OT: Smart TV Hulu Issues

[anon_6poml7ajgpoqm]

So I have an LG Smart TV that was purchased in 2017. We have the highest internet speed package through our local internet provider. With that being said, we have a smart tv in our master bedroom that has an Amazon Firestick and we have no issues streaming what so ever on it. The tv in our living room is constantly having a "connection error" come up. Keep in mind that the router sits beneath our tv in the living room. I've called Hulu multiple times and I've had to unplug the tv, unplug the router, delete the Hulu app from smart tv, reinstall the Hulu app, remove the device from the Hulu account, resync the device with said account and the list goes on and on. I was told by several Hulu reps that even though it's a smart tv, it's better to stream through a Firestick or Roku? Has anybody else ever had this issue???

 

[atl-cock]

I assume that the TV in the living room has a wired connection to the router. If not, then try connecting an ethernet cable between the two.

 

[AngloCock]

Love our HD Roku devices. They all have good memory and rarely have to be restarted.

 

[OldWiseCock]

Short answer is yes - I have had similar problems with Samsung Smart TV Apps. I have a 2017 55" Samsung and it would not stay connected to anything via wifi. The app that worked the best was Netflix, but even that was flaky.

I recently bought a new Samsung Q80 and installed a Wifi mesh system. I tried hard wiring the TVs (paid a guy $300 to run ethernet in 3 locations) but they seem to work better using the Wifi connection. I have nodes in 4 locations in the house.

So part of my problem was the wifi connection.

The old Samsung 55" is in a spare bedroom upstairs. It is still flaky, but it is better because it right next to a Google Wifi puck. (10 feet away)

I'm stating the obvious, but I'm certain that they use cheaper wifi radios, CPUs, and power supplies along with cheaper screens in low priced TVs. (anything under $500) And it may be planned obsolescence by LG and Samsung.

 

[importcock]

I had the same problem with an LG Smart tv. In fact we received notification from Hulu that some LG tv's weren't going to continue to work after some update Hulu did. We stuck a firestick in it and never looked back. I had some other problem with a different LG tv and used a firestick to correct that as well. Still love the LG tv's. And I actually like the firestick.

 

[bayrooster]

Eventually some streaming services will stop updating their apps as the TV hardware ages -- Amazon will pull their Prime app if they no longer certify the hardware. I'd get a Roku Ultra and hook it up to your LG; it'll buy you several more years of reliable service.

 

[Forever Fowl]

Router location is critical for streaming and it should be as high off the floor as possible. If it's a decent router it will have multiple antennas that can be positioned to transmit the best signal. Another option is running a Cat6 cable from the router's output to the streaming device's ethernet ( Lan ) input.

 

[bucketdad]

Id probably go ahead and replace the router if you are renting one from your provider and see if that fixes the problem. Even if it doesnt, its a step in the right direction. I use a Netgear. Works well all over the house and my hardwired tv never drops Hulu or anything else for that matter.

 

[DibbleDee]

In my experience, streaming though the TV never works as well as through a device like a FireStick or Roku.

 

[gamecox4982]

I had an issue with buffering ALL the time - I changed channels on my router and after trying several different channels I finally found one where the buffering has actually stopped

 

[lakemurraycock1]

In my experience, streaming though the TV never works as well as through a device like a FireStick or Roku.

Exactly. The only exception I have found is a Roku or fire tv. Even my supposedly fancy Samsung smart TV does not compare to the functionality of the roku ultra that I use with the TV.

 

[anon_6poml7ajgpoqm]

Thank you all for the input. I called Hulu yesterday as the issue still persisted. The rep over the phone told me that my tv wasn't compatible anymore. She said I would continue to have this issue until I purchase either a Roku or Firestick. Now the question remains, which is better in your opinion, Roku or Firestick? And why?

 

[lakemurraycock1]

Thank you all for the input. I called Hulu yesterday as the issue still persisted. The rep over the phone told me that my tv wasn't compatible anymore. She said I would continue to have this issue until I purchase either a Roku or Firestick. Now the question remains, which is better in your opinion, Roku or Firestick? And why?

