Smart, or not so smart

My_Feet_Hurt

Hi all.
Not been on the `techie` page before, so please be nice lol.

Can anyone answer this question (in layman`s terms lol). Is it better to connect a home computer-big hard drive box-to a normal plasma tv, therefore having complete use of the computer on the big telly, or is a `smart` tv better with it`s built-in features and downloadable apps? We have heard that if you connect a computer to a smart tv, all that will come up is the pc`s browser page, don`t know if you can use it. Don`t know if that`s really the case lol. REMEMBER we are technophobes lol.

Thanks in advance

m

esuhl

It depends...

The TV acts as a monitor, so to connect it to a computer, you just need the right socket on the back of the TV and the right cable to plug in the computer. You should be able to do this on any modern TV -- whether "smart" or not.

Computers are more flexible and (if you were techies!) you could install a custom operating system and get a remote control... but to use your computer through the TV you'd have to have a keyboard and mouse, which can be a bit of a pain. (Actually, I think you can get remote controls... I don't know how easy they are to set up.)

The advantage of "smart" TVs is that the web-browser and You-Tube (or whatever) applications are all set up, the interface will be designed to be easy-to-see when you sit in your armchair ten feet away (rather than the computer display which is designed for people sat at a desk close to the screen).

The downside is that you're more "locked in" to whatever kind of system is built into the TV. If it doesn't have something built-in to allow you to watch BBC iPlayer (for example), then there's not much you can do except hope that the manufacturer releases some kind of update (and that your TV allows updates!).

So, plugging a computer would be what I would do -- I play around with technology a lot and would want it set up "just how I like it". But for an easy life without techie headaches/irritations, I'd suggest opting for a "smart" TV... but it'd be a good idea to do a lot of research to make sure it does everything you want it to and is easy to use first.

Hope this helps...

My_Feet_Hurt

Thank you so much for that ESUHL.
It does make sense written down like that.
Think we will go ahead with connecting the pc to the tv we have...we have wireless mouse and keyboard - guess the mouse might not work too well on the arm of the chair though lol - and wait until we need to replace the tv and see about a smart one in the future.

Thanks again.

m

closed

what are you planning to do with it when connected, and how often? It might not look as good as you may expect

You can also get much of the smart tv functionality via some pvr's/dvd players/games machines and other under the tv boxes

almillar

Flexibility/upradability goes like this:
1. computer
2. PVR/Set top box
3. TV
Ease of use, sortof goes in the other direction I guess. Remote controls for computers especially is a bit of a minefield, and TBH I think it'll be a bit techie for you.
I would always look for a TV with the best picture, at the expense of everything else. Treat it like a dumb display, you can add better sound, and umpteen features, by plugging stuff into it.
Don't get caught up in 'smart' and 'apps' marketing guff - work out what YOU want to do with your TV. Often, this is 'catch up stuff' which means simply picking the right PVR and connecting it to your TV and net.
If you've an aerial, you want a YouView box.
Satellite (non subscription), FreeSat - you want FreeTime
Sky and Virgin's latest boxes also have catch up.
I don't really like the idea of browsing the internet on my TV, and the computer I do have connected is basically use for video and music.

My_Feet_Hurt

Hi all.

As almiller said, might be too techie for me..I have to admit I had to look up PVR lol....

The idea of putting the computer on the tv was simply so I don`t have to sit LITERALLY in the cupboard under the stairs where I am now, which is where the pc is. I don`t use it for much-emails, Facebook, occasional looking up stuff and a few games.

We have Sky, so when we saw that a smart tv has catch up and on demand movies, that wasn`t important to us.

Bit of a minefield I`m treading in now lol. Loved the idea of a smart tv - the picture was great compared to our old plasma tv. But I think we will go with putting the pc on to it, just to see how we get on. It might be suitable, or it might not.

Thanks for the replies and for not making me sound like some complete dumb blonde lol. I have taken on board what you have said.

m

closed

swap it for a laptop

jhe

i have a smart tv bought a few weeks ago. i still have not worked it out.
logged into facebook on it havnt a clue how to log out. havn't got a clue about the smart control voice recognition, one of these fine days i might figure it all out lol

S0litaire

only 3 features i've used in my smart TV is:

YouTube : If i start something on my phone i can send it to my TV

LoveFilm : used it a couple of times to stream a movie or 2

DNLA it's basically a way of sharing a folder on your PC that the TV can see over the network and play the media it finds (audio, pictures or movies/TV)

I use the DNLA the most.it's easier to save something on my PC. I'm currently copying my entire DVD collection on to my PC so i can get easy access to them. (it might take a while to copy over all 300 DVD disks!!)

esuhl

My_Feet_Hurt wrote: »

Thank you so much for that ESUHL.
It does make sense written down like that.
Think we will go ahead with connecting the pc to the tv we have...

No worries -- if you've already got a TV that works (even if it is "dumb"!) it's gotta be worth seeing if plugging the computer in will save you splashing out on an expensive smart TV!
:money:

Just a quick tip... at the risk of over-complicating things!

If you connect the PC to the TV and find it fiddly to use the keyboard & mouse (e.g. the wireless range is too short, or the cables get in the way or aren't long enough to reach your armchair)... You might find it convenient to use a laptop or tablet to remote-control the PC that's plugged into the TV.

In Windows, "Remote Desktop" allows you to do this. Effectively your laptop will show you what's on the screen of the PC that's plugged into your TV. So you can use the laptop to browse and select what you want to watch, then shut it down and watch the "big" TV.

Here's some info from Microsoft about Remote Desktop, if you're interested. This is Vista-specific, but there shouldn't be much difference between the various editions of Windows:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/connect-using-remote-desktop-connection#connect-using-remote-desktop-connection=windows-vista

If you're not using Windows on both devices (or Remote Desktop isn't installed), you can use a generic version of Remote Desktop called VNC. I've used TightVNC before (link below), which works well. There's an Android application for tablets too.

http://www.tightvnc.com/

Alternatively, you can get TV-style remote controls for PCs. I've never used one myself... I can't quite understand how a simple remote can allow you to fully control a PC without a keyboard and mouse, but it might be worth looking into...

Oh yeah -- one final point! The cable that connects the PC to the TV might not carry the audio signal -- so you'll see the picture on the TV, but no sound. You'll need to plug the audio output of the PC into your hi-fi (or a set of PC speakers) in order to hear the sound.