A few factors such screen size, sound as well as picture quality, or connectivity is quite important while purchasing a new TV set. Although in recent years, another crucial factor has been added to the list, which says: Is it a smart TV? So it’s vital to understand the essential criteria for a TV to be smart. Then only you’ll be able to judge and analyze before getting into a real deal.

Smart TV. What’s that?
A smart TV is a TV that has an operating system or platform that let consumers access, manage, and view media by streaming it from the Internet with an additional box.

This is done by the Internet-connecting capability of the TV through Ethernet or WiFi. After connecting to the Internet, you can enter any desired login and data provided by the Internet service provider. Once it’s logged in, the TV will show a menu that will display the list of available channels. There are preset as well as downloaded apps. After clicking on the symbol of one particular channel or app, the various entertainment media will be displayed. Depending on the brand as well as the version of the operating system or platform, there will be variations in the navigation features of the smart TV.

Advantages of Smart TVs
There are certain advantages of a smart TV like the capability of accessing several channels and there is no need to connect to a TV antenna or box or any subscription for this. In a few cases, web browsing or gaming facilities are also accessible. Smart TVs can also receive TV programming through antenna/cable or satellite; some brand like Vizio has eliminated the conventional built-in tuners as well as antenna and cables to produce a streaming platform.

Other features
Apart from providing web streaming, a few brands give additional features like Miracast or Screen Sharing that lets the users watch content from their smartphones (compatible) on the big screen of the TV. The alternative of sending content from TV to a mobile device is also available in some cases. In this, the user will be able to see the content even if they are located away from the TV.

Some limitations
There might be an issue regarding the price and some limitations which require some consideration. Most smart TVs need two types of subscriptions, monthly or pay-per-view kinds. Apart from free channels, these subscriptions are a necessity in most of the cases. This usually helps in paying for those channels which are needed. Though all brands provide a few core channels like Netflix or Pandora, there are additional channels that might differ from brand to brand. Besides, for people using iTunes to stream songs or videos, it’s important to buy a new Apple TV box to get these features as no TV brand has this feature. Another limitation is displaying channels that the user has watched previously. This can be an issue in exposing the ‘recently watched’ menu at unwanted times.

Any alternative?
Everyone loves to have updated and latest feature; this may cause a dent in your wallet. People who are worried about the cost of a smart TV or 4K TVs can have an alternative by keeping the old working TV in place and add some smart features at a minimal price. The media streamer is an option to provide HDMI input or analog audio connections to older TV sets. There are Blu-ray disc players as good options to magnify the viewing experience as well as to provide access to physical media like discs, DVDs or CDs along with providing some internet streaming channels. There are DVRs and stereo or home theatre receivers to add these extraordinary features to the existing set.