Electronics

[In-x-s]

I have tried a Samsung TV and didn't find it to be very user friendly and I am tech savvy.  We have several Roku TVs (TCL and Onn, specifically) and find them to be very user friendly even for my husband who has ZERO tech capability!!

[gadgetgal613]

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@In-x-s wrote:

I have tried a Samsung TV and didn't find it to be very user friendly and I am tech savvy.  We have several Roku TVs (TCL and Onn, specifically) and find them to be very user friendly even for my husband who has ZERO tech capability!!

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If you or anyone has basic tech skills, like how to get into the menu, you can figure out any device.  They all work the same.  You have a menu, source, channel up or down, and volumne control.  I don't understand what is so difficult about operating a TV or streaming service.   

[Ainhisg]

@matty liz you have to be so confused reading all these responses.  The first thing I would need to know is if you have wi-fi or can get it.  Also, is your current TV newish?  old?  a smart TV?

[gardenman]

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@gadgetgal613 wrote:

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@In-x-s wrote:

I have tried a Samsung TV and didn't find it to be very user friendly and I am tech savvy.  We have several Roku TVs (TCL and Onn, specifically) and find them to be very user friendly even for my husband who has ZERO tech capability!!

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If you or anyone has basic tech skills, like how to get into the menu, you can figure out any device.  They all work the same.  You have a menu, source, channel up or down, and volumne control.  I don't understand what is so difficult about operating a TV or streaming service.   

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My new HDTV (a TCL 65Q650G) uses Google TV as its OS and it's not especially intuitive to use. The Fire and Roku OSs are pretty easy to use and I've used both for years, but the Google OS is a bit of a challenge for me. So much so that I added a 4K Fire Stick to it and use that instead of the Google TV interface. I'm a pretty tech-savvy consumer and I assumed the Google interface wouldn't be a big issue. It annoys me enough that I'm opting to work around it.

The concept of the Google OS is pretty neat. It watches what I watch and then suggests new things for me to watch. But the problem is when I see something I want to watch and go to click on it, just as I'm clicking it tends to replace that item with something else and then I'm clicking on something I don't want to watch and have to backtrack to get back to what I want to watch. It's a clever idea and good in concept, but a pain in the real world.

Simple things like pausing a video aren't as easy. There's no pause button on the remote. To pause, you have to click the OK button twice in a row. And they don't tell you that anywhere. I had to Google it to find out how to pause a video. The interface with YouTube TV is clunky. Which is weird since YouTube and Google are part of the same parent company. You'd think they'd have that interface as easy as can be. Nope. It's better and easier on the Fire and Roku interfaces.

This Google TV interface is just annoying and messy. It makes my life much more difficult than it needs to be, so I bypass it with a Fire Stick instead. While I agree most TV interfaces are easy to use and understand, the Google TV one isn't. At least for me. I love the TV, but the interface with Google TV is not ideal. Fire TVs and Roku, no problem. Google TV, eh, not as easy. More annoying than helpful. They need to get some better software engineers working on that.  

[CalminHeart]

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@matty liz wrote:

Does anyone know anything about the Samsung TV instead of cable?  My cable is 200$ , husband died and I get very little SS.  Looking for an alternative, thanks

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Is your tv a smart tv?  If yes, you can do all kinds of things.  

When I had cable (Mediacom), I called and asked for ongoing monthly discounts. There were times they'd give them and times they didn't. Their customer service was horrible. Cable went out very often! 

You can subscribe to all kinds of free (and for $) streaming channels with a smart tv if you have internet. While I liked a lot of the free options, it was difficult to get to local channels without paying through the nose.

I had DirecTV-Satellite for 12 years after getting fed up with cable. DTV-Satellite always gave me a $45 monthly discount - all I had to do was call every year on the exact date it expired to ask them to reinstate it. Thus, my bill was about $100.

I got fed up with the satellite going out all the time and switched to DirecTV-Internet this summer. No boxes or cables to worry about. Internet wires are underground so it doesn't go out as often as satellite. 

DirecTV-Internet costs about $30 more a month but offers a lot of things I didn't have before. It doesn't have all the mini options of satellite but I'm able to work around those easy enough.

Always be on the lookout for deals. For example, if you have a Walmart membership for free delivery, etc, you can get Paramount Plus for free.

The Walmart membership is 1/2 price if you are on Social Security.

[gadgetgal613]

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@gardenman wrote:

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@gadgetgal613 wrote:

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@In-x-s wrote:

I have tried a Samsung TV and didn't find it to be very user friendly and I am tech savvy.  We have several Roku TVs (TCL and Onn, specifically) and find them to be very user friendly even for my husband who has ZERO tech capability!!

---

If you or anyone has basic tech skills, like how to get into the menu, you can figure out any device.  They all work the same.  You have a menu, source, channel up or down, and volumne control.  I don't understand what is so difficult about operating a TV or streaming service.   

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My new HDTV (a TCL 65Q650G) uses Google TV as its OS and it's not especially intuitive to use. The Fire and Roku OSs are pretty easy to use and I've used both for years, but the Google OS is a bit of a challenge for me. So much so that I added a 4K Fire Stick to it and use that instead of the Google TV interface. I'm a pretty tech-savvy consumer and I assumed the Google interface wouldn't be a big issue. It annoys me enough that I'm opting to work around it.

The concept of the Google OS is pretty neat. It watches what I watch and then suggests new things for me to watch. But the problem is when I see something I want to watch and go to click on it, just as I'm clicking it tends to replace that item with something else and then I'm clicking on something I don't want to watch and have to backtrack to get back to what I want to watch. It's a clever idea and good in concept, but a pain in the real world.

