In my bedroom I have a 27" Vizio TV that has served me well for a number of years. It's connected to my FiOS set-top box (STB) and a 3rd generation AppleTV. The STB provides the cable stations and the AppleTV the subscription content (Netflix, Prime, Hulu, etc.) as well as access to my podcasts, photo galleries and so on.

But the AppleTV is growing long in the tooth and I'm considering pulling the cord on FiOS TV. I put an Amazon Fire Stick on a TV in the kitchen, and it has pretty well replaced any content I might watch via STB. I can't add a Fire Stick to my Vizio because that TV has no USB port. Yes, it's that old.

So, I'm thinking of replacing the TV, going up a bit in size (27" to 32"), removing the STB and AppleTV and adding a Fire Stick.

These days, a comparable TV can be had for under a buck and a half. I'm a bit confused about some of the options, however. Some have built-in Alexa; is this a replacement for a Fire Stick? There seem to be a lot of options for Google, AirPlay (which I could use with a Mac), and other such stuff. 720p seems to be the going resolution for a TV of that size, but some can be had (at additional cost) in 1080p. My main TV is 1080p, but do I need that in my bedroom?

Before I yank out the plastic, any suggestions or recommendations?

Why not stick with Vizio, I have had great luck with them and love what you get for the price!

Plus Vizio is a US company.

I "third" the motion to stick with Vizio. Have a 42" on the wall in my master bedroom.

i had a vizio 42.

Vizio. Have 4 ...... Zero issues.

The smaller sizes have really been neglected by the manufacturers as they’ve pushed the +65”.

Thus, I wouldn’t exert too much effort with your selection; PQ should be relatively comparable and the small screen helps hide PQ issues anyway. For me, I’d choose between Sammy, Vizio, or TCL. Decide if you want to use the built-in streaming applications(s) and, if so, which one. That might be a good deciding favor for your final choice.

For that size is just get whatever is a well reviewed cheap ass TV. My bedroom TV gets turned on very little and when it does I set sleep timer to 30 minutes and usually fall asleep 5 min in.

I have two Visio TVs and two Samsung TVs. I have no complaints with any of them, other than their age. My main (living room) TV is a Vizio I've had about six years.

Costco only has one 32" Vizio listed on their web site (I have a Costco about a fifteen minute drive from me). It's a 2080p. Here are the features listed:

• Full-Array LED Display
• 120Hz Effective Refresh Rate
• Smart TV w/Apps + Chromecast Built In
• Works w/Google Assistant, Alexa & Apple AirPlay
• Screen Size: (31.5" Diag.)

I don't know what Chromecast is, Google Assistant is of no interest to me (I think), I think Alexa requires add-on stuff, so AirPlay is the only thing "extra" I can see of use to me. $170.

I did note there are no USB ports. How can I use Alexa without plugging in a Fire Stick?

I have a "smart" 32" Vizio, I have been very happy with this unit. It is on a FIOS STB connected via one of several HDMI interfaces. It has several streaming services built in as part of the "smarts", but no built-in Alexa voice control. One of the things I like best is that it has USB interfaces that I can plug a hard drive/USB stick into and play whatever content I have put on the drive (e.g. DVD rips, downloads, etc.) It is a little picky about the file formats for the videos on the drive, IIRC, it wants MP4 files on MBR/FAT and nothing else, but it will also connect over a LAN to a SMB network share/video server and play content from there.

I should clarify that I never use the built-in streaming services as I am content with mostly watching FIOS broadcast TV, and (occasionally) downloaded content, e.g. the one or two times a year when I want to do something like binge watch Mr. Robot.

If it were to die tomorrow, I would replace it with the biggest screen/highest rez. Vizio I could fit into its current location.

I have had three Vizios, and will never own another one. One was a smaller 32 inch and kept making popping noises, replaced it three times until they just gave me another brand.

I have a 55 inch in my bedroom that is dead after only 5 years and was used very little.

I had a small one in a guest bedroom that sounded like you were listening through a tin can.

^^The first two, right, no excuse.

The last one- I think they are sold with barely perfunctory audio under the assumption that the serious owner will wish to feed through a separate, high-fidelity system. Why not save the extra cost?

After getting super confused by Amazon not understanding what I mean by "32 inch TVs" and by trying to find "best of" reviews online, I've come to the conclusion that small screen TVs are becoming obsolete. Tough. I don't have the space, nor do I want a large TV in my bedroom.

So, it seems to come down to Costco. This is the only 32" set they have. It checks all the boxes, and if I can get the same features through Chromecast that I could through having a USB port, it's the way I'll likely go.

Vizio at Costco

Have 3 visions, enjoy them all. I like their smart interface better than roku which is what I have on my dumb tv's.

quote:

Originally posted by fpuhan:
After getting super confused by Amazon not understanding what I mean by "32 inch TVs" and by trying to find "best of" reviews online, I've come to the conclusion that small screen TVs are becoming obsolete.

True.

Some manufacturers no longer make anything smaller than 40+ inches.

TCL offers a reasonably priced 32 inch TV that gets good reviews. It has a built-in Roku, which is a good Firestick alternative. https://www.walmart.com/ip/TCL...ies-32S325/975507003

And to answer your question, 1080p is not needed on a 32" TV. On a screen that small, your eye physically cannot distinguish between 720p and 1080p unless you're less than ~4 feet from the screen.

We have a couple of Sharp 32" that have good picture quality and have been problem free. Got them 2-3 years ago for $150 at Best Buy.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by fpuhan:
After getting super confused by Amazon not understanding what I mean by "32 inch TVs" and by trying to find "best of" reviews online, I've come to the conclusion that small screen TVs are becoming obsolete.

True.

Some manufacturers no longer make anything smaller than 40+ inches.

TCL offers a reasonably priced 32 inch TV that gets good reviews. It has a built-in Roku, which is a good Firestick alternative. https://www.walmart.com/ip/TCL...ies-32S325/975507003

And to answer your question, 1080p is not needed on a 32" TV. On a screen that small, your eye physically cannot distinguish between 720p and 1080p unless you're less than ~4 feet from the screen.

This here, I have two, they work great. One in my bar and one for extra gaming spot that the youngins use. They have gone up a bit, I think I paid about $115. Do it

I have a 32" Vizio that I use as my main TV. I bought this in Sept 2018 and it's starting to act up, turns on with sound, no picture. Turn off, restart and I get a picture.

My other TV was a Visio 49", fit perfectly in a wall unit where my wife watches TV. It took three tries to get one that worked, after 4 years it quit, Vizio's answer was "Sorry", even though we'd had start up issues early on.

My answer to your ? is "TCL". Inexpensive and my newer TCL 49" has been fine! It's a smart TV, we don't use the features. When my 32" dies, I'll go with a TCL. Can't believe how inexpensive these are today.

quote:

Originally posted by UTsig:
Can't believe how inexpensive these are today.

To be fair, the $120-$150 32" TCL TVs are not only their smallest, but they're also from their 3 Series, which is their lowest quality tier. They'll have the "worst" picture quality of all the TCL TVs, although it'll still be noticeably better than an older similarly sized TV (even one that's only a few years old).

And lesser picture quality is less noticeable on smaller screens anyway.

TCL's larger and higher tier TVs are more expensive, at $500-$3000. However, you're not only getting a bigger screen, but also much better quality picture too.

I was in my local Costco a few hours ago and surely enough they only had the Vizio 32 inch listed above in stock.

Color me surprised, no pun intended.