Does your TV have one-touch access to apps for BBC iPlayer,
YouTube, Netflix, Lovefilm and Blinkbox? Not all smart, connected TVs
are equal - they differ greatly in looks and apps - but all can get
online, most using Wi-Fi.
There is no industry standard
for smart TV, so every brand of television has a different platform of
apps, though expect to find everything from sport, weather and on-demand
video and movies to 3D content, games and social networking.
What's
the best connected TV platform? That will depend on what you're after;
some smart TV systems excel with a wide range of on-demand apps from UK
TV channels, others with on-demand movies.
We've ranked
the UK's major connected TV platforms in descending order, putting just
as much emphasis on ease of use as app selection, to help you as you buy
into a whole new generation of online television.
1. LG Smart TV
LG's
connected TV platform gets the nod largely because of its oh-so-simple
design that puts seemingly disparate sources of video onto one home
screen. Our favourite part of LG's smarty-pants user interface hasn't
got anything to do with apps, but rather with networking. SmartShare
software displays any video, photo or MP3 file stored on a networked PC,
Mac or NAS drive, USB flash drive or HDD, on the home screen - and as a
thumbnail image.
It's beautifully simple, and file
support is huge, though for those wanting an even more comprehensive
treatment, LG also offers the MediaLink (formerly called Plex) app that
adds movie artwork and other data. Beloved of rampant downloaders and
networkers it might be, but SmartShare is made complete by a thoroughly
decent selection of apps - and that includes a useful 3D World.
The
Premium page hosts BBC iPlayer, Lovefilm, Netflix and YouTube, with
lesser-known apps comprising Absolute Radio, Red Bull TV, ITN, Autocar,
YouTube, Blinkbox, CineTrailer, Cartoon Network, HiT, Picasa, iConcerts,
AccuWeather and Box Office 365.
LG announced in March
2013 that its Blu-ray players and home cinemas would also carry an app
for Spotify (£9.99 per month) in the Premium Apps section, though it's
not been added to its smart TVs. The SmartWorld app store, however,
contains little of note aside from Skype.
As well as
shortcuts to apps and widgets, and full mastery of the TV, a free LG TV
Remote app puts a live TV picture on a smartphone that mirrors what's
playing on the TV. Searches for content across its apps and the web
result in source-specific results - and it's a search that can be done
on some of LG's flagship TVs (such as the LG 47LA860W and LG 55LA740V) by speaking into the Magic Remote pointer-style remote control. It works a treat.
It's
not got the most extensive choice of apps, but LG's Smart TV platform
succeeds on ease of use - and spectacularly so. This is connected TV at
it user-friendly best.
Six LG TVs with Smart TV:
- LG 55LA740V 50-inch midrange Smart TV
- LG 42LS570T 42-inch smart TV offering excellent value
- LG 50PM670T 50-inch Active Shutter 3D plasma TV
- LG 47LM860V 47-inch Cinema 3D LED TV
- LG 47LM760T 47-inch Cinema 3D LED TV
- LG 47LM960V 47-inch Cinema 3D Nano LED TV
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