Simple things like pausing a video aren't as easy. There's no pause button on the remote. To pause, you have to click the OK button twice in a row. And they don't tell you that anywhere. I had to Google it to find out how to pause a video. The interface with YouTube TV is clunky. Which is weird since YouTube and Google are part of the same parent company. You'd think they'd have that interface as easy as can be. Nope. It's better and easier on the Fire and Roku interfaces.

This Google TV interface is just annoying and messy. It makes my life much more difficult than it needs to be, so I bypass it with a Fire Stick instead. While I agree most TV interfaces are easy to use and understand, the Google TV one isn't. At least for me. I love the TV, but the interface with Google TV is not ideal. Fire TVs and Roku, no problem. Google TV, eh, not as easy. More annoying than helpful. They need to get some better software engineers working on that.  

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That doesn't sound like a device I want to own. 

[kare29]

I just wanted to share what I did.  We have two older TV's; a Vizio and an LG. I bought  two Roku Ultras which are nifty little streaming devices that you attach to the back of your TV.  If your current set is still going strong I don't see why you would need to replace it. This comes with everything you will need; the voice remote charges like your smart phone (no batteries needed)   Per Roku box what you wil need:  Broadband internet, wireless or wired router and TV with HDMI port (HDCP 2.2 for 4K)

You would need to talk to Xfinity about dropping your cable service and just keeping the internet.  You did not mention if you have a plan that includes your phone line, something else to consider.  

I cut the cord over a year ago.  I left Xfinity for TMobile WiFi.   At that time my bill was closing in on $230/month with no additional channels.  By the time you pay for modem and remote rentals, TV broadcast fees, sports broadcasting fees and all the other misc

taxes and fees that $150 package you have is not such a good deal.

To help me adapt I did sign up for YouTube TV which was about $73.00 a month.. I did end up dropping that just because my TV habits have changed.   The Roku Ultra is a one time only cost of about $120.00.  Watch a demo on QVC or HSN for more info on the Roku.

Hope this helps--Karen 

[gardenman]

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@gadgetgal613 wrote:

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@gardenman wrote:

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@gadgetgal613 wrote:

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@In-x-s wrote:

I have tried a Samsung TV and didn't find it to be very user friendly and I am tech savvy.  We have several Roku TVs (TCL and Onn, specifically) and find them to be very user friendly even for my husband who has ZERO tech capability!!

---

If you or anyone has basic tech skills, like how to get into the menu, you can figure out any device.  They all work the same.  You have a menu, source, channel up or down, and volumne control.  I don't understand what is so difficult about operating a TV or streaming service.   

---

My new HDTV (a TCL 65Q650G) uses Google TV as its OS and it's not especially intuitive to use. The Fire and Roku OSs are pretty easy to use and I've used both for years, but the Google OS is a bit of a challenge for me. So much so that I added a 4K Fire Stick to it and use that instead of the Google TV interface. I'm a pretty tech-savvy consumer and I assumed the Google interface wouldn't be a big issue. It annoys me enough that I'm opting to work around it.

The concept of the Google OS is pretty neat. It watches what I watch and then suggests new things for me to watch. But the problem is when I see something I want to watch and go to click on it, just as I'm clicking it tends to replace that item with something else and then I'm clicking on something I don't want to watch and have to backtrack to get back to what I want to watch. It's a clever idea and good in concept, but a pain in the real world.

Simple things like pausing a video aren't as easy. There's no pause button on the remote. To pause, you have to click the OK button twice in a row. And they don't tell you that anywhere. I had to Google it to find out how to pause a video. The interface with YouTube TV is clunky. Which is weird since YouTube and Google are part of the same parent company. You'd think they'd have that interface as easy as can be. Nope. It's better and easier on the Fire and Roku interfaces.

This Google TV interface is just annoying and messy. It makes my life much more difficult than it needs to be, so I bypass it with a Fire Stick instead. While I agree most TV interfaces are easy to use and understand, the Google TV one isn't. At least for me. I love the TV, but the interface with Google TV is not ideal. Fire TVs and Roku, no problem. Google TV, eh, not as easy. More annoying than helpful. They need to get some better software engineers working on that.  

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That doesn't sound like a device I want to own. 

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The TV is great. An absolutely amazing picture. The Google TV interface isn't great. I got the TV at a very good price ($348 for the 65".) So adding a $30 4K Fire Stick isn't a big deal. It's a 4K QLED set with every version of Dolby and HDR you can name. It's feature-laden but just burdened with somewhat inept software.

If you aren't familiar with any other TV interface, you might love the Google TV interface. It's just clunky compared to Roku and Fire interfaces that I'm more familiar with. The TV is a 2023 model, and originally listed for $600-$700. More recently it's been $500. I'd be very unhappy if I paid the original full price for it, but at the price I paid, it's fine.

In your post you said you couldn't understand what is so difficult about operating a TV or streaming service, the Google TV interface is what's so difficult for me. It's just a clunky mess. But adding a Fire Stick lets me bypass it. If all I knew was the Google TV interface, then yeah, I'd say it can be difficult. Even the easy things like pausing are a challenge that I had to look up. The Fire and Roku interfaces are easy. Google TV, not so much. 

[mrshckynut]

all our tv sets in the last 12 years have been and presently are samsung          we have no reason to change

mrshckynut 

[meem120]

@Kachina624   I hate when the remote does that.  It never fails that my little yorkie does something to the remote and it takes me awhile to figure it out.  Its that strange little voice that speaks 100mph that comes on.  Zoom zoom, havent a clue what shes saying!!!