qckslvrguyinkc

ATSC 3 is a sham.

You need an internet connection to watch as of right now thanks to the big broadcasters (companies like Nexstar and Sinclair) burdening the technology with A3SA DRM. Very few network shows or presentations are shown in 4k, and even fewer are shown in HDR. There are no QUALITY networkable DVRs available that can do ATSC 3 since the A3SA has hamstrung the companies behind the HD HomeRun and Tablo in their ATSC 3 efforts.

Then you have the manufacturer side of things. Samsung makes the only non-Google TV capable of ATSC 3; there was never compatibility with Roku, Vidaa, Vizio’s OS, and XUMO. LG had ATSC 3 sets until they lost a patent suit over their tuner. Sony, Hisense, and TCL have ATSC 3 sets at the higher end of their ranges, but those aren’t the higher-volume sets when it comes to sales.

Can you add an ATSC 3 tuner to your existing TV? In the case of Google TV, probably. In the case of everything else, you’d need an external tuner (based on Google TV and usually hamstrung with an old version of the OS) or a tuner device and a Google TV-based box like the Google TV Streamer or ONN 4k Pro.

Having said that, the few reasons I have for watching Paramount+, Peacock, and Hulu look just as good in ATSC 1.0’s 1080p signal as they do streamed or viewed in ATSC 3.0, outside of some football broadcasts. I don’t regret buying a Tablo DVR, as it’s paid for itself already

One of Roku’s worst traits is that, by default, it sends fingerprinting data of everything you do on one of its TVs back to home base, and it’s worse about this than any other platform. Roku isn’t the absolute worst offender in this regard, however - LG’s webOS makes you agree to send all user data - including what you do on HDMI-connected devices - back to home base in order to use ANY inbuilt smart TV functionality, and is the only OS/manufacturer to do so.

I wish we could go back to “dumb” TVs. I’m tired of buying my way to a data point, even for over-the-air TV.

Patrick_ORourke Google’s device is actually pretty solid when it comes down to it. Overpriced? Perhaps, especially if you don’t need the Thread networking functionality. But it works well. If you ever plan on getting matter devices with a Google focus, however, I’d go with this over a Google Nest speaker.

External SSDs are great as "game drives" for gaming PCs as long as your system supports fast enough USB transfer rates (10 gbps seems to be "fine" for this purpose) and for media drives if you're constantly editing video, but let's be honest here - 99% of people don't need anything more than the 32GB USB 3 flash drive you get at Micro Center for free.

Did you do a factory reset on your AppleTV, OP?

Also, your options for other streamers aren't going to make you happy. Rokus are so cheap because they're basically spy machines, as are FireTV sticks - and the new VegaOS from Amazon truly sucks. Xumo boxes aren't much better than Roku or Fire in the privacy department, and I've found the OS to be laggy.

Vidaa doesn't have great support in the United States, and lacks a lot of the features everything else has because of a lack of developer support.

Samsung's Tizen and LG's webOS are both the worst when it comes to phoning home, however, because they're both now making you agree to HDMI spying if you want to use their smart features.

So that brings me to Google TV, which is a second-best option behind Apple in terms of privacy. I have a newer version of the Hisense U8 (mine's the U8K) and an older Hisense with the old interface (H8G), and the leap between the two in hardware is monumental. You can get a Google TV streamer or a Walmart/ONN 4K Plus or 4K Pro TV box (both perform about the same, but the 4K Pro adds "Hey Google" functionality) to see how you like it but you'll end up pretty unhappy if you're unhappy with your AppleTV 4K.

Of course, you could also get an Xbox, Playstation, Mac, or PC to run your living room...