> As for the actual device itself: why would I buy it with the remote, subscriptions, dongles, etc. when I could buy an HDMI cable and use my laptop's "apps" instead?
That's essentially what I did, when it was just me that wanted to use the TV, and I only had one in the apartment. My wife appreciates being able to stream her shows even when I want to use the laptop, and I like being able to watch something on the second TV. The Roku and game systems that I use as streaming devices make that pretty easy, and they don't require hooking and unhooking a computer to the TV.
That's essentially what I did, when it was just me that wanted to use the TV, and I only had one in the apartment. My wife appreciates being able to stream her shows even when I want to use the laptop, and I like being able to watch something on the second TV. The Roku and game systems that I use as streaming devices make that pretty easy, and they don't require hooking and unhooking a computer to the TV.