Old telly

[Leothebear]

I have an 8 year old Samsung Smart TV. I've become aware that it's obsolete for some of the newer streaming services. I can watch Netfix, Iplayer, All4, My5 and some others but Now, ITVX are incompatible. Prime gives unacceptable performance.

The TV is excellent and I'm not planning to ditch it.

So for those skinflints like me, be warned.

Leo

[kempiejon]

I too noticed this smart TVs just will not allow updates to services. I mostly use a firestick and my old smart (now dumb) TV as a monitor. My old PVR had the same problem.

[mc2fool]

I too noticed this smart TVs just will not allow updates to services. I mostly use a firestick and my old smart (now dumb) TV as a monitor. My old PVR had the same problem.

It's not that the TVs & PVRs "will not allow" updates, it's that ITV have made the decision not to make ITVX available on all devices that ran ITV Hub. Something to do with them upgrading their content protection technology.

https://www.google.com/search?q=why+doesn't+itvx+run+on+all+tvs

If your TV supports Miracast (or it doesn't but like me you have a Miracast widget plugged into it) you can cast ITVX from your laptop to the TV. Assuming you have a laptop of course.

Other technologies are available....

[Alaric]

Other technologies are available....

You need a device that will be kept up to date and continues to be supported. So far the Amazon Firestick meets that criterion. The Now box once marketed by Sky didn't. So much so that they carried on taking the direct debits even after they'd switched off the service that the older boxes used.

The extra features that make a monitor "smart" don't have a long life.

If watching on a PC monitor is convenient, the straightforward browser interface seems robust. There would also be Chromecast and similar as another way of using a PC or phone to access the streaming content.

[mc2fool]

Other technologies are available....

You need a device that will be kept up to date and continues to be supported. So far the Amazon Firestick meets that criterion. The Now box once marketed by Sky didn't. So much so that they carried on taking the direct debits even after they'd switched off the service that the older boxes used.

The extra features that make a monitor "smart" don't have a long life.

If watching on a PC monitor is convenient, the straightforward browser interface seems robust. There would also be Chromecast and similar as another way of using a PC or phone to access the streaming content.

Yeah, but my point is that it's not only the device itself (the OS if you like) that needs to be kept up to date but the apps that run on it, and that's not up to the TV/PVR/widget manufacturer but the app provider.

And, of course, it's also up to the app provider as to whether they make any "upgrades" available on older devices and if they do anything to make the apps already on devices continue working or not. The iPlayer, Ch4, Ch5, Youtube & Prime apps all still run fine on my 12 year old Samsung TV.

[Howyoudoin]

I have an 8 year old Samsung Smart TV

As far as I can tell, my 12 year old Samsung Full HD non-Smart TV plus Firestick does pretty much all that a current tv can do, other than the 4K stuff.

I'm at the age where the difference between 1080p and 4k is not enough for me to make the jump.

But then, I did make the jump from iPhone 7 to iPhone XR. Go me.

HYD

[Tedx]

I have an 8 year old Samsung Smart TV

As far as I can tell, my 12 year old Samsung Full HD non-Smart TV plus Firestick does pretty much all that a current tv can do, other than the 4K stuff.

I'm at the age where the difference between 1080p and 4k is not enough for me to make the jump.

But then, I did make the jump from iPhone 7 to iPhone XR. Go me.

HYD

Oh you need the 4k. It's a bright new world in UHD.

[Arborbridge]

Our 10 (?) year old Sony plus Roku stick works on ITVX iplayer or All4. Or did last time I tried.

The others don't interest me anyway, and the above rarely, except iPlayer.


Arb.