How To Use Netflix Without A Smart TV
Netflix continues to grow in popularity with an estimated 37% of internet users subscribed to its service. With the wide variety of movie genres and TV series available for streaming, Netflix continues to gain more positive reviews from its subscribers.
Netflix can be streamed via smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, laptops, personal computers, game consoles, and streaming media players. Most people prefer to stream movies to their TV, even if you dont have a smart TV, you can still stream Netflix with other internet-enabled devices.
There are many ways to do it. You can simply connect your laptop to the TV and stream Netflix via a web browser, or hook up your phone to the TV. For a more complicated setup, you can stream Netflix on your TV if you have an internet-ready Blu-ray player or another video component, such as Roku.
This article will explain some of the easiest solutions to watch Netflix without a Smart TV.
Which Smart TV Is The Easiest To Use
When it comes to ease of use, the LG webOS Smart TV has been widely considered the easiest.
Not only does it have an excellent OLED display and Dolby Atmos sound system, but it also provided easy navigation from different apps. It also boasts of a simple and clean interface, putting apps in a single row at the bottom of the screen.
The user experience is superb, as it is easy to find your apps, without worrying if an app was misplaced in another menu.
Can You Surf The Web On A Smart TV
Most smart TVs let you go online, and will include a web browser among the preinstalled apps that come with the TV. These browsers may not be exactly like the desktop web browsers you’re familiar with, but they are both compatible with all the HTML standards that websites use and able to convert and display those sites properly on a big screen.
Browsing the web on your TV can be a bit of a challenge, though. Unless you can add on a wireless keyboard , you’ll be using your remote control buttons or voice-interaction to navigate to websites, and neither is a particularly comfortable or intuitive way to surf the web.
Web browsers are also getting harder to find on smart TVs, as the ecosystem of connected apps grows to provide an experience better tailored to the TV.
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Can You Convert Your Regular TV To A Smart TV
You cannot convert a regular TV into a Smart TV, but you can attach a digital media player or streaming stick to give it Smart TV characteristics.
Many people who dont have a Smart TV use gaming consoles attached to their TVs such as Playstation or Xbox to access sites like YouTube, Netflix, or Hulu.;These digital media players and gaming consoles are connected via HDMI and have an operating system like Smart TVs.
These devices also have app stores where you can find apps that you want to use.
Like a Smart TV, these devices also need a connection to the Internet for you to stream media. They also come in two form-factors: a set-top box, or stick, which is similar to a USB flash drive.
The most popular digital media players in the market now are the Roku stick, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV Stick, and Apple TV.
Can Smart TVs Spy On You
Using a smart TV may result in privacy issues. Smart TVs and/or the content app providers usually track your viewing habits to provide you with viewing suggestions. For example, every time you log into Netflix, the menu shows what you’ve watched recently, as well as updated suggestions for related movies or programs that you might like based on your ‘watched recently’ list.
You might think that this type of tracking is a good thing because it cuts search time for movies or programs to watch, but a smart TV might be doing more than just track your viewing habits. If your smart TV has a webcam or voice control, there is a possibility that someone could hack in and see/hear you. Also, any credit card purchases you make using your TV might be trackable by third parties. If your voice control or webcam is on, don’t say or do anything that you wouldn’t do or say in publicâand be cautious with your online credit card purchases.
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Does A Smart TV Work Without Wifi Or Internet
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I recently sold my old TV and bought a brand new Smart TV for myself.
I was amazed by features like voice-control and even online streaming, which seemed to be straight out of a Sci-Fi flick.
But my internet connection rained on my parade and went down for the rest of the day.
I couldnt use any of those features Id been excited to try out.
Thankfully, I still had my cable connection for my old TV.;
I didnt want to be caught unprepared again, so I decided to do some research online about what you could do with a Smart TV that wasnt on its own.
When I got back online eventually, I did as much research as I could, and compiled what Id learned in this comprehensive article.
Smart TVs Can Work Without Internet, but only as regular TVs. You cant access any services that require the internet, such as streaming platforms, voice assistants, or app downloads.
The Wireless Option Connect Over Your Home Wi
Most new Smart TVs are Wi-Fi-enabled, meaning they have a wireless adapter built-in. Connecting to the web takes just a few minutes but this option works best when your TV is in the same room as the router.
