The Pro's and Con's of: buying a "Smart TV"

If any of you follow my technological meanderings, you'll know I also write about technology for Toronto-based Notable.ca, the website run by - and made for - young professionals. Last week I posted about my time using a monstrous 80" Smart TV from Sharp and it had me thinking: rather than regurgitating my work, site to site, why not take some of my posts on other sites and turn them into something creative here? So I am. Starting today, I am going to write a quick, easy to use, pros and cons post focused on emerging and innovative technologies that I get to spend time with.  Something you can use as a cheat sheet; print it out and take with you the next time you're shopping for said product. 

So, let's hope right into it: the pros and cons of buying a "Smart TV"

Smart TV's are all the rage right now. Everywhere you go, be it retail stores or home-focused tradeshows, each company is pushing their own iteration of what they consider to be smart and why it's better than the competition. But, is "Smart" really as smart as you're expecting when dropping several thousand on the TV?

Let's take a look at a few stand out prose and cons of owning a Smart TV:

The Pros:

- Eradicates the need for Apple TV or other third party streaming services: all Smart TV's have native access to Netflix, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and most other social media services.

- Looks great in the living room (size permitting, obviously), media room, or boardroom 

- High pixel density of LCD allows for comfortable viewing from even the closest of distances (it's recommended that viewers watch from 1.2 meters away minimum).

- Split screen mode enables the TV for use as a computer monitor as well, perfect for mutli-tasking

The Cons:

- 'Smart' isn't defined very clearly; the TV's are hard to get adjusted to and are not intuitive. Smart insinuates that the hardware learns from your usage and adjusts itself to make life easier; Smart TV's do not do this. 

- Menus are clunky and not the easiest to navigate through... even for mundane tasks as connecting the TV to WiFi. There are just too many steps. 

- Pricing; TV's, akin to other forms of technology, get old fast. Often it's hard to justify spending over a few thousand dollars for a TV that will be outdated within months of launch.

Overall: the need comes down to personal preference and budget, and of course, actual need. Do your research and due-diligence before taking the plunge!

Comments

[Jonathan]

I think you missed the point on what makes a Smart TV smart. It's the TV's ability to access web empowered services and a convergence between computers and traditional (dumb) displays.

These "pros" you listed have nothing to do with this:

- Looks good?

- Higher Pixel Density?

Also, your point about the TV being outdated a few months after launch is faulty in two regards:

First, TVs don't stop being able to run the latest video or gaming content after a new version is released. If you purchased a 1080p TV 5 years ago it's still totally capable of handling ANY content thrown its way. It's about keeping up with the Benjamin's more than being able to do stuff.

Second, a Smart TV is by its very nature is software oriented, which means it can be upgraded without throwing the baby out with the bath water. Even manufactures like Samsung are making the computer part more module so you can upgrade that portion to run more powerful apps.

I think this article could be more constructive if you mentioned how non-TV vendors are making peripherals that turn TVs smart. For example: the Chrome Cast, Apple TV, XBox, Rokue, or etc... What would be the point of paying extra money for a smart TV when you can get these items for a fraction of the cost.