While this may be a clever excuse for this column running the day after Cyber Monday, the fact of the matter is that the holiday buying season is now several weeks long. Gadgets and electronics are always on sale during this period, and TVs always seem to lead the pack. With the supply chain finally getting back in sync, at least as far as electronics go, so-called smart TVs have taken over the market.
So what makes a TV smart? Put simply, smart TVs are equipped to support apps. Remember the tagline at the advent of the smartphone era, “There’s an app for that”? We’re at the same place as far as smart TVs go. For any use you can think of for a high-resolution display, there’s an app for that … or there will be soon.
Such apps include streaming services, of which the most popular are Netflix, Amazon Prime and HBO Max. Apps are available to support web browsing, YouTube and even TikTok. The screen-mirroring function built into most smart TVs facilitates easy connection to a computer, tablet or, un-ironically, a smartphone so you can display whatever’s on your device.
Darn near every network now has its own app, including cable-based as well as all the old-school broadcast channels. The catch is, though, for most networks, you need to have a subscription to a cable package, such as Spectrum or Hawaiian Telcom. Very few apps are available on an a la carte basis, notable exceptions being ESPN and HBO Max.
Still, if you have a package, your smart TV can help to save some kala. You won’t need a set-top box, nor even a hard-wired connection to your TV. A simple Wi-Fi connection will suffice, and you can watch the app of your choice. Spectrum has a nice app that allows you to watch every channel in your package through the app, so even networks that don’t have apps can be viewed.
If you’re looking to get a smart TV with a specific app in mind, however, be careful. Not all apps are supported on all TVs. The aforementioned Spectrum app, for example, is available only on a few makes/models. Otherwise, you might find yourself needing an additional device such as Apple TV or Roku.
A downside to many, if not most, smart TVs is they lack robust audio. Sound seems like almost an afterthought on the TV, requiring a separate sound bar. But that’s OK because there are a multitude of streaming music apps that will help you get your money’s worth out of a sound bar.
What about size and clarity? Those factors are still in play and, of course, a major consideration. Screens that are 48 inches are just about the minimum for a living room, and 80-plus-inch screens are not uncommon. As the technology has matured, all the extra “stuff” around the screen has been minimized, so the TV of today takes up a lot less space than a similar-size screen of just a few years ago.
For clarity, OLED-based TVs are the current gold standard. Originally developed by Korean manufacturer LG, there are now several other vendors that have licensed that technology. You will pay a premium for OLED, but it is the best and the brightest. Support for 4K is almost a given nowadays, but double-check on the lower-end models. Many of the popular streaming services have 4K content. But 8K is still a pipe dream. Don’t worry about that for now.
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John Agsalud is an IT expert with more than 25 years of information technology experience in Hawaii and around the world. He can be reached at jagsalud@live.com.