Roku typically has better options and is very easy to use. I had a firestick and wound up giving it away. But both are fine. Amazon product ASIN B075XLWML4

 

[DibbleDee]

Thank you all for the input. I called Hulu yesterday as the issue still persisted. The rep over the phone told me that my tv wasn't compatible anymore. She said I would continue to have this issue until I purchase either a Roku or Firestick. Now the question remains, which is better in your opinion, Roku or Firestick? And why?

A lot is preference. I had a firestick and loved it, but got a new TV and starting having issues with audio dropping out. Someone gave us an Apple TV 4K and that is what we now use.

I don't personally care for the interface on the Roku as much as I did the firestick. But that's just preference. (FWIW, I didn't like interface on the Apple TV when I first started using it)

 

[DibbleDee]

Exactly. The only exception I have found is a Roku or fire tv. Even my supposedly fancy Samsung smart TV does not compare to the functionality of the roku ultra that I use with the TV.

Yep. Samsung is my preferred TV brand but the streaming is lousy.

 

[atl-cock]

To reiterate what Forever Fowl and myself have stated, regardless of whether you use the built-in apps from your smart TV or a "third-party" streaming device (e.g., Firestick, Roku, etc.), in general, it's better to connect the tv/device wired to your network rather than wirelessly. Of course, it's not always feasible to do this, especially if you would have to run cabling along a walking path, punch a hole in a wall, etc.

 

[DibbleDee]

To reiterate what Forever Fowl and myself have stated, regardless of whether you use the built-in apps from your smart TV or a "third-party" streaming device (e.g., Firestick, Roku, etc.), in general, it's better to connect the tv/device wired to your network rather than wirelessly. Of course, it's not always feasible to do this, especially if you would have to run cabling along a walking path, punch a hole in a wall, etc.

I haven't tested this out with our Apple TV yet due to the restraints you mentioned above. I've connected our Apple TV to the 5G band on our router, which has download speeds a little over 200 MBPS. All other devices (laptops, cell phones) are connected to the other band on the router. I haven't noticed any streaming issues, but wonder if it would still benefit from being directly connected.

 

[anon_6poml7ajgpoqm]

My router is directly beneath my television. Funny thing is that we have an older smart tv in our master bedroom. We have a Firestick with it and never have any issues with there being a connection error. However the smart tv in our living room we do. Basically was told that I must now buy a Firestick or Roku in order to not have this issue. I find it funny that you spend all of this money on a smart tv, only to have something like a Firestick or Roku be the only fix for streaming.

 

[OldWiseCock]

Roku typically has better options and is very easy to use. I had a firestick and wound up giving it away. But both are fine.

View embedded media

Same here.

 

[bucketdad]

Thank you all for the input. I called Hulu yesterday as the issue still persisted. The rep over the phone told me that my tv wasn't compatible anymore. She said I would continue to have this issue until I purchase either a Roku or Firestick. Now the question remains, which is better in your opinion, Roku or Firestick? And why?

If you use Netflix, there are many cases where it gets sluggish on some Roku devices. I have issues with that and according to the internet, a lot of other people do as well. The common theme is Netflix blames Roku and Roku blames Netflix so nothing gets fixed. That said, some people dont have issues. If it were me, I hook up a firestick. No known issues I know of and if there is, you'd probably have better luck correcting it. My firesticks work great.

 

[jedi_mike]

I’m in the market for a new tv as my son busted his mom’s tv a couple weeks ago.I’ve been looking and basically all I see is smart TVs in the 50in range.I wanted a regular tv as I’ve got a firestick already on it.my daughter has a small roku tv and had a fire stick on it and to me it was aggravating to mess with.I may have to wind up with a fire tv if I can’t find a regular one that’s within his budget (he is paying for it).

 

[DibbleDee]

I’m in the market for a new tv as my son busted his mom’s tv a couple weeks ago.I’ve been looking and basically all I see is smart TVs in the 50in range.I wanted a regular tv as I’ve got a firestick already on it.my daughter has a small roku tv and had a fire stick on it and to me it was aggravating to mess with.I may have to wind up with a fire tv if I can’t find a regular one that’s within his budget (he is paying for it).

