I'm looking to buy a 55" for our living room. It'd be our main TV. We watch Netflix and sports. Should we buy a Smart TV or a non-smart with the chromecast? And why?
There's a few things to consider.. for the most part, it comes down to personal preference vs which one is "better" than the other.
Firstly, you will likely get the same functionality out of a non-smart TV with a Chromecast as a smart TV, but the non-smart will likely be more than $35 cheaper (the cost of a Chromecast) than a comparable smart TV.
Another major point of difference is that a Smart TV will allow you to use a remote control. Chromecast doesn't have any sort of "interface" -- i.e., you don't select the Netflix App on the TV if you're using a Chromecast. You use your phone or tablet (or computer for that matter) to tell the Chromecast what to play. From personal experience, it works fairly smoothly, but if you're someone who has no desire to get our their phone or tablet in order to stream something on the TV, the Chromecast may feel cumbersome.
A third thing to consider is that, with a removable item like the Chromecast, you can reasonably upgrade it. Although Google only has two iterations of the Chromecast so far, if they release a new one in a year or two, you can buy a new one and experience the benefits without having to buy an entire new TV. This point goes for any attachable streaming device vs. a Smart TV, however. This is a major point of preference towards a streaming device for me, personally, although that doesn't mean the opposite is wrong.
And finally, the Chromecast will have wider access to streaming services than a Smart TV. Now you said you just watch sports and Netflix, so you will likely not have any issues. However, if a year from now some new streaming service comes out which adds access to certain sporting events (lets say individual teams start offering their own apps, or the Big XII comes out with a TV network), chances are that service will be available much sooner on the Chromecast vs on a Smart TV. This is because Chromecast is more ubiquitous at this point, and making it available on Chromecast will reach more people with less effort vs coding a special app for one specific Smart TV platform.
So, in short:
Smart TV Pros:
- Has a visual interface, more like Normal TV watching / using a DVR
- With visual interface, supports use of a remote rather than phone/tablet (con?)
- Fully integrated, doesn't need an extra device
Smart TV Cons:
- More expensive for same functionality
- Not easily upgradeable
- Fewer streaming services available, slower to get access to new services
Chromecast Pros:
- Access to more streaming services
- Inexpensive
- Easily upgradeable
- Has same or better functionality compared to Smart TV
Chromecast Cons:
- No user interface, could be unintuitive
- Requires phone, tablet, or computer to control
One final note -- if the two Chromecast cons that I listed are deal breakers, I'd recommend you check out the Roku Streaming Stick. You get the pro's of the Chromecast in a cheaper, upgradeable separate device which has access to lots of streaming services (since it was one of the first widely used streaming devices), while still getting a user interface with a remote which looks more like a Smart TV interface.
