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Emerging technology is turning the living room into a shared interface: a television can stream shows, surface recommendations, control compatible smart-home devices, and coordinate lighting with what is on screen. The shift is real in announced product features, but it is not automatic interoperability or proof of better viewing, lower energy use, improved safety, or other household outcomes.
What is changing in the living room?
The television is increasingly positioned as more than a screen. Depending on the platform and connected devices, it can become a place to browse entertainment, check a camera, adjust lights or temperature, and start automations. A streaming device can add some of these functions to an existing TV; a newer television may provide them in its own software.
These capabilities are ecosystem-dependent. A control panel appearing on a TV does not mean it can operate every smart-home product, and a feature announcement does not establish that it is available on every model or in every region.
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How TVs and streaming devices are becoming control surfaces
Streaming devices can add smart-home controls
Google announced the Google TV Streamer on August 6, 2024, describing it as a streaming device and smart-home hub for Google Home and Matter devices, with a built-in Thread border router. Google said its on-screen Home panel can show cameras and control compatible lights, temperature, and blinds. These are Google’s product claims; check current model and regional support before relying on a particular control.
#1 Best Overall
- 720p resolution - View your favorite movies, shows and games in high definition.
- Alexa voice control - The Alexa Voice Remote lets you easily control your entertainment, search across apps, switch inputs, and more using just your voice. Press and hold the voice button and ask Alexa to easily find, launch, and control content, and even switch to cable.
- Access thousands of shows with Fire TV - Watch over 1.5 million streaming movies and TV episodes with access to thousands of channels, apps and Alexa skills, including Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, YouTube, Apple TV+, Disney+, ESPN+, Sling TV, Paramount+, and other services right from this TV.*
- DTS Virtual-X Sound - An immersive sound format creates a three-dimensional sound experience with your TV’s speakers.
- Supports HDMI ARC - Sends audio directly from the HDMI jack to a compatible soundbar or AV receiver, removing the need for an extra cable.
Google’s September 23, 2024 Google TV announcement also described controls for compatible lights, thermostats, and cameras, along with doorbell notifications and voice control. These examples show how a TV interface can bring household controls into the same place people use for entertainment, but supported devices and functions vary.
TV platforms can summarize the home
Samsung has described SmartThings features centered on the television, including device monitoring and a home summary. The usefulness of that approach depends on which devices are connected and which functions the TV and platform support; the announcement is not an independent assessment of user experience.
Rank #2
- Bright, clear picture: Bring entertainment to life on our 40" flat screen TV with bright 1080p Full HD—perfect for bedrooms, kitchens, and beyond. Roku Smart Picture cleans up incoming TV signals, optimizes them, and chooses the right picture mode.
- Seamless streaming: With fast Wi-Fi and apps that launch in a snap, Roku Select Series TVs get you to your entertainment quickly. You get excellent picture quality, clear sound, automatic updates, and more. It’s simple to use. Hard to outgrow.
- TV, simplified: With setup that only takes minutes, a simple-to-navigate Home Screen, and an uncluttered remote control that does all you need—Roku makes it easier to watch the TV you love.
- A world of free entertainment: Enjoy a huge selection of free live TV, news, sports, movies, shows, and much more—all just a click away.
- More streaming, less searching: With personalized picks right on your Home Screen, quick access to the sports and entertainment you watch most, and fast and easy search in one place—the days of endless scrolling are over.
How AI is changing discovery and ambient screens
Search and recommendations
Google’s August 2024 Google TV Streamer announcement said the device uses AI and viewing preferences to curate recommendations across subscriptions and create household watchlists. Google also described summaries, reviews, and season-by-season breakdowns. In that product announcement, Google cited “700,000+ movies and shows” and “800+ free channels”; those are Google TV context figures, not totals for the wider streaming market.
At CES in January 2025, Google previewed Gemini features for select Google TV devices, including conversational media search, custom artwork, smart-home control in ambient mode, and a news overview. Google said rollout would begin later in 2025. That dated announcement alone does not establish present availability, so check the current feature list for a specific device.
Rank #3
- 1080p resolution - View your favorite movies, shows and games in full high definition.
- Alexa voice control - The Alexa Voice Remote lets you easily control your entertainment, search across apps, switch inputs, and more using just your voice. Press and hold the voice button and ask Alexa to easily find, launch, and control content, and even switch to cable.
- Access thousands of shows with Fire TV - Watch over 1.5 million streaming movies and TV episodes with access to thousands of channels, apps and Alexa skills, including Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, YouTube, Apple TV+, Disney+, ESPN+, Sling TV, Paramount+, and other services right from this TV.*
- DTS Virtual-X Sound - An immersive sound format creates a three-dimensional sound experience with your TV’s speakers.
- Supports HDMI ARC - Sends audio directly from the HDMI jack to a compatible soundbar or AV receiver, removing the need for an extra cable.
Voice interaction and generated artwork
Samsung announced an updated Bixby experience for its 2025 TV lineup, describing more natural information discovery and SmartThings voice commands for controlling appliances. The company specified a U.S. rollout beginning August 4, 2025, with France, Germany, Italy, and Spain planned for expansion during August. This is rollout information from the announcement, not confirmation of current availability on a particular TV.
AI-assisted search, summaries, recommendations, and ambient artwork are vendor-described capabilities. The cited announcements do not independently measure whether these features change what people watch or improve household experience.
Rank #4
- Bright, clear picture: Bring entertainment to life on our 24" flat screen TV with bright 720p HD—perfect for bedrooms, kitchens, and beyond. Roku Smart Picture cleans up incoming TV signals, optimizes them, and chooses the right picture mode.
