Do you ever wish that on a cozy winter evening you can just cuddle in your blanket and watch high definition YouTube videos or films or use Internet service to have that HD Skype call with your friends? If you do, then Smart TV can offer you all this and this article will guide you on everything you need to know about a smart TV in general!
Are Smart TVs worth it?
To come to a coherent conclusion in terms of this thousands of dollars worth questions, various aspects need to be explored and thus article intends to accomplish exactly that! So keep reading and see what conclusion you get to and if it encourages you to invest in a Smart TV or completely puts you off the idea!
What is basically a Smart TV?
A Smart TV looks like a normal flat panel television with some advancement up its sleeves. Other than being a normal TV sitting on the table in your lounge, a SMART TV allows you to do internet surfing, watch TV channels online, browse through your Facebook feed and watch YouTube on the big screen. To sum it up it is safe to say that a Smart TV is just like your Normal LED TV with a tiny computer installed inside it to accomplish all the processing and runs different apps like you would enjoy on your iPhone or Android device.
What are the perks of owning a Smart TV at your home?
Smart TVs are an expensive commodity and there is literally no use in spending thousands of dollars when they can’t benefit the user nor is wise. Listed beneath are the top core reasons as to why you should opt for a Smart TV over a normal TV.
- Any Smart TV gives you the option of live streaming any online TV channel by using the internet services such as the IPTV and Video On Demand. An IPTV is a sort of a service which gets enabled through subscription and opens up the world of live TV Channels displaying it on your Smart TV through the Internet.
- Use of apps is another reason why you should invest in a smart TV rather than a regular one. With these apps you can use services of Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, go through Twitter or services such as Video Calling within the ease and big screen of your TV. The use of these apps is one the biggest perks that a Smart TV has to offer.
- You can enjoy movies and TV shows using the local media servers. If you own a setup of media server with all the movies and TV shows you love you can make use of services like Kodi on your Smart TV and sit back, relax to enjoy all of it all day long that too on the big screen.
Many of the Smart TV out there doesn’t have strong hardwares which narrows their diversity in terms of performance. Of course there are many Smart TVs that let you stream as much as 4k video content but sadly those are the Smart TVs which are highly expensive. Ok so, if you are convinced on a Smart TV and don’t have the budget to go for it then the good news is that you can shift your HD TV that you already own into a Smart TV. Yes, you can!
Let’s see if it is worth converting your regular TV into a Smart TV?
Before we guide you on how to magically change your regular TV into a Smart TV, you must look into the reasons why it is worth to do it and why you shouldn’t. Outlined below are the three reasons we came up with for which you should convert your HD TV to Smart TV:
- It is recommended that you should invest in a Smart TV with a built in internet option if you are planning to purchase a new TV soon. Because it is not prudent to spend on a smart device in terms of a TV that will later be swapped by a smart TV anyway.
- You can stream content directly from internet on to your Smart TV but it does take over a hell lot of your bandwidth that too pretty quickly. If you don’t use a high-speed Wi-Fi or Ethernet then it is advised you must at least shift to a ADSL2 connection because trust us with a Smart TV you literally need it!
- If you want to have a permanent solution than going for the Smart TV is a wiser option than these other devices. Even if the devices plug directly in to your television, the experience isn’t the one free of hiccups! Hence shifting to a smart TV is a good option for a seamless experience.
How to convert Regular TV into Smart TV?
Now if you are on the decision of not investing in a Smart TV then you can convert your normal TV into a Smart TV which is of course much more affordable but not really a final solution. Listed below are the details of services that can shift your normal TV set up to am Smart TV.
Chromecast
With the only exception of a traditional CRT TV, Chromecast is your first most option of converting your TV into a smart TV however this definitely is not a one-size-fits-all. With chromecast you will be able to stream videos from your smart phone, computer, tablet that is connected to a Wi-Fi connection.
Using Chromecast, Google has made the experience of smart TV very simple. Take out the chromecast from its box, get it plugged at the back of your TV through the HDMI port, choose the source and you are done.
Once the startup screen has finished loading, you should choose the source device and Chromecast on the same Wi-Fi network. Then go to the all Chromecast supported app from your smart phone and simply project the content of your phone on to your smart TV.
Amazon Fire TV Stick
Amazon Fire TV Stick is another affordable yet quick solution. While Chromecast needs assistance of a smart phone or computer device to run, the amazing firestick is a mini computer inside its own package that is enclosed a HDMI dongle. It doesn’t need any kind of assistance from any other device and only your TV and the remote that comes along with it.
The procedure f enabling a fire TV stick is quite similar to that of the chromecast. Connect this firestick on your TV using the HDMI port and then complete the set up using the remote control.
Amazon Firestick operated the Amazon’s operating system fire TV at the Android. Since this firestick operates on Android, you will be able to side load any apk file and will be able to perform anything that you normally do on your Android device.
Apple TV
If you own an iPhone and you are familiar with Apple’s eco-system then go for the classic Apple TV which would be an amazing addition to the multimedia setup you have. If you have many of your films or media stored in the iTunes then Apple TV will make your life much simpler.
The recent most version of Apple TV can bought for $149 which is expensive but you can opt for last generation Apple TV box, which costs around $69.
The settings of this won’t be difficult if you are familiar with Apple guy. Apple TV box gets in connection to your TV through the HDMI port and you can then enable internet through Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Now when you switch on your Apple TV it will guide you through setup procedure and you are done.
Clarice 
Meghan