AVS Forum banner

Smart TV Question

534 views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  Otto Pylot 
#1 ·

Wondering if I really need a smart tv. My son said he gets better results with a dvd disk or blue ray disk vs internet downloaded movies. I have a very good audio system running my current tv and want to take advantage of high definition audio when I watch a movie. Thinking that internet movies probably do not offer high def audio like a movie on blue ray disk. My main objective is picture quality in a 65 or 70 inch display. Been looking at the 70 m series vizio but wondering if I really need smart and 3d. Been told that the 3d TV's have better components and hence better pq. Would like to hear from others regarding tv suggestions and your thoughts on smart/3d units.
 
#2 ·

Quote:
My son said he gets better results with a dvd disk or blue ray disk vs internet downloaded movies.

Normally, yes. However, if the compression is low enough, there won't be any difference in quality. Even movies on Netflix now are very comparable to a movie on blu-ray.
Quote:
Thinking that internet movies probably do not offer high def audio like a movie on blue ray disk.

If you are talking about streaming, like Netflix, then no, they do not offer HD audio. Most are 5.1, but not high def audio. If you are talking about downloaded movies, then it depends on how it was compressed.


But overall, if you are asking if you need a Smart TV, the answer is no. There is no difference in quality between a Smart TV and a non-Smart TV.
 
#3 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Micah123  /t/1504587/smart-tv-question#post_24051948


Wondering if I really need a smart tv. My son said he gets better results with a dvd disk or blue ray disk vs internet downloaded movies. I have a very good audio system running my current tv and want to take advantage of high definition audio when I watch a movie. Thinking that internet movies probably do not offer high def audio like a movie on blue ray disk. My main objective is picture quality in a 65 or 70 inch display. Been looking at the 70 m series vizio but wondering if I really need smart and 3d. Been told that the 3d TV's have better components and hence better pq. Would like to hear from others regarding tv suggestions and your thoughts on smart/3d units.

Since 3D requires higher brightness levels and faster refresh rates, that translates into a TV that performs better in 2D as well. This is especially true for 120Hz and 240Hz refresh rates.


Streaming video depends on the speed of your internet connection. Blu-ray still beats all streaming services in terms of quality. the same is not true for DVD. Many streaming movies and TV shows feature the same level of audio compression as a DVD.


A smart TV is not a necessity. You can get smart apps in a blu-ray player, or in a dedicated box like Roku or Apple TV.


If you are willing to rent movies online, Vudud HDX offers very impressive image quality and sound. Also, Netflix SuperHD titles can come close to Blu-ray quality. Again, the key is having sufficient broadband.
 
#4 ·
It's difficult to find a tv now-a-days that isn't Smart (not a SmartTV
). However, you should be able to turn off the Smart function and not use it you don't want to on some models. If you like the clean lines and no cables of a wall-mounted tv, with minimal other devices around or beneath it, then a SmartTV would be the way to go. Some streaming services do stream in HD (720p) but nothing will look as good as a blu-ray movie (generally speaking).


I find that the internet capabilites of SmartTV's are not as robust as a STB (Roku, AppleTV, etc) or even some blu-ray players. And, as hardware requirements change over time, it would be cheaper to replace (or even repair) a STB/blu-ray player than it would a tv. Samsung seems to be changing that a bit with an add-on device to their newer tv's that takes over the functions of the SmartTV, and other features (there's a whole forum dedicated to that so I'd lurk there for details). Some SmartTV's always login for updates etc when you turn the tv on and I find that very intrusive and some have found it problematic. I'd much rather have control of what is downloaded to my tv and I don't like the idea of my tv phoning home for instructions every time I turn it on.


I have heard that 3D capable tv's typically use the better built panels in order to handle the requirements of 3D (which, for me, is not a selling feature at all). Whether that is technically true or not I don't know.


Vizio's higher end models seem to not have the issues that most of the rest of the Vizio line does (build quality, support issues, etc) but I'd carefully read the Vizio forums before purchasing one. And I would definitely look at other mfrs as well to make a more informed purchasing decision. Don't let price alone drive your decision.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top