Benefits of a wireless connection
- There are no trailing wires perfect for keeping your living room uncluttered
- You have the freedom to place your TV anywhere in your living room, which makes it the best option for wall-mounting
- It’s incredibly simple to set up simply press a few buttons on your TV remote
How to connect
- Hit the Menu button on your TV remote
- Choose the Network Settings option then Set up a wireless connection
- Select the wireless network name for your home Wi-Fi
- Type your Wi-Fi password using your remotes button.
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What To Look For When Buying A Smart TV
Given the prevalence of smart TVs, you could argue this pretty much encompasses all TVs. But thats a bit simplistic, so were going to take a dive into smart TV platforms, which differ from brand to brand, and what you should look out for in any online reviews you read.
The first is the platforms ease-of-use, since youll want your telly watching to be as smooth and intuitive as possible. A lot of this boils down to the algorithms of the platform, which takes note of the content youve watched and will show similar shows or movies it thinks you will enjoy.
Then theres the effect processing power disparity, which will differ across the brands televisions. So while a platform can run ultra-smoothly on high-end TVs with more powerful processors, it might freeze and judder a little on cheaper sets.
You should also look out to see if voice control is included. This might sound a little frivolous after all, youre already sitting with your feet up with a remote control in your hand. But anyone who owns a smart speaker will know that once youve barked a few orders at a voice assistant, you soon get very used to it. Via the smart platform, you can potentially ask your TV to read the news, tell you the weather and integrate it with other smart devices around your homes.
Is It Worth It
Theres no harm trying to connect your computer to a TV you already own to see if it works for you. Go for it!
Our advice varies if youre shopping though. If youre looking to get the best bang for your buck, an HDTV isnt necessarily going to save you money over a monitor. In fact, if youre purchasing a new display, I recommend sticking with the tried-and-true computer monitor. For one thing, smaller, cheaper HDTVs are typically 720p resolution, not 1080p, while similarly priced monitors will almost always be 1080p. So if youre looking for something under 27 inches, an HDTV will probably be more expensive and lower-resolution.
These lower-priced 1080p monitors often support AMDs FreeSync adaptive sync technology as well, which can help your games look buttery smooth. You wont find that in a cheap TV.;
If youre looking for something larger than 27 inches, remember that pixel density decreases significantly with every few inches you gain, and theres a reason HDTV-makers suggest sitting several feet away from their displays. If you need a display that will multitask as an up-close work/email display as well as a movie/entertainment display, youll want something with a high enough pixel density that text wont be a pain to readand even with a high pixel density, a large display may still cause eye and neck strain if you sit too close to it.
There is an ideal situation in which the HDTV-as-monitor shines, though.
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What Is Smart Iptv
Smart IPTV is also called as SIPTV. This is a media content streaming application, which is specifically designed to help and support the people who are willing to enjoy content with an electronic programming guide or EPG. It will deliver convenient access to you on numerous IPTV channels as well. However, you need to note that app is not having ownership of any of the IPTV channels. Instead, you will be using the app only to enjoy the content shared by different vendors.
You should purchase your IPTV subscription separately. Then you can use the app to enjoy the IPTV content that is shared on your screen with this. You can load all the channels into the app interface through the M3U file that is shared by the vendor.
What Kinds Of Interactive Applications
Depending on the content, interactive applications are the following:
- Built-in media player
- Built-in DLNA-server / client
- Services “video on demand”
- Services “after the ether”
- Customers services streaming video
- Music services
- Topical application
- Cloud services
As you can see, the “smart” TV contains a lot of entertainment applications, where you will find the movies and TV shows, music, games, or simply a means to visit social networking sites.
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What Sets Smart TVs Apart
What differentiates a smart TV from an ordinary TV is its ability to connect to the internet.
You do this either with Wi-Fi or through an Ethernet connection on the rear of your TV.
Connecting to the internet enables your smart TV to use various streaming services for the big screen experience.
As a result, it is a good alternative to regular old cable.
Nowadays, however it is possible to get these features on a regular old TV by converting it to a Smart TV using devices that connect to them through HDMI.
Another feature that internet connectivity offers is voice control.
With Assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant, you can turn on your TV, manage volume, and have full control over its features with voice commands.;
Some Smart TVs also incorporate smart home protocols so that you can control the various smart devices in your home from your TV itself
But remember, internet connection is a necessity for all of these features.
