU, FireTV, etc. are going to be a whole lot faster than any TV apps. I don't have the patience to wait for any of our TV apps to load, much less actually use. There are way more apps out there to use than what TVs have available as well. The one time cost of such a device is pretty minimal.

If you've got an LG OLED this is simply not true. I have a C8 model and it's WAY faster than my roku or PS4. It's awesome and the app switching is instant. There's no start up time at all. I HIGHLY recommend using the built in apps on an LG OLED with WebOS built in. It's great.

As for HBO, I buy it as a channel within Amazon Prime so it's accessible through the Amazon app on the TV. Problem solved and it's one less account to worry about.

 

[Waymer]

If you've got an LG OLED this is simply not true. I have a C8 model and it's WAY faster than my roku or PS4. It's awesome and the app switching is instant. There's no start up time at all. I HIGHLY recommend using the built in apps on an LG OLED with WebOS built in. It's great.

As for HBO, I buy it as a channel within Amazon Prime so it's accessible through the Amazon app on the TV. Problem solved and it's one less account to worry about.

Brennan, that's a good point. I don't have any start up delay.

As to HBO...so I already have an HBO account, but I can't seem to get it to work with Amazon (seems I have to buy it through Amazon for it to work...but maybe I haven't checked well enough).

 

[Soundwave]

I could be wrong but I didn't notice an extensive library of app on my parents' LG C8 (maybe B8). There were quite a few I couldn't find, and if you ever cut the cord you may need more than what they provide.

Besides that, I assume you can hardwire the tv to an ethernet connection just as you can a Roku (Ultra) or Apple Tv.

 

[Brennan77]

Brennan, that's a good point. I don't have any start up delay.

As to HBO...so I already have an HBO account, but I can't seem to get it to work with Amazon (seems I have to buy it through Amazon for it to work...but maybe I haven't checked well enough).

You'd need to cancel your hbo account and just add it through Amazons subscriptions. I got tired of the piss poor hbo app which I never could get proper audio through the PS4. Going thy Amazon fixed that.

 

[Brennan77]

I could be wrong but I didn't notice an extensive library of app on my parents' LG C8 (maybe B8). There were quite a few I couldn't find, and if you ever cut the cord you may need more than what they provide.

Besides that, I assume you can hardwire the tv to an ethernet connection just as you can a Roku (Ultra) or Apple Tv.

I don't have a lot of needs other than Amazon, Netflix, occasional Hulu etc so I can't speak to the availability of apps, which may be an issue for some.

 

[Swamprat]

I have a brand new LG OLED C8 as of Saturday and last night streamed for the first time ever. I used the TV apps and while I have no baseline in which to compare, it was damn fast. I'm running a direct ethernet with 300Mpbs fiber. 4k TV from Amazon Prime was flat out incredible, to the point that I called my wife from the other room so she could see for herself....Next up was SaintsReport, just to prove to myself it could be done. It soon will be logged as a favorite (as soon as I figure out how).

I have the exact same question as the OP.... I have a Roku Ultra sitting in an unopened box and I'm wondering what's its advantage(s) over the TV apps, which presumably I could load whichever ones I want to. If no remarkable difference, it's going back to BB....

 

[Soundwave]

I have a brand new LG OLED C8 as of Saturday and last night streamed for the first time ever. I used the TV apps and while I have no baseline in which to compare, it was damn fast. I'm running a direct ethernet with 300Mpbs fiber. 4k TV from Amazon Prime was flat out incredible, to the point that I called my wife from the other room so she could see for herself....Next up was SaintsReport, just to prove to myself it could be done. It soon will be logged as a favorite (as soon as I figure out how).

I have the exact same question as the OP.... I have a Roku Ultra sitting in an unopened box and I'm wondering what's its advantage(s) over the TV apps, which presumably I could load whichever ones I want to. If no remarkable difference, it's going back to BB....

Roku would be the faster option compared to most tv's. LG OLED C8 isn't most tv's. I have every tv in my house hardwired ethernet with a Roku ultra. I use Playstation Vue, Philo, (soon to use YouTube Tv), Stars app, HBO app, Prime, Netflix, History Channel app, and one other that I can't think of right now. I am always switching between them. The Roku has all that and much more and is seamless. But if you are not using all that, the LG C8 may be a better option because you will get to stream in Dolby Vision when available.

 

[MLU]

If you've got an LG OLED this is simply not true. I have a C8 model and it's WAY faster than my roku or PS4. It's awesome and the app switching is instant. There's no start up time at all. I HIGHLY recommend using the built in apps on an LG OLED with WebOS built in. It's great.

As for HBO, I buy it as a channel within Amazon Prime so it's accessible through the Amazon app on the TV. Problem solved and it's one less account to worry about.

There you go. Looks like LG has made some investment in their processing speed on the TVs.

 

[GeauxWhoDats]

If I wanted to go the Roku/Firestick route for Apps/Streaming would I need to purchase a device for every TV in my house or is there a way to network them that would also allow different TV's to watch different shows/apps (planning ahead for the kids).

 

[buzd]

If I wanted to go the Roku/Firestick route for Apps/Streaming would I need to purchase a device for every TV in my house or is there a way to network them that would also allow different TV's to watch different shows/apps (planning ahead for the kids).

You will need a device for every TV. You could probably set it up to be networked (mine is, but for a different reason), but it would be WAY more trouble than it's worth, and you can only watch one thing at a time anyway.

 

[GeauxWhoDats]

you can only watch one thing at a time anyway.

Thanks for clarifying but even with different sticks in every TV I would still me limited to one program/app at a time for the household?

 

[buzd]

Thanks for clarifying but even with different sticks in every TV I would still me limited to one program/app at a time for the household?

You can watch whatever you want on EACH device. It's possible you may be limited to the number of streams you have per app (for example, Netflix may only allow 1 or 2 streams, depending on what kind of account you have), but that is a limitation of the service/subscription, not the device (for example, one device could be watching Hulu, one Netflix, one Amazon Prime, etc).

 

[GeauxWhoDats]

You can watch whatever you want on EACH device. It's possible you may be limited to the number of streams you have per app (for example, Netflix may only allow 1 or 2 streams, depending on what kind of account you have), but that is a limitation of the service/subscription, not the device (for example, one device could be watching Hulu, one Netflix, one Amazon Prime, etc).

Thank you.