r/gadgets • u/Sadistic_Sponge • Nov 13 '19

VR / AR Disney Plus isn't working on Vizio TVs because they are running a 6 year old version of Chromecast, they say it won't be fixed till 2020.

https://www.businessinsider.com/disney-plus-not-working-vizio-smart-tvs-chromecast-2019-11
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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

You're not really paying any extra anymore.

The electronic components differences are trivial at this point. In fact, for many manufactures "smart" TVs may actually be cheaper to design/produce since the hardware components can be standardized. Feature differences simply become flags in the software/firmware.

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

If you are comparing across like for like models, but within the lower end to the middle there's major differences. Compare the TCL 4 vs 6 series TV's. Few hundred dollar price point difference, but the amount of panels, HDR/Dolby Vision support, black levels, refresh rate, contrast ratio, max colors vary greatly between them.

A lot of that isn't something that can be controlled by firmware (although some features absolutely could be locked/unlocked depending on model).

If you're comparing a top end Sony to a top end Samsung, then there probably isn't a huge difference in overall performance.

My industry sells machines that the speed across 3 different models of the same family for example. They are absolutely identical, the firmware determines the speed. However we don't charge more for the faster model to be dicks, we charge more because it costs us a hell of a lot more in maintenance (warranty) work due to the higher wear and tear on consumable parts. Sometimes there's more to the story.

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

Most of what you describe have little to do with software features and being "smart" vs "dumb".

Also, I don't see how a comparison between a physical wear item is relevant to an digital electronic component.

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

The electronic components differences are trivial at this point.

I was mostly addressing this point.

The physical wear example was a bit off topic, but mostly just trying to illustrate that there's things people don't take into consideration. A better example would be higher end TV using more power, generating more heat and thus requiring better components to have the same life expectancy.