I consider my Android TV Box an essential item. After all, it's not much bigger or heavier than package of mosquito coils. I assumed we'd not have a wide-screen in our rental place in Egypt, so I ordered a little HDMI to RCA converter from China last summer too. These items are worth their weight, perhaps not in gold, but surely in entertainment value.
The TV here is not hi-def but there is a choice of hundreds of channels over a two-satellite system. Still, the useful channels end up being the news. There is not much in the way of interesting English-language programming.
We use the 17" laptop for Netflix streaming but, watching a real TV, even if a retro one, seems more comfortable. We have been primarily viewing downloaded movies via my key-ring's USB through the box. We had not really been keeping up with our normally-watched television programs since we left home at the beginning of November. Maybe it's time to start binging a bit during the evenings though ...