Smart Tv App Downloading.

[flobadob]

I'm currently looking about getting a smart tv. However, I've been told that some tvs have built in apps and that is all you can get, whereas other tvs let you download further apps, much like a smartphone.

The thing is I've not seen anything in any of the reviews which mention this. Is it the case that there is a difference or will all smart tvs let you download further apps?

[hc4361]

I wouldn't buy a smart tv for the simple reason every one is restricted. Company A may have a licence or permission to have a 4OD app, as example, but that licence can be taken away and no matter when you bought your tv that app will disappear.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2636468/The-not-smart-TVs-Research-finds-manufacturers-abandon-support-sets-years-old.html



What exactly do you want to do on a smart tv? Could a £30 Chromecast do the job? Or a Roku?
Could you stream content from your laptop to your tv via hdmi?

[flobadob]

Interesting, I did not realise that those issues existed. I am wavering between Sony, Samsung and LG at the moment. I suppose the reason for wanting a smart TV is quick internet access for short durations and things like YouTube etc.

I don't really like streaming the laptop through the TV either. For one thing you're then looking at two screens and obviously you're saying electricity. Also it means that no one else can use the laptop if someone is streaming so that person is taking up the TV and laptop at the same time. Row anyone?

I've seen Chromecast but I assumed it was a Wi-Fi dongle, do you think it will be more likely to keep up to date with apps whereas the TVs won't?

[hc4361]

Good comparison between Roku and Chromecast here:
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews/digital-home/3507480/google-chromecast-vs-roku-streaming-stick-comparison-review/


Browsing the web is on the whole unsatisfactory on a tv, smart or otherwise, for a number of reasons. You sit much further away from a tv than you do from a pc or laptop and that feels odd, to me anyway. You have no privacy because anyone else in the room can see the screen. The onscreen keyboard is clunky and awkward and the keyboard that comes with the tv is often slow and is yet another thing to lose down the side of the sofa.

I find it preferable to watch tv on my media pc than browse the web on a smart tv. Many people who have bought a smart tv don't really understand what they've bought and don't connect it to the internet.

My pc is a 24" all in one media pc and is perfect for the bedroom or spare room to use as a tv, tv recorder and pc. If you are thinking of replacing your main tv but there is nothing wrong with it, think about the Roku or Chromecast before you spend lots of money on a smart tv. They are both cheap enough to replace as the technology develops.

If you are looking for a smart tv as an additional tv, think about a media pc instead.

[flobadob]

I will be getting a TV for the screen size, 24 inch is too small. However the roku and Chromecast look like good suggestions as an addition to the current TV we have when it gets relegated to the kitchen. Thanks for the info.