Smart TV & Mini-Client

[NetworkGuy]

I am in the market for a new TV and I was wondering if anyone had installed the mini-client into a Smart TV.

Thanks,
John

[plawlor]

I have. I have a Sony Bravia. The client installs fine and runs pretty well performance-wise. It crashes and then exits fairly regularly, however. I haven't taken the time to try and figure out what's going on yet.

Peter

[NetworkGuy]

I am deciding between a Sony and Samsung. Having the client install directly in the TV would be a deciding factor.

Thanks,
John

[jm9843]

Originally Posted by NetworkGuy

I am deciding between a Sony and Samsung. Having the client install directly in the TV would be a deciding factor.

Thanks,
John

Well that makes it easy since only the Sony models run Android TV and are compatible with the miniclient.

Do be aware that the 2015 Sony's allegedly have problems with interlaced content. Silicondust have been in contact with them and have mentioned on their forum that the 2016 models 'should be fine' while an update is expected to resolve the issue on the 2015 line sometime 'this year'.

[scoful]

Anybody have and idea if there's away to get the Mini-Client going on a Vizio SmartTV that uses Yahoo Connect TV?

[NetworkGuy]

I decided on the Sony TV, but have not ried to load the mini cliet.

I did not realize that you need to login to your TV with your Google account.

They really are keeping track of everything you do.

[panteragstk]

It's an Android device just like your phone or tablet. You want apps without side loading the you have to sign in. Apple and MS are the same way. No way around it now.

I created gmail accounts just for some of my devices. They have no information in them other than the email address so I don't have to worry about losing any personal info.

[stuckless]

Originally Posted by panteragstk

It's an Android device just like your phone or tablet. You want apps without side loading the you have to sign in. Apple and MS are the same way. No way around it now.

I created gmail accounts just for some of my devices. They have no information in them other than the email address so I don't have to worry about losing any personal info.

That's a good idea.

[tmiranda]

I'm going to need a new TV soon. Any other TVs capable of running the mini client besides the Sony and Samsung? Do the TV manufacturers specify what OS runs their smart TVs? (I typically get Vizios because they are cheap and suit my needs.)

[stuckless]

Originally Posted by tmiranda

I'm going to need a new TV soon. Any other TVs capable of running the mini client besides the Sony and Samsung? Do the TV manufacturers specify what OS runs their smart TVs? (I typically get Vizios because they are cheap and suit my needs.)

Here's my feeling on Smart TVs... Typically they are underpowered for most cases, but they still seem to do an OK job on Netflix, YouTube, etc. The problem I see is that you pay a fair price for the TV, but, better cheaper Android boxes are around $100-$200... in 2-3 years the TV is still great, but the "smart" features will likely become less smart and smaller cheaper streaming boxes will be better. I'd personally never pay "extra" to get a smart TV (I have one) but instead I'd rather put the money into a small client and update that every couple years.

[panteragstk]

Originally Posted by stuckless

Here's my feeling on Smart TVs... Typically they are underpowered for most cases, but they still seem to do an OK job on Netflix, YouTube, etc. The problem I see is that you pay a fair price for the TV, but, better cheaper Android boxes are around $100-$200... in 2-3 years the TV is still great, but the "smart" features will likely become less smart and smaller cheaper streaming boxes will be better. I'd personally never pay "extra" to get a smart TV (I have one) but instead I'd rather put the money into a small client and update that every couple years.

I agree. To add to this there are instances where the smart TV's don't get their apps updated either. Plus the slowness isn't all that noticeable until you use a nice streaming box that zips through everything.

In the time it takes for me to launch netflix, select my profile, and start playing a show my shield is already 2 min into the same show.

My brother has a Sony Android TV and loves it. The only exception is that he gets a lot of force closes on apps that work perfectly for me.

[plawlor]

Originally Posted by panteragstk

My brother has a Sony Android TV and loves it. The only exception is that he gets a lot of force closes on apps that work perfectly for me.

That is my experience as well. MLB Extra Innings loses it's Internet connection a lot on my Sony Android TV. Runs perfectly for an entire game on my Rokus. The SageTV Mini Client runs well, but a lot of force closes. Could be a related issue. I haven't taken the time to really troubleshoot this yet, but it appears as though the Sony Android TV keeps losing and/or resetting its network connection all the time, causing trouble in most apps except Netflix and Plex, which both seem to handle buffering and replay way better than other apps. This may be what is causing the Mini Client crashes. Just a guess at this point...