Which smart TV should you buy?

So you're looking to purchase a new TV. Which smart TV should you get?

A Roku TV? If so, which one? Hisense? TCL? Roku Plus Series?

A Fire TV set? If so, which one? Insignia? Toshiba?

A Google TV set? If so, which one? Hisense? TCL? Sony?

A Samsung TV?

What is the best one to get?

Here's the answer you may not expect. The platform doesn't matter. Get the one with the best picture and sound. Forget about the platform (Fire TV, Roku, Google TV, Tizen). Well, lower that to tie-breaker status. Look at all the other features instead.

Why doesn't platform matter? I mean, if you're a fan of Roku, shouldn't you get the best Roku TV? No, not necessarily. If you're a fan of Fire TV, shouldn't you get the best Fire TV set you can find? No, not necessarily.

You see, even if you get a Roku TV, you can still put a Fire TV device on it. If you get a Google TV, you can put a Roku on it. The platform of the TV really doesn't matter. What is most important is the value in price compared to picture and sound quality. And if you get a sound system, even a sound bar, then only the picture really matters.

For example, suppose you really like Roku, but you found a great Toshiba TV that has the Fire TV platform. If the Toshiba is the best TV, apart from the platform, get it, and put a Roku device on it.

Likewise, if you really like Google TV, but the best TV you found is a Samsung, get the Samsung. You can put a Chromecast on it, and you have a Google TV devices with a great picture.

The only time that the platform of the TV really matters is if you can't decide between two TVs, and one has your platform of choice, and one doesn't. Get the one that has your platform.

My Streaming Life has mainly used Google TV for the last several months. I even bought a Sony TV, running Google TV, during that time, but still put a Chromecast on it, because I didn't like the Sony remote. I bought the TV because I liked the TV and didn't care about the platform, even though it was my current platform of choice. Focus on the TV features. The streaming platform can always be added.