What is a "Smart TV".

ericmark

ericmark

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It may seem an odd question, but I was reading an avert on Aldi website for a 32" FHD Smart TV, and wife asked me what can it do which other TV's can't, so I started to read the spec.

The Product information sheet does not even list what plugs and sockets it has to interconnect with other items.

It says
Sit back, relax and enjoy watching your favourite shows on the Medion 32" FHD Smart TV. Keeping up to date with the latest technology, it features a wireless display so you can stream anything you like straight from your smart phone. This smart TV also has apps such as, Netflix, Amazon Prime and comes with the Medion Life Remote app for Android and Apple. Create your own cinematic experience with this stunning smart TV.
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So OK my existing TV has a wireless display so I know what that is.
I have had apps such as Netflix etc before with a Bluray player only to find no way to up-grade so now defunct.
I can change channels with my tablet and phone on existing TV by using the SkyQ box.

But my attempts to change channel, or switch on with voice commands failed, most of my "smart" equipment will work with voice commands, even a simple light bulb will work with voice commands, the SkyQ I need to press a button on the remote to use voice commands, but most "smart" features need some setting up.

The chromecast was sold to me as being able to connect to Nest Mini and turn a non "smart" TV into a "smart" TV however it was a failure in that respect, however it does allow the TV to be used to view some internet videos so does enhance the TV to some extent.

Main thing for any TV is to be able to watch TV, and where I live Moel-y-Sant is only terrestrial transmitter so TV means satellite, if it does not connect to satellite then useless, it is just a monitor. The living room TV does connect to satellite, but only around half the channels so assume either only horizontal or vertical not both, and it was same with other LNB so it is TV not the LNB, so I am wary of TV's claims to connect to satellite, since main TV and we have SkyQ not a problem, but the Icecrypt STC3250CCIHD box I have is the only satellite box which is HD I have and already in use, so see no point buying a TV which can't receive commercial TV programs.

As to internet there is nothing on the spec which says if internet needs to be hard wired or if it has wireless.

Aldi seem to think calling it a "smart" TV tells us what it does, but a DVB-T2 or HD-DVB-C means nothing to me, I would think I need DVB-S2 to connect to a dish, and would need USB 3.0 not USB 2.0, however not simply look at Aldi, the question is what does "Smart" mean? Can I talk direct to the TV, etc.
 
Generally used to describe any TV that has a load of useless apps and other spying junk built in so it can be sold for a higher price.

A TV with nothing extra included, plus whatever box the supplier of choice provides is a far better option, because the 'smart' apps will be unsupported by the manufacturer 6 months later, meaning you will have to buy a separate box for it anyway.
 
Thank you @RandomGrinch reading the article you linked to it seems even having teletext qualifies it as being a smart TV.

I find the word "Smart" has lost all meaning, it was linked to intelligence, and clever, algorithm worked out what was required.

We used "Tele" meaning distance, and vision or phone for pictures or speach, so I suppose TV was what we called FAX, and when viewed on a screen rather than printed it was called slow scan TV.

But we only seem to consider it as being TV if it used radio waves. We have used many names packet radio for example, but the first working TV I suppose is the 10 foot 5 ton fax machine still in a museum in Paris.
 
ericmark said:
it seems even having teletext qualifies it as being a smart TV
Click to expand...
I wonder why I'm reminded of Prestel / Minitel? ;)

500004820-05-01.jpg
 
"Smart" simply means some internet-enhanced features. Mostly this revolves around the ability to stream some content via a TV web player app. Beyond that, it's a crap shoot depending on what features the TV manufacturer decides to include. You can't take anything for granted.

Smart TVs haven't carried a price premium over non-smart variants for quite a long time now. The reason for any step in pricing is to do with the extra hardware involved to host the extra processing power rather than some kind of intellectual property price hike for simply being labelled as smart.

I think I've mentioned this to you in the past, but it bears repeating. Any dumb TV with a HDMI input can be made smart by the simple addition of an Amazon Fire TV stick or Roku streaming stick for between £25 and £40. Either solution will be more flexible and far more future-proofed that any standard smart TV for the business of online streaming and some kind of voice control features. The exception here is Freeview Play and it's satellite equivalent Freesat Plus. Both services enhance the TV guide by integrating catch-up in a fairly seamless way so that the past 7-days content can be accessed as easily from the TV guide as selecting a programme being broadcast live.

