Convert your idiot box into a smart TV
You can use easy to set-up devices starting at ~2,399
Smart televisions (Smart TV) are in vogue. Everyone wants one. After all, you can watch television, access the internet, work on it and the smart ones can do wonders with such gadgets.
But, do you really need to spend on a Smart TV? Don’t spend money buying an expensive Smart TV. Instead, opt for an affordable LED set and convert it into a Smart TV using inexpensive streaming devices. You will not only save cost but also get better features and interfaces with devices that can stream internet on your set. The minimum difference between a regular LED set and a Smart TV is ~4,000 for a similar-sized model. And as the size and functionalities increase, the cost difference can be significant — over ~20,000.
A Smart TV is essentially the one which is connected to the internet. Options to convert your regular set into a Smart TV are aplenty. You can convert the existing device in to a Smart TV by spending anywhere from ~2,399 to ~13,500.
Issues with Smart TVs: As many manufacturers use their own operating system, some sets offer only handful of apps that are rarely updated. The lower-priced models may not let you stream popular platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, online music etc. “Many proprietary operating systems that power smart TVs may not be as intuitively designed, or have adequate app support as Apple or Google's offerings. If a person is buying a smart TV, he should opt for the one that runs Android,” says Rohan Naravane, an independent technology reviewer.
Cheaper sticks, expensive boxes: To convert your set into a A streaming stick (Google Chromecast, TeeWe) plays content from a laptop or a mobile on TV. They are small, light-weight and can be set up quickly Google Chromecast 2 Teewe 2 Amkette EvoTV2 Apple TV Raspberry Pi 3* 13,500 Use Raspberry Pi to create your own minicomputer by attaching a keyboard and mouse. Additional modules can increase its functionality smart TV, you can choose between two kinds of devices — a simple streaming stick or media players. Explains Abhijeet Mukherjee, Founder of personal technology blog Guidingtech.com: a cheaper streaming device acts as a medium to bring content from another device (mobile or computer) to the TV. They are small, light-weight and set up quickly. But the streaming can be erratic as it uses a Wi-Fi. They also don’t have any storage.
Streaming boxes have fullfledged interfaces and apps with the ability to shop for music and movies, play games and more. They come with remote control and have a builtin storage. You can directly plug the internet cable in their Ethernet ports for better connectivity and don’t need a smartphone or computer to operate it. But they are bulkier than “sticks” and also costlier.
Cheap yet feature-rich: Most tech experts prefer Google’s Chromecast 2, costs ~3,399, for its pricing, features and ease of use.
If you are buying a Smart TV, opt for one that has an Android OS. Proprietary OS may not receive updates and may give limited support to popular apps Streaming boxes come with a remote control and have an inbuilt storage. You can shop for music and movies and play games on them. They also have a LAN port “It's the easiest way to mirror (beam) your Android smartphone or tablet to your TV,” says Raju PP, who runs a personal tech blog Techpp.com. Setting up is a breeze. A cheaper alternative is Teewe 2 that has similar functionality and costs ~2,399. But it’s evolving and not as good as Chromecast 2. Tech experts says that it cannot stream apps like Netflix or Hotstar. You need the company’s app to operate it.
Smart set-top boxes: Direct-tohome or DTH operators are all set to
Create your own minicomputer:
If you are tech savvy, you can opt for Raspberry Pi 3 that costs ~3,000. But it’s a bare motherboard. You need spend extra to make it fully functional. A cases can cost another ~300-350. A Bluetooth keyboard and mouse would come for ~1,350 and a 32GB memory card for ~900. The total would work out to be ~5,600. It then becomes a low-cost low-power computer that lets the user do everything he can on a mobile phone or a computer. There are additional hardware modules that you can add to increase its functionality such as adding a camera for video chats. You can also load different operating systems (OS) on it, if you don’t like the original OS Raspbian. You need to know some programming and need to read or watch tutorials to make it fully functional.
Don’t go for cheaper alternatives of Chromecast 2. They have bugs and keep crashing. Also, avoid buying devices from abroad, as you might not get technical support for these in India.