Don't bother with the Firestick, unless there's a specific app you want that isn't available on Roku. I recommend one of the Roku devices if you want a budget option. If you want to stick with your current TV, I recommend Apple or Shield devices if money isn't an issue. You'd have to spend MUCH more money to get something that looks better. The interface is great and snappy, and as long as you don't care about HDR, the picture quality is fantastic. If you really want an all-in-one package where you don't need an external device, I recommend the TCL Roku TVs. Many (but not all) smart TVs have junk for apps. Just because a video has a resolution of 1080p or 4k, that doesn't mean it's actually going to look like it, if it was encoded with a really low bitrate.Īfter that, if nothing has jumped out as particularly wrong, then it's just the TV. If it's not transcoding, make sure the file you're trying to play is actually higher resolution than 720p.Īnd if it is a higher resolution, see how the video looks elsewhere. If it is, then you need to figure out why it's transcoding and address that (there's a whole slew of things that'll trigger a transcode).

My plex app