Coming back to that Medion TV, the product information sheet you found is headed with the wording relating to energy labelling. If you want to find out the socket connections then there's a graphic on the Aldi web page. I have included a screen grab here. This shows three HDMI sockets, a VGA, a USB, an optical, a LAN port and AV and RF connections.

Medion 32 inch FHD Smart.jpg
 
Smart means TV can connect to Internet.
Ours is smart but useless as 8 years old and never updated. Hardly any features work so we use a firestick.
 
We've got a Toshiba 4k Smart TV and all the apps still work (probably 3 years old now).

Prefer to use the Nvidia Shield Pro though, excellent unit if you're into streaming services.
 
I remember ordering a "webcam" for a smart TV a fews years ago so that my mum could skype people. Within a year, the Skype app on the TV was removed.

The only smart TVs I would consider would be the Google Android ones, otherwise I would rely upon a Fire Stick.
 
Thank you all, I was considering new TV for the flat, but may as well get another google chrome cast or similar, problem here is Moel-y-sant does not support commercial programs so freeview is useless, either internet or satellite are only options, so I use my tablet and the wireless link option as easier than using the TV's internet which takes so much work when using a remote control. Sure the TV we have could connect direct to internet, but it is the use of a remote control which is the problem, easier to use tablet.

So the TV is in real terms a monitor for the tablet.
 
flameport said:
Generally used to describe any TV that has a load of useless apps and other spying junk built in so it can be sold for a higher price.

A TV with nothing extra included, plus whatever box the supplier of choice provides is a far better option, because the 'smart' apps will be unsupported by the manufacturer 6 months later, meaning you will have to buy a separate box for it anyway.
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I really do like that response to the question
A TV with a second or third HDMI input for a "Device", such as."Chromecast", is a much better option.
Such "external" devices usually get updated (again and again) much more often than the manufacture of the "Smart TV" gets around to doing anything.
If any such "external device" does not give "satisfaction", it can be disposed of and replaced quite cheaply with a better one.
 
We have a Samsung smart tv. We have Youtube, Netflix, Prime, Now and Disney; all of which we watch regularly, but for only specific likes. It also has Roku and Apple, but we don't use them) The useful bit is that none of these requires cables or sticks sticking out. That's the 'smart' bit as I see it.
 
ericmark said:
Thank you all, I was considering new TV for the flat, but may as well get another google chrome cast or similar, problem here is Moel-y-sant does not support commercial programs so freeview is useless, either internet or satellite are only options, so I use my tablet and the wireless link option as easier than using the TV's internet which takes so much work when using a remote control. Sure the TV we have could connect direct to internet, but it is the use of a remote control which is the problem, easier to use tablet.

So the TV is in real terms a monitor for the tablet.
Click to expand...
As you may note I reside in Australia.
I am used to receiving multiple Digital TV transmissions (off air) from several "Commercial Channels", plus the ABC. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) and the Australian SBS (Special Broadcasting Service)
I also have access to what might be termed "Cable Television", in the form of BroadBand access to any service to which I may wish to "subscribe" and which will allow me so to do without "GeoBlocking" (Which I can often "get around" by this using a VPN.)

However, what do you mean by "Moel-y-sant does not support commercial programs"?
What is "Moel-y-sant"?


Quite apart from having a "Smart TV", that which I find most useful is having a Personal Video Recorder (PVR) able to record any "input" - when available - which I can then play back when I require - and "skip over" the unnecessary "commercials", which often intrude.

My PVR can record up to 4 programs at the same time.

Hence, my major problem is having enough time, at my leisure, to watch the programs which I have recorded, after the times that the "programmers" have wished to "supply" the programs concerned !!!!
 
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Keithmac said:
We've got a Toshiba 4k Smart TV and all the apps still work (probably 3 years old now).

Prefer to use the Nvidia Shield Pro though, excellent unit if you're into streaming services.
Click to expand...

3x LG sets and likewise all apps still working fine. I bought the first one and within a month the EPG had some issues. Pestering LG UK failed to provoke any sensible fix, so I then began pestering the CEO for a fix. Soon after, it was fixed and I then bought two more sets expecting them to have the same user interface. They were similar, but not the same.
 
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