[playntheblues]

Hey guys, I am new to this forum (HT) and need a little help.  I am ready to purchase a smart TV from 50 to 70 inches (flat screen).  I would like to spend under 1,000.00 and don't mind buying last years latest and greatest. 
Thanks for your help,
Guy

[gregcss]

Take a look a Vizio M series.

[geowak]

I just got a Samung 55 inch LED Smartv. I looked at LG, Vizio, Sony and some others, but liked the Samsung the best. I think Samsung's larger screens are outsourced to Sharp and another company and not as good as the 55 inch.

Of course I did see a 70 inch LG 4k that was very, very nice and pricey.

[playntheblues]

 , actually I have seen some 70" Smart TV's for 1300, ish.
VIZIO E701i-A3 70-inch 1080p Razor LED Smart HDTV (2013 Model) - 1,280.00
Sharp LC-70LE650U 70-inch Aquos HD 1080p 120Hz Smart LED TV  -   1,250.00

[RDavidson]

Why not just get a separate media streamer?
Here's a quick rundown of the pros and cons of a Smart TV versus "dumb TV" + streamer.

http://www.cnet.com/news/smart-tv-or-media-streamer/

With the media streamer route you can choose whatever TV you want, and whatever streamer you want separately (Apple TV, Roku, Google Chromecast being the major options).

[playntheblues]

Thank you, that looks like great info, I will start reading on that now  , update.  It was a short read, good info but for the 100.00 cost difference the smart TV makes for one less box.  Am I missing something?

[RDavidson]

Thank you, that looks like great info, I will start reading on that now  , update.  It was a short read, good info but for the 100.00 cost difference the smart TV makes for one less box.  Am I missing something?

Here's the thing, several streamers aren't even a box anymore. Look at the Google Chromecast which can be found for less than $50. The nice thing about getting a separate streamer is that you aren't tied to whatever system the TV manufacturer put in the TV. And again, this opens your TV buying options up as opposed to just Smart TV's. I have a Roku Steaming Stick ($50) and like it quite a bit. It is basically the same as the Chromecast, but it has its own remote. The Chromecast uses your smartphone or tablet as the remote. There are some other streamers, like Apple TV, that are about $100. I don't believe they do anything more than the streaming sticks. They might possibly have more than one output, but I can't think of any real advantage over the small, convenient, sticks in terms of performance.

[playntheblues]

More reading  , do these streamers allow you to surf the internet like some of the smart TV's?

[Early B.]

More reading  , do these streamers allow you to surf the internet like some of the smart TV's?

Yes, but surfing the Internet via a TV is cumbersome.

[playntheblues]

I was hoping to use a USB wireless mouse and keyboard, is this possible with the Smart TV & streamers?  If not then I will have to rethink, again thanks for all of the good info.

[RDavidson]

I really don't know if this is possible, but I don't know everything about all streamers. Perhaps the Apple TV can be used with a keyboard? Streamers / Smart TV's aren't so much computers as they are essentially like tablets and smart phones. They use Apps, not "computer programs" per se.

[Phil A]

Why not just get a separate media streamer?

With the media streamer route you can choose whatever TV you want, and whatever streamer you want separately (Apple TV, Roku, Google Chromecast being the major options).

I concur (did not have a choice in a couple of rooms that had projectors).  I bought Roku 3 boxes on woot.com (factory refurbs) for $65 each + $5 total shipping.  They just had the same deal on Woot a few days ago.

[mcgsxr]

Have a smart 55 inch Panny plasma on the main floor. Have never used any of the smart stuff and never will.

Have a dumb 60 Panny plasma in the basement with an XBMC box attached.  Works perfectly.

I'd focus on the pic quality vs smartness but you likely have different needs. 

[Early B.]

I was hoping to use a USB wireless mouse and keyboard, is this possible with the Smart TV & streamers?  If not then I will have to rethink, again thanks for all of the good info.

Sure you can. It's still cumbersome to use your TV to surf the net.

[playntheblues]

I'm hard headed, but I'm starting to get it.  Iwill look into picture quality and not so much smart.  any thoughts on a great deal on a dumb 65 inch TV?

[Doublej]

As stated the best Smart TV is a dumb one with the following added to it:

One Intel NUC - ~$500 with Windows, $400 if you want to run Linux.
One Wireless Mouse and Keyboard ~$50
One HDMI cable $5

Works great. Full function. Lots of streaming channels.

If you have space for a bigger computer you can cut the price to $200ish for a refurbished Dell Optiplex or HP.

[jarcher]

+1 w/ above.  Good "dumb" tv w/ Roku, Apple TV, etc.  Maybe a 60" Samsung Plasma now that Panasonic no longer does plasma (aprox $800).

Or this from our very own "Sweet Deals" circle : Samsung 64" plasma @ just over $1K + shipping :

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=129697.msg1370629;topicseen#new

Otherwise a Vizio "M" series which is somewhat smart (the basics such as Netflix etc).  That's about $1150 for a 60".

[playntheblues]

Thanks all, with my wife's input we ended up with one 60" Vizio and two 40" vizio's M series. Great picture  , damn those 4k TV's and new OLED's are very tempting.