Should you buy a new TV?

Most TVs today are smart TVs. Not all, but most. When it is time to get a new television, the obvious differences of resolution, color, and brightness are the most important things to consider. The smarts inside the TV are not quite as important.

There are six major streaming platforms: Roku, Fire TV, Apple's TVOS, Google TV, WebOS, and Tizen. TVOS is only available with Apple TV devices, while WebOS is locked into LG televisions and Tizen is locked into Samsung televisions. Of those major streaming platforms, all but Apple's TVOS can be found built-in to various smart TV brands.

When you are shopping, it does not matter if the TV is smart or not. All that matters is that you are happy with the picture and the price. In fact, many high-end TVs now come with Google TV or Fire TV already installed, which is fine if you like those interfaces. But if you do not, you are not stuck.

Suppose you are a fan of Fire TV. You have used it for years and you like it. Now, suppose you need a new TV, and after doing all your research, you find a TV that you like, except it uses the Google TV platform. That is okay. You do not have to switch. You can simply add a Fire TV Stick to one of the HDMI ports and use that instead.

Likewise, if you are a fan of Roku, but the TV you really like is a Fire TV television, all you have to do is connect a Roku device.

In both of those scenarios, you ended up with a TV giving you the picture you want and the platform you want. That is because of this one basic truth: You are not locked in to any platform.

Hardware longevity is another reason to use an external device. Internal TV processors often age faster than the screen itself. We have seen instances where streaming apps stop supporting the built-in software on a five-year-old TV, while a five-year-old external device continues to run everything perfectly. Adding a device is a great way to extend the life of a perfectly good 4K screen, especially as streaming service prices continue to climb and you want to ensure your hardware remains efficient.

One of the good things about streaming is getting to watch the TV you want, when you want. Changing the platform on a TV by simply connecting a device lets you watch it how you want. My Streaming Life is exactly how I want it to be. Yours can be too.