Sue W 
, Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean Google and Amazon aren’t watching and recording you!
Thanks again PhilT, but I suspect your statement ‘It is worth noting the operating system has nothing to do with the screen technology…’ is a bit misleading. While I agree an OS can’t make the difference between OLED and ‘vanilla’ LCD, I’ve watched many TV reviews done by TV screen adjustment technicians on Youtube who routinely compare the latest OLED TVs manufactured by Sony and by Panasonic incorporating LG OLED panels driven by proprietary Sony and Panasonic electronic circuitry that presumably get instructions from the Sony and Panasonic operating systems that (according to these independent experts) make a significant difference in things like upscaling SD and HD inputs, refresh rate of the individual OLEDs and other esoteric factors that I am unaware of as a non-expert in video displays. I also saw one video on Youtube in which two TV critics were sat in front of 65" 2019 LG OLED TV and a 2019 65" Samsung QLED TV side by side with everything but the screens obscured - a double blind test! The two experts were then shown various BluRay movies, DVD documentaries and direct to air SD and HD TV shows side by side and asked to pick which one was which. In fact only one of the experts got the answer correct and the guy who didn’t said he preferred the QLED picture quality. I have no doubt that the image quality on high-end Samsung QLED TVs have more than a little to do with Samsung’s proprietary TV software that they have clearly integrated with Android. I don’t really care whether or not LG embrace Android and Google, I just want an integrated WifI keyboard/trackpad that enables me to input alphanumeric characters directly and efficiently into all the search engines the TV provides - end of!
No argument but ‘electronic circuitry’ is not the OLED panel. It drives it. Likewise the TV app is not the OLED panel, but its drivers matter. The quality of what one views is an amalgam of all 3.
Perhaps I am too hardware orientated myself and did not make that clear so was open to misunderstanding of my intent.
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LOL Doug! Amazon is definitely watching. So is google, and facebook. facebook even has cookies that collect your activity even if you do not have a facebook account. Discovered this by accident after I had deleted my account a couple of years ago, and was using a cookie tracker. Even Aunty ABC. Sad.
That may be difficult but at least Panasonic is apparently not using Android TV. According to Wikipedia, Panasonic is using “Mozilla’s open source Firefox OS”. That may be as safe as you can get, particularly if you leave the TV disconnected from the wired network and unconfigured for the wireless network.
Link: List of smart TV platforms - Wikipedia
Out of curiosity, I did some testing.
I have a mature Sony TV (close to 10 years old). I plugged a wired USB keyboard into it. It said: USB device not supported or words to that effect and the keyboard did not work at all. So I gave up on that TV.
I have a fairly recent Panasonic TV. I plugged the same wired USB keyboard into it and it said: USB device detected or words to that effect and the keyboard basically worked. I was testing with the YouTube app, where searching via the on-screen keyboard is at best tedious.
I then unplugged the USB keyboard and plugged in a Logitech Unifying Receiver connected to a Logitech K400r keyboard (which also has a touchpad). Again testing with the YouTube app, both the keyboard and touchpad work. (The touchpad gives you a big fat cursor on the screen.)
I also tried the built-in web browser and I could enter URLs into the address bar using the keyboard, which was evidently one of your goals.
However the Choice web site seemed to fail almost completely on the built-in web browser - so I am not typing this on my TV. LOL.
I guess we can conclude that it’s only in the last handful of years that TVs are running sufficiently general software to have support for a range of devices.
Ironically, according to Wikipedia, LG is now using Android TV. I guess they abandoned using their own operating system. So if you are prepared to sell your soul to Google, you can get another LG TV (since you apparently like the panel).
See above link. Sony has gone to the dark side. Panasonic for the win. Loewe is not mentioned.
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Isnt Samsung using its own software too?
Samsung has their own variant of Linux, called Tizen, as their smart device OS.
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With respect to recent and current models, Sony TVs are almost all running android. Panasonic are no longer importing TVs for the Australian market, but were mostly using a proprietary OS. Panasonic did have a brief foray prior to 2018 with the Firefox OS on some models. As Loewe has few retailers in Australia, we haven’t tested one of their TVs recently, but they also employ a proprietary OS.
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I am happy to say that the LG Rolly 2 keyboard that I ordered from the US has now arrived and it is recognised by my LG TV despite the upgrades to LG Web TV OS and it works well for typing letters into search engines displayed on the TV and also for changing channels using the number keys. There seems to be no cursor control on the keyboard and no power on/off key or indeed the ability to alter the audio level, so it needs to be used in conjunction with the LG OLED remote. An despite what the LG technician told me about the connection being WiFi, it’s Bluetooth!! Thanks for your help!
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I used to own a first generation Rolly, but gave it away a couple of years ago.
By “Power on/off”, I assume you mean TV power and not keyboard power ( the keyboard turns on when unrolled ).
For volume control, have you tried holding down the Function key and using the up and down arrow keys ?
