Your smart TV most certainly has plenty of mainstream apps pre-installed, like Hulu, but what about the obscure ones? These apps, for one reason or another, don’t get the attention they deserve, so I’m here to help.
7Lifetime Movie Club
I love artsy movies and having my brain and perspective challenged, but sometimes I just want to enjoy cheesy, low-effort content. For nearly a year, I’ve had a subscription to Lifetime Movie Club, and boy, is there a lot of cheese here. I can’t help but admit it’s what makes the movies really entertaining, like the strange pull The Room has on me.
It’s not all bad, though. You’ll come across a couple of gems, like Stalked By My Doctor, starring Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight), which gets wacky and absurd as the series progresses. The library is always growing with modern movies and real-life dramatizations, but the better stuff is in the platform’s classic collection, where you’ll find surprisingly good dramas.
Download: Lifetime Movie Club forAndroid|iOS|Roku(Free trial, subscription required)
I have a thumb drive housing a portion of my favorite DVDs, just in case my internet goes out and my family wants to pass the time with a movie. My smart TV natively displays videos and images, but I much prefer VLC for its wider format compatibility. I don’t have to worry that some of my files will be unreadable.
Also, there are more reasons to use VLC, especially in novel ways like setting upVLC to stream my Plex library. VLC’s simple UI translates well on smart TVs, which I appreciate. If you’ve used the VLC app on a tablet or smartphone, the look will be familiar on your TV.
Download: VLC forAndroid|iOS|Fire TV(Free)
5tvQuickActions
Something that’s always bothered me about smart TV remotes is the lack of customization. Unless you opt forsetting up a universal remote, the buttons will only do what they were programmed to do. But you may change that using tvQuickActions.
With this app, you may customize the buttons on your remote, greatly expanding each button’s functionality. The tvQuickActions app also comes with other features, like a sleep timer, custom menus and channels, a mouse toggle, and screen recording. It’s essentially a hub for your apps, so you might end up forgetting about your smart TV’s native homepage.
The Best TV Remote Apps for Android and iPhone
Try these to easily control your TV using your smartphone.
Download: tvQuickActions forAndroid(Free; in-app purchases available)
4Aerial Views
Aerial Views isn’t going to revolutionize your life. It’s just a screensaver app, but one thatsupports 4K HDR videosand Dolby Vision. Aerial Views has been my go-to for using my smart TV as “wall” art and, as a secondary bonus, preventing burn-in. Like VLC, it can pull images and videos from a thumb drive to create a gallery for viewers.
As an alternative, Aerial Views can really come in handy for a small business, especially if you work with electronics. What better way to properly show off resolution and HDR than with a library of high-quality videos and images?
Download: Aerial Views forAndroid|Fire TV(Free)
3Shout! TV
Shout! TV is among a handful of obscure streaming services I regularly visit because of its solid library of B-tier and C-tier movies, especially from a decade ago and older. I immediately locked in on its Jackie Chan collection and what the platform calls its “VHS Vault.”
You also have a selection of TV shows and live channels, but like the movie library, it’s usually older and obscure shows. Pee-Wee’s Playhouse and The Whitest Kids U' Know are two stand-out shows you can stream for free. Shout! TV is free with ads; they’re about as long as YouTube ads, with the option to pay monthly (or yearly) to remove them.
Download: Shout! TV forAndroid|iOS|Fire TV|Roku(Free, subscription available)
2Projectivy Launcher
I’m not one for changing around the UI on my smart TV, but I might make an exception with Projectivy Launcher. Rather than get bombarded by ads you can’t turn off or suffer with an unforgivable UI, this app gives you oodles of customization options to make your TV’s home page better. It’s meant to be your main launcher as opposed to using your smart TV’s home page.
Projectivy Launcher lets you get granular, too. Want to create custom icons and app shortcuts? Go for it. What about picking up where you left off on Netflix? It has a section for that, too. The launcher also can reveal sideloaded apps, which you’re able to then add to your Favorites for quicker access.
Why I Prefer to Stick to My Default Android Launcher
If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.
Download: Projectivy Launcher forAndroid(Free, in-app purchases available)
1Minecraft Tips and Tricks
The Minecraft Tips and Tricks app is rather unique because it’s only available for Vizio (installed through its app store) andRoku smart TVs and streaming sticks. It’s a YouTube-style platform that exclusively houses Minecraft videos. My son and I love using it for inspiration when we play Minecraft, so it’s become a staple in our home.
What’s particularly nice is that Minecraft Tips and Tricks is segmented into different categories, in the vein of genres. However, these “genres” focus on specific aspects of Minecraft, like showing off builds, mods, hardcore runs, and how-to guides.
Download: Minecraft Tips and Tricks forRoku(Free)
Mainstream apps are a dime a dozen, and while they’re normally good, I like smart TV apps with niche uses. I’m genuinely surprised by the unique features obscure apps can have—or in the case of entertainment, a library of media I won’t find anywhere else.
