From time to time, a software update can damage a TV. This happened to several of my clients when I was a home theater installer, and the frustration they felt was palpable. After all, software updates are supposed to improve your smart TV, not make it useless. And other than replacing the motherboard, there wasn’t much my peers and I could do to salvage a dead TV.
For this reason, my LG C5 OLED is usually offline, as is the smart TV in my bedroom. I watch movies and TV shows with Roku streaming devices. It has been this way for many years, but I started to feel borderline superstitious. My LG C5 is covered by an extended warranty, so I had already decided to at least install software updates as they were released; it also meant I had to connect my smart TV to the internet.
For those who don’t know, LG’s Smart TV platform is called webOS. This is Linux-based software that the brand has been optimizing and improving for a long time. Not too long ago, I was updating my LG C5 and thought, “Let me quickly see what webOS looks like these days.” » I did and was instantly overwhelmed, but not in such a great way. Compared to the webOS I was familiar with from my installation years, the LG C5’s version seemed much less simple and intuitive, and much more invasive.
If judging a book by its cover is how you roll, LG’s webOS probably won’t fare well
Both LG and Samsung use in-house software for their smart TVs; the latter has been using Tizen OS for a minute. Brands like Sony, Hisense, and TCL license third-party TV software, including Google TV, Roku OS, and Fire OS. You’ll find major streaming services like Netflix, HBO, and Disney+ on multiple platforms, but it took me longer than I’d like to admit to locate them in webOS. Apps actually come to the forefront as soon as you load the interface, but modern webOS is full of UI elements.
Everything seems colorful, bold and important. There are numerous app and content tiles arranged in dizzying rows and columns. There is AI here and AI there. There’s a comprehensive smart home dashboard, courtesy of LG’s ThinQ platform. There is a Multi-View mode for consuming media, picture-in-picture style. There is LG Channels, a free, ad-supported way to watch live TV over an Internet connection. There are also ads and unfortunately you can’t even turn off personalized tracking.
Long story short, webOS is, at least in my opinion, uncomfortably stuffed. It doesn’t feel very snappy either, and I imagine that must have something to do with the number of moving parts required by LG’s software. Even something as simple as navigating from one app tile to another can take several seconds, and for some reason, YouTube simply refused to launch. TL;DR: modern webOS is too much, at least for me.
The grass isn’t necessarily greener with non-proprietary smart TV software
As mentioned, I’m a long-time user of the Roku operating system, and guess what? I also like Roku’s software less and less. I loved the interface and still think the brand’s library of apps is one of the best in the industry. But at the end of the day, Roku OS is smart TV software, and there’s really only one trajectory for smart TV software: smarter. I miss the days when things were “dumber,” and I’m probably not the only consumer who feels this way.
There was almost something endearing about the clunky screens and menus of smart TVs of yesteryear. Honestly, I can’t recommend that everyone jump ship, as the waters aren’t any less rough elsewhere. Apple’s smart TV technology, tvOS, is arguably the most advanced smart TV operating system you can use in North America, but the platform is locked to Apple TV devices. I think Google TV and Roku OS are tied for “next best options,” but both platforms are starting to feel bloated and less intuitive, especially if they’re running on an entry-level TV or streaming device.
Fire OS is my lowest choice, but I’d still choose it over LG’s webOS or Samsung’s Tizen – at least the former is somewhat navigable once you get used to all the Amazon Prime ads and marketing. As for me, I will remain faithful to my positions; no internet for my LG C5 until it’s time for my update, and Roku OS will remain my daily driver until it pushes me away one day.
Nostalgia for a time we probably won’t return to
One of the best parts of writing this opinion piece was looking back at smart TVs that came out almost a decade ago. LG and Samsung still used webOS and Tizen OS respectively, but those earlier versions were complementary to your TV viewing experience, not the star of the show. The LG C8 series (released in 2018) was a TV I installed frequently that ran webOS version 4.0. If only we could go back, my friends. How I miss the simple bottom ribbon that lists all your favorite apps; how I miss the days when the interface was broken down into apps, settings and inputs (my LG C5 remote doesn’t even have an input button).
Yes, there were ads, but they weren’t thrown at you from every direction imaginable. Yes, the software had issues from time to time, sometimes requiring the TV to be reset. But among the small group of bugs was an interface that felt like a real home theater add-on, rather than a snappy match with you, the user, at the center. Unfortunately, I think we’re too far along now for developers to start simplifying TV software, especially now that AI features and functions are an essential part of most smart TV systems.
