In my last column about remote television viewing, I described how using an Apple TV, connected to an HD TV set, content is delivered and displayed via the Internet. In the last paragraph I mentioned that another method of accessing some of the same content is with a Smart TV. What exactly is a Smart TV?
According to Wikipedia, A Smart TV … is a television set or set-top box with integrated Internet and Web 2.0 features, and is an example of technological convergence between computers and television sets and set-top boxes.
In laymen terms, a Smart TV is a regular HD television set with the added option of viewing additional content delivered over the internet through a WiFi connection. A Smart TV gives you a menu of apps (applications) that connects to various television and internet networks, although the number of networks offered are not as extensive as those available on the Apple TV. Every Smart TV brand features a different number of viewing apps, and currently Samsung is reported to offer the largest variety of apps.
As with the Apple TV, Roku, or Chromecast, the key ingredient to watching content through a Smart TV is the Internet connection. Without a fast, steady internet connection the system cannot work reliably. Here at Travelers Rest our only option is to subscribe to Centurylink DSL, and at a minimum you need the10 Mbps service.
Smart TVs give you access to Netflix and Hulu Plus, which are both subscription services offering movies and television shows. We have subscribed to Netflix for many years, and while in Florida we watch it more than any other television offering. We particularly enjoy the opportunity to watch some excellent Canadian and British television series, most of which have never been shown on American TV.
Both Netflix and Hulu Plus plans start at $8.00 a month, and each has a slightly different focus. Netflix is free of advertising, offers movies as well as TV shows, and award winning original programming (such as House of Cards). The only negative is that you cannot watch the current season of a TV show. Typically, shows on Netflix are one season behind their broadcast dates. Hulu offers mostly television shows, from many of the major broadcast and cable networks (including FOX, Comedy Central, FX, and the Food Network), and current season shows are typically available the day after they are first aired. However, even though Hulu Plus is a paid service, the lineup includes limited advertising. A TR resident with a reliable internet connection might find the subscribing to Netflix and Hulu Plus meets all of their television viewing needs and a manageable monthly cost.
Of the broadcast and cable network offerings on a Smart TV (and devices such as Apple TV), few allow for free viewing. In order to access most of the content, you need to sign-in with a cable provider name, user name and password, to prove a current cable TV subscription. This allows you to view most, but not all, of your subscription package channels. This is changing with the advent of pay-as-you-go streaming services. CBS is the first major network to offer such a service. For $5.99 per month subscribers to the service, CBS ALL ACCESS, can stream past seasons of hit CBS shows on demand, with next-day access to some first-run shows. In some of the major markets CBS ALL ACCESS provides live-steaming, but unfortunately, Tampa is not one of the included markets.
In 2015 HBO plans to offer a stand-alone on-demand subscription service, which will be the first time a premium cable network has offered a service that cuts the cable cord. Rumor has it that Showtime, owned by CBS, will not be far behind.
How we receive television signals is rapidly changing, and as the computer is an integral part of this change, OnMouseClick will continue to keep TR Times readers up-to-date.
Links — NETFLIX • HULU PLUS • CBS ALL ACCESS • HBO GO • SHOWTIME ANYTIME
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