It seems like just about every other week a new type of TV hits the market. There are curved TVs, 4K TVs, and even OLED TVs. But as more and more buyers become interested in these premium models, cheaper smart TVs are starting to lose their appeal. So what exactly makes a smart TV so special? And are there any disadvantages to consider before making a purchase? In this blog post, we'll take a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of Smart TV.
With advancements in technology, the latest TV has become ‘smart' to provide users precise entertainment. The support for the internet has opened vast possibilities for the things you can do on a smart TV.
The thing is, like every coin has two sides, with so many benefits, a smart TV has its disadvantages too.
Let us discuss the advantages of smart TV and further how it can be disastrous for you.
Advantages of Smart TV
The primary objective of a TV is to provide entertainment and infotainment. Smart TV lets you enjoy TV in more advanced ways.
Here are the top advantages of getting a smart TV:
Mirroring and Casting your Phone
Many people like to enjoy mobile games and apps on a larger screen for a clearer and more comfortable view. For that, they mirror their phones with a laptop or computer system. However, with smart TV, you can get an even more precise view and many more options when you mirror or cast your smartphones with it. Since smart TV supports the internet, casting has been relatively straightforward on a smart TV.
Internet Support
The feature that makes Smart TV ‘smart' is the internet support. With smart TV supporting the internet, you can browse your favorite websites, social media channels, streaming sites, etc. all on your TV. The good thing is, you do not require any external device such as a dongle to connect to the internet. Smart TV supports the WiFi connection for internet access. Like on your phone, you can download and install the apps and games on your smart TV and enjoy the next level of entertainment.
Streaming Service on Bigger Screen
Streaming Services are the next big thing in the entertainment sector. With the ongoing global pandemic of COVID-19, the cinemas are mostly OFF. With that, the movies are released on OTT platforms, and hence the popularity of these services is sky-high. People are now enjoying their favorite TV series, movies, and shows with their families, and smart TV has been the most significant support. Smart TVs let you run streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar, etc. on a bigger screen. In fact, the majority of the people who buy a smart TV particularly buy it for running online shows and movies. Most smart TV doesn't even require a Chromecast or Fire TV stick for running the streaming services.
Voice Assistant
One of the best parts of a smart TV is they support the voice assistant. You don't have to take the trouble of navigating to any channel or app to open it. Usually, for voice control, there is a mic on the remote control of the smart TV. You can direct the TV to whatever you want to play using voice commands. With the voice assistant, you can also search for the contents.
Access to Huge Content on Demand
With a smart TV, you have access to a large number of TV channels and other content compared to traditional TV. And another advantage is that you don't fear missing out on a scheduled episode of a show, unlike on conventional TV. You can watch any channel or movie for which you have subscribed at any time you like to.
Better Gaming Experience
With a smart TV, you get a bigger screen, better resolution, and more soothing colors that are perfectly suitable for playing high-definition games. Especially while playing multiplayer games like FIFA, a smart TV can be bliss.
Safety Feature for Eyes
The main complaint with traditional TV is it does not provide any measure for eye protection and can be hazardous to health. The majority of people suffer from eye strain and weak eyesight because of no protection. The smart TV has come up with a solution with a feature called Eye Safe-T Matrix that keeps your eyes safe from any kind of harm. This technology gives you a safer visual experience with surety.
Also Read: Best Live TV Apps for Android in India
Disadvantages of Smart TV
Coming to the disadvantages, the smart TV has good numbers in that too. Let us check them out.
Privacy Risks
Anything with internet support is a potential privacy risk, and smart TVs are no different. Smart TV manufacturers are the biggest privacy offenders. Almost every smart TV uses automatic content recognition (ACR) to keep track of your watching habits. This information is often used to show you relevant content, but majorly your private information is shared with the marketing giants so that they can bombard you with the targeted ads. Even the FBI has warned about the privacy risks of the smart TV.
If you wonder how smart TV collects your private information, it is from the inbuilt mic and webcam, which are primarily used for voice assistant and video calls, respectively. It means whatever you speak while connected to the smart TV can be recorded for providing you with optimized content and ads.
Not Frequently Updated
Another significant disadvantage of smart TVs is they very rarely get updated. Unlike your smartphones or PC, providing new updates for smart TV is a bit difficult. Hackers and cybercriminals take advantage of this loophole and can breach your outdated smart TV through the network. Once they take control of your TV, they can do many things like spying on you through webcam and mic, change the channels or increase the volume while you are watching, and steal your private information such as the login credentials of the streaming services.
Lack of ‘Smart' User Interface
Unlike the interface of your phone and PC, the interface of the smart TV is complicated and tedious. And adding to that, you don't get a keyboard for the searching purpose. If you disable the voice command feature because of privacy issues, it would be tiresome for you to search for your favorite shows and movies using the remote control.
Smart TV can Crash or Hang
Just like your computers and smartphones, a smart TV can also become sluggish and crash. Adding more misery, unlike PC and phones, smart TVs often won't recover from the crash after a restart.
Risk of Malware Attacks
As smart TV runs through the internet, obviously, it is not deprived of a malware attack. Like your phone and laptops, a smart TV can also get infected with malware and corrupt it. Cybercriminals can hijack your smart TV by silently introducing malware to it through the network.
Should I buy a Smart TV?
Why not? Every good thing comes with a drawback; for gaining something, you have to lose something. In the case of smart TV, for earning advanced entertainment, you may have to lose a bit of your privacy. Though you can minimize and control the data tracking from the settings, it can't be entirely stopped. For better privacy and security, it is recommended to go for the branded and trusted manufacturer.