On its own, however, your Smart TV will be little more than a regular TV. ;
How Do I Make My Dumb TV A Smart TV
Simply plug in an or into your dumb TV, connect those devices to your Wi-Fi Network and use a Smartphone, Tablet, Laptop or their remotes to stream Music and Videos to your now Smart TV. You can also use something like Miracast which mirrors your mobile device onto your TV and that only requires an additional HDMI cable.
There are many alternatives to the Google Chromecast and , one of these being the Roku Express or Now TV Smart Stick. But I tend to stick with the more well-known devices. The Roku will likely have more apps available and can certainly add third-party devices but this can be a security risk.
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Work More Comfortably From Home
In addition to offering a range of options to help keep users active and entertained at home, Samsung Smart TVs make it that much easier to stay productive when its time to get to work.
In 2019, Samsung introduced its exclusive Remote Access feature. Available on the companys latest Smart TVs, it allows users to remotely access and manage their personal computer through their TV, regardless of their PCs location.5
Remote Access also offers a wide variety of cloud-based documentation services that can make it easier for students to continue studying at home. They can even use a web browser to view online courses and live lectures on their TVs spacious screen, so they wont miss a single note or detail.
Remote Access also comes equipped with Wi-Fi Direct, which facilitates seamless screen sharing between TVs and PCs, mobile phones and tablets. This versatile feature opens the door for users to enjoy a wide range of content on their TVs larger screen.
Smart TVs Have Inefficient Interfaces
Smart functionality requires a suitable interface. Smartphones and computers are great because they both support two important input methods: typing and pointing. Smart TVs are terrible at both, and this can lead to a lot of frustration.
When you want to sit down and watch something on a smart TV, it’s actually a lot more work than you’d expect. It’s not overwhelming, but makes what should be a fun experience inconvenient at best.
One major example is when you want to search for a particular TV show or movie on a streaming service. With a regular TV remote, typing is a hair-pulling affair that could take up to a dozen button presses per letter typed. While most smart TVs have microphone support, the stock solution is often spotty.
On the other hand, most streaming boxes come with remotes that have superior voice assistants. Some of them also have mobile TV remote apps, which support typing out your searches on a smartphone or tablet.
And that’s only one issue. Many smart TVs are plagued with generally poor interfaces that take a lot of button presses to get anywhere and hide important settings where you might miss them. Even the remote control can be confusing, hiding some functions behind colors or letters that aren’t at all clear.
If you have an older smart TV that no longer receives updates, you could be stuck with these poor interfaces for a long time.
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Can I Use My Smart TV With Amazon Alexa Or Google Home
The biggest trend in smart home technology is the smart speaker, a speaker with built in microphone and hardware to run a voice-enabled assistant. Amazon made the first big splash here with the and other Alexa-enabled devices, but Google’s own Google Assistant has made strides in products like the . And Apple’s HomePod puts Siri into a similar form factor.
The great news is that these devices will usually work with most smart TVs, and compatibility is improving all the time as new software updates add capability to existing smart TVs. As it stands, all of the major TV manufacturers have smart speaker compatibility with at least one of the three main smart assistant platforms . These options often require using an additional device, such as a smart speaker or mobile device, but it will give you a way to control your TV and smart devices with the convenience of simple speech.
Many of the smart TVs on the market now have these voice assistants built in. Google Assistant can be found in Android TVs from Sony and Hisense. Amazon Alexa is now offered Amazon Fire Edition TVs as well, and Sony has announced compatibility with a new Amazon Alexa app for Android TV. Even better, smart TVs from LG and Samsung now have both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa built in.
Can You Use A Smart TV Without The Internet
By: Author Jonah Matthes
Its estimated that one out of every three homes has a smart TV, for example. However, not everyone has access to a Wi-Fi connection which may pose a problem. So does this mean that all you get is a blank screen when the TVs turned on or if its not receiving an internet signal? In other words, it is even possible to use a Smart TV without the internet?
You can use a smart TV without the internet but its harder to access the content you want, especially from streaming applications that wont work without a connection.Additionally, there are other features youll miss that you should know about, should you try and operate a Smart TV without Wi-Fi.
As it was just noted, you can use a smart TV without internet but youll miss out on some of its features and capabilities. If you are using a smart TV and dont have Wi-Fi, pay attention to what has been written below, because youll get a better idea of what it can and cannot do without Wi-Fi, including download apps, and receive firmware updates among other features.
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