As the popularity of digital streaming and services such as Netflix continues to increase, the need to have a ‘Smart TV’ seems to get greater and greater. Unless you are happy watching these shows on a small computer screen or on a portable device, it is vital that you get your TV connected to the outside world!
If your TV isn’t quite as smart as it should be this can seem like a fruitless task. However, worry not, in this guide we will show you a ton of ways to turn your average TV into one at the top of its class!
How To Turn My TV Into A Smart TV And Access The Internet
Plug In A Wifi Adapter For Your Smart TV
If you have a compatible TV, you can access the internet and all the streaming goodies on it, by simply connecting a wifi adapter to your TV.
Samsung, LG, and other TV brands sell adapters that allow your TV to connect to your wireless network which can give you access to programs on the internet, as well as give the option to stream movies from your phone or your tablet.
This means that next time you take a video of a trip or a performance you have been to on your smartphone or smart camera, you will be able to stream it straight from your phone to your TV.
Generally, these adapters will only work with TVs that they have been made for, so there is no point in buying one and simply hoping that it will turn your TV into a smart one without checking compatibility first.
And of course, if your TV isn’t compatible with these devices, then you can always try one of our other solutions below.
Use Your HDMI Port To Create A Smart TV With Chromecast or Amazon Fire
Chromecast and Amazon Fire are simple devices that can turn any TV with an HDMI slot into a smart TV.
These fairly affordable devices simply go into the slot where your HDMI cable would go and give you access to a whole range of apps and online TV shows. Services like Youtube, Netflix and Hulu have dedicated apps that are built to work with the Chromecast, although you can stream pretty anything directly from the browser of your phone or computer.
All you need to use a Chromecast or Amazon Fire stick to turn your TV into a smart TV is the device itself, a phone or computer to stream from, and a spare HDMI spot on your TV.
Plug In A Streaming Media Player
Buying a media player such as a Roku player and connecting it to your TV can be a great way to get smart TV features on your non-smart TV. Like with a Chromecast, a media player will simply slot into your TV’s HDMI cable and stream whatever is playing on the device onto your TV.
Roku Streaming Stick (3600R)
Also like the Chromecast, it doesn’t actually use your TV to connect to the internet, instead it uses apps on the media player itself to stream content onto your TV.
As such, when looking to buy a media player, it is best to check out exactly which apps and services are available on the player you are buying before splashing out.
Connect Your Laptop/Computer
Connecting your laptop or computer to your TV can be one of the easiest ways to watch shows from the internet on your TV. This is because, to use this method, all you need is a computer and an HDMI cable.
While computers have their own screen already, your TV may well have a much bigger one that can give you a much better viewing experience.
To watch things from your computer on your TV, you simply need to connect the two devices via an HDMI cable to show whatever is on your computer screen on your TV.
Computers are generally compatible with pretty much every streaming service out there, and they also often have hefty hard drives capable of storing numerous movies and TV shows that can be watched on your TV making them perfect for this job.
As well as this, programs like Plex or Kodi can be installed on one of your PCs and used to access your media on any of your devices. These programs can be installed and used on a range of devices including computers, Android TV, and even games consoles.
The Matricom G-Box works with Kodi
Got A Games Console?
Our final way of turning a normal TV into a smart TV is by using a games console. Most games consoles nowadays (Xbox One & PS4 etc) connect to the internet and often act more as a home entertainment device rather than just a games console. As such, they can be the perfect way to connect your TV to the internet.
Youtube, Netflix and Hulu all have apps available on the latest games consoles which give you a vast number of potential TV shows to watch on you TV. As consoles are pretty powerful and designed to be used with a TV, they also often offer a very good user experience when it comes to watching online shows.
The only downside to this method is that if you don’t already have a games console, they can be quite expensive to buy when compared to other devices on this list. When compared to the price of a Chromecast, a new games console seems like a much scarier investment. As such, they are only really useful if you plan on using the console to play games as well as stream media.
Turning TV Into Smart TV - In Conclusion
If you are looking for a way to upgrade your TV, we hope that one of the methods on the list will help you out.
From simply, connecting your existing computer up to your TV, to buying a dedicated streaming device, these methods are all fairly simple and will work with most modern TVs and allow you to get the most from the vast array of streamable content online.
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