Convert your idiot box into a smart TV with inexpensive streaming devices

You can use easy to set-up devices starting at Rs 2,399

Smart televisions (Smart TV) are in vogue. Everyone wants one. After all, you can watch television, access the internet, work on it and the smart ones can do wonders with such gadgets.

But do you really need to spend on a Smart TV? Don’t spend money buying an expensive Smart TV. Instead, opt for an affordable LED set and convert it into a Smart TV using inexpensive streaming devices. You will not only save cost but also get better features and interfaces with devices that can stream internet on your set. The minimum difference between a regular LED set and a Smart TV is Rs 4,000 for a similar-sized model. And as the size and functionalities increase, the cost difference can be significant — over Rs 20,000.

A Smart TV is essentially the one which is connected to the internet. Options to convert your regular set into a Smart TV are aplenty. You can convert the existing device in to a Smart TV by spending anywhere from Rs 2,399 to Rs 13,500.

Issues with Smart TVs:  As many manufacturers use their own operating system, some sets offer only handful of apps that are rarely updated. The lower-priced models may not let you stream popular platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, online music etc. “Many proprietary operating systems that power smart TVs may not be as intuitively designed, or have adequate app support as Apple or Google's offerings. If a person is buying a smart TV, he should opt for the one that runs Android,” says Rohan Naravane, an independent technology reviewer.

Cheaper sticks, expensive boxes: To convert your set into a smart TV, you can choose between two kinds of devices — a simple streaming stick or media players. Explains Abhijeet Mukherjee, Founder of personal technology blog Guidingtech.com: a cheaper streaming device acts as a medium to bring content from another device (mobile or computer) to the TV. They are small, light-weight and set up quickly. But the streaming can be erratic as it uses a Wi-Fi. They also don’t have any storage.

Streaming boxes have full-fledged interfaces and apps with the ability to shop for music and movies, play games and more. They come with remote control and have a built-in storage. You can directly plug the internet cable in their Ethernet ports for better connectivity and don’t need a smartphone or computer to operate it. But they are bulkier than “sticks” and also costlier.

Cheap yet feature-rich: Most tech experts prefer Google’s Chromecast 2, costs Rs 3,399, for its pricing, features and ease of use.  “It's the easiest way to mirror (beam) your Android smartphone or tablet to your TV,” says Raju PP, who runs a personal tech blog Techpp.com. Setting up is a breeze. A cheaper alternative is Teewe 2 that has similar functionality and costs Rs 2,399. But it’s evolving and not as good as Chromecast 2. Tech experts says that it cannot stream apps like Netflix or Hotstar. You need the company’s app to operate it.

Smart set-top boxes: Direct-to-home or DTH operators are all set to launch set-top boxes that have an in-built Chromecast. On Wednesday, Airtel recently introduced Internet TV, a set-top box that does all that Chromecast can, and also has provision to connect a pen drive to record shows. The Bluetooth-enabled remote comes with Google Voice Search. It has bundled offer where a customer can buy it for Rs 4,999 and get subscription for all channels (including HD), for three months or pay 7,999 for annual subscription. There are talks that competitors would also soon unveil similar devices.

Affordable box: Priced at Rs 6,500, Amkette EvoTV2 can play content in 4K resolution. It's one of the best options if you want to stream locally stored multimedia on TV. It runs apps such as Netflix, Hotstar and Amazon Prime Video. “The user interface isn't the best and there are occasional crashes but when it works, it works great,” says Raju.

Best for Apple users: Apple TV is easy to setup but costliest among all devices at Rs 13,500. It works out to be the best option if you already own an iPhone, iPad or Mac. Not advisable for windows or Android users. You can use Apple devices to beam content on the TV. There are plenty of iOS applications and games available on the device and it also supports Siri. You can also access your media on iCloud and play it on the TV.

Create your own minicomputer: If you are tech savvy, you can opt for Raspberry Pi 3 that costs Rs 3,000. But it’s a bare motherboard. You need spend extra to make it fully functional. A cases can cost another Rs 300-350. A Bluetooth keyboard and mouse would come for Rs 1,350 and a 32GB memory card for Rs 900. The total would work out to be Rs 5,600. It then becomes a low-cost low-power computer that lets the user do everything he can on a mobile phone or a computer. There are additional hardware modules that you can add to increase its functionality such as adding a camera for video chats. You can also load different operating systems (OS) on it, if you don’t like the original OS Raspbian. You need to know some programming and need to read or watch tutorials to make it fully functional.

Don’t go for cheaper alternatives of Chromecast 2. They have bugs and keep crashing. Also, avoid buying devices from abroad as you might not get support for them in India.