The purple patches on our six year old Panasonic FirefoxOS smart TV are getting larger, and we need to actively look for a replacement. In addition to broadcast television we play DLNA content from the NAS, and use the Sky Sport Now, TVNZ and Three apps.
I'm very concerned about privacy and security; Richard is concerned that the replacement is as easy to use as the current TV.
Initial research tells me all the current crop of smart TVs are compromised by tracking' advertising and, in many cases, artificial intelligence. I know I can build a PiHole device and limit the telemetry, although if we chose a Google TV I'd also need a separate WAN subnet for this as Richard has stock Android devices and will still want them to phone home.
Personally I'd be happy never to connect the new TV to the internet and use a separate box for streaming, but I can't see that working for Richard, who wants a single remote control and no faffing around.
If anyone has insights or suggestions I'd love to read them.
The only device I might sell Richard on is Apple TV. The apartment we leased in Barcelona two years ago had it, and he thought it was brilliant. We have four Homerun tuners already antenna-connected, and I could dedicate and connect one to an app on the Apple TV box.
Apple TV users: I'd welcome your input and have a question. I assume the Apple TV box is connected to the television via HDMI; can you set this up so that when the TV is turned on the Apple TV interface is automatically displayed?
@leighelse there are very nice ways to use a settop box (e.g. rasppi with kodi or similar) with the same remote - it's actually compatible. But you *also have the option of having a wireless keyboard* which is very handy in some situations to avoid that painful remote control keyboard.