How to make Smart TV out of a regular TV?

You don't have to buy an expensive new device to take full advantage of smart TV. In this article, we will tell you how to make a Smart TV out of a regular old TV, what you need for this, how to connect and configure the device.

These devices allow you to make a "smart" TV out of an ordinary TV. The advantages of this solution are the low price of the device and ease of connection. If necessary, it is possible to replace the attachment with a more powerful one. Which, by the way, cannot be done on a ready-made Smart TV. There are 2 types of such set-top boxes - Smart TV Stick and Smart TV Box. Their main difference is processor power. If the TV Stick can only play video and access the Internet, then the TV Box is equipped with more productive hardware, you can not only watch streaming video on it, but also run simple games. As a result, the price of such set-top boxes is higher, and the size of the case is larger. These devices have all the functionality of Android and iOS. With their help you can:

• play streaming video;
• watch email;
• surf the internet;
• chat with friends on social networks;
• download games and applications through the Play Market or App Store;
• play simple games;
• listen to music and more.

When choosing, be guided by the principle of reasonable sufficiency, namely, choose the necessary functionality at the lowest cost.

• Smart TV Stick worth buying if you only plan to watch movies and use a browser. This device will not run most applications, especially resource-intensive ones. The TV Stick is the perfect choice to find out if you need a smart TV at all. On average, these devices cost no more than $ 50 - $ 70.
• Smart TV Box can replace a personal computer (within reasonable limits). Its capabilities are enough to work with applications and play high-quality video in 4K resolution. The TV Box is a good choice if you need a multi-functional device for working with media content.

The most popular TV Box models are Xiaomi Mi Box, Nvidia Shield TV and Apple TV 4. The gadget from Apple is more expensive, but also has the highest performance. Its remote control has a built-in gyroscope, which allows it to be used as a controller for casual games. These consoles are connected in about the same way. Smart TV Stick is very similar in size to a USB flash drive.

To enable it, do the following.

1. Connect the device to the HDMI port of your TV.
2. Connect the device to the power supply using the USB cable. To do this, use the jack on the TV or, if you want to leave it free, use the long cable with the power adapter from the smartphone, which must be connected to the outlet.
3. On the TV, switch the input signal type to HDMI. This is done by pressing the Input button several times.
4. Using the supplied remote control, configure the necessary parameters on the set-top box.
5. When connecting for the first time, select a Wi-Fi network and enter the password for it.
6. Sign in to your account.
7. Download the required programs from the app store.
8. Subscribe (for select devices). The device is now ready for use.

Smart TV Box connects in the same way. The device is installed next to the TV; you need an HDMI cable to connect it. Otherwise, there are no differences in the connection method. Just position the Smart TV Box correctly so that the surrounding objects do not interfere with normal cooling. And it should look harmonious in the room.

If you don't like the remote control, you can connect a standard keyboard to the set-top box. But it is not a fact that some applications with it will be able to work correctly, because they are designed for touch control, which the TV does not have. If your TV does not have an HDMI connector, use special adapters. However, the quality of the transmitted image may deteriorate.

If there is no desire to spend money on the purchase of a set-top box, a smartphone or tablet will help turn an ordinary TV into a "smart" one. But they must be powerful enough not to "freeze" when playing content and have a capacious battery. There are several ways to connect your smartphone to the TV.

• Using the USB connector.
• Using the HDMI port. To do this, you need to buy a special HDMI - USB adapter. Then you need to select the HDMI signal type on the TV.
• Using VGA input. This also requires an adapter. The advantage of this solution is that you can connect your smartphone to any TVs and monitors. The downside is the inability to play sound through the TV, and you will have to connect speakers to the smartphone.
• Using Wi-Fi. Suitable only for those TVs that are equipped with such a module.

IOS smartphones and tablets are not designed to broadcast video to other devices, so you have to download 2 applications from the App Store, namely Samsung Smart TV Now and Samsung SmartView for iPad. The first is needed to transmit video, and the second is to use the gadget as a control panel. Although you can use only one application, the functionality will be lower.

You can also use a cheaper Android device to "upgrade" your old TV. It connects similarly to iOS smartphones. The synchronization procedure can be simplified if your gadget supports Miracast technology. In this case, the smartphone connects wirelessly. The peculiarity of using this method is the live broadcast of the image from the gadget to the TV.

Game consoles can be connected to almost any TV. But they have a serious drawback - a high cost, which can be $ 500 or more. So it is better to use specialized TV-boxes instead. However, if you already own a console, it is not advisable to buy an additional device. Modern consoles support streaming services, allow you to go online, install the necessary applications and communicate on social networks.

Connecting the device is easy. To do this, you need to do the following.

1. Connect your console to your TV using a USB or HDMI cable.
2. Connect power to the device.
3. Select HDMI input source on the TV.
4. Adjust the clarity and quality of the image (if necessary). Usually the adjustment is done automatically, but sometimes the picture is stretched. To fix this, set the required image resolution.
5. Log in to your account and download the required applications (if required). The device is now ready for use.

Here are the most famous models of such devices.

• Sony Playstation. A popular game console that allows you to save videos in HDD format to an internal drive. The newer the generation, the broader the capabilities of these devices, but the more expensive they are.
• Microsoft Xbox. A less popular model, since it requires registration in the system and payment for an account. Sometimes it needs updates. This console does not have the ability to copy information to memory.

The set-top boxes are controlled using controllers or joysticks. But for some models, you can connect a mouse and keyboard, thus significantly increasing the ease of operation. In addition to smart TV, you will be able to play heavy modern games. This is another plus of this decision. Blu-ray players are connected in the same way. They have a number of advantages:

• the ability to connect external storage devices;
• support for all video and audio formats;
• the ability to play streaming video over Wi-Fi.

You can find out how to make a Smart TV out of any TV with your own hands below.