Hoping someone can help and mods please move if this is the wrong section for this post.

I'm in the market for a smart tv and have looked at quite a few so far. I have got a few in mind based on the actual tv specs but the smart side of things is becoming hard to narrow down. Each time I try to test them in stores I come across the same problem over and over, no store has a network setup to properly show any of the online services at their best. This results in waiting an age for something to load and I don't know if it's bad software or just a slow network. Obviously most staff are of little help as they just spew the company line of "oh the internet isn't very fast but it works just fine once you get it home".

So for those folks who have a smart tv at home maybe you can help with the following questions.

1. Which of the on demand services are running on smart tv's out of BBC iplayer, ITV player, 4OD, Demand5?

2. How well do these work compared to watching on a laptop? Is it really just a slow network causing the delays and such or is the software as slow and clunky as it appears to be?

If possible can folks also include make and model numbers for the tv's that do include these. Many thanks in advance.

I have a Sony Bravia model KDL-32EX724, connected via wireless to a bog standard BT line, using PlusNet as the internet provider.

In answer to your questions:

1 The only true catchup services that my particular setup provides (it seems to vary between TV manufacturers, perhaps even models) are iPlayer and Demand5. It has 40+ other apps available, many of which provide access to previously broadcast shows (maybe a few years ago, maybe recent), packages specifically for Smart TV - but these are not "catch up" in the sense that they belong to a specific channel for programmes broadcast in the past week or whatever.

2 I went for a Smart TV partly because I do not like watching videos that last more than a few minutes on a PC/laptop, so in some ways I'm the wrong person to ask. I make a lot of use of the LoveFilm application, and it works absolutely fine. I get the very occasional instance of buffering (maybe once or twice a week), but apart from that no problems at all. I far prefer using YouTube on the TV than on the PC. My brief looks at the catchup services worked OK from a usability/performance viewpoint.
I would say that it isn't very fast navigating round the apps/menus (it isn't painfully slow either), but once you've got the content it comes down fine - so I would say that they just haven't got it configured right in the shops (seems to me they mostly don't even get the brightness/contrast right on a lot of them).

Basically, I'm impressed that it works as well as it does on a modest setup such as mine.

If you want a Smart TV for UK services, my recommendation is Samsung. I have the Samsung UE40ES6900, which is a German model, but similar UK models will do exactly the same thing.

The reason I recommend Samsung, is that their 2012 lineup (especially the higher level sets) have the most UK FTA services of any brand. I have access to the following:

BBC iPlayer: Very good app, which includes HD streams when available.
BBC Sport: Will broadcast live HD events when available (though in all fairness, the BBC doesn't do a lot of sport lately - was amazing during the Olympics though)
ITV Player: Like their web offering, sub SD quality video. There is no way to get better, but I guess one day they will update their streams. App doesn't yet offer the rental service, so just the last 30 days.
Demand5: Brand new and a bit buggy, but they will probably sort things out soon. Same quality as ITV.

Notice the absence of 4oD? This has been announced by Samsung for 2013, so if they keep their promise, that would make the Samsung Smart Hub the only TV make with all UK FTA services.

In addition there is Netflix, Lovefilm, Blinkbox, Crackle and a few other lesser video apps, plus a pile of rubbish which you don't have to install.

I have the Netflix app, along with Overplay's SmartDNS giving me access to the global library and it is worth the subscription. A massive collection of HD films and TV shows.

Lovefilm is also ok, though you can't change country library's. Crackle has free films (from Sony if I remember correctly) and sometimes there are worthwhile stuff to watch there.

The UI is sluggish compared to my Apple TV. But that is the difference between Apple and Samsung. UI is an Apple specialty. But despite it's sluggishness, it does what it says on the tin, granted, without elegance (though the physical build is pretty nice)

I personally think it is worth it, but many people may be more interested in a normal (lower cost) TV and FreeView, which will not only get you a pretty good PVR, but all the FTA services binded in the EPG as well. FreeTime is the FreeSat version, but it still needs 4oD to arrive, which they say will happen soon.

On-Demand TV is great, and the UK is one of the best places in the world for it.

I've got an LG. Just BBC iPlayer at the moment.

The quality is the same as the web based version, so it's not the best HD (nowhere near the broadcast quality that the iPlayer is via Sky).

I've got a Samsung and panasonic viera. BBc iplayer is brilliant on both. ITVplayer is very limiting, they only offer a selection of shows from over the past week (on both sets) Samsung only allows it to play for a short time before freezing, too many adverts. 5od is only available on the samsung, plays ok but again very limited selection