Maybe I’m just another brainwashed consumer, but I (and my family) have a long history of buying Sony. Though I’ve never considered myself a fanboy, if that is the right term. And there certainly seem to be plenty of people that consider it the best. Though I’m not entirely sure if best means the most reliable. I really, really, like reliable electronics, because I really, really hate shopping. It’s torture for me because I feel compelled to research everything. This might be a disorder, and maybe there is a pill for it.
@faheem, I’ve purchased 4 TVs (all smart) and I always get refurbished. My latest was a 43 inch SHARP (refurb) for $275 at overstock.com. I buy refurb everything from computers to vacuum cleaners and never have problems.
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Hi @yecatsr,
Are you located in the US? I think good refurbished electronics are not so easy to find here.
Yes!!! You want 1080p. Get smart tv with plenty of hdmi ports so guests can plug in their fire sticks, etc. with smart tv they can log into their own Netflix, Hulu, etc so you don’t have to pay for that either if you don’t want.
Of course saying this I don’t know where your guests come from and what they will use the tv for, but smart is cheap and most brands are great. You can get a refurbished vizio for a steal and you would never know the difference between that and a Samsung. (Unless you are wayyyy into watching tv!)
Can’t one do this with a set-top box as well? And the set-top box is presumably more likely to have its software/firmware upgraded. And is also easier to replace. That seems to be what the articles I read are saying.
Well, I’m in India, so it’s not that easy, probably. I mostly buy stuff on Amazon. And I almost always buy new.
A mix of locals (Indians). Otherwise, the usual, US/Canada, Europe, Australia, with a sprinkling of people from other places. And mostly I expect they do what everyone else does. Stream movies.
Yes, in the us, I wasn’t taking into account that you may not have such a wide selection, sorry.
Are you talking about Apple TV, Roku , and fire stick? When you say set top box ? Yes they do all that but the current smart TVs here in the us are really not any more expensive as @KKC. I would definitely splurge on 1080p though, which is also not much of a splurge anymore, money wise.
I’m pretty sure they update the apps over WiFi, not sure though, I just know I have not had problems with the smart tv apps not being updated and are all still working.
Yes, I guess I am. Though I’ve only ever used Roku, and that was while back, in the United States in 2009. Back when Netflix was a good bit smaller, and still mostly a DVD delivery company. The world changes fast, doesn’t it?
Like I said, I’ve read it’s better to split out the “Smart” component of a TV into a separate unit, because it can be upgraded/replaced separately. Of course, things that ones reads are not always true. And things that seem reasonable are also not always true. And I have no direct experience of Smart TVs, and almost none with set-top boxes.
Does 1080p really make a big difference for a 32 in TV? If I want 1080p I’ll have a get a Smart TV (though I don’t have to use the Smart bit), because for 32 in TVs at least, 1080p seems to be only available for Smart TVs.
Sure, but again, what I’ve read is that the TV companies are not that great at upgrading stuff on Smart TVs. And of course after a while they would stop altogether. But you don’t want to throw the TV away just because it’s not upgrading the Smart part of it.
How old are the articles you are reading regarding this? As @KKC said, technology and pricing as come a long way since 2016 even. Smart TV’s also come with plenty of HDMI ports on the TV for the “set top boxes”, so You don’t have to use the “smart” part of the TV if you don’t want to. It’s optional. So splitting the smart part out really doesn’t makes sense to do, IMO. If non-smart TV’s are cheaper in India, I guess it’s something to consider. (in US anyway, if the pricing is higher for smart TVs, it’s negligible.)
Maybe not, but I think it is noticeable, and I’m hardly a so called videophile. You also may want to look at the quality audio output of the TV as well, most speakers are in the back, and sound can be muffled if the speakers aren’t decent (speakers are pointed at the wall). You can always buy ones that comes with a Sound Bar already mounted or as an add on component, or other cheap speaker options. Maybe the muffling is not a big deal to you, but if they are going to use it to play Pandora, or one of the many other music apps, you may want to weigh audio quality into your purchase.
