What is a set-top box? How to make your old TV smart!

If you don’t want to go to the expense of buying a new TV, there are much cheaper ways of making your existing TV smart so long as it has an HDMI port (it should be clearly labelled). Sky and Virgin can make your TV internet- enabled by supplying you with a set-top box and a few connecting cables. Alternatively, you can buy your own box or an even smaller device called a stick that connects directly into the back of your television.

A set-top box or stick connects to your TV and gives you a greater selection of programmes. These internet-connected gadgets let you access a wide range of on-demand channels, such as Amazon and Netflix, as well as movies, games, web pages, apps,

Google Chromecast (from £30)

Chromecast is Google’s ‘stick’ (though in fact it is circular, and about the size of a digestive biscuit) and it plugs into the HDMI port on your TV. The system works in conjunction with your smartphone or tablet. First you download your favourite app onto your phone or tablet, which will then be transferred wirelessly on to your TV screen. There’s no remote control, instead you use your phone or tablet to choose what to watch. Functions such as play, pause and rewind are also performed from your device. Roku (£29.99; 4K version £79.99) The small Roku Express box also attaches straight into your TV’s HDMI socket. Once you’ve done that, connect to the internet, set up a Roku account, and start streaming Netflix, Amazon and much more. With a price of just £ 29.99, and no monthly equipment fees, this is one of the cheapest ways of getting internet- enabled TV.

Amazon Fire TV Stick (£39.99)

The small device, which looks like a large memory stick, plugs directly into your TV’s HDMI port. Watch more than 200,000 movies and TV episodes from Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Netflix, YouTube and more. For £69.99, you can buy Amazon Fire TV, a small, square box which again attaches directly to your TV. This gives you all the benefits of the

Fire TV Stick but also 4K and HDR content (you must have a 4K HDR TV to enjoy the benefit of this). and catch-up TV provided by the likes of BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub. To enjoy nearly all the features from these boxes and sticks, you will need a good internet connection.

How can I get a set-top box?

If you subscribe to a TV provider such as Sky or Virgin, they will provide you with a set-top box. Most of the main broadband providers, such as TalkTalk and BT, also provide boxes.

But there are also set-top boxes and sticks that are completely independent from a TV or broadband provider and which don’t charge you any form of subscription. You can buy them from an electrical store or over the internet. Below are some of the best... Apple TV (from £149)

Apple TV is, despite the name, not a TV but a box that plugs into an HDMI port on your TV. It comes with some apps preloaded, such as Netflix and BBC iPlayer, and you can add more. Tapping into the iTunes store gives you access to a vast array of films, TV, games and music to buy or rent. And you can use it to share photos and videos from your iPhone or iPad to the big screen. But it’s not cheap – the standard version of Apple TV is £149, while 4K versions start at £179.

Now TV (from £14.99)

A Now TV Box, at just £14.99, is the cheapest way to make your TV smart. As a Sky product, this unit also lets you access a wide range of that provider’s content, such as live Premier League football and movies, but without the need to have a dish or a contract. Instead you buy a pass that gives you access to the content you want for a specific length of time.