Smart tv and wifi

Rotti

securityguy wrote: »

Except they rarely allow you to record one programme while watching another, as they only have one tuner. They might have a restricted capability to record a programme while watching something else in the same multiplex, but that's not easy to explain to non-geeks. And not all of them allow you to record with the TV otherwise quiescent, which may be a problem. Given how cheap real PVRs are, it doesn't seem a particularly profitable route to take.

Incorrect! The f8000 range has dual tuners so will record onto a USB storage device while watching another programme or whether the TV is on or not. BUT I would not get one unless you have at least a masters degree in technology!! We are pretty savvy and set ours up with no problem but have struggled with it ever since, partly due to software issues and partly due to 2 repairs, one of which left it with a 6000 main board in an 8000 TV, so no camera recognition and no Bluetooth keyboard pairing. It kept switching itself off, particularly when setting progs into the schedule, and was wrongly diagnosed over the phone twice. Eventually it was replaced last week and as soon as the guy left the house and I started setting recordings ........ off it went! I called Samsung and they took it over remotely to do some tests and managed to make it turn off as well. They then did further tests and it appears we were the "guinea pigs" as the first to discover a major flaw in the TV's abilities! It seems as most people record onto an external box the issue had not been discovered up until then.

It was struggling to pull in all the information required to set series links so turned itself off in a blind panic! They sent me a software download so it doesn't do that any more BUT there is a limit to the TV's scheduling memory so even with a 1TB HD in the back of it, we can only set 30 "slots"! Those slots include each episode of a series so as you get spaces it piles more on the end. Ours is full and we are now unable to set anything else, and we don't even watch soaps! It certainly wouldn't cover any kind of extended holiday. We are now looking at having to replace the 3D BD player and 1TB HD with a combined BD player and HD recorder at a further outlay of £400, having disposed of a perfectly good Panasonic HD recorder before we made this discovery. Curry's specs say you can "eliminate the need for an external PVR" - no you can't!

Rotti

monty100 wrote: »

I am researching a new TV for my parents (they think I know about these!!). They would like a Samsung smart led TV (40 inch, no 3D) so that they can get BBC iplayer to watch the progs they miss. They have BT broadband, wireless router.

My question is will the TV pick up the wireless signal on its own, or do I need to get them something else to plug into the TV so that it picks up the signal? I have seen mention of people using dongles - would they need one of these?

I think they might also need a recording device, as I am not sure of their download allowance - any advice on one of these as well?

Thank you.

It has built in wi-fi but we have had to move the router into the lounge to stop buffering on the iPlayers, especially ITV as it is not very good. That has slowed down the upstairs computer so is a bit of a pain. As for the recording device - see my other post and don't believe everything you read in specs! It is quite a difficult TV to use, not awfully user-friendly, and if they are older and not computer savvy they might get on better with something else to be honest. I was happy with my Panasonic Viera but was outvoted and talked into the Smart - sometimes wish I had stood my ground!

david39

Am I missing the point here?
I read it that the OP's relatives need the IPlayer facility so that they could watch programmes that were broadcast after they had gone to bed.
They might need a recording device, as they are unsure of their download allowance.

If they buy a Samsung smart TV, they will have IPlayer (plus the other 4 channel catch up services) built in as an App.

Most programme on BBC channels are available on IPlayer for 7 days or so afterwards, giving plenty of time for them to be viewed. The main exceptions are films, but they come round as repeats often enough.

So, surely for their needs, buying a recorder is overkill. If there is download limit that they will breach then the modest cost of an upgrade of the limit is surely cheaper than buying a recorder.

For IPlayer to be at its best you need to connect the TV with the router by LAN lead.

We have a Sammy smart TV and watch more on I player and Netflix than live broadcasts. All the catch up services and Netflix run superbly on it other than ITVplayer - but most platforms have problems with that it seems.

Rotti

david39 wrote: »

If they buy a Samsung smart TV, they will have IPlayer (plus the other 4 channel catch up services) built in as an App.
Most programme on BBC channels are available on IPlayer for 7 days or so afterwards, giving plenty of time for them to be viewed. The main exceptions are films, but they come round as repeats often enough.
So, surely for their needs, buying a recorder is overkill. If there is download limit that they will breach then the modest cost of an upgrade of the limit is surely cheaper than buying a recorder.
We have a Sammy smart TV and watch more on I player and Netflix than live broadcasts. All the catch up services and Netflix run superbly on it other than ITVplayer - but most platforms have problems with that it seems.

There are many more channels than the 5 covered by demand apps and many of the programmes we have set to record are from more obscure channels like Really (Freeview 20) as we like the older dramas they are showing. Aldo we detest ads so tend to record commercial channels so that we can whizz through them, thus saving around 20 minutes per hour programme.

Not sure about the modest cost of an upgrade? There is no upgrade to the limit. The memory in the TV is woefully inadequate, end of!

All of which is irrelevant to the basic fact that the TV is being mis-sold as having an "extended PVR"!

monty100

Well, that got you all going! Thanks so much to all of you for your various points of view. I too wonder whether the smart tv is a step too far but its what they seem to want. It might help their little grey cells keep going!! I think that they will learn to do what they need to do, and the rest will not be used (except when I go to stay!).

Going to start simple with the TV first, use it a bit to check download usage, then make a decision further down the line about a potential recording device.

I love moneysavingexpert forums - so helpful.:T