With outstanding technology innovation, traditional tv sets adapted these technologies and became smart in the modern era. A Tradition Television set with built-in Interactive web 2.0 features and access to the Internet is known as a smart tv or a connected tv (CTV).
This built-in feature helps users access the Internet, stream video, listen to online music, and view photos. Smart TV reflects a technical fusion of computers, TV sets, and set-top boxes.
Such devices can also include internet TV, over the top content, on-demand streaming media, online media, home networking access, and traditional broadcasting media to provide the traditional feature of the set-top box and traditional TV.
Internet Tv, Web Tv, and IPTV
Smart tv is entirely different from Internet tv, web television, or IPTV; you should not confuse smart tv with them. Internet tv uses an internet connection rather than traditional systems such as satellite and cable and terrestrial to receive TV contents. How the Internet is delivered to internet tv is not going to affect its actual working.
If we talk about the IPTV, television broadcasters use internet television technology standard IPTV. A wide variety of companies and individuals create programs to broadcast on internet TVs. Web Television is a term used for these programs.
The main feature of a smart tv is the capability of built on the Internet; this is what makes tv ‘smart.’ But what if you do not have an internet connection, do smart tv work for you? Do you need an internet connection if you want to buy a smart tv.?
This article will help you choose, but first, let us talk about how smart tv works and what it can do?
How Smart TVs Work
If you have a good speed of internet connection, you can also connect your smart tv with your broadband router to access the Internet as you do with your computer or smartphone. We know that smart tv uses the Internet to access online content.
Smart tv has the option to connect with your router using Wi-Fi or ethernet if you want a stable internet connection, ethernet is always recommended. Still, if you want less wire connected to your tv or your smart tv is far away from the router you can always use smart tv’s Wi-Fi connection feature to provide the Internet to smart tv.
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Once you connect your smart tv with Wi-Fi and turn it on you will see some apps which comes preloaded to access available internet channels, but if you want you can download more online video audio streaming apps from your smart tv app store and add them to your app list and enjoy whenever you want.
You can easily use these apps as you use them in your smartphone, open your smart tv app library, click on the app icon and you are on the app’s home screen now select what you want to watch from that apps viewing content library, sit and enjoy your watching.
Navigation through smart tv menus, settings, and app management entirely depends on the brand or model of your smart tv, just like different smartphones have different ways to access things.
Higher models of smart tv provide more additional feature such as screen sharing, Miracast to make your viewing better, this feature allows you to share your smartphone or tablet screen with your smart tv and enjoy watching your smartphone or tablet contents on a big screen smart tv, these feature names sometimes vary depending on a manufacturer like Samsung has same feature names as SmartView and LG named it a smart share.
Some manufacturers even add a feature where you can reverse this order, meaning share your smart tv screen to your smartphone or tablet so that you can enjoy your shows on your phone screen even if you are away from the TV.
What Services Can You Enjoy with your Smart TVs?
We all know the capability or limitation of a regular tv, but with an internet connection, what smart TV’s capabilities are?
A few years back, the Internet was expensive, and streaming services are not famous or developed. If we talk about that time, then there were no enormous benefits of a smart tv with an internet connection.
But in 2020, most people are aware of countless video audio streaming apps, such as Netflix, Amazon, Hotstar Disney+, YouTube Tv, Hulu, and many more. And these apps are also available for smart tv.
Just like you download these apps on your smartphone. You can also download these apps for your smart tv from the smart tv app store and enjoy their video contents directly by accessing these apps.
You can enjoy these services along with your existing cable connection. Also, whenever you want, you can browse the Internet on your smart tv well, not an easy task with smart tv, but you can also check your Facebook in smart tv’s web browser if you want.
I would personally suggest you discontinue your existing cable connection and enjoy smart tv with these online streaming services and internet channel apps. However, you still must pay for your Wi-Fi.
Nowadays, smart TV’s are also compatible with voice assistance like google assistance or Amazon Alexa. The inbuilt functionality makes you smart tv also a smart TV. You can give commands using mic built into the remote or a rugged tv microphone some smart tv also comes with smart home protocols that will help you control other smart devices around your home with your smart tv.
These TVs also have some casual games which you can enjoy in your free time. These games are not like PlayStation or Xbox console-like games, but you will enjoy playing them, and these TV’s can receive firmware updates and introduce new features or games with a firmware update.
Should you Buy a Smart TV if you Do not have the Internet?
If you ask me my answer will be Yes, there are many reasons you should buy a smart tv. It does not matter if you have an internet connection or can use it as regular tv if you want.
The main reason you should buy a smart tv is that the regular TVs are outdated, more peoples are considering you buy a smart tv over regular tv and manufacturers have noticed it. In the future, smart tv is what will available in the market, and soon the coast of smart tv costs will also decrease. So, buying a regular tv over a smart tv at this time will not be the right decision.
And smart TVs have a lot more features than regular TVs, such as a higher number of HDMI ports, inbuilt casual games, etc.
The biggest reason to choose smart tv over a regular tv is that manufacturers focus more on smart tv and upgrading it in terms of hardware and software. Sooner or later, they will discontinue making regular TV. Eventually, you will have to buy a smart tv, so why not now.
Limitations and Extra Costs to Keep in Mind
Smart tv is what is in trends these days, but there are some things to consider before buying a smart tv.
Smart tv provides many free channels and other services using the Internet, but most online content and services come with a monthly subscription or pay per view fee. These can be more costly than an existing cable connection, but you can also pay for what you want.
Services and features highly depend on smart tv models. Many brand brands provide access to core services like online video streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Videos. Still, it’s unnecessary to access all the features and channels.
Concerns While Using a Smart TV with no Internet Connection
When using a smart TV with no internet, there are only a few issues worth considering.
Compared to regular TV, smart tv costs $100 more on average, but the cost decreases every year.
But the main concern is to do with your Smart tv performance; manufacturers release firmware updates to fix bugs and introduce new features, which increase your smart tv performance. But without the Internet, you will not get any update.
The Bottom Line
So, yes, you can use a smart tv if you do not have an internet connection. But you will not be able to use it to its full potential.
Smart tv has a high-quality viewing experience, which has nothing to do with an internet connection. You will notice a better picture quality on smart tv and more HDMI port, helping you connect more devices to your tv.
But if you want to use your smart tv’s smart aspects or use an online video streaming service, you will surely need an internet connection
