Smart TV

[Dave Fritz]

Our first and current smart TV is a Vizio which has Smartcast as it's software I think. When watching certain shows on You Tube TV I get all sorts of buffering and poor voice quality with lots of noise. The TV is connected directly to the modem/router through an ethernet cable. However at the same time I can stream, using WIFI, the same program on my iPhone's You Tube TV app and it's perfect. This leads me to believe the problem may be with Smartcast. I'm looking at a LG smart TV which uses webOS and from what I read is highly rated. I wonder if you think I'm on the right track. Something else I'm missing? Thanks, a not so savvy grandpa here.

[roger wiegand]

Same results with the TV on wifi rather than a cable? (normally a cable is way better, but I've run into bad cables and bad connectors, thanks to the idiots who wired our house as if the ethernet were POTS.

You might also try a Roku or Chromecast device hooked to the TV by an HDMI cable to try to narrow the problem to the TV or something upstream of it.

Have you checked for firmware updates for the TV?

Is there a "test connection " option on the TV that will tell you what network speed the TV is seeing? Compare it to the Speedtest app on your phone.

We have both Vizio (ancient) and LG TVs, neither has a problem showing streamed content, so even a 10+ year old vizio is capable of perforning this function.

[Bill Howatt]

Good tips from Roger. Try plugging your ethernet cable into another port on the router, assuming there is one. If no spare port, swap with another cable's port. Make sure the ethernet cable is securely inserted in both ends; there should usually be a little click when the tab locks in.
Can you switch the TV over from cabled ethernet to WiFi to see if it helps? Cable as a rule is better but this may help sort things out and it isn't impossible for the TV's ethernet cable port to be bad.
Is there a support phone number for the TV you can call?

[Larry Frank]

I have a Samsung smart TV but use a Amazon Fire stick for streaming. My son and I wired the house for Ethernet using the highest rated cable. I am using Xfinity and get 50 mbps up and 12 mbps down both wireless and wired.

I have no issues streaming anything. I am amazed what is available to stream for free.

[Lawrence Duckworth]

I had the same problem with our Vizio and Youtube. I reset the vizio tv to factory seatings. buttons are are on the right hand backside of the tv. google resetting vizio to factory settings and follow the directions. btw we have Fubo now..much better!

[Dave Fritz]

Thanks for the suggestions. I should add the problem is only with You Tube TV. Netflix works like a dream. I'll try and reloading the app. as they suggest. It's crazy, I can be watching a program and all of a sudden it stops and the Smartcast screen comes up so I have to choose an app and start over. Just a bit ago the screen went blank though the program's audio continued until all was quiet and the Smartcast page showed up. My remote was useless and I had to turn off and do a hard boot. This has happened before, both on WIFI and through the Ethernet cable.

[Alan Rutherford]

We have an LG with WebOS and the internet channels are sort of a mixed bag. The TV's connection to the router is via ethernet cable and is good but our DSL connection to the web is not. I'm never sure where the blame lies but usually think it's not the TV. However, every month or so something isn't right and I power the TV off and on. That's really off, as in pull the plug from the wall and hold the power switch down for a few seconds before turning back on. Sometimes helps.

I have suspected some of those channels are operated by a high school kid with an attention problem. One channel will be great and another will be wacky. There are also times, especially weekends when I believe internet traffic is high and our ISP might be throttling us, where about half the channels, especially the higher numbers, are unreachable.

Some good suggestions above and try rebooting it once in a while. I hope you solve your problem.

[Ed Aumiller]

Make sure your cable is Cat6 not cat5

[Dave Fritz]

Alan, you mentioned the higher numbers are worse. I find the same thing. Why would that be, do they use more bandwidth?

[Bill Howatt]

On my TV provider, Bell, the higher numbers tend to be the HD channels and the lower ones Standard Definition (for now, I think they are dumping SD). HD will definitely take more bandwidth. You might see if HD channels vs SD (if you have them) is where the problem lies.

[Tom M King]

We have a number of smart tv's in a rental house. Some are older ones. Every one has a Firestick plugged into the back of it, and all work great with fast internet.

[Jim Becker]

When we moved into this new-to-us house two years ago this past Sunday, we needed a new TV for the bedroom and did choose an LG. It's been stellar and the price at Costco was good, too. There have been no discernable issues with webOS and they update it relatively frequently to keep up with both security, functionality and compatibility with new apps. Although we choose to use AppleTV for streaming for personal reasons, we have from time to time used the apps on the TV and they have also worked very well.

[ChrisA Edwards]

We have a mix of Sony, LG and Samsung smart TV's between our house and 5th wheel camper. Although smart, all TVs are connected to the internet via a Roku. This makes the program interface standard across all the TV's.

[Dave Fritz]

We have a mix of Sony, LG and Samsung smart TV's between our house and 5th wheel camper. Although smart, all TVs are connected to the internet via a Roku. This makes the program interface standard across all the TV's.

I can see the benefit in having the same interface but it really doesn't enhance the signal does it? I suspect that's my problem.

[Jim Becker]

I can see the benefit in having the same interface but it really doesn't enhance the signal does it? I suspect that's my problem.
Yes, the primary benefit of using Roku, AppleTV (as I do) or similar across multiple brands of screens is consistency in interface and sometimes easier maintenance of subscriptions. This house has three SmartTV screens. (The LG in the "living room" mounted up high on the wall was left here by the previous owner) The MBR has the slightly larger LG and the family/bird room has the Samsung that we used in the MBR at the old property. For the latter two, I use AppleTV for the interface, even though both theoretically can handle the streaming we use natively. That LG in the living room is slightly older and the Hulu app that's compatible with it is not compatible with Hulu+LiveTV natively. Since we really don't use it, I'll likely take it down one of these days and dispose of it.

