What is Smart TV?
What is a Smart TV? If you haven’t purchased a TV in a few years, you may be surprised to see that most TVs today are considered smart TVs, with Internet connectivity and apps for streaming and smart home features. It can be difficult to understand what makes a smart TV smart and all the capabilities they offer.
Can a smart TV really be better than the best streaming device, what about privacy concerns, and which is the smartest? The details will also vary from one brand or model to another, which is why we’ve put together this handy guide.
We’ve got the answers to all your most frequently asked questions about smart TVs.
What is a smart TV?
The old “dumb TVs,” which can only display content from an HDTV antenna, cable or other A/V source, are about to disappear. Today’s connected world expects something a little smarter. With powerful processors, Internet connectivity and easy-to-navigate software, the modern TV is more like a smartphone or tablet than the tube TV of yesteryear.
Smart TVs, like smartphones and smart home devices, offer Internet connectivity and support for a variety of applications. This opens up a world of new entertainment options, from streaming videos on Netflix and Hulu to playing games, checking social media and controlling an entire home full of connected devices, including the best Alexa-compatible devices and the best Google Home-compatible devices .
A growing number of models now include voice recognition tools, such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, to change channels and search for shows. Most smart TVs will work with one of the best smart speakers you already own, and some will offer some or all of that same functionality built into the TV.
Smart TVs are also getting more integrated smart home features and some are even the best smart home devices. Many TVs are compatible with other connected devices in the home, including the best smart lights, smart locks and other sensors, and some TVs even include a dedicated dashboard to control all the devices in your connected home.
Which companies make smart TVs?
All of the major TV manufacturers have moved away from dumb TVs, with the trend toward making every set “smart.” Budget sets from TCL and Hisense feature built-in Roku streaming , while high-end models from LG, Samsung and Sony offer even more capabilities, ranging from motion controls to voice interaction and smart home integration.
See what’s coming now and later this year with our guides to new models from LG , Samsung , Sony , TCL , Vizio , Philips and Hisense , along with all the Roku TVs that have been announced.
A partial list of the major smart TV manufacturers includes Hisense, LG, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, TCL, Toshiba and Vizio. While most of these companies tout their smart platforms as the latest and greatest, beware of inexpensive TVs that only vaguely mention smart TV capability. These off-brand smart TV platforms can leave you stuck with a limited selection of apps, below-average performance and worrisome security holes. Check out our comparison of smart TV operating systems for a closer look at which companies make smart TVs and what systems they offer.
How do smart TVs connect to the Internet?
A smart TV uses your home network to provide video streaming and services on your TV, and smart TVs use wired Ethernet and built-in Wi-Fi to stay connected. Most current TVs support 802.11ac Wi-Fi, but watch out for older models, which may still use the older 802.11n standard. Some of the latest models will also support the new Wi-Fi 6 standard (see our article on Wi-Fi 6: what it is and why it’s better ), but it’s still quite rare.
We have a guide to optimizing your home Wi-Fi for streaming, either by adjusting the location of the router, modifying the settings or simply opting for a wired connection.
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