THE MAIN BENEFIT of a smart TV, aside from the ability to watch TV, is the access it grants to a universe of online content. With a smart TV you can view TV shows, movies, games, use social network platforms, and more, all without a cable TV subscription or even an antenna. All of this functionality is essentially built right into the TV.
The ironic thing is that you can get all these features, or most of them, without buying a new smart TV. A streaming media box or streaming media stick can deliver the same online content, but for less initial money than a new TV (although many of the online services require subscription). So which route should you take: a new media box or a new TV? Here’s our advice:
1. Exclusive Content
Some TV manufacturers, notably Samsung and Sony, have exclusive content deals with TV, movie, and game studios to offer smart TV owners content not available from standard streaming media services. This is especially true when it comes to 4K Ultra HD content. In fact, nearly all 4K content today is delivered direct to the TV only, via the Internet, and this approach will continue, at least for most of this year.
2. Processing Power
While processing power isn’t a spec people generally associate with televisions, it can be very important to streaming media. A 2014 or 2015 smart TV from one of the top brands will generally include a quad-core processor to handle Internet-related content. This powerful processor helps make navigating and browsing faster, and can make streams load faster. External streaming media devices, especially the inexpensive “stick” kind, won’t have the same kind of processing muscle, and could make for a slower and more frustrating experience.
3. Network Connections
If you know your Wi-Fi network is buggy, then you’re going to want to use a wired Ethernet connection for your streaming media content. For that you’ll need a smart TV or a box-style media streamer instead of a stick like a Google Chromecast or Roku Stick.
4. Upgradeability
Most devices today will occasionally need a firmware upgrade, which is usually done by downloading the new firmware from the Internet directly onto the device. Unfortunately, after a couple of years, TV manufacturers tend to stop issuing firmware updates, which means your smart TV won’t see new features or apps that the latest devices include. External media streamers seem to stay up to date with streaming apps for longer periods of time; if they don’t, they’re a lot cheaper to replace than a whole television. Samsung also offers a One Connect box for some of its TV models that essentially updates last year’s televisions to include all of the features and functions of this year.
5. Smart Navigation
If part of the appeal of a smart TV is the new navigation features such as voice control, gesture control, and universal search, then you’ll want to buy a new TV instead of a new streaming box (Amazon Fire TV does support voice search). The most advanced control features are built into the new smart TVs. Streaming media boxes tend to have pretty basic navigation styles, while new smart TVs aim for a more integrated and streamlined approach.
6. Android TV
Coming later this year from Sony and Panasonic are smart TVs that use the Android TV platform. Android TV makes all of the apps from the Google Play store available to TV users, and allows advanced features like voice search and the ability to Google cast, which is when you cast content from an Android smartphone or tablet to the television.
7. Smart Integration
One of the main benefits of a smart TV over a standard TV that’s paired with a streaming media player is how well the two parts of the system are integrated. With a smart TV you don’t need to search for the other remote, switch inputs, or make sure you remember to turn the player on. With new smart TVs, the features are so interconnected that you can seamlessly move between them. In fact, most new smart TVs even include onscreen cable guides so you can effortlessly transition between regular TV to Netflix.
So which is the better option? Upgrade your old TV to a new smart TV or upgrade your streaming media player? If your TV is less than 5 years old, and you don’t have any other reason to replace it, then buy a streaming media player that includes all the services you want to watch. If your TV is older than this, consider getting a new one. In addition to the streaming features, you’ll get significantly upgraded picture performance. EH
Ivy Baker says
This is some really good information about the benefits of having a smart TV. I had no idea that you could put games on them and social networking platforms. Personally, I would love to look at Instagram on a huge TV. I wonder if a system like this is hard to set up.