Tv Streaming Gadget Thingy

[CallMeDawg]

Thanks to she that must be obeyed I/we will be the recipients of a brand spanking new all dancing singing SMART TV in a few days time...
Dont know for sure what brand or model yet, only that its 60"....probably Sony or Samsung based on other kit she has bought in the past

I am a whizz with computers but know naff all with regards TV's ...hardly ever watch TV myself nowdays but decided its the way forwards, and with NetFlix being so cheap nothing to lose...

Will i still need one of them gizmos to stream stuff from the PC/Laptops to it or is that all built into a Smart TV ?..do i just plug an HDMI in and off we go or is wifi a better way ?
Have excellent wiifi all over the house.

all opinions /advice welcomed
Thanks muchly

[Guilbert53]

If it is a smart TV it will already have some apps like iPlayer etc built in. Apps available will vary by model / company.

All you need to do is connect the TV to your wi fi and it streams from your router.

The ability to connect to wi fi should also be built in (though I believe with some TVs you MAY need to buy a connector device - at least you did a few years ago)

You could also connect your laptop with a HDMI cable and show things on the laptop on your TV.

Also if you have music (mp3) or video (mp4) on a USB memory stick you can plug the memory stick into the TV and play music or watch videos (to be fair you have been able to do this for quite a few years).

[hc4361]

I can 'cast' from my pc, laptop, tablet and phone to my smart tv without a gizmo

[Kathyan]

We bought a Chromecast from Argos (£30) and have never looked back. We stream ice hockey games a lot and it's great. No HDMI cables to worry about and you can cast from your phone too, it's great! (I did have to get my SIL to set it up though!)

[hc4361]

Shouldn't need a chromecast with a new smart tv. :)

[Buenchico]

As Guilbert53 says, the apps on Smart TVs vary across makes and models. However Netflix seems to be included on almost every model, so you probably won't need any additional equipment. (i.e. the app on your TV will connect directly to your router, without your computer having any involvement in the process at all).

If you do need to stream content from your laptop (or whatever) to your TV, you'll probably need one of these
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/google-chromecast-686-commercial.html

Note though that such devices effectively make a 'non-smart' TV into a 'smart' one. If your new TV is already 'smart' I doubt that you'll need one anyway.

[CallMeDawg]

Ok, sounds like the TV will have me covered, its a recently released top of the range one apparently so sounds like plug and go...have HDMI cable here if needed
Thanks

[Tuvok]

I had no problems connecting the tv to the wifi, or connecting the ipad to tv via wifi until we changed to EE home broadband - after which the ipad smart tv app refused to find the tv - I cured it by connecting the tv by ethernet to the hub, now the ipad sees the tv.