Some smart TVs are even able to do the reverse: send content from the TV to a compatible smartphone. After sending, the user can continue to view that content on the smartphone, away from the TV.
The hype surrounding smart TVs is compelling, but there are some cost considerations and limitations to consider. Using a smart TV may result in privacy issues. For example, every time you log into Netflix, the menu shows what you've watched recently, as well as updated suggestions for related movies or programs that you might like based on your 'watched recently' list.
You might think that this type of tracking is a good thing because it cuts search time for movies or programs to watch, but a smart TV might be doing more than just track your viewing habits. Also, any credit card purchases you make using your TV might be trackable by third parties.
If your voice control or webcam is on, don't say or do anything that you wouldn't do or say in public—and be cautious with your online credit card purchases. If you recently purchased, or currently have, a TV without smart features or an older smart TV with limited options, you don't need to buy a new smart TV if your TV still works well and satisfies your picture-quality needs.
You can add smart features to your current TV viewing experience at minimal cost. Media Streamers. Blu-ray Disc Players. If you want to add TV, movie, music streaming, and other smart features to your home entertainment experience but don't know if you need a smart TV, here are some guidelines:. A smart TV is just one way to add internet streaming and related features to your TV viewing experience. Use the guidelines above to decide if it's the best choice for you. That said, you can still connect game consoles and DVD players, although you don't need a smart TV to use those devices.
Yes, most of the time. Look for "Wi-Fi-enabled" in the product description to be sure. To connect your smart TV to Wi-Fi , go to the TV's welcome screen, search for available wireless networks, select your network, and enter the password. The steps for adding apps to your smart TV depend on the brand, but most models have an option to search for apps on the home screen. You can download apps for free, but you may need to set up an account to use some streaming services.
Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Some of the TVs such as Samsung currently support Flash as well, which means a better web browsing experience. However, as the category is new, there are inevitably features that will come and go. For example, how many people will use Facebook -- which to many is a private activity -- on a TV in front of their family when they can easily use a laptop in front of the TV?
To us, the most exciting capability of smart TV is the ability to watch video on demand. On most TVs you'll also find dozens of specialty channels offering surfing, football, music and almost anything else you can imagine.
If you just want to sit down in front of the TV and relax without having to choose something else every three minutes, then services like Bigpond TV currently on Samsung and LG offer "regular" channels of music and sport. We look at some of the sports content currently offered here.
Panasonic is making a big deal of its forthcoming games titles, which will include titles by Gameloft, in addition to a number of exercise games that utilise an optional monitor wrist band. Skype is another new application, which, with the addition of a webcam, lets you talk to your friends and family on your TV. All of the smart TVs have a home page that lets you access all of the different functions, and from there they also link to individual app stores. At the moment, all of the apps available on smart TVs are free, but the manufacturers are hoping to translate the popularity of paid apps on mobile devices to televisions.
Sony and Panasonic have traditionally been different in that new features are automatically downloaded once available, and become selectable from the main page. However, Panasonic has just announced its own app store, so this may change. Amazon made the first big splash here with the Amazon Echo and other Alexa-enabled devices , but Google's own Google Assistant has made strides in products like the Google Home.
And Apple's HomePod puts Siri into a similar form factor. The great news is that these devices will usually work with most smart TVs, and compatibility is improving all the time as new software updates add capability to existing smart TVs. As it stands, all of the major TV manufacturers have smart speaker compatibility with at least one of the three main smart assistant platforms Amazon, Apple and Google.
These options often require using an additional device , such as a smart speaker or mobile device, but it will give you a way to control your TV and smart devices with the convenience of simple speech. Many of the smart TVs on the market now have these voice assistants built in. These models generally offer remote controls that feature built in microphones, letting you press a button to activate voice interaction. When enabled, they let you simply speak to the room, and the TV will listen for your commands.
The leading models are from Amazon, Apple, Google and Roku. But, it's worth noting that these streaming devices rarely offer more functionality than current smart TVs will provide.
In fact, all of the device manufacturers we just mentioned have the same interface and app selections available in their respective smart TVs. Those include nearly every major service, as well as hundreds of more obscure channels, ranging from Kung-Fu Theater to Victory Westerns. In fact, Roku offers more options than any other set-top box or any smart TV on the market.