[Stan Calow]

I think it's a good idea to check with your streaming service about compatibility issues before buying a new TV. We found that we were unable to use the our new Vizio smart tv capability and had to get a streaming box to connect reliably, and also our new Samsung isn't compatible with some of the menu features of our streaming service. Very frustrating.

[Matt Day]

I just use Fire Sticks on all my TV’s. So much easier.

[Dave Fritz]

I just use Fire Sticks on all my TV’s. So much easier.
Wow, don't know about them. Does it increase your bandwidth?

[Curt Harms]

I just use Fire Sticks on all my TV’s. So much easier.

I use Roku for a similar reason. All the streaming services are going to support them because they're so common. The last Roku I bought had ethernet built in and I like having that option. Also, Roku doesn't have cameras or microphones, I believe some 'smart' TVs do and Big Brother doesn't need to watch or listen to my daily life.

[Dave Fritz]

Does Roku increase your bandwidth speed?

[ChrisA Edwards]

No, but if you have bad cables/connections, WiFi may be more consistent. A good WiFi Mesh network can deliver more than enough bandwidth for multiple high definition devices (4K TV's) to be watched simultaneously, assuming your provider can supply that bandwidth.

[Jim Becker]

Does Roku increase your bandwidth speed?
Roku is just a device that has apps on it to allow viewing of streaming media. It uses bandwidth. It does not provide bandwidth. To use streaming media, your Internet service needs to be reasonably fast, regardless of what devices you choose to use to watch it. (actual broadband speeds).

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

I think part of the problem is the definition of smart as applied to tv sets. LG and Samsung actually have the capacity to surf the internet, many others do not. We keep a 32 inch TV in the kitchen. A Samsung smart TV. I have a wireless keyboard connected to it and I could type this answer on that tv's smart chip, although it would be slow. My wife spent far too much money on a Sony big screen and it can't do what the 7 yr old samsung in the Kitchen can do. I can even download new streaming services, but again, it goes slow for the down load, it doesn't seem to have any problem playing videos however. I do prefer the capacity to sur the internet on the TV. I think sooner or later, computers and tv sets will be merged anyway.

[Dave Fritz]

Thank you Jim.


Roku is just a device that has apps on it to allow viewing of streaming media. It uses bandwidth. It does not provide bandwidth. To use streaming media, your Internet service needs to be reasonably fast, regardless of what devices you choose to use to watch it. (actual broadband speeds).

[Curt Harms]

Thank you Jim.

I do wonder though if some devices make more efficient use of available band width than others. I've been in hotels with pretty crappy wifi - Roku's signal strength meter said 4 - 6 mb./sec and the videos were not choppy or interrupted. Have you ever done a speed test on your internet connection? Here is one site's recommendations:
Streaming, gaming and other online activities on multiple devices simultaneously require more bandwidth to keep up. Therefore, the more bandwidth your internet provider delivers, the faster is the online experience. The FCC provides Mbps requirements based on digital activities, and the below table includes recommended bandwidth requirements for watching videos, video conferencing, gaming and more.
Activity Minimum Download Speed (Mbps)
Watching Video
Streaming Standard Definition Video 3 – 4
Streaming High Definition (HD) Video 5 – 8
Streaming Ultra HD 4K Video 25
Video Conferencing
Standard Personal Video Call (e.g., Skype) 1
HD Personal Video Call (e.g., Skype) 1.5
HD Video Teleconferencing 6
Gaming
Game Console Connecting to the Internet 3
Online Multiplayer 4
Minimum Bandwidth required for HD, FHD (Full HD) and UHD (Ultra HD) video content
Resolutions Required Bandwidth Required Bandwidth
H264 H265
1280×720(HD) 3Mbps 1.5Mbps
1920X1080(FHD) 6Mbps 3Mbps
3840×2160 (UHD) 25Mbps 12Mbps

Sorry for any formatting issues.

[Bill Howatt]

Nice list, Curt.
The caution is that these are per device numbers so if you have 2 people using the internet, the required speed is the sum of their requirements. Measuring the speed to your house is a good idea since the spec's given by the ISPs typically say things like "up to" XXMbps not "guaranteed" XXmbps.
Many years ago when somebody said a "chain is only as strong as its weakest link" but had no idea they were describing an internet connection perfectly. In real use, speed isn't just dependent on the connection to the ISP, it depends on the speed and number of nodes the signal goes through, the server providing the data (this can be a major one). A link to a site does not always go through the shortest path.

[Roger Feeley]

I would prefer a dumb monitor with no speaker. I get sound through a 5.1 surround sound av receiver. I stream through an apple tv box. So, for me, a feature laden tv is a waste.

[Alex Zeller]

I had a Vizio 65" and it spotty. Sometimes apps would work well and other times they would struggle in the middle of watching something. So I added a Firestick and that solved the problem. The Firestick doesn't increase bandwidth but it moves all of the processing of the data to the Firestick. It then sends the TV a signal for the TV to display. If you don't mind spending a little extra the Nvidia Shield is a better option. With the Firestick it can only run so many apps at the same time. So you need to make sure to close them when done watching.

The local dimming on the Vizio stopped working in spots so now I have an LG with the WebOS. It's a much nicer TV. But pay attention to the size. I used the measurements on BestBuy and they were wrong so now I have a 75" TV when a 55" or 65" is all I really needed. I like the LG magic remote.

[Bill Howatt]

My experience with Best Buy specs is the need to double check them from elsewhere such as the manufacturer to be certain. I find their listing of inputs and outputs on a device to be questionable.