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Smart TV advice
shankly123
13-02-2015
My son is looking for a TV for his bedroom and he's seen a smart Tv JVC 39C740 which he's thinking of getting. I know nothing about smart TVs. This one has built in wifi which includes a browser. Does this mean that the TV can be connected wirelessly to our router and can be used to view internet pages on the TV? We have BT internet, so he is hoping it will be possible to get BT sport in this way in the same way that he currently gets it on his laptop. Any advice would be appreciated - thanks
gomezz
13-02-2015
I doubt the Smart TV will support BT Sport directly. But what he could do is connect the laptop to the TV with an HDMI cable and watch it that way.
Chris Frost
13-02-2015
gomezz is on the right track. The TV will have a basic Web browser. It's unlikely to be able to run the sort of 3rd party apps required to make BT Sport work though. The functionality is limited to those apps directly supported by the TV maker's software. Anything beyond those will be a no-go. Hooking up the laptop is the best solution.
shankly123
13-02-2015
OK - thanks for that - it's a bit clearer now.
chrisjr
13-02-2015
Whoever dreamt up the name "Smart TV" should be done under some Trades Description Act or whatever. They are anything but "smart" in reality.

You are likely to find the web browser is seriously crippled compared to ones you are used to using on a laptop. Even my Smartphone has a better browser than my 42in telly! The only advantage the telly has over the phone is the size of the display.

But in terms of what it can do it is severely limited. Barely any video content works in it. So as said above I would doubt very much that BT Sport stands any chance of working via it.
oilman
13-02-2015
Problem with smart TVs (agree with Chrisjr - the term smart is almost an oxymoron) is that they become out of date so quickly, and manufacturers only tend to support latest models.

Compare a few years ago with freeview TVs - it took quite a lot of years before the freeview standard became relatively stable, and many early freeview tvs are now useless or limited in their use. The situation is probably worse with smart TVs as the there is no standard and things change all the time.

I think you are better off buying a good "dumb" TV (if you can still get one), and providing the "brains" externally e.g. now tv/chromecast/roku etc as these are cheap and generally upgradeable (and cheap enough to to replace if necessary). The vendors of these would soon go out of business if they didn't update such devices.
David (2)
13-02-2015
Try typing anything on a tv remote control (they mostly use mobile phone style text or virtual keyboard on screen). My so called smart blursy player has a YouTube app but typing anything to search for is so painfully slow its vastly quicker and easier on a tablet or smart phone. I might even go as far to say I could switch in my pc, wait for it to load up and find the item on there just as quick.

Also, I find the YouTube app search results on that bluray to be very limited (the result seems to be edited to just a few items). Very poor imo and hardly fit for purpose.

And also(!) even tho my smart bluray player is only 1 year old, the built in bbc iplayer app is no longer supported - and that's an app that's on virtually everything.
jb76
17-02-2015
I thought i would ask in this thread as i am after something similar. i am looking for a small TV as i live on a boat. i do have a land line and broadband though so internet connectivity is not a major issue. The main thing i want it for is 2 watch some catch up but the main thing i want is to be able to record.

My other main issue is space as on a boat there is not that much so the maximum size really would be 24 inch. anybody able to help as its been 10 years since i had broadband and alot has changed with tv's since then. i dont particularly want a an extra box as again space.

anyone that can help it would be appreciated as i am totally clueless on this sort of thing.
gomezz
17-02-2015
I would strongly advise against any kind of all in one TV as you are limited in choice and you end up with a poor TV section and a poor PVR section and a poor catch up service. Pick a TV that is the best TV for your circumstances. There some pretty small PVR boxes out there at the moment - for example my Youview PVR is the size of a small STB. For unfettered access to any and all catch up services an inexpensive tablet such as the Hudl can be connected by HDMI to the TV.
Nigel Goodwin
17-02-2015
Originally Posted by jb76:
“I thought i would ask in this thread as i am after something similar. i am looking for a small TV as i live on a boat. i do have a land line and broadband though so internet connectivity is not a major issue. The main thing i want it for is 2 watch some catch up but the main thing i want is to be able to record.

My other main issue is space as on a boat there is not that much so the maximum size really would be 24 inch. anybody able to help as its been 10 years since i had broadband and alot has changed with tv's since then. i dont particularly want a an extra box as again space.

anyone that can help it would be appreciated as i am totally clueless on this sort of thing.”

Many TV's now let you record to an external USB drive, it's rather a crude 'PVR type' system, but may well do all you require?.
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