I'd guess smart tvs are almost standard now.

 

[atl-cock]

I'd guess smart tvs are almost standard now.

And what's crazy is that OTA tuners are not included on some "TVs".

 

[DibbleDee]

And what's crazy is that OTA tuners are not included on some "TVs".

Yeah, I guess they assume everyone streams.

I don't buy TVs frequently enough to keep up with the technology. When I went to buy a larger TV a few years ago, I just wanted something larger than our 50" 1080p HDTV. Went to Best Buy to look for a 70" 1080p and was shocked to find that it wasn't even a thing anymore, except for like 20" TVs. I knew 4K was out but figured you could still get a 1080p, just for cheaper, kind of like when there was 720p and 1080p. Nope.

All I can say is I'm glad I never invested in a 3D tv or a curved TV.

 

[punydevil]

I’m in the market for a new tv as my son busted his mom’s tv a couple weeks ago.I’ve been looking and basically all I see is smart TVs in the 50in range.I wanted a regular tv as I’ve got a firestick already on it.my daughter has a small roku tv and had a fire stick on it and to me it was aggravating to mess with.I may have to wind up with a fire tv if I can’t find a regular one that’s within his budget (he is paying for it).

Check out TCL. Roku-based. I got one, thought the app as odd at first, and then fell in love with it. I now have 4 of them. They're cheap and solid.

 

[Sending an SOS]

So I have an LG Smart TV that was purchased in 2017. We have the highest internet speed package through our local internet provider. With that being said, we have a smart tv in our master bedroom that has an Amazon Firestick and we have no issues streaming what so ever on it. The tv in our living room is constantly having a "connection error" come up. Keep in mind that the router sits beneath our tv in the living room. I've called Hulu multiple times and I've had to unplug the tv, unplug the router, delete the Hulu app from smart tv, reinstall the Hulu app, remove the device from the Hulu account, resync the device with said account and the list goes on and on. I was told by several Hulu reps that even though it's a smart tv, it's better to stream through a Firestick or Roku? Has anybody else ever had this issue???

Bottom line is that you shouldn’t waste your time with the integrated TV app. As others have stated, a Roku stick will solve this problem. I never have issues with the Roku app but constantly had issues with my Samsung TV Hulu app.

 

[jedi_mike]

I d

Check out TCL. Roku-based. I got one, thought the app as odd at first, and then fell in love with it. I now have 4 of them. They're cheap and solid.

I do see that the roku models are priced lower than others.I get my channels thru “iptv” and I’ll have to check and see if tvimate will work.I could be wrong,but roku isn’t all that 3rd party friendly.not like fire sticks.

 

[anon_6poml7ajgpoqm]

Yeah funny thing was I wasn't having issues until now. At least it's an easy fix instead of an expensive fix.

Bottom line is that you shouldn’t waste your time with the integrated TV app. As others have stated, a Roku stick will solve this problem. I never have issues with the Roku app but constantly had issues with my Samsung TV Hulu app.

 

[Garnet chicken]

Yeah, I guess they assume everyone streams.

I don't buy TVs frequently enough to keep up with the technology. When I went to buy a larger TV a few years ago, I just wanted something larger than our 50" 1080p HDTV. Went to Best Buy to look for a 70" 1080p and was shocked to find that it wasn't even a thing anymore, except for like 20" TVs. I knew 4K was out but figured you could still get a 1080p, just for cheaper, kind of like when there was 720p and 1080p. Nope.

All I can say is I'm glad I never invested in a 3D tv or a curved TV.

Next step up is 8k. Most of these TVs have the ability to go to 4k, but usually self adjust to lower levels. Most streams are still 720p. I have yet to see a program in 4k.

 

[king ward]

Some of y'all boys are scaring me to death about going to streaming.

 

[Garnet chicken]

Some of y'all boys are scaring me to death about going to streaming.

A streaming device and decent internet speed and you're good to go.

 

[tngamecock#]

Roku is the best....