mr570 Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 Hey all. So my father was convinced to buy the Control4 system by a local entertainment store, and now is asking me to find out what he needs for SmartTV integration. I guess I'm the IT guy lol Apparently, the people at this entertainment store told him that he needed to buy a Roku device for Control4 integration. But they also just sold him a Sony with Android TV already on it? Why can't Control4 work with either/or? Surely he doesn't need to buy a device for the TV that already has an OS installed? I'm also getting third hand information here so if you need anything cleared up or any specifics before you can answer, let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msgreenf Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 It can. You can use the sony android tv apps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr570 Posted January 8, 2021 Author Share Posted January 8, 2021 1 minute ago, msgreenf said: It can. You can use the sony android tv apps. That's what I expected. No idea why anyone was telling him to get another OS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Cohen Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 My personal experience here: I have a Sony 900E series TV, which has the built-in apps. For the last year and a half that I've had Control4, I've used it with the built-in apps, and it works reasonably well. I had the TV before adding Control4, and everything was working, so I figured why make things more complicated, more hardware, etc. While it was reasonable stable and reliable, I did find there were times when it would glitch. For example, sometimes with the AcornTV app, the TV would become unresponsive, I couldn't change to another App or Source, etc. I had to shut down the room, and re-open it. With many more commonly used Apps (Amazon, Netflix), I would often have to hit a given command button twice before it responded, which sometimes resulted in selecting the wrong thing, since sometimes there was a log responding to the first one. These weren't deal killers, but were annoying. And there were times when a given App wasn't available for, or compatible with, my Sony TV. Not often, but it did happen sometimes, limiting my choices. I recently did some upgrades to this room, replacing a very old AVR with a newer Sony one, and decided to go ahead and add a Roku Ultra as well. I have used Roku in my Theater Room, which is much more complex, and had found it to be completely reliable. So I did that upgrade earlier this week, and so far the Roku has been completely reliable. So yes, you can use the built-in Apps, but in the long run, the experience might be more stable, reliable, and expandable by going with a Roku Ultra. My $.02 worth. mr570 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyknight Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 2 hours ago, mr570 said: That's what I expected. No idea why anyone was telling him to get another OS. Well.... To get apps to work on a TV, locally, meaning the TV speakers - that's not an issue. IF it's a whole setup with distributed video and ceiling speakers, there COULD be an issue making local TV apps work (over those speakers) But Roku IS more stable, more options etc etc - the biggest issue with smartTV apps has been reliability, though if it's a full android TV that shouldn't be a worry for awhile. msgreenf and mr570 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msgreenf Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 22 minutes ago, Cyknight said: Well.... To get apps to work on a TV, locally, meaning the TV speakers - that's not an issue. IF it's a whole setup with distributed video and ceiling speakers, there COULD be an issue making local TV apps work (over those speakers) But Roku IS more stable, more options etc etc - the biggest issue with smartTV apps has been reliability, though if it's a full android TV that shouldn't be a worry for awhile. agree with everything you said Cy mr570 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr570 Posted January 8, 2021 Author Share Posted January 8, 2021 Thanks for the help all. I misunderstood exactly how everything is integrated. Seems like a tighter system with Roku + Control4 than anything else - basically exactly like Cyknight said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaphod Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 I have three Roku TVs and I quite like them. They aren't high end TVs but everything works perfectly over IP - I don't need any IR capabilities at all with the Blackwire RokuTV driver. These are generally "lower end" TVs but your dad may be fine with that, I am. They are made by companies like TCL or Sharp (which was a high end Japanese TV brand but is now owned by Hisense). If you want to use external speakers you can use the analog or digital audio out and tie that into an AVR or Control4. If he can return it and get a full on Roku TV he might have a solution that works better in C4 and returns a few hundred $$$ to his pocket. BB has 4k TCL 65" Roku TVs for under $500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyknight Posted January 9, 2021 Share Posted January 9, 2021 3 hours ago, zaphod said: or Sharp (which was a high end Japanese TV brand but is now owned by Hisense) NONONONO Hisense bought the right to USE the brandname Sharp for TVs in North America. Those aren't 'sharps' - they are Hisense TVs. msgreenf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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