Help with Wi-Fi

Hi guys, I am in the market for a new plasma tv as my current tv has some vertical lines in the screen at this time.

I am looking at Panasonic Viera tv's and I am also probably going to get a Blu-Ray player. My question is does anyone have experience and knowledge with the wi-fi capabilities of each of these items? I don't want to get a smart tv that has all these apps and wi-fi capabilities when I can get a Blu-Ray player that is going to be able to do the same thing. Am I overkilling it if I get the smart tv as well as a Blu-Ray that can connect to stream internet as well? The Blu-Ray will be cheaper to upgrade than the tv. Should I just get that and stream from it to a non-smart (but not dumb) tv?

I could use some help from anyone who has knowledge of this. My local Sears has not been the best source of knowledge on this matter.

Thanks!

 

Double check the blu ray......many are wifi "capable" but u need to buy a usb dongle. They will want $80 for a propriatary dongle, but u can find compatable ones on Amazon for 15 bucks.

The smart tvs almost always have built in wifi...no need to buy some bs dongle.
I use my smart tv streaming much more often than the bluray streaming....

YMMV

 

Hmm...many options....and it depends on YOU and your budget

If you only have a TV and want to stream movies - the ROKU box is great. It streams movies from various different services and you can search or even buy (on demand) from service you don't subscribe to.
http://www.roku.com/
For better streaming with the ROKU - a direct hookup is best. It has WIFI

I'm not familiar with wifi TV's.....

For the ultimate setup - a home network receiver is best where you can hook up all your components into (TV, satellite, Playstation, speakers, etc) and is HDMI, WIFI, networking, compatible, etc.

Just a note -If you can hookup your TV (or other devices directly to the internet, you will get better overall quality of streaming (faster too). We just ran lines in our house so our entertainment center had direct hookup.

 

I guess I should explain a little more about this as well.

I would like to spend about $1000 on the tv. I have two models picked out. One with the smart capabilities, and another without. I won't get the smart tv unless I can see the advantages of getting it.

Would getting this Ruku enable me to get rid of my cable programming? I would love to do that. Are there any additional costs associated with Ruku, besides the initial investment? Ultimately I would love to be able to save some money but getting rid of the television part and just sticking with Internet only, if I can do that.

 

The ROKU will not replace your cable or satellite boxes.

The ROKU is a method of getting streaming movies on your TV. Streaming movies - as in, Netflix, Amazon prime, Hulu Plus, etc. Obviously, you need a subscription to these services to get the movies for free. Or - you can search these services and pay an 'on demand' price as you watch them from whatever service has the movie you are looking for. It also has access to internet free content/movies, etc. Look on the website for details to make sure its what your looking for (for streaming). It also has Pandora.....
http://www.roku.com/roku-products

A list of internet channels (I don't know exactly how this works, you'll have to research
http://www.roku-channels.com/


How much more (in cost) is your 'smart TV' versus the non-smart TV?
Are they comparable in price and specifications? If yes....I would get the smart TV.

It's kinda like having 4WD. You may not ever have a need for it...but if a situation comes up...you'll be glad you had it. Better off having the smart TV and you can use it if/when you want (versus not having it and wishing you did sometime down the road)

 

There is about a $300 difference in price between smart tv's and dumb tv's in the size that I am looking for. I will look into the potential for elimination of the cable box.

Thank for your help with this.

 

Some background...
I currently have a 2012 Panasonic Viera 60" GT50. I got it after 8 months of complaining and visits from a repair company because of a loud vibration coming from the rear of my 2011 60" GT30. It was caused by poorly mounted circuit boards on the 55" and higher plasmas, which there was a service bulletin posted on. Without going into a lot of detail, Panasonic treated me like crap and basically called me a liar before it was all said and done. I will never purchase another Panasonic product in my life and tell people my story as often as I can.

That being said. Panasonic tvs get really good reviews, and I am sure I am just one of the unlucky ones, but they treated me very poorly.

I use the smart tv function for netflix. It just seems like there is a ton of redundancy out there with all of the home theater accessories. Our TIVO has netflix, tv has netflix, blu-ray has netflix, and playstation has netflix. And so on and so on for all the internet applications. I would go to a store and see if you can use the smart function of the devices you are looking at purchasing. What it really comes down to for me is the interfaces of each.

The tv has a better netflix interface so I use it. The TIVO has a better Pandora interface so I use it. Playstation works better for playing MP3s. Etc.

Just my $0.02. hope it helped.

 

It does help. Thanks for the response. I am definitely not up to speed in my knowledge of these electronics.

 

Smart TV's really don't have the beefed up internals to run the apps they have. Don't really count on a TV for the streaming services. I use my PS3 for blu ray's and an Apple TV 3 for my streaming services. I also have my computer hooked to my tv for other streaming or general web search w/ wireless keyboard and mouse. Get a nice tv and an Apple TV or Roku and you'll be set. A newer Apple TV is suppose to be released this year.