I used Apple AirPlay and Google Cast all the time until I learned about these issues

A memory of mine that’s come up repeatedly in recent times is getting a first-generation Google Chromecast as a gift. This was way back in the early 2010s, when most smart TVs were stuck with terrible proprietary apps, and add-on streamers were either expensive or not very good. The Chromecast managed to be both cheap and good with a clever solution — using your phone or computer as the interface. That had its own limitations, of course, but it was worlds better than trying to navigate through a TV’s half-baked UI.