Smart TV advise and suggestions

theGrinch

After 3 years our Samsung LE46A557P2FXXU has virtually died - screen is very bright.

We are now considering a smart tv, though I am not very tekky.

We have wifi in the house and can use the laptop around the place. I am guessing we can use a Smart TV.

Do we need any other specialist equipment to get best use?

We are looking to spend up to £500 (less if possible as this is an unplanned expense).

Any suggestions please?

Browntoa

do you really "need" a smart TV

I facebook and surf on my ipad , Sky box gives me dowloaded films and Tv, BBCi player, ITV/CH4 etc

if you Netflix/lovefilm then maybe

theGrinch

Browntoa wrote: »

do you really "need" a smart TV

I facebook and surf on my ipad , Sky box gives me dowloaded films and Tv, BBCi player, ITV/CH4 etc

if you Netflix/lovefilm then maybe

Thanks for the quick reply.

I guess we are trying to provide a large enough screen to someone that isnt currently on the internet and has restricted vision so struggles with smaller screens.

Daz2009

You need to decide what features you need as different brands offer different 'smart' options.

I bought a 3D smart tv earlier this year because I wanted the 3D facility,the smart features just come with it and I don't really use them at all as I have sky and run xbmc media player on a connected computer for all my needs

Herzlos

You can buy a Sky NowTV box for £9.99, which will turn any TV with an HDMI port into a smart TV even if you're not a sky subscriber (you can get the terrestrial TV channels on catch up for free).

InsideInsurance

theGrinch wrote: »

We have wifi in the house and can use the laptop around the place. I am guessing we can use a Smart TV.

Do we need any other specialist equipment to get best use?

In most cases no, a few Smart TVs dont have wifi built in and you need a dongle if you want to use them with wifi rather than wired network but I suspect they really are in the minority now.

There is no harm in having a smart TV but I personally wouldnt intentionally go out to buy one. So many devices now are "smart" that it all becomes replication of capabilities.

chrisw

'Screen is very bright' suggests a settings issue rather than a fault. You haven't managed to switch it to 'demo mode' or something?

Bigphil1474

If your old TV is past it, and needs replacing, I would say you might as well get a smart tv - if you haven't got Sky/cable or something like a playstation for catch up tv, then a smart tv is great.


I got an LG 3d Smart tv (3d mainly for the kids, though I've used it more than I thought I would). The TV has built in app for I-player, lovefilm, Netflix, demand 5, and some others, and is wirelessly connected to the Wi-Fi. Also has smart share so I can look at stuff from the PC/tablet/phone on the tv. Samsung and LG do some great smart TV's for different budgets - buy the best spec that you can afford. Would have gone for a Samsung if it wasn't for the 3d - Samsung 3d is active which is a bit much for me, LG is passive like at the cinema.


If you have got Sky or cable, then don't think you need a smart tv. You could buy a none smart tv and a now tv box or something similar, which many be a cheaper option, but it is one more thing to plug in. As previously said, you need to think about what you want your tv to do, and I'd say do a decent amount of research online - places like Currys are a good place to look at models of TV's then buy online somewhere else. Use a cashback site of course. With TV's I found that the likes of Argos and Tesco had older tech at higher prices, so you need to shop around. Took me 3 months to decide on my tv, and I managed to buy it for £800 with cashback and money off, whereas everywhere else it was nearly £950.

I_have_spoken

trying to provide a large enough screen to someone that isnt currently on the internet and has restricted vision

Are you wanting a 'smart' TV for catch-up services and the like or to act more like PC for email and web-browsing? Because for the later functions, smart TV are really not very good.

theGrinch

thanks for taking the time to reply!

tv mostly for iplayer, youtube and web-browsing - basically, being able to watch/do something when there's little else on tv.

DCFC79

theGrinch wrote: »

thanks for taking the time to reply!

youtube and web-browsing -

Wont be easy unless theres a keyboard you can buy to use with the TV, can use the remote as a keyboard but its not as easy as a keyboard.