Every 4K tv is a smart tv already, so why the need for fire sticks ? Is it just for side loading ?
It comes down to the fact that a lot of the 4K TV’s have bloatware on them which therefore slows down the performance and sometimes the videos or content you’re watching won’t be as smooth as let’s say a 4K firestick which is solely built for that use.
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The TV versions tend to get depreciated after a certain amount of time. It may take a bit longer now than it used to but my Fire TV 4K has plenty of apps available and I just use it all the time now.
My old Samsung and Panasonic TVs suffered this fate where Fire sticks seem to keep going for a lot longer. Plus when you replace them and sign in everything is back as it was before.
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A lot of smart TVs will stalk what you’re watching and report to advertising companies so it makes sense to keep them off the network and use a separate, trusted device for network-connected services.
Our 4K smart TV is so useful, we’ve turned the internet connection off 
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Because every smart TV OS is:
-Slow
-Badly designed
-Centred on advertising
-Rarely/never updated
-Incapable of anything beyond streaming services
-Insecure to the point of compromising your whole network
-Packed to the gills with tracking software
I’ve owned two smart TVs. They were plugged into Ethernet to run software updates, and then never saw the internet again.
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My LG has brilliant os. The toshiba however is dire and slow so I see what you mean 
Not every smart tv. Loewe TVs have a superb OS that is:
-
Fast
-
Intuitively designed
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Not centred on advertising
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Updated as frequently as modern desktop and mobile OSs, even for TVs as old as 10 years
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Capable of more than just streaming
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Secure
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Has no forced privacy invasive tracking software
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You ask some very strange questions.
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I have a 50” 4K TV that plays a 15 sec ad on it every time you turn it on.
I genuinely don’t mind it though as it probably saved me £200ish compared to similar spec TVs
Yikes, that would be a dealbreaker for me. What’s the make of it?
IPTV
VPN Software
Loads of other apps
Have a Sony Android TV it’s the biggest POS - slow, never updated and painful in a day-to-day use.
This question comes up every single time on HUKD etc and it’s always the same answer.
OP don’t just assume your use case is the same as everyone. I would pay more to have a smart less tv to be honest.
Mi
It’s a great TV otherwise. Very feature rich and excellent performance on Android TV. You can just disconnect it from the internet and it won’t play the ad if you’re not using the smart features. I don’t mind seeing an ad so save a load of money. 15 seconds once a day isn’t going to hurt anyone.
I agree that LG’s webOS is the best, but from my point of view it’s the best of a bad bunch. Glad it works for you!
I’d be pretty sure in saying that Amazon, the masters of data collection, are probably taking more data from your fire stick usage than the TV manufacturer ever would.
Data is collected by everyone from everyone these days.
I’d imagine the main reasons people get them are
- Better OS
- More 4K content
- Have a Prime account/in the Amazon ecosystem
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Almost certainly are - but you have to remember that someone isn’t peering through to find out what you watch to give the data to random people you’d rather not know - it’s only going to be used to try and flog me other products by way of advertisements.
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I only bought one fire stick. Who’s buying 4k? 
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Get Pi Hole and check the logs.
The worst is Netflix. It’s absolutely criminal the amount of packets etc it uses even with devices in standby.
WebOS was pretty awesome when it came out on tablets to be honest. It’s a shame the HP Touchpad didn’t take off.
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I have an LG too and it is great. When I go home and use my parents Samsung TV - a brand new model with top specs (they love wasting their money upgrading it every few years, despite rarely ever watching tv) I’m amazed Samsung TVs are so popular when the software is so slow and awkward.
That said, i still prefer to use my Apple TV for most stuff as its a lot nicer to use, more apps are available and its integrated with all my other Apple stuff, but I don’t mind occasionally using the built in software, and I make sure all the streaming apps are signed in on my TV too just in case I ever use them.