Finding a quality budget TV isn’t as hard as it used to be, with numerous deals happening throughout the year. Case in point, the 65-inch configuration of Amazon’s Fire TV Omni QLED Series is back down to its Prime Day low of $449.99 ($270 off). The discount makes it cheaper than the starting price of the smaller 55-inch model.

Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED

Amazon’s Fire TV Omni QLED features built-in microphones for Alexa commands, low input lag, and support for two-way video calling with a compatible webcam. It also provides access to Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and most major streaming services.

Where to Buy:

• $719.99 $449.99 at Amazon (65-inch)

The Fire TV Omni QLED Series sits above Amazon’s standard Fire TV Omni Series and 4-Series sets, but it’s not quite as advanced as the newer Omni Mini-LED Series. It features a 4K resolution and uses a layer of quantum dots to improve aspects like color accuracy and brightness. It also supports full-array local dimming, offering better backlighting and contrast than an edge-lit set. The technology also helps reduce blooming, which is that annoying glow of light around bright objects on dark backgrounds. Both of these technologies can have a big impact on overall image quality when watching movies and playing games.

There are three HDMI 2.0 ports and one HDMI 2.1 port with eARC. While the TV features a 4K panel, its refresh rate tops out at 60Hz. That means you won’t get to enjoy the smoother animations offered by 120Hz, which is supported by current generation consoles. That said, the TV offers support for advanced HDR formats and boasts a built-in sensor that automatically optimizes the brightness based on the ambient light in your room.

Additionally, the Fire TV Omni QLED Series features Amazon’s ambient experience. This turns the TV into a canvas for displaying over 2,000 works of fine art and photography, personal photos, and helpful Alexa widgets. Speaking of Alexa, the TV has integrated microphones (with an on/off switch) that offers hands-free control, making it easy to set timers, check sports scores, and turn on your favorite movie. You can also bring up a live camera feed from your home security system when someone approaches your front door.

Over the past few years, LG has set off a strange tech trend that’s been rolling onto devices sold across Amazon and other online electronics retailers.

In 2022, the company launched the StanbyME, which is essentially a $1,000 27-inch tablet running LG's smart TV operating system (OS), webOS, but lacking a tuner. LG's press release announcing the device described it as a “wireless private TV screen with a built-in battery” that is easily portable and ideal for watching shows and movies, in addition to  “video conferencing with family and coworkers and viewing online lectures.”

Today, the StanbyME competes against a slew of similar devices, including some from Samsung, but mostly from smaller brands and running Android.

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DENVER—Most smart TV operating system (OS) owners are in the ad sales business now. Software providers for budget and premium TVs are honing their ad skills, which requires advancing their ability to collect user data. This is creating an “inherent conflict” within the industry, Takashi Nakano, VP of content and programming at Samsung TV Plus, said at the StreamTV Show in Denver last week.

During a panel at StreamTV Insider’s conference entitled “CTV OS Leader Roundtable: From Drivers to Engagement and Content Strategy,” Nakano acknowledged the opposing needs of advertisers and smart TV users, who are calling for a reasonable amount of data privacy.

“Do you want your data sold out there and everyone to know exactly what you’ve been watching … the answer is generally no,” the Samsung executive said. “Yet, advertisers want all of this data. They wanna know exactly what you ate for breakfast."

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DENVER—Ads shown while you're streaming shows or movies are disruptive enough. But there's something uniquely eerie about what you see when a connected TV (CTV) platform fails to sell ad inventory. You may get a black screen accompanied by ethereal music or a confusing thumping beat, alongside a graphic that says something like, "We'll be right back."

Not only are streamers being forced to endure more ad time than ever, but that time doesn't even always benefit streaming platforms or advertisers. For the past six months, AdGood has been working to turn that blank, wasted ad space into messaging for good by helping nonprofits buy ad space for cheap.

During the StreamTV Show in Denver this week, Ars spoke with Kris Johns, CEO and founder of AdGood, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that sells unused, CTV ad space to other nonprofits. AdGood sells unfilled, sometimes donated, ad space at discounted rates, which it says can be as low as about $5 to $6 CPMs (cost per mille, or the amount an advertiser pays for every 1,000 impressions an ad earns). Johns said that CTV CPMs can vary depending on the scenario, with costs ranging from $12 to $15 and higher. Some CTV ad firms peg the average CTV CPM at $35 to $65.

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Every time I write an article about the escalating advertising and tracking on today's TVs, someone brings up Apple TV boxes. Among smart TVs, streaming sticks, and other streaming devices, Apple TVs are largely viewed as a safe haven.

"Just disconnect your TV from the Internet and use an Apple TV box."

That's the common guidance you'll hear from Ars readers for those seeking the joys of streaming without giving up too much privacy. Based on our research and the experts we've consulted, that advice is pretty solid, as Apple TVs offer significantly more privacy than other streaming hardware providers.

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