Help with the 2020s...

[redeemed626]

...because videohelp made the 2010s to easy.

I'm going to sound like an old person, so please forgive me. Videohelp.com once kept me at the forefront of audio/video information, just as multimedia PCs became a thing in the early 90s, along with advances in audio and video sources.

By 1999, I built a new home, and had it wired for 5.1 surround and an alternate audio source outside. I invested in mid level brand name components. A whopping 32" JVC television (this is the one that hurt most)... a JVC VCR with s-video... a JVC DVD player... and a JVC audio receiver with all sorts of fun inputs and outputs. I have since replaced the DVD player and receiver about 12 years ago with Sony models so I could take advantage of component video inputs and outputs.

But at the end of the day, when I combined those parts with satellite TV, I could use one remote to switch from SAT TV to VCR to DVD, and regardless of source audio, TV audio played on a stereo receiver impressively.

Also, with the purchase of a sony digital video recorder, I could use the firewire connection to my PC to capture and convert DV into DVD ready material.

And I added a Toshiba projector that was primarily business oriented but works fabulously still in a dark room with any source level DVD quality or above.

Now that I have shown my age, allow me to toot a very old horn.

Thanks to videohelp and the purchase of certain varieties of ATI "television" cards, I was one of the first people I knew to be able to capture sat TV at an S-video level in a real time form that was immediately ready for authoring to DVD.

Now, I don't say any of this to impress anybody because it sounds funny to me even as I type it. What I'm trying to do is preface my question and current concern.

Now, the thing that's important is that the projector has a component to DVI video connection.

Every other video output or input, with the exception of a secondary TV, is component, meaning not HDMI.

So, here's what I need to know, and I would happily accept direction to the appropriate forum topic.

My polk speakers are fine until this day. But I'm guessing I might need a new receiver with HDMI inputs and outputs?

Not concerned about the projector. It has led a good life.

Can I get by without a new receiver, because the one I have has fabulous inputs for various sorts of Dolby and DTS inputs.

Finally, and it's not even about the cost. It's more about ease of use.

I have spent over 10 years paying AT&T thousands per year for U-verse TV with exactly two premium channels, Showtime and HBO, along with 24 MBPS internet, which does its job for now.

Here's what I want to know. Are there smart TVs, that are connected to whatever internet provider I use, that will allow me to download the app for whatever streaming service I desire, i.e. Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, etc?

And if there is such a creature, can I output the audio to my current receiver, and what in the hell am I going to do about the usual amalgam of local TV and the 25 or so cable channels I usually watch on a rare occasion?

Does ATT TV allow me to use a smart TV for their service? Because at the end of the day, I do not want a proprietary piece of equipment for basic cable and local TV.

After I typed all this, I realize I could have probably started with "here's what I want to know," but then the responses would have led to more questions.

Thank you for the least amount of attention anybody pays to this problem. Because then I can go back to converting my lifetime of video downloads into the appropriate format.

[rrats]

I think any smart TV would do it. I might be wrong tho

[redeemed626]

I hope this is true. I recently visited my college aged daughter while she plowed through a week dogsitting job. The owners' TV had a menu of all the major streaming services. The only thing I didn't determine was how they received the usual core of local channels, etc., usually provided by AT&T.

My cursory inspection of their other electronic/alarm tech made me tell my daughter that she's probably on nannycam. She said no problem. I looked in the frig and the cabinets, and they left no food.

[usually_quiet]

Here's what I want to know. Are there smart TVs, that are connected to whatever internet provider I use, that will allow me to download the app for whatever streaming service I desire, i.e. Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, etc?

And if there is such a creature, can I output the audio to my current receiver, and what in the hell am I going to do about the usual amalgam of local TV and the 25 or so cable channels I usually watch on a rare occasion?

Does ATT TV allow me to use a smart TV for their service? Because at the end of the day, I do not want a proprietary piece of equipment for basic cable and local TV.)

I know nothing about ATT TV's streaming service and Smart TV apps. If they don't have the kind of product that you want, look at Sling TV. Sling TV provides some coverage of local channels (you can check what's available via your zipcode) and many cable channels. It also has a limited DVR service. Some of your local channels may also stream their news and local programming.

You have to figure out what streaming services you want before buying a TV or streaming box because no smart TV or dedicated streaming device provides every available streaming service. For example, I have a Chromecast with Google TV (Google TV is also the OS on new SONY TVs), which comes close, but does not have AMC+ available yet.

[rrats]

Forum user, you should ask your provider, because I have never heard of ATT streaming service. Most TVs support netflix and stuff

[orsetto]

Most new TVs support most of the major streaming services, as the example you saw when visiting your daughter. But not all TVs support exactly the same set of streaming services: some can be updated for new services, some can't. You need to check, preferably in a store with the model you want on display. Many buyers have been burned by assuming features listed on Amazon etc are accurate: sometimes they aren't (i.e., the Amazon Prime streaming service being missing from the TV seems to be a big source of streaming function complaints).

As for the "core channels", this is usually handled by an off-air antenna. If your reception is so poor you require cable or satellite service, you cannot use the TV alone to get those channels. All cable and satellite providers now require you use their proprietary subscription tuner box. Up until recently one could sometimes pull non-premium cable channels straight off the cable wire using the TV 's own tuner, but those days are gone in most areas (FCC rules used to require this, but cableco lobbyists got those rules neutered a few years ago using "Digital HDTV" as an excuse). Over the past couple years, most of the country has lost the ability to tune cable channels without a separate decoder box. The situation varies from one region to another: some still do get some channels direct on their TV tuners. But you shouldn't count on that as a permanent capability: cablecos are hell bent on eliminating that loophole (and satellite never allowed it in the first place).

As usually_quiet mentioned, there are streaming alternatives to cable/satellite such as Slingbox that offer local channels. You'd need to check what is available in your area. But one often gets caught in the "cableco paradox": all these streaming services entail having internet service, but most of us get our internet access from a cableco, and the cableco tends to price an "internet + phone + basic TV package" more attractively (or equal) to what one would spend for "cable internet alone + separate streaming service" to provide local channels. Evaluate pricing and convenience features carefully when choosing among alternatives.

Re the rest of your AV system: others more expert in system integration might offer targeted advice. I'll just note you should be aware the component connection method, being analog, is frowned upon these days by Hollywood and cable/satellite providers. Component has already been removed from most remaining new dvd/bluray player models, and will slowly be phased out in new cable/satellite tuner boxes. HDMI is the modern unified digital audio+video system connection standard, so you'll want to make sure your system (disc player, receiver, input/output wiring) can be fully migrated to that eventually.

[jagabo]

the cableco tends to price an "internet + phone + basic TV package" more attractively (or equal) to what one would spend for "cable internet alone + separate streaming service" to provide local channels.

I don't know about ATT but keep in mind that most ISPs limit your monthly bandwidth (typically to about 1 TB). If you have several family members watching 4K HDR videos every day you may exceed that allotment and have to pay more.

[TreeTops]

Slingbox products were discontinued Nov 9, 2020. (according to their website)

[usually_quiet]

Slingbox products were discontinued Nov 9, 2020. (according to their website)

True. Sling replaced its Slingbox with apps that run on various smart TVs and 3rd party streaming boxes. As with other apps, it is necessary to check if your TV or streaming box supports Sling TV.

[Edit]Many find a dedicated streaming box is a necessary accessory for their TV at some point because they want a service that isn't supported by their TV or the TV has become too old to run some apps well. The Chromecast with Google TV and other recent streaming boxes are small enough to be inconspicuous and connect to the TV via HDMI alone, with WiFi as their primary or only network interface.