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NO MATTER WHAT TV you go for, it’s going to have some kind of smart capabilities built into it. It’s unavoidable really, devices are given more capabilities, the ability to surf the web, voice controls and access to apps like Netflix and YouTube.
But if you can’t avoid them, what should you keep in mind when buying one, and is it better to get a set top box like Apple TV instead?
Why would you want a smart TV?
Considering that the vast majority of TVs released now have some kind of smart capabilities, it’s probably not something that you would have a choice in anyway. Yet the features that are included are useful under the right circumstances.
Smart TVs already incorporate certain aspects of features you would find in the likes of Apple TV and Chromecast or consoles like the Xbox One or PS4. the main difference is it allows you to access these services directly instead of using a third-party service like the ones mentioned above.
If you have one of those already, then there’s less reason to get one, but as mentioned earlier, the vast majority of new TVs come with some kind of ‘smart’ capabilities so you may as well factor in the
Since they connect via WiFi, it means that it can download its own TV optimised apps used to watch shows on Netflix, access your social media accounts or browse the web. Really, you will be using them for things like video, audio and slideshows instead of using it as a replacement for your computer.
What’s the specs should you look at?
The physical specs of a TV have value for a few reasons although they’re not as important as you might initially think. The main ones are:
Screen Type: either LED or OLED, the latter delivers brighter and more fully saturated colours.
Resolution: the higher the numbers, the sharper the resolution.
Video definition: Normally advertised as Ultra HD or 4K. TV makers tend to use both interchangeably even though they’re not the same thing (4K is associated with film, and refers to both the resolution and how its content is encoded).
Motion clarity/refresh rate: Expressed in Hertz (Hz), this describes how many times per second a picture is refreshed on the screen.
Port and connections: Not as important, but if you wanted to connect your laptop up to your TV, you would need an HDMI, VGA, S-Video, or DVI port for this to work. The type of port available will depend on your TV.
What OS is running?
There’s no real consistency when it comes to smart TVs so the interface and options differ from manufacturer to manufacturer. There’s no standard, meaning the quality of OS will vary massively.
The main ones you want to be aware of is customisation and interface, the former for getting the right settings, apps and services while the latter needs to be as easy as possible.
Another thing would be mirroring, which is the process of displaying a laptop or smartphone screen on the TV. This very much depends on device compatibility (an iPhone won’t be able to be mirrored on a Samsung device, for example) and it’s worth checking to see what laptop or smartphone you have first if you’re seriously thinking of using it.
What about tracking?
Something that had been brought up recently, thanks to the controversy surrounding Samsung, was the fact that Smart TVs track data. While the concerns surrounding this particular example were overblown, there is a serious concern over what data is collected when you’re using it.
The benefits of allowing this is for ease of access and personalisation suggesting things to watch and services to download. The downside is this can be used to send targeted ads to your TV, and where they appear really depends on what service you’re using.
While there isn’t much consistency across the board, be aware that the T&C you agree to when setting it up normally gives these services permission to do this. You can disable these features, but you end up losing some ‘smart’ functionality as a result.
So what’s the verdict?
If you already own a device that allows multimedia capabilities like a games console or set-top box, then the usefulness of a Smart TV is limited.
However, if you don’t and you want to watch the likes of Netflix and YouTube on it, then there’s a good argument for it. Just don’t expect it to change your world as the concept is still very young.
A massive injustice that was done to individuals and families by the church and state for no good reason.
The surface of this has barely been scratched for the very reason the government’s are terrified of it, deny till they die is the unspoken policy.
I don’t think talking about a redress scheme will help advance the issue even if one is deserved.
It’s not people’s motivation that’s campaigning on the issue.
ISIS kill mother’s and babies every day, Catholic Church on steroids
Women criminalised for being sexual creatures. Have an abortion and you’re a “murderer” (who still risks 14 years in prison.). Have the child and be incarcerated by people who want to sell your illegitimate child to someone more deserving of a baby than a dirty slapper like you. A pregnant woman is still a human being whose choice needs to be respected, regardless.
To all those who judge less developed countries than Ireland, this is what happened here not that long ago.
As a survivor myself we want Bertie Ahearn’s Indemnity Deal to be repealed, and we need to start from Scratch! This was done to protect the religious!
The Deal was conducted in Secret without the relevant Government Representation.
It was pushed through in the dying days of a Government ; it was NEVER Debated in The Dail.
As Far as I am Aware it was so Secret that it’s Existence was not know for around 6 Months.
I and many believe it is Unconstitutional as it “Endows” the Religious Orders both Financially and against Prosecution.
It’s Unconstitutional Nature has never been Debated or Tested in a Court of Law!
Best of luck to you Francis.
Interesting that the nuns had a fire which destroyed some records – same Order couldn’t find my medical records – despite the fact that I had serious work done for injuries from assaults – but the same nuns were able to find records relating to my participation in Catholic religious occasions!.
The ISPCC, who were intimately involved in the architecture of containment, also lost a lot of records due to a fire.
There’s a thread running through this whol saga – Magdalene Laundires, Mother & Baby Home and Industrial Schools and when a new scandal breaks the State sets about reinventing the wheel in response!
There should be a Minister of Historical Abuse with her/his own Department of Government.
Your proposals:
Free legal advice for survivors attending Confidential Committees investigating the legacy of state care in Ireland
That the issue of redress and compensation be examined
That the terms of reference of investigations be amended to included those who were forced apart from their (single) mothers
That anyone attending a committee may bring along a neutral observer
That a garden of remembrance be erected by state and church
That a joint apology be issued by state and church to all survivors.
should be de rigueur by now considering what has been exposed this past 20 years!
These file destroying fires… furnace or bonfire? Such dishonesty from servants of god.
I’m out of the one in Blackrock in Cork myself.We need the deal done by the previous government overturned ASAP.It goes beyond what even the Official Secrets act covers and can only be about making sure that not only the women committed to these homes don’t live long enough to get answers but that their children don’t either. I have a horrible feeling that it is to do with the state sanctioned medical experiments that are known to have been conducted in the homes.Although with the same order that ran the one in Cork currently in the ear of the Minister for Justice via Rhuma trying to pass laws to endanger other ‘fallen women’ I’m not to confident of much movement there.How in the hell she decided to engage with these monsters again is beyond me.
Roman Catholic Church have a lot to answer for but that doesn’t seem to worry all the people rushing to chher on the Pope and pass him their kids for blessing ! Scary
Francis has asked for everything that the Coalition of Mother and Baby home Survivors umbrella group has been asking for over the last year since the Tuam 800 story broke. Well done crib mate. Keep speaking out for survivors and victims of our hidden past.
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