So if you don't need to buy a new TV but do want smart-TV services, a separate, inexpensive streaming-media player is the prudent choice. In addition, set top-boxes, such as the Roku Ultra , offer 4K content. If you live in an Apple household and want your iTunes collection on the big screen, you'll need an Apple TV , which is the only device that can deliver that iTunes connection. No smart TVs have apps for iTunes. However, it does not offer 4K Ultra HD support and has a limited number of streaming services.
The Fire TV Stick is even more affordable. A smart TV costs more than a comparable set that lacks smart services. However, that price difference is quickly evaporating, and soon most sets will have smart services built in.
In , it's hard to even find a 4K TV that doesn't have smart capabilities and internet connectivity. The price difference can also be deceiving, because higher-end TVs often offer more than just connected services. Usually, smart TVs also include better video processing — in other words, better picture quality — and expanded features, such as more HDMI ports on the back.
That means you get more for your money than just an internet connection and apps. In theory, the answer is clearly yes. So-called white-hat hackers have brought attention to the issue by demonstrating ways to break into a smart TV connected to the internet and do things like steal passwords and change channels.
WikiLeaks documents purporting to reveal CIA techniques for surveilling smartphones and smart TVs confirm what many cybersecurity experts have said privately for years: Government agencies can and do break into such devices.
Although smart TVs have a variety of interfaces, most run some version of Linux underneath, a popular operating system that hackers know how to manipulate well. The application programming interface API that lets your TV interact with apps and mobile devices is also a point of concern, and recently reported vulnerabilities might let hackers make mischief on Samsung and Roku sets. To be safe, avoid doing anything sensitive on a smart TV, such as online banking or shopping with a credit card.
Smart TVs are simply not as safe as computers. Yes, it can. Information you share on a Facebook app on a TV or when ordering on Amazon or Netflix on the big screen is shared in the same way as when you conduct such business on a PC or a smartphone.
Companies can collect private information about you and your viewing habits from a smart TV. In late , for example, LG admitted that it had received information about what channels owners were watching , even after those users turned on the privacy setting. LG said this was due to a software bug that has since been corrected. The claims accused Vizio of secret monitoring that included information about not just app use but also what owners watched on their disc players, cable systems and even over-the-air broadcasts.
And tracking isn't limited to any one brand or manufacturer. In fact, you're safe to assume that any smart TV is sending viewing data back to be sold to marketers and advertisers, regardless of who makes the hardware. Most of this data is limited to viewing information, telling advertisers what you watch and what apps you use to do so. While that's fairly innocuous, the bigger concern may be the fact that like most smart home devices your TV's security isn't that great at keeping other snoops out.
To get a better idea of how to protect yourself, check out the 5 essential smart TV security tips. You can ask the TV to go to specific channels and search for specific movies and shows, to see if they're are airing on any channels or streaming apps you have installed.
Find your perfect Sony set in our Sony TV reviews. Panasonic's smart-TV service is powered by Firefox, the popular web browser. Its big focus is customisation, with a homescreen you can personalise with your favourite and most-used apps. Freeview Play is a standard feature on its smart TVs.
Panasonic's ranges are compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. As long as you have a Google Home or Amazon Alexa you'll be able to control features on your TV, such as changing channels, adjusting volume and selecting inputs. It's a handy feature given many Panasonic TVs don't have any built-in voice control. Browse expertly-tested models in our Panasonic TV reviews. These include:. Need help getting other devices connected to your TV.
Use our free tool to see exactly which devices to wire in to which connection and further advice on hooking up everything from a sound bar to a smartphone. The app store is our first port of call when testing the smart capabilities of a TV. We're looking for a good range of apps, intuitively laid out with a good search function. Speed is important, since these menus can be slow making adding new apps to your TV a laborious exercise. We look to see how easy it is to arrange the apps you've downloaded.
Ideally it should be simple to add favourites to your smart homescreen for easier access later. We check to see if pre-installed apps can be removed, check to see whether voice control is present and try a few sample commands, too. With any internet-connected device, security is paramount, so we look at what data your TV collects and where it goes.
The information your TV collects ranges from the mundane, such as what you've been watching which is still personal and private , to more important things like your wi-fi password and app logins. If we think it's collecting more data than it needs to, not sending it to secure places, also known as safe harbours, or being up front about what data it's collecting then we'll flag that in our reviews.
We check to see if the data is encrypted when it's sent. This means the data can't be read if it's intercepted on its journey from your TV to the data centre. The final thing we check is how easy it is to access the data collection settings, which can be buried in the deep recesses of TV menus.
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