I don't have Home kit, and when turning on office without the remote we almost always use voice. So, since the TV isn't seen as an on/off switch by HE, I just set up another speaker to say "Hey Google. Turn on XX Room TV" on a speaker that is heard by another speaker. This works for our vacation mode to have the TV on and off while we are out (I know it works because the neighbors, noticed it while we were gone after telling them we were going to be out.... LOL)
Anyhow, I keep my Roku plugged in as a backup, but I have gotten used to the Google TV setup and I feel like the picture quality is better. Some of the apps are actually slightly better on Google than Roku (CW TV for one). Also, when an app is misbehaving, you just go into settings and force stop the app as opposed to having to reboot the whole system.
Correct, not aware of state, but can still send on/off events to the TV if the TV supports the same implementation of HDMI-CEC as the roku stick. Not all Roku Sticks support HDMI-CEC.
We all have our preferences, and that's what's so great about Home Automation -- we have choices. I like Roku. Every TV in my house is now a Roku TV, except my old Samsung that I put in my Office as a 2nd TV for gaming. One each TV I have an Apple TV 4K, and a Fire TV Stick. On two TVs I also have a ChromeCast.
My preference is the Roku TV, because I never experience application failures, but I do occasionally experience system crashes about once a month. My Apple TV is rock solid, but I have them because Spectrum did not support Streaming on Roku nor FireTV at the time. Since Roku supports AirPlay natively, I never need to use the AppleTVs now, and actually am just using them for when the experience is better on Apple TV. The FireTV Sticksare more for tinkering, and a layover from pre Roku TV -- the same as the ChromeCast devices.
The other big reason I have Roku TVs is that I have full control over them. I just wish they would implement even one of my suggestions..
I prefer roku myself, but unfortunately TCL doesn't make the model that my kid's broke anymore and it seems they're phasing out ROKU in their higher end models in favor of google
I was thinking of going this route if the external roku will do CEC and turn off the tv. Google tv has been unreliable in broadcasting it's app changes as triggers, where as I never had issues with Roku,.
External Roku sticks don't know the state of the TV. They just toggle it from the previous state. I have to use a plug that reports power usage to keep track of state and then have hubitat toggle the TV based on power usage.
No Roku streaming device can know. This is annoying. That is the main reason all my TVs are TCL that I can get. In my RV bedroom, I need a 28” or smaller TV. The only option is a WebOS TV, so I put a Roku Express on it. My main TV in my RV broke on my first trip, so I put a 43” TCL Roku in there. My living room now has a 65” QLED 65R635 TV (birthday present). The only TV in the house that isn’t TCL is a Vizio in the guest room which has a Roku Premier+ installed.
Anyways this isn’t productive, just info about my setup. I did look and I do see the googleTV is the new prominent version but I can still find all the Roku models I own. And I will never buy a GoogeTV — I don’t trust the company. I will keep buying TCL TVs when I need a TV only as long as they are available with Roku.
Yeah I had the 75R655 which I loved, the only comparable after the kids broke it was the 75qm850g which is google. The pic is good but damn I prefer the roku interface. I have a roku ultra which I'm thinking of throwing on it if it can do cec reliably. I can default On to a specific HDMI port.
I see they still make the Dolby HDR with Roku for the 75” but no QLED. I wonder if this is driven at all by Roku’s refusal to implement Matter. I would ask TCL what their intention is, but every inquiry has fallen upon deaf ears.
CNET (TCL Google TVs Promise Improved Picture, Smooth Gaming Starting at $500 - CNET) had an article earlier in the year when the new TVs were announced. Officially, it's "With the Google chassis, we have more control over how we change the features and what we put into it, and slightly less control over the Roku chassis," he said. "Since we wanted to bring lots of new technology out, it was just easier for us to do all these high-end features and new things on the Google chassis."
My tin-foil hat theory is that it is easier for TCL to track users via Google rather than Roku.
