Here are the must-have apps and services for your new streaming device or TV
Samsung uses its own Tizen operating system to power its smart TVs. The popularity of its televisions means that almost all major streaming apps and services have made their way onto the platform.
In a world where almost everything comes with a monthly fee, Samsung TV Plus is a great free alternative. This Samsung Smart TV app offers a unique geographic based mix of content that you can immerse yourself in for free. US users are best off with over 100 channels, and there are more than 500 channels worldwide. Did we mention it’s completely free?
This is more of a bulk recommendation for downloading your favorite video streaming apps, but Samsung Smart TVs are some of the few that support a native HBO Max app. If you haven’t switched to HBO Max, you can also take advantage of other services like Netflix, Hulu, and Apple TV. Their costs vary – HBO Max is especially expensive – but it’s great to have all of your content in one convenient place.
Plex is less a single app than a way to build your own media fortress. You can stream 100+ TV channels for free, enjoy free movies, and keep all your purchased content in one safe place. Plex is essentially an easy way to disconnect the cable from your cable box. However, you can purchase a Plex Pass for premium features for just $ 4.99 per month. The Plex Pass lets you skip TV intros, enjoy higher quality streaming and more for far less than the cable price.
LG Smart TV Apps
Like Samsung, LG decided to develop its own WebOS for its smart TVs. It has its roots in the old operating system for Palm smartphones.
Continue reading: Best LG Smart TV Apps
Spotify (and other music services)
Price: Free / Premium service varies
We’ll look at one of the simplest categories first – music. Lots of people turn to apps like Spotify and Pandora to post their favorite songs. So why not add one to your TV? The LG Smart TV version of each app works similarly to your mobile version, only to match the TV. Right now, Spotify is by far the top-rated music service on LG’s content store, but Pandora is also available, and each option comes with an extensive library of songs to choose from. Obviously, if you want to escape ads, you’ll have to spend some cash.
See also: What is Spotify Everything you need to know
Movies everywhere
Price: Free
There are too many video services to count, and it’s worse when you have to switch between apps to access your favorite movies. Movies Anywhere challenges that idea by bringing all of your downloads together into one convenient app. You need to connect all of your accounts to this LG Smart TV app but then you can easily view all of your favorites. Movies Anywhere is similar to Plex, which is also available on LG’s content store. Best of all, Movies Anywhere is completely free and can help you find new deals on content from your other services.
See also: What is movies everywhere? Everything you need to know is here
YouTube TV
Price: $ 64.99 per month
Maybe you are checking out your new LG Smart TV to get rid of your cable box completely. In this case, there are some live TV apps to consider. The most important among them is YouTube TV, although Sling TV and Hulu TV are also available. While YouTube TV is the most expensive app on this list of LG Smart TV’s must-haves, it has over 85 channels, plus a few premium bundle options. Whichever live TV app you choose, it should offer a new, affordable way to tackle boredom.
See also: Here you can find all the available YouTube TV channels
Android TV apps for streaming boxes and televisions
Google’s Android TV has slowly but surely made its way to more set-top boxes and smart TVs, including Sony’s. It also created its own dongle, Chromecast with Google TV, which we highly recommend. It also has most of the major streaming apps and services.
Continue reading: Best Android TV Apps
Sling TV
Price: Free Trial / $ 20- $ 25 per month + add-ons
Sling TV is probably the best live TV app out there right now. It’s also the most customizable. There are two basic plans that range from $ 39 to $ 45 per month. You can then add a number of packages as needed. They have stuff for comedy, sports, kids, and even HBO. The app has Chromecast support and is one of the better live TV apps out there.
Crackle
Price: Free
Crackle is one of the better free options for streaming video. It has a wide variety of movies, TV shows, and other content. The app supports itself with advertisements and there are quite a few advertisements. The user interface is straightforward and the choice isn’t bad for the price. Formerly owned by Sony, it is now owned by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment and has slowly improved its original content by importing shows and films from overseas.
VRV
Price: Free / $ 9.99 per month
VRV is probably the best streaming service for indie content, anime, and other unusual types of TV. The service is a conglomerate of other services. These include Crunchyroll (Anime), HiDive (Anime), Rooster Teeth (Indie), Geek and Sundry (Indie), Nicksplat (old cartoons), Nerdist (Indie), Cartoon Hangover and many others. You get them all for a single monthly price. With Crunchyroll Simulcasting Anime from Japan, this is as close as possible to live television for the genre. It is otherwise an excellent source for both old and indie television. We wholeheartedly recommend it to all anime fans.
Apps for Apple TV boxes
We can’t leave out the Apple TV platform. The set-top boxes are expensive, but the tvOS inside is very sturdy as almost all major streaming apps and services are available.
Apple TV Plus
Recognition: Joe Hindy / Android Authority
price: $ 4.99 per month with a free trial
Apple TV Plus launched a little over a year ago. Since then, the premium streaming service has added a small but highly acclaimed number of original films and TV shows. Best of all, when you buy a new Apple TV set-top box, you get a year of Apple TV Plus, which usually costs $ 4.99 per month, for free.
Apple Music
price: $ 9.99 per month with a free trial
Apple Music is one of the largest streaming music services with tens of millions of songs for you to listen to and download. It also has features like Text View, which lets you see the lyrics of the song you are playing, as well as online live radio stations with real DJs curating the music. You can also dial into your local radio stations and watch music videos in the app. The best part is that new subscribers get a very generous three month free trial.
This is how we see the best streaming apps and services for your smart TV or streaming device. We’ll update this post with additional apps as they launch.