Also, you don’t have to use the “smart” portion, if you prefer the set top box option you can still use that as well. (Why though? I would not purchase a set top box until you find it necessary, for some reason.) There is also the added confusion of an additional remote for the box–you can certainly find a remote that you can program to work both I suppose, but I find those confusing and can’t be bothered, lol.
If you really don’t want a Smart TV, if they are that much more expensive in india, you can get a high resolution Computer monitor with HDMI inputs for the set top box. But then you have to think of the audio component again. Maybe some computer monitors now have speakers, but I haven’t seen them (or researched, admittedly) so you might have to buy speakers if you go the computer monitor route. Also, with the computer monitor, I don’t think there are inputs for cable TV (again, no research), so if you provide cable tv, or plan to in the future, this may not be a good fit for you.
If you buy set top box, will you be paying for all the apps or have guests logging in with their own accounts? If the latter, with both options you will need to make sure to delete guest logins–if they don’t do it themselves–after each stay.
Again, here in the US, it just makes sense to purchase a smart TV. The last one I bought that I mentioned earlier has every app under the sun…pages and pages of them. Netflix, Pandora, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Youtube, and like 50 others. You can download more of these apps easily, but there are so many apps–30 or more–that are already pre-installed. $275 US for 43 inch 1080P Smart TV (again, refurb. most all the refurbs are just “open box” units) is a pretty good price.
This is what I would start with. Do you worry that someone could steal the set-top box and/or remote that comes with it? Both of these are small and can be easily taken by guests. Or are you on premise?
EDIT: Wow. TMI?!?
EDIT2: The Sharp brand TV that I speak of I purchased 5-6 Months ago, in the US it’s probably cheaper now. Read some very recent articles on smart/vs. non smart tv’s and see what you come up with
As an aside, I was probably the last person in America (exaggeration) to upgrade to a flat screen TV. I held on to my CRT’s forever. So glad I finally pulled the trigger in 2014, LOL
Again, is this an old article? I think that was a problem in the beginning, but not so much now. My first TV was a Vizio and had Netflix button and Amazon Prime button RIGHT ON THE REMOTE it shipped with! It never worked for the Amazon. Then out of the blue it started working…so they are doing updates but this was a big vizio problem in the past. You can find loads about this particular issue on line. So much to research, lol. Honestly I don’t think the updating is still an issue…
I put the $239 smart tv Visio in my 3 rentals because a fire stick or roku can go out the door in luggage. Mine are whole condo rentals so I may not know it is gone until someone complains they can’t get Netflix
I understand about brand loyalty based on good experiences with brands like Sharp. This is where it is easy to go into analysis paralysis—is it worth the extra cost? If I’m watching it—maybe. If guest is watching it (and many threads are here about household items being abused/broken), probably not worth the money.
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I have no brand loyalty at all, I have two vizios and 2 sharps. The vizios are about 5 years old and 3 years old. Both work great! Sharps were purchased this year so have a million smart apps, but I would assume that if I purchased vizios instead, they would be comparable to the Sharp. I just found a really good deal on the sharps, so I purchased them instead! 
I’m sure there are others here who know a lot more about TVs, but for me both of these are great.
Hi @yecatsr and @Annet3176,
Thank you so much for the helpful and detailed feedback.
So, @yecatsr, a few clarifications.
First, in India, as opposed to the US, options for online shopping, including electronics, are more limited. Also, many things, particularly electronics, are more expensive here than in the US. Also, India doesn’t have a strong second hand resale market. And India being India (no laws, no standards), I’d be hesitant to buy second hand if available.
I checked on Amazon India and Flipkart, and neither Sharp or Visio show up in searches. So they are most likely not available in India. There aren’t a lot of options. Some of the budget brands, like Sanyo gets good reviews, and there is a really obscure Indian brand called Kevin which is getting good reviews as well. But the quality and reliability of these is questionable. Hence something like Sony, even though it is more expensive, looks appealing.
Relatively recent. I linked to two above. See
When buying a smart TV isn’t so smart and
Smart TVs Are Stupid: Why You Don’t Really Want a Smart TV.
I think many of their arguments are good. But they make two assumptions which don’t apply here. Namely
- The reader is in the US or someplace with a lot of choices and lower costs.
