TCL Roku TV is missing FX Now and Twitch apps, and while Time Warner is here with strict log-in requirements, the Verizon FiOS TV app is still exclusive to the Xbox One. More apps doesn't mean every app, of course. Google Music hasn't joined the list, but Pandora, Spotify and Rdio are part of the Roku app playlist. It also streams Vudu, TED Talks, Epix and, most recently, Google Play Movies & TV.

TCL Roku TV plays Amazon Instant Video natively whereas Apple TV cannot and requires an iOS 8 device with a cumbersome and potentially laggy AirPlay exchange. In fact, there are over 1,000 streaming apps here, giving Roku the ability to claim that its platform has 'more streaming channels than other Smart TVs combined.' Those bragging rights were previously confined to set-top boxes like the Roku 3 or its HDMI streaming stick. Even better, nearly every special interest streaming app is here too.įrom the more known food channel Chow and the anime channel Crunchyroll to the almost certainly unknown Vietnamese American Real Estate and esoteric sciences channel Occult TV, there's no shortage of content for niche audiences. This includes must-have apps like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, YouTube, HBO Go and Crackle, all of which are integrated into its personalized main menu. It's not one or the other thanks to a slick interface that brings hundreds of more apps than its competitors. It's that the built-in Roku ecosystem deviates from the from smart TV app-streaming quality vs quantity dilemma.

What makes the TCL Roku TV a deal isn't just its price. Is this the budget-friendly smart TV holdover while you wait for 4K TVs to drop in price over the next few years? Let's peer closer into the television that's coupled with a set-top box to find out.

Tcl tv reviews