Comment by PaulHoule | Hacker News Reader

Comment by PaulHoule | Hacker News Reader

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As a Plex user I'd recommend a used last-gen game console as a TV source. In my AV room upstairs I've had an XBOX ONE S for a long time and more recently I got a PS4 Pro for the spare room downstairs -- both at Gamestop. I have some games for both of them but I am more likely to game on Steam, Steam Deck or mobile.

Every Android-based media player I've had tried just plain sucks, the NVIDIA Shield wasn't too bad but at some point the controller quit charging. You can still get a game console with a built-in Blu-Ray player too and it's nice to have one box that does that as well as being an overpowered for streaming.

I have a HDHomeRun hooked up to a small antenna pointed at Syracuse which does pretty well except for ABC, sometimes I think about going up on the roof and pointing the small one at Binghamton and pointing a large one at Syracuse but I am not watching as much OTA as I used to. It's nice though being able to watch OTA TV on either TV, any computer, tablets, phones, as well as the Plex Pass paying for the metadata for a really good DVR side-by-side with all my other media.

As for TVs I go to the local reuse center and get what catches my eye, my "monitor" I am using right now is a curved Samsung 55 inch, I just brought home a plasma that was $45 because I always wanted a plasma. I went through a long phase where people just kept dropping off cheap TVs at my home, some of which I really appreciated (a Vizio that was beautifully value engineered) and some of which sucked. [1]

[1] ... like back in the 1980s everybody was afraid someone would break into your home and take your TV but for me it is the other way around

What does a last-gen game console offer over an Apple TV if you don't care about games?

A DVD/Blu-ray/CD player and a digital TV tuner.

I think it costs less too, whereas a new or used PS5 costs more but doesn't add a lot of value -- there are roughly 15 exclusive games for the PS5 so it's not compelling if you have a gaming PC, but it is a nice package to sit next to your TV that does a lot and can stream games from the gaming PC. Personally I like a PS4 controller better than the Apple TV thing.

The PS5 unfortunately doesn't do DVDs or CDs though.

The launch edition doesn’t? I’m surprised vendors even sell a bluray drive that doesn’t have that capability. I guess sony wanted to cut every cent off they could…

Seconded. I've been doing a game console with monitor or dumb-TV for ages (PS2 Slim, PS3 Slim, PS4 Slim, PS4 Pro, PS5 Slim).

I also use this for occasional gaming, or I would've stuck with the PS3 Slim or PS4 Slim. Both of which would mount pretty nicely, with a VESA bracket, to the back of a pre-smart formerly top-of-the-line 1080p Sony Bravia TV (like I use currently with the PS5 Slim).

Were I not in minimalism culling mode of personal belongings right now (in case the current job search moves me cross-country), I'd be stockpiling a backup or two of this workhorse dumb-TV.

Do you mind elaborating on plasmas? I have entirely missed this technology, and wonder what’s about it.

I paid $5,000 in 2007 for the best TV you could buy at the time: Pioneer Kuro Elite 50” 1080p plasma. I’m still using it as my only TV. For the past 5 years I’ve been looking to upgrade/replace it with a state-of-the-art top-of-the-line 4k OLED/micro-OLED/quantum dot/etc. — but when I go to look at current screens, none match the almost 3D depth and beauty of my plasma display. So, I’m patiently waiting for my 18-year-old TV to stop working — but much to my amazement it’s never ever needed service! Edit: Smart TVs appeared in 2007-8; mine did not offer this “feature.”

$5,000 in 2007 is equivalent to $7,800 today.

Top of the line 2025 65" Sony Bravia 8 OLED: $2,300

Deep blacks, smooth motion, wide viewing angle. Most people would say OLEDs are better, but some still say the motion is smoother on plasmas.

What about their energy consumption? Aren’t they much hungrier?

Power hungry and heavy as hell. I had a 55” plasma that weighed about 150lb with the base.

Refrigerators, stoves, and washing machines are also heavy as hell. Like our plasma TVs, once situated their weights are irrelevant.

The weight of something that is typically mounted to a wall seems very relevant. Most TV mounts are not rated to hold the weight of a plasma TV. A poorly installed or insufficient mount could definitely fail.

Plasma TVs not mounted to the wall are also concerning for safety reasons. A plasma TV tipped onto a young child would likely cause significant injury above and beyond what an LCD would cause.

I loved my plasma but I feel like the weight was a real issue.

Ah, I narrowly focused on my setup, which since inception in 2007 has consisted of my heavy plasma tv sitting atop the bespoke mount — extremely stable and overbuilt — that came with it atop a solid wood low console table.

Indeed, if the TV were to tip onto a young child it could cause serious injury; no such youngsters here.

As I think more about this, I realize I've never wall-mounted a TV nor would I ever do so: I just prefer them on stands.

Refrigerators, stoves, and washing machines are rarely suspended from walls or situated on consoles from which they could easily be tipped over; televisions, OTOH...

See my response above.

Motion is 100% better on Plasma because OLED's are just a stuttering mess at 24p because of instant response time. People love OLED blacks but the stuttering makes all of them look like total ass.

Honestly my Xbox one S might be my favorite console I’ve ever owned. Certainly my most versatile.

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