Dedicated boxes are usually faster and more flexible. Especially android boxes. I use a shield, which can do everything from browsing the web to playing retro games to streaming PC games from your gaming PC

try mecool KM2 it's Google Certified meaning you can download apps for this device and it's netflix certified also I have 2 running at home works great

Hit the nail on the head, you did.

TVs are expensive and people tend to keep them for a long time (decades). But the "Smart" part of SmartTVs are more like computers, which people want to upgrade far more frequently. Or may even need to in order to use the services they are paying for.

A lot of consumers buying these garbage fires won't realize how shit they are until a couple years into ownership. Those "in the know" would REALLY like it if some of the big-name TV manufacturers would go back to selling at least a couple models of "Dumb" TVs again. Or at least offer a more complete way to disable the "Smart".

I personally always go with a dedicated device. The onboard software or hardware is often limited, and the track record of most companies to maintain their smart TV up to date and secure is rather abysmal.

At least with the dedicated device it's rather easy to swap if something happens, and I can even take it with me while traveling which can be quite handy at hotels.

The question is what do you want to do that you can't today (and is it worth it)?

Personnally, I had a Firefox OS Panasonic 4K TV that became kind of dumb over the years and adding a streaming box was a refreshing update (to an otherwise very capable TV!) due to the lack of apps as basic as Prime or Spotify for instance. Of course the OS being dropped along the way didn't really help.

My current Philips TV runs Android TV and honestly, I don't think I would benefit much from a streaming device. I have all the apps I need and it runs well enough not to spend extra money and add clutter. I should be fine as long as app support goes.

Maybe not if you've just bought a brand-new, current-year TV. But even if the processor and smart-TV functionality in your TV is top-of-the-line on the day you bought it (by no means a given, as many OEMs cut corners in this area), most people use their TV for a lot longer than the smart TV hardware remains current.

Your TV itself will still be fine in three or five years, but the smart-TV functionality will be showing its age. So, at some point, it starts making sense to plug a streaming device into it.

Possibly depending on the UI. I do currently and have previously had smart TVs that were slow and confusing.

I also have used several versions of Chromecasts and Roku's that were faster and more user friendly.

If you're using your TV/smart device regularly it's worth considering your options.

There are three major complaints I have about smart TVs in general:

1. Hardware is usually lacking. Performance is slow, and usually will only get worse over time.

2. Developer support is lacking. This is less of an issue if your TV uses an off the shelf OS (Android TV, Fire TV, Roku), but it's a big problem if it uses an in-house OS (Samsung's Tizen, LG's WebOS), as you are now finding out.

3. Continuing support. Software updates for smart TVs tend to be slow in coming, buggy, and poorly optimized, if they happen at all. Many smart TVs become security hazards fairly quickly because of unpatched bugs. Roku TVs tend to be better about this than others, due to the simplicity and uniformity of the OS, but even they can start to have issues after a while.

Basically, what it comes down to is that the "smart" portion of a smart TV is usually an afterthought to tick a box on a spec sheet, and you'll generally have a much better experience using a discrete set top box, since they are designed around that experience. Even an inexpensive one like the Chromecast.

Let's start with what you want to do that you can't already, then that will allow people to suggest where you need to go. Do you need Netflix, do you want to emulate, what else do you want to do?

Yes. You should. The apps on external devices update frequently and run better than those on Smart TVs.

I have a LG TV and can speak specifically about WebOS

It is quite a nice OS. Very smooth. LG didn't make WebOS, they bought it. You can use the LG remote if you use built in apps. The magic remote is cool.

the built in apps are usually better than the ones you get in all but the top of the line shield or apple TV because they are made for LG TV and access the hardware directly. The built in apps will support both Dolby vision and hdr, something not true of all boxes. They will also handle 24fps correctly, while external boxes will usually just up convert them to 60fps. And the TV up converts hd to 4k better than anything that's not the shield or apple TV

You can hook a hard drive to the TV's USB port and play back just about anything with the built in media player, including 4k blu-ray rips. It will read NTFS, too. Try doing that with a $50 dongle!

