
Announcing the First Netflix Recommended TVs - cleverjake
http://blog.netflix.com/2015/04/announcing-first-netflix-recommended-tvs.html
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feld
This is an odd precedent we're setting here...

But I'm not a fan of Smart TVs anyway because they will become disposable much
more quickly.

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roasm
It's not so much a choice between Smart TV vs. not Smart TV anymore. If you
buy a TV today, it is very likely to be "smart". You can just decide to use
the features or not (or when to stop using the features).

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dragonwriter
> If you buy a TV today, it is very likely to be "smart".

Of course, if you aren't using the built in receiver for OTA broadcasts, you
don't really need a _TV_ , you need a monitor. You can get commercial monitors
that are just like "Smart TVs" without the smarts and the receiver that makes
it a TV instead of a monitor, though you may have to look outside of the
consumer-focused retailers that you think of when buying a TV.

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brk
I did this for years, but monitors are oddly more expensive than TVs.

All my TVs now are actual TVs, but they are more or less permanently set to
HDMI1 input and all the other input source switching is handled externally.
The exception being Netflix on the non-theater TVs, for that I usually use the
on-TV Netflix client.

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penprogg
It's not odd that they are more expensive, monitors typically have higher
refresh rates and faster response times. Both of which imply more powerful
hardware for the monitor's driver.

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brk
Not these days (from what I've seen). I think it's mostly a supply/demand
thing. Though some monitors do come with longer warranties, it's not worth the
added cost.

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abollaert
Shouldn't they also take other factors into account, like image quality, sound
quality, connectivity and the likes? Seems rather easy just to slap a
"quality" label onto a TV just based on how well it runs the Netflix client.

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mmanfrin
I think because those are qualities that are evaluated on their own -- the
'Netflix' label applies to tvs whose specific Netflix app is good/exceptional.
Sort of like how a restaurant cleanliness score doesn't evaluate the quality
of the food, but is useful in determining if you want to dine there anyway.

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sliverstorm
Or EnergyStar. The label doesn't mean it's a good fridge. It means it's low
power.

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NateDad
"These TVs wake up quickly"

So a TV that turns on when you turn it on is a feature worth certifying for,
now? Ahh the joys of smart equipment. My dumb TV turns on instantly.

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pivo
My girlfriend bought a new TV recently that turns on immediately, but the
"smart" TV software takes about 30 seconds to boot up and become available. I
think the time to availability of the software is what they're talking about.

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PeterWhittaker
Wow, 30s? I have a dumb TV (Viara plasma) and an AppleTV 3rd generation.

The AppleTV is practically instant on, the Viara is PDQ, not instant, but way
less than 30s.

30s is nothing in the grand scheme of things, but considering how quickly my
current setup is ready, if I had to wait 30s with a new TV, I would take it
back.

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stephenc_c_
Strangely no mention of 4K TVs supporting Netflix 4K/Ultra HD in this
standard.

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mickdarling
Not so, from the article "LG 4K UHD TVs w/ webOS 2.0"

Which are 4K TVs and likely support the Netflix 4K standard as well.

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zantana
Do any of the Smart TVs have interesting network functionality (e.g. remote
control APIs? SNMP? WOL? UPNP?) or are they just using their network
capabilities to phone home and stream?

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sliverstorm
My 2013 Panasonic supports most of the HDMI interoperability features (e.g.
streaming to my Chromecast automatically powers up the TV and switches to the
right HDMI port) and UPnP both as a client and renderer.

That said UPnP is a fractured standard, so behavior is patchy. Some formats
simply aren't supported, and Windows can't figure out how to control volume
when rendering to the TV- but that's the fault of a weak standard more than of
the TV.

There is a remote control API as evidenced by the Android remote control app,
but it's probably a closed API.

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j_baker
Blah. I have a smart TV that can use netflix, but I hardly ever use it
considering that I have a Chromecast and XBox One that can use netflix.

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rian
I think you're in the minority. Most TV owners don't have xbox or chromecast.
Netflix bundled with a TV strictly reduces the friction to watch Netflix.

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toomuchtodo
I think you're overestimating the pull Netflix has. Literally everyone I know
either has a Chromcast, a Roku, or an Apple TV.

While I'm sure some sales will be driven by this, I don't believe its going to
be enough to move the needle. If anything, it'll push Amazon and Google to
provide better offerings with their respective devices.

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rian
Just because literally everyone you know uses those platforms doesn't mean
they have meaningful pull either. That's unless you know every TV owner in the
world. Your anecdotal experience is irrelevant compared to the average
experience of the hundreds of millions of TV owners across the country and
world.

Most Netflix subscribers (edit from people) just want to watch Netflix on
their TV. If you're buying a new TV, the easiest way to do that is to get one
that supports Netflix out of the box.

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dragonwriter
> Most people just want to watch Netflix on their TV

If all you want to watch on your screen is Netflix, why buy a _TV_ (defined by
being a monitor with a TV tuner built in) at all?

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joosters
Because it's cheaper to buy a television rather than a monitor.