- It is for himself/herself. Different rules apply to a TV for an STR.
Well, one concern is that the added complexity of the Smart portion makes the TV more unstable. But I don’t know if that is a problem in practice.
No, they aren’t that much more expensive in India. Here’s the 32 in Smart TV that roughly corresponds to the Standard TV I listed above:
Sony 80.1 cm (32 inches) Bravia KLV-32W672F Full HD LED Smart TV (Black). This is currently listed at Rs. 35,990.00. currently approximately USD 508.50.
And the set-top boxes aren’t particularly cheap. Here, for example, is
Roku Streaming Stick+ 4K Streaming Player with Remote. Currently listing at Rs. 8,999, USD 129.
To summarize, I can certainly see a case for buying a Smart TV in the short term, say 3 years, assuming I stay with STR. After 3 years, I doubt Sony will be issuing updates, and the Smart portion will slowly fade into obsolescence. Of course, I could be wrong - I don’t know what their policy is. But one can expect a good quality TV to last like 15 years. At least, they used to. So I suppose one question is whether the Smart portion will create any problems once the TV has reverted to a “Dumb” TV.
if it’s just for guests, get a second hand one - are you sure Amazon is your only option? No facebook marketplace? Off they haven’t mentioned your old dinosaur CRT, I’m sure they’d all be happy with a 3yr old flatscreen.
I do ‘bedroom only’, and mounted old tv’s on the wall, they get the many Freeview stations. They cost £30 each
Oh, Amazon isn’t the only option, for sure. I never said it was. It’s just among the better ones. And I don’t have an familiarity buying second-hand stuff in India. India is short of “Trusted” brands, or vendors. There isn’t anything like Costco, for example.
Sony Bravia is a superb brand. In my living room we have a 55" smart Bravia we bought 8 years ago. It has never had an issue and is sharp and crisp as the new Tv’s. We use a Roku with it for content, but since it’s our home unit for only ourselves, we also have a 15-year old Bose sound system on it that sounds amazing. As you can tell, we’re also people who keep technology forever when it works and we like it.
We recently sold a triplex building. We rented the units furnished and also bought 5 - 42" smart Bravias for it. We mostly had university students renting and they loved the Tvs. Excellent picture and sound.
To further muddy the water…I have a Sony Bravia 52" screen that I bought in early summer 2008. I have never had any problem with it. I bought my sister the same TV in Aug 2008 for her birthday. Hers lasted less than 3 years. I’m not sure how long because they didn’t tell me about it. I just was at their house and noticed they had a Toshiba. They said “yeah the picture went out on the the other one and the service guy said it would be cheaper to buy a new one.” I know it lasted 2+ years because I got it at Costco and electronics have a two year warranty.
LOL. Me too. My 20 year old Bose Acoustimass system is wired and a pain compared to what’s available now. But it works great and so I can’t bear to get rid of it. All my components except the Blu-Ray DVD player are at least 15 years old. I look forward to the day when I can get rid of all of them and house the same sound in a piece of furniture a fraction of the size that I have now. LOL. I need someone to put my 100s of CDs on the cloud so I can get rid of them too.
Thank you for the Sony feedback.
I’ve not used enough TVs in my life to have a clear idea of how they compare. I personally watch TV on my computer. My current monitor isn’t Sony, though. But I do think that you get what you pay for in electronics, and Sony has historically made good and reliable displays. But, like I said, there is no guarantee that will continue. In that respect, one might compare them with the old IBM Thinkpads, which were the closest thing to bulletproof laptops ever created. I purchased one in 2007, and it still runs without problems, though it’s hopelessly obsolete. The battery died a long time ago, and I don’t think they make batteries for it any more. At least Lenovo doesn’t. (A 2007 laptop is getting close to a museum piece.)
@TuMo, do you still find the Smart features on your 8 year old Smart TV usable? Also, (important question), does Sony still do upgrades for the firmware of this 8 year old TV?
And @KKC, how do you like your 52" Bravia? How do you think it compares with other LCDs?
Did you mean to write “painless” or similar? Otherwise, puzzled.