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Yes - I meant TV power. And thanks, I’ll try the Fn/Up/Down. 
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I joined CHOICE yesterday and came in looking for an objective assessment on SmartTV v AndroidTV to help me decide which platform will suite me best. I cannot find any choice from CHOICE. In fact I cannot find any reviews that compare the operating systems for Smart TV. Am I missing something or is that not relevant? Where I sit at the moment is that Android is more likely to give an ability to keep up with streaming options as the provider landscape changes and it will let me download and watch Foxtel (via FoxtelGo app) whereas I’d have to hard wire Foxtel in to non-Android.Is there anything CHOICE has done on comparing these and making a recommendation?
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Welcome to the Community @Waldorf
Many of us on the Community have our opinions and mine is similar to yours. Since your question was about testing I’ll tap @DenisGallagher or @BrendanMays to respond.
My personal suspicion is the tests focus on outcomes (eg what one sees and hears and experiences), not what is behind the curtains. What is behind the curtains certainly affects apps long term, manufacturer dependent, but as hardware ages even any particular AndroidTV will meet an end date. Will that be longer or shorter than a manufacturer that continues to roll their own? It is not only OS but also processor, memory, and support for specific chipsets. An allied topic, and there are others on the Community re Smart TV issues.
My belief is those TVs still using proprietary OSes will eventually have to succumb as a matter of economics in the same way computers, network devices, and electronic products of all types have adopted linux/open source in some manner. ‘Resistance is futile, we will assimilate you’ might be the case, given enough time regardless of what might be better or worse, all because of the economics of building and then maintaining something special.
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It may or may not. Even with Android, apps can be version specific which can change over time. If a TV manufacturer doesn’t allow or a TV processor can’t be upgraded to the latest app supported version of Android TV, one’s Android TV may become ‘dumber’ over time as less and less suported apps can be run on the TV version of Android.
Such could be avoided if all apps were developed to be fully backward compatible, but, unfortunately experience indicates this hasn’t been the case.
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Hi @Waldorf,
Thanks for signing up and becoming a CHOICE member, and for joining our Community forum. I know how it feels when you’re looking at a new TV, there’s a lot of set-up options and moving parts to consider.
The CHOICE TV scoring is made up of a number of factors, especially overall picture quality, as this should be a constant regardless of your set up. However, scores do factor in a SmartTV score pertaining to app availability and internet functionality. There are also other ‘ease of use’ factors in the scoring. You can see them all by visiting the ‘compare all’ section of the review and by reading more on how we test.
It’s good that you’re considering your individual set up and the apps/services that you’ll probably want to utilise, as you’ll want to build your own set up to your needs. To my understanding, most of the big SmartTV eco systems will give you an avenue to the common streaming services, such as Netflix, Foxtel and so on (whether it’s built in app, or access to an app store where you can download what you need). Some TVs have their own OS and their own app hubs, rather than Android or other types of OS.
Foxtel is an interesting case, to my understanding the FoxtelGo app is fairly readily available on Smart TVs one way or another, but Foxtel still ‘recommend’ you use one of their hardware devices for the ‘best’ experience. Reading between the lines, it can relate to how quickly there will be third party app updates (and whether you suffer in the meantime) and so on. However, generally it’s in their interests to keep it working well, and this is true of most big streaming services
If you get to a point where you are narrowing in on a few options, it would be good to get an in-store demonstration to make sure your new TV does everything you need. You can also ask for people’s experiences here, and I’m happy to contact our TV product experts about any further specific questions that come up, just let me know.
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Almost all the cost of a TV is in the display hardware and software. Only a small amount is in the “smart” software for Internet connectivity.
Better to focus on making sure a TV can handle the video and audio protocols, input output types, and resolution modes, and leave the Internet connectivity for streaming to an external device.
Much cheaper to get a new smart device for less than $100 than replace a $3000 TV because the smart software builtin no longer supports some Internet service.
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Bear in mind that anything that comes from Google raises privacy concerns.
That’s not to say that a different smart TV operating system might not also be pimping you out but Google’s sheer reach is likely to give a creepier result e.g. watch a TV program on your AndroidTV and then suddenly you are getting ads somehow relevant to the TV program on a web site that is completely unrelated to the TV program.
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Privacy is a delusion in our modern society. We are tracked and pimped out by all of the services we use.
We are the “product” not just the consumer.
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You still get to choose how much of that you accept.
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The Choice Smart TV tests report
which TVs have the best picture quality
which TVs have the best sound quality
which TVs are easiest to use
which TVs use the least energy
which TVs have the best range of features such as HDR, 4K support, smart TV features, smart apps and Wi-Fi
the pros and cons of each TV
a recommended list of TVs which you can filter by price and size for quick reference.
Perhaps Choice can add a basic functionality test for Wifi, advised by this member’s experience? The current review is only a yes/no tick.
If a test were conducted future consumers would at least have a benchmark of expectations for each tested model and could select or use their ACL rights for a faulty unit accordingly.
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