Perhaps you are in the market for a new tv and if you have been shopping around on the internet? Or perhaps paying a visit to your local electrical retailer and you have noticed that almost all TV’s these days are ‘Smart TV’s’ and you are wondering if your old TV Aerial will work with the new TV. Maybe, you are thinking of buying a second tv for the spare bedroom and heard that ‘Smart TV’s work in conjunction with a good internet connection. So, in this article we will look at what you will need to think about if you’re considering buying a smart tv.
While the thing that separates a typical Digital TV (DTV) with the new generation of ‘Smart TV’s’ is the ability of ‘Smart TV’s’ to act almost like a computer. It's able to access the internet and thus have ‘apps’ that allow you to stream services. Everything from movies on platforms like Netflix & Amazon Prime and Sports on pay per view platforms like ‘Now TV’ owned by Sky. Smart TV’s allow the end user to access a huge catalogue of programmes and apps. Even YouTube to unleash a huge choice of every conceivable genre of entertainment.
So, we understand that ‘Smart TV’s’ are able to access the internet. However, do they require a traditional Digital TV Aerial in order to work? The answer to that question is, yes and no. To access platforms like Netflix, Amazon and Now TV etc you do not need a TV Aerial. Though, to access the regular stream of terrestrial channels you do require a TV Aerial. Not to mention even some of the pay per view services broadcast on terrestrial but, unlocked over the internet, so the 2 work together in tandem.
One of the great things about ‘Smart TV’s’ is the ability to access all the ‘catch up’ channels like BBC iplayer and and 4On demand. These main terrestrial channels provide the ability to ‘catch up’ on stuff you have missed but via the internet. In order to access these ‘catch up’ channels you do not require a TV Aerial, though you do require a TV license!
Many have felt that buying a smart tv is a great option if they do not have a TV Aerial. This is because they can enjoy watching TV over the internet and that is true, you just have to content yourself with catch up rather than keeping up with what’s on offer via the main terrestrial channels. Don’t forget, you still need a tv license J
To get the most out of a Smart TV, you need to get a TV Aerial. Yes they will enable you to access Apps and internet viewing but you will be missing out on so much of what that TV has to offer if you don’t plug a TV Aerial into the back of it. A bit like having a ‘Smart TV’ and no internet would deprive you of all that the catch up channels have to offer and the movie apps like Netflix etc. Hence to get the most out of your ‘Smart TV’ you need both a TV Aerial and a good internet provider and the world really is then your oyster.