- Seamless streaming: With fast Wi-Fi and apps that launch in a snap, Roku Select Series TVs get you to your entertainment quickly. You get excellent picture quality, clear sound, automatic updates, and more. It’s simple to use. Hard to outgrow.
- TV, simplified: With setup that only takes minutes, a simple-to-navigate Home Screen, and an uncluttered remote control that does all you need—Roku makes it easier to watch the TV you love.
- A world of free entertainment: Enjoy a huge selection of free live TV, news, sports, movies, shows, and much more—all just a click away.
- More streaming, less searching: With personalized picks right on your Home Screen, quick access to the sports and entertainment you watch most, and fast and easy search in one place—the days of endless scrolling are over.
What Matter does—and does not—guarantee
Matter is an interoperability standard intended to help compatible smart-home products work across ecosystems. Its specifications evolve, and device makers and platforms must implement and certify features. A Matter label therefore does not mean that every advertised function works across every combination of products.
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| Release | Announcement and capabilities described | What to take from it |
|---|---|---|
| Matter 1.3 | The Connectivity Standards Alliance announced it on May 8, 2024, describing TV functionality and screen-interaction improvements, energy reporting, and additional appliance and energy- and water-management capabilities. | The announcement said manufacturers and platforms could integrate and certify the features; it did not say they were already available in every retail device. |
| Matter 1.4 | The alliance announced it on November 7, 2024, describing Enhanced Multi-Admin, certifiable home routers and access points, and expanded energy-management support. | The alliance said Matter products had reached “millions of homes around the world since its launch in 2022,” without giving an exact count. |
For a living-room setup, the practical question is not simply whether a product supports Matter. Check which specific devices and functions are supported, whether your TV or streaming platform exposes those controls, and whether your network setup supports any required connectivity features.
Best Value
- 4k Ultra HD (2160p resolution): Enjoy breathtaking HDR10 4K movies and TV shows at 4 times the resolution of Full HD, and upscale your current content to Ultra HD-level picture quality.
- High Dynamic Range: Provides a wide range of color details and sharper contrast, from the brightest whites to the deepest blacks.
- All-in-one: Get right to your good stuff. With Fire TV, you can enjoy a world of entertainment from apps like Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max. Plus, stream for free with Fire TV Channels, Pluto TV, Tubi, and more. Access over 1.8 million movies and TV episodes. Subscriptions may be required. Feature and content availability may vary.
- Smart Home: Your smart home hub. Pair Fire TV with compatible smart home devices to see live camera feeds, use AirPlay, control your lighting and thermostat, and more.
- Free Content: Stream for free. Access over 1 million free movies and TV episodes from popular ad-supported streaming apps like Fire TV Channels, Tubi, and Pluto TV. Subscriptions may be required. Feature and content availability may vary.
How lighting and automations can respond to media
Lighting synchronized with TV content
Samsung has described syncing ambient Hue lighting with TV content through its SmartThings experience. Signify announced in January 2025 that the Philips Hue Sync TV app would support LG TVs running webOS 24 or later; the announcement also described an AI lighting assistant as available in 2025. These are dated company statements. Check current availability, supported TV models, and compatibility with your content sources before choosing a setup.
Automations linked to occupancy or media
Google’s May 2024 developer announcement described Home APIs and automations that can use signals such as occupancy events, appliance mode changes, or media events from a smart TV. An automation could, for example, use a supported occupancy or media event as a trigger, but the actual options depend on the devices, platform integrations, and rules available in a household.
IKEA announced that its DIRIGERA hub would become a Matter bridge for connected IKEA Zigbee devices, including products in lighting, sound, air purification, controllers, and sensors. That illustrates one route for connecting devices using different protocols; current compatibility still depends on supported products, software, and platform integration.
How to choose a setup for your living room
Start with what you already own. If your TV handles the streaming apps you want but lacks compatible home controls, an added streaming device may be enough. If you want a newer TV interface or display and audio capabilities, compare televisions as well as their smart-home functions. Avoid adding a hub or replacing equipment unless the desired feature actually requires it.
- Compatibility: Verify the TV platform, phone ecosystem, specific Matter functions, and the exact devices you want to control. “Matter compatible” is not a guarantee that every feature works across every combination.
- Setup: Determine whether an existing TV plus a streaming device will do the job, or whether a TV upgrade is necessary. Check whether a hub, router, or Thread border router is required and whether your current setup already provides it.
- Entertainment: Confirm supported apps and services, search and recommendation features, and regional availability. Treat figures for content catalogs or channels as claims made for the named product and date, not universal totals.
- Control: Decide whether you want to use a remote, voice commands, an on-screen panel, a mobile app, or automations. Check which actions each method supports.
- Lighting: Confirm supported TV models and operating-system versions, required lighting products, and whether synchronization works with the sources you watch.
- Evidence: Separate announced features from independently measured results. The announcements cited here describe capabilities; they do not establish measured effects on energy use, safety, accessibility, wellbeing, or satisfaction.
What the announcements establish—and what they leave open
Official announcements establish that major platforms and standards bodies are building toward TVs that combine entertainment with compatible smart-home controls, AI-assisted discovery, ambient experiences, and media-linked lighting or automation. They do not provide comparative product rankings or independent evidence that these capabilities produce better outcomes for households. Availability, certification, regional support, and compatibility can change, so confirm the current details for the exact products and functions you intend to use.
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