Smart tv,s

[Geoman]

Quick ? I was going to stream English tv through a kindle hdmi lead, if I bought a smart tv would this work just as well I,m not technically minded & would this be pretty easy to set up.

[Allan]

Quick ? I was going to stream English tv through a kindle hdmi lead, if I bought a smart tv would this work just as well I,m not technically minded & would this be pretty easy to set up.

Smart TVs are the most inappropriately named devices around.
As far as I know only Samsung lets you run ITV player.
To run Filmon you need a decent web browser on the Smart TV and it is fairly useless without a wireless mouse.

Most industry experts reckon that smart TVs will die out through the lack of standardisation - software writers aren't going to keep writing apps every time a new smart TV comes out.

There are plenty of better ways of watching UK TV

[Geoman]

I was just thinking that it would save setting up a kindle or tablet for streaming.

[Sue]

I have said this before. We have an ordinary tv + an Android stick from Intermarche (59€) + wifi mouse from ebay UK (around £10). Filmon brilliant.

[Geoman]

So where does the android stick go?

[Sue]

We have us ours into the tv USB port. It can go into a socket but then you have a trailing cable.

[Geoman]

Problem there, I don't have laptop, I have an ipad so no USB ports that's why I was going to use kindle with hdmi cable & just stream straight from net on wi fi.

[Sue]

Not a laptop USB port. Does your tv have a USB port. It goes into the tv you dont need a laptop, ipad, kindle or any other similar item.

[Allan]

The USB port that Sue is referring to is simply to provide power. Android sticks plug into an HDMI connector on a TV but they need to be powered, some TVs have USB ports that can be used but android sticks normally come with a USB power supply that you just plug in.

Android sticks are simply cut down versions of Android TV boxes.

If you have an iPad you can connect it to your TV with a cable that Apple sell, or wirelessly using an Apple TV box.

You don't say if you already have a smart TV or are considering buying one, if you have one then what make/ model is it?

UK TV can be watched live through a service called Filmon. If you want to watch catch-up TV then you need equipment that is capable of running the various applications and a service that gets around the UK only restrictions

[Sue]

Allan we are buying a new tv and were contemplating a Smart tv. We do not want catch up tv just Filmon. Is there any specific make we should or shouldnt be looking at.

[Allan]

Allan we are buying a new tv and were contemplating a Smart tv. We do not want catch up tv just Filmon. Is there any specific make we should or shouldnt be looking at.

Samsung are by a long way the leaders in smart TV. Filmon works on every model that I have tried.

I must stress however that Smart TVs are generally a disappointment and you will probably revert to your Android stick.

Filmon works through a web browser and is difficult to use with a TV remote control a wireless mouse is pretty essential.

Having said all that, a whole new set of TVs were launched earlier this year with Android built in which may well make them more usable. I don't know if any are yet available but even if they are, it is unlikely that they will do any more than an Android TV box or stick. The gain will most likely be that you will only need one remote.

[Sue]

We have a couple of wireless remotes so that is not a problem. Just dithering which tv to get.

[Geoman]

It was a Samsung I was looking at the tv we have now was bought from Noah when he sold his ark. My sister in Conflont watches her tv through a cheap kindle can't remember what service she uses but can remember her saying she doesn't pay a penny other than her broadband costs.

[Allan]

It was a Samsung I was looking at the tv we have now was bought from Noah when he sold his ark. My sister in Conflont watches her tv through a cheap kindle can't remember what service she uses but can remember her saying she doesn't pay a penny other than her broadband costs.

She is almost certainly using Filmon. The Kindle Fire runs the Android operating system which has an App for filmon. You can run the same app on an Android TV box or stick for less money than a Kindle Fire and have a remote control to operate it with.

Or use your iPad with a cable or Apple TV box.

Or you can just use the web browser on a Samsung Smart TV but as I said in an earlier post, it isn't very good.

[montgolfiere]

'Dylan', are you watching via a 'Google' app or through XBMC?
Also are you watching in HD or SD?

[Sue]

Google app SD

[montgolfiere]

I don't know if it is possible on your Android Stick to install XBMC, but if so, there are a couple of addons that allow the HD Streaming of Filmon without any Subscription: Of course this does require a slightly better download speed than for SD Streaming.

[Sue]

Thanks Montgolfiere. I say we have SD but we arent getting bombarded with ads. Obviously if we are on an ITV based channels then we get the norm but we can watch a whole programme on BBC and get none. We can also record. Its all very strange but I'm not complaining!!

[montgolfiere]

i think you are well set up!!!
if it ain't broke don't fix it as they say.....