The clear picture quality of an HDTV can offer numerous functionalities that are never before conceived in a regular TV. You can connect your devices in order to get a larger picture of the videos you are watching. Some models can even allow you to directly plug a flash drive to access music, pictures and compatible video files, using the remote controller to navigate through the directories.
But as functional HDTV might already seem, it might be interesting to know that you can even achieve better functionality with it. You won’t be using an ordinary HDTV though, but a special version that is capable of mixing display options with wireless technologies well.
Why is it Called Smart HDTV?
A Smart TV is technically a TV that is integrated with features that you would normally see on computers. For example, an HDTV that is installed with a custom web browser can be roughly considered as a Smart HDTV. In addition to computer functionalities however, Smart HDTV’s might also feature automatic and suggestive options and interfaces that can be used to simplify access and menu navigation. The development of Smart HDTV’s was highly influenced by the current trend of integrating most of our electronics technologies to modern computers. If you see an HDTV that is slightly more geared towards internet or network based media (having access to streaming and online interactive audio and video files), then it is most likely a Smart TV. Another general term that is used to refer to these appliances is “Hybrid TV”.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Smart HDTV’s
Added media functionality of course is the primary advantage of a Smart HDTV, but this advantage can be subdivided further into these separate positive points:
- Direct internet access. You no longer need to connect an HTPC, a laptop, or a desktop computer to the HDTV before you can use it for web browsing.
- It has perfect compatibility with Internet TV services. Supporting the first point, having access to internet means having access to streaming media. For instance, you can watch YouTube videos as if they were “channels” from a satellite TV service.
- It can be used as a simple computer. Smart HDTV’s might have crude (and sometimes clunky) operating systems, but it should be sufficient to navigate through a home network or to access media files from external devices when needed.
Moving onto its negative points, some of the disadvantages of Smart HDTV are as follows:
- It can ironically be more confusing to use. With all of the added options, some people who are not used to highly functional HDTV’s might not be able to navigate efficiently through a considerable number of buttons and links.
- Has a significantly larger price tag. Since it is installed with other technical hardware to have computer-like functionality, it would definitely be a lot more expensive. A lot of Smart HDTV’s are usually near to twice the original price of an HDTV of the same size and screen technology.
- It holds a higher energy consumption rate. This supports the second negative point, and is also quite easy to notice (due to added hardware), though usage rates are not comparatively as high as its price difference.
Assessing Your Need for Smart HDTV’s
Before getting excited over a Smart HDTV, it would be wise to first assess you actual need for the electronic appliance. First and foremost, if you don’t exactly have plans on using it to surf the net, or would much rather just connect it to your current computer then the Smart HDTV would most likely be just a wasted investment. We have to remember that HDTV’s are quite expensive, and you would not want to waste a huge amount of money on something that would just be used like any other normal TV.
However, if there would be a direct need for its versatile connectivity options (Having multiple subscriptions to different streaming media services for example), then a Smart HDTV could then be your ultimate entertainment investment, allowing you access to almost any kind of media file from any device, interface, network, or website on the planet.