The downside is the LG store is very small. It is missing a lot of apps. But if the apps you want are there, then you're good. It does have the major ones Netflix Amazon Disney YouTube YouTube TV Hulu. HBO (2018 and later models)

I use the built in apps whenever I can, and use external box to fill in the gaps

Depends on the TV and your needs. Not all smart TV's are created equal. In your case there may be some apps missing on webOS or the processor on the TV may be weak so adding a device like the Fire Tv Stick 4k or the CCwGTV could be better. I've not used webOS so I can't say if it's good or not. It is however smart to have more than one platform in your tool box. I have have multiple as to not miss out on anything.

I've heard good things about the $30 android tv box from Walmart.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/onn-Android-TV-UHD-Streaming-Device/636597403

If you subscribe to Netflix, there's an option to get the chromecast with Google TV bundled with 6 months of Netflix for $90. This makes the CC about $10 when you factor out the cost of Netflix.

https://store.google.com/us/config/chromecast_google_tv_netflix?hl=en-US

I got one because the version of WebOS on my old tv does not suport HBOMax nor Crunchyroll

I have the Vizio P65Q9-H1 and it plays every video codec, and passes through EVERY audio codec that my Yamaha AVR supports (all the hd audio codecs). IF it used the Google OS, then it would be perfect. As far as streaming apps, it is superior to any of my stand alone devices.......

I have the 2017 Shield, Tivo Stream 4k, Walmart's ONN box, Xiaomi Mi box, S and non-s versions, Mecool KM6 and Mecool KM2, just to name a few. My AVR has 6 HDMI inputs, and they are full, I also have a 5 port HDMI switch connected to the Vizio TV, and it is full......

So, IMHO, the TV works better than all of my external players. If I was NOT a nerd, that TV would be all I would need.

Get the horribly named onn. Android TV UHD Streaming Device device from walmart for $30.

I would recommend buying a used NVidia shield 2015 model on eBay. it currently sells for the same as a fire TV cube new. I have both the 2015 and 2019 models. I've found them to have very similar performance.

One of the biggest benefits of android TV is that you can do anything on it without ever needing to change the input on the TV. So built in chromecast, playing games and emulators. And the built in ethernet functionality (if you use it) will cause everything to be quicker, even if it already works on an alternative streaming box. If you have cable, there's apps for most providers to make it double as a cable TV box.

If your TV can't run the apps you want then yes.

In my opinion i would take a tv with no smart features and connect a streaming box to it. If you get a name brand device you should be good for at least a few years. In my experience smart tv software does not last very long.

If you want full sound support then yeah you absolutely need a stand alone streaming device. ARC exists but is crap, and earc isn't on every tv yet. Both the shield and the chromecast with google tv are great devices and support pretty much every audio and video tech minus dolby vision.

Up to you really. I got a Hisense Android TV, which I love. I can side-load a bunch of apps to it, expand the storage, run an emulator and connect controllers directly to it via Bluetooth and Xbox through a dongle. It runs steam link and streams games to my TV, with all my controllers just magically working.

If you want the same sort of experiences, get an Android box with expandable storage.

Quite frankly and saying it easily without being rude..., if you have to ask this question then I'd guess you probably don't need any.

you will know if you need an external device. Usual reasons are specific app not available/limited or TV is too old for a responsive UI.

A smart tv is quite limited in function compared to android tv. My old smart tv has a no longer functioning youtube and netflix app, because they're not from play store, they're from the tv brand's servers, and the company has stopped supporting them.

Whereas with android tv, as long as it still works, the apps will get timely updates from the play store. If they don't, you can even sideload an actually working version, the latest version. There's nothing you can do if a smart tv cannot launch the app, except buy the next smart tv. Or if you've wisened up to the limitations, the next android tv. Like an android phone. It may not have the latest android 12, but the apps are updated and always the latest version.

Look at the most expensive Sony tv. It's not a smart tv, it's running android.

I have a bravia and it's much better to use a shield on it as sony's android OS is buggy and has spyware built into it (you can remove the spyware if you want, but it impacts the OS functionality)

Your smart tv is too smart.

It collects, and reports everything you watch.

It is basically a gateway into the world of data mining.

Never connect a smart tv to the internet.

You should at least splurge on a Roku Stick+, but really a Roku Ultra 2020 is what you want. But not for more than $80. It goes on sale often. Worth it!