I have an LG C9, and I much prefer the integration and smart apps over slower Chromecast/Fire sticks. I can also cast to my TV and still use the remote in the Youtube app when casting (for example). It's a pretty good UX and the C9 has enough compute resources for everything to be very snappy. I could drop more on something like the nVidia Shield, but I already have an HTPC hooked up to my TV, running a Plex server as well as letting me use MPC-HC if I need to.

I've made my peace with the telemetry ramifications though I have not accepted a number of privacy policy notices so things aren't all that bad.