just got a new tv with most the apps already one it. slow internet where I am at but liking Netflix and YouTube for the kids. Do you know if Roku or Chromcast work better than the smart TV apps?
We have a SamSung blue ray player with the apps built-in, a Sony 3-D Blue-Ray with the apps built in and a Vizio smart/3-D TV with the apps built-in.
Sony - I can tell you unequivocally that Roku is WAY better than Sony. We got tired of Sony's network issues and the movies & YouTube vids freezing. Hooked up a Roku 2 to the same TV (upstairs and all issues cleared up.
Vizio - The Netflix was fine, but the TV itself tended to lock-up during playback requiring a reboot (yes I said reboot; Smart TV's are computers). Again, even our older original Roku player played the vids more reliably, and since it was doing the playback, there was no TV lockup.
I talked with a Netflix rep about some issues and she told me they get a ton of complaints from Sony owners, some complaints from Vizio Owners and said that Roku is by far the least troublesome device from their point of view.
Couple that with the fact that the newer Roku's will actually stream Netflix in full 1080p for movies/shows where available. Both our Sony 3-D Blue-ray, and our Vizio built-in app stream netflix in 720p ONLY!
We also have a Sam-Sung Blue Ray player with built-in apps, but the interface kind of sucks, so we simply never used it much.
Roku runs on Linux and is pretty dang stable. Like any other computer you do need to reboot them from time to time. While not perfect I can confidently say that Roku is the way to go.