My Galaxy Note has infrared so I can use that on most things, mega money for that remote bit looks lovely
I want: An extensible and open (ish) smart TV with a simple, sensible and smooth UI, without too much vendor bias/control I have: "smart" TVs that are none of the above and add-on sticks or players to suit Until there's a telly out there that matches the want above, I'd just as soon have a dumb display (I don't even want a tuner these days) and carry on as is.
In US i would say Vizio SmartCast TV's (sadly it seems they don't sell in Europe) : You could be fine with that 43" Phillips monitor too, but that is a bit sketchy to be used as TV : http://www.anandtech.com/show/10298/philips-begins-to-sell-43-4k-ips-display-for-799
apart from plugging in and using the Chromecast to stream my films Ii have not used the 'smart' aspect of my TV at all. But at the time of buying it was no more expensive in real terms than a 'dumb' TV. I may well use the Youtube app to watch music videos when I am next drunk but that happens so rarely these days that I have no idea when it will happen.
Panel, as I have, fire tv (plex) & now tv (sky), my Seven year old has no problems getting to her content.
I've got my Logitech harmony smart control for £60, more traditional buttons remote but does everything the same via the hub unit. Can also link up the smart phone if you need the screen. It also received firmware updates for IFTTT integration and connected smart home stuff. Best piece of living room entertainment I've bought! Makes using different boxes a seamless experience.
Yeah... nice thought, but I just don't see it happening. "Smart" seems to be another term for "let's push our content platform on you". Unless you want to talk to radio devices, or IR devices in another room, or generally store more devices and or activities. http://www.logitech.com/en-gb/product/harmony-elite?crid=60 Harmony really is the best though for a complex setup. It doesn't make sense for a standalone TV and source IMO, but when you've got half a dozen sources and inputs and you can tell it to watch a movie, and it turns on what it needs to, switches input, changes settings, dims lights, lowers screens etc, it's pretty handy. Besides, £280 compares very favourably to "real" home/AV automation options from the likes of Control4 or Crestron.
As a Crestron programmer I concur.... the cheapest processor and remote will set you back over £1500 before you add in programming. You could reasonably budget £3K for a nice touch screen remote to control a single room.
As an ex-Crestron programmer, I concur also You can actually pick up the Logitech remotes for much cheaper than £100 and, as Mr Tad says, they're worth it if you've got multiple devices to control (screen, amp, different sources, lighting...)
I have a Sony 4K "Smart" TV (Android based) and honestly the only Smart features I use are Youtube, Amazon Prime, Twitch and VLC. Give the Android base I have tried some of the other apps and thought "Why?!".
I don't know how smart or dumb I want my TV. I just want to plug a 3tb USB drive into it and play media off it. I'd also like a few connection options for devices.
I am dumb TV and smart devices attached (Shield and Roku for me). Harmony is a must have for the nerd in me, using with the Amazon Echo, IFTTT and Harmony hub is just sooooo much fun, when it matures past "on/off" it will be epic.
Like xazer above, I too have the Sony smart tv and, apart from the build quality of the voice remote, I'm very happy with it... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Dumb TV and Smart Device for me, whether that is Chromecast or Amazon Fire TV Stick - both work well, though Fire TV stick is a bit more convenient with it's separate dedicated remote. I used to have an HTPC, but never used it for gaming, and realised that almost every fuction could be replaced by the fire TV stick. Add to that that if a service or device breaks/goes away, I can by a new smart stick and continue to use my trusty cheap TV.
