You can connect a cheap Roku player to an Android TV so you have both Android TV and Roku, but is there any benefit to having Android TV built into the TV? Or is it better to have Roku built into the TV?
You can connect a cheap Roku player to an Android TV so you have both Android TV and Roku, but is there any benefit to having Android TV built into the TV? Or is it better to have Roku built into the TV?
Why buy a Ferrari when you can drive a pinto
I'd always get a stand alone device whether that be Android, Roku, Apple or FireTV devices. Some advantages (for me at least) to Android TV devices.
Now if you just want to watch NetFlix, Hulu, Disney, YouTube, etc. then it is a toss-up. But for me my 2015 Nvidia Shield TV was able to replace a computer that I used to watch movies, watch live TV, act as my DVR, play from services like Hulu, NetFlix, attend Zoom webinars, watch my church service online via a browser and just general web browsing. A Roku just couldn't do all of that.
My Roku Express+ (2018) is relegated to my 1991 Sony Trinitron 20" TV in the bedroom while the Nvidia Shield TV is connected to the projector in the theater room with the 125" Cinemascope screen. 😀
No YouTube kids
I've never used an Android TV or Roku that comes close in performance and flexibility to an Google certified Android tv box. So for me a separate box is always better.
Roku is always getting into disputes with app developers, which causes apps to be pulled or delayed at random. AndroidTV allows you to sideload apps that are not available on the Play Store, and has a better interface with the black background for night watching. Roku is junk.
If you like Roku get a Roku TV but having an Android TV and a Roku gives you more versatility. It's smarter to have more than one platform. I would prefer both separate devices instead of either built in to the TV.
All the channels on Roku remind me of the Video Add-Ons for Kodi. There are THOUSANDS of add-ons, mostly foreign language based channels. I personally use the NASA plug in because Cable has NASA in 480p and the Add-On provides 1080p resolution.
Imho I'd rather have a roku built in to the tv than Android. But you can get any tv and plug both into it.
Personally, I'd rather have neither one built into my TV. I prefer my TV to be a dumb device that just displays whatever I have plugged into it.
If my TV runs complicated software and is connected to the internet, then it is also going to need regular patches. There's no telling how long a particular panel is going to be supported with new patches, so that puts an uncertain lifetime on the TV as a whole. It's much easier (and cheaper!) to just replace a set top box if my old one is getting out of date, or no longer supported, or spying on me for the KGB, or whatever.