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Not very Smart TV - what to do

J_B
J_B Posts: 6,927 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
in Techie Stuff
F-i-L has a Samsung TV UE40H5000AK, it's about 18 months old.

I saw in the instruction book (he's big on reading that stuff ;) ) that you can buy a wireless LAN to connect to t'internet

We bought him a 'Wireless LAN Adapter WIS12ABGNX' for father's day.
I've been round today (as his IT consultant :D ) and found the network, put in his password and it connected fine ... so far so good!
NOT!

It turns out that, despite having network connectivity, the TV has no Apps and no web browser, so, quite why it needs connectivity, goodness knows!!

Anyway, is there some sort of 'box' that he can plug in to give him I Player, ITV Hub etc.
Subscription free please.

:)
«1

Comments

  • Fightsback
    Fightsback Posts: 2,504 Forumite
    Get an Amazon firestick :

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Amazon-W87CUN-Fire-TV-Stick/dp/B00KAKUN3E
    Science isn't exact, it's only confidence within limits.
  • I_have_spoken
    I_have_spoken Posts: 5,051 Forumite
    The UE40H5000AK was a very low price TV, so everything was stripped out.

    Amazon FireStick or Roku Streaming Stick will add some smarts
  • Norman_Castle
    Norman_Castle Posts: 11,871 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/NOW-TV-Month-Entertainment-Pass/dp/B013SGATVC
  • Swipe
    Swipe Posts: 5,994 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    chromecast
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0 Newbie
    Holiday Haggler
    Amazon FireStick for £35. It's got Netflix, Amazon Video, BBC Iplayer, My5, ITV player, YouTube and a bunch of other stuff. You can play Cross road, too. There are other 'hacky' things you can do with it, like load Kodi.

    Just get the normal control version. The voice control isn't worth the extra tenner.

    It has built-in wifi. If you loose the remote, you can use your smartphone.

    A Chromecast needs you to use your phone to 'send' stuff to it. It's annoying. You can mirror a lot of smartphones on the FireStick anyway; especially newer Android ones.

    BUT - don't expect a web browser so easily. There's ways but you don't just install an app.
  • NiftyDigits
    NiftyDigits Posts: 10,459 Forumite
    The NOW TV box, as above, is the least expensive solution. The free entertainment/movie pass is a bonus. Currys/PC World might still have them for £10. Might show as full price on the shelf.
  • J_B
    J_B Posts: 6,927 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    NiftyDigits wrote: »
    The NOW TV box, as above, is the least expensive solution.

    But, isn't there a subscription to be paid?
  • NiftyDigits
    NiftyDigits Posts: 10,459 Forumite
    J_B wrote: »
    But, isn't there a subscription to be paid?

    No. You have to open an account initially, usually there is a free month trial of Movies or Entertainment.
    Just remember to go in and choose to cancel any subscription if you don't want it.
    You can use your Entertainment/Movies pass at any time, by entering the voucher code. Again remembering to choose to cancel in the last month of subscription if no longer wanted.
    Everything else, including iPlayer, YouTube etc will continue to work.
  • henm2
    henm2 Posts: 723 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Combo Breaker
    Attaching a Amazon fire stick configured with Kodi would make the TV very smart.
  • dipsomaniac
    dipsomaniac Posts: 6,739 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    raspberry pi > kodi > ares wizard > the beast = a very smart tv
    "The Holy Writ of Gloucester Rugby Club demands: first, that the forwards shall win the ball; second, that the forwards shall keep the ball; and third, the backs shall buy the beer." - Doug Ibbotson
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