I have already written a number of different articles about Smart TVs, and judging by the comments, not everyone understands whether their TVs have Smart TVs. As for the Internet connection, there is generally a dark forest. I decided in a separate article to tell in detail how you can check and find out if the TV has a Smart TV function. I am sure that most users do not even have this question, since many are already guided by the presence or absence of the Smart TV function in the process of choosing a TV. But since the people ask, it means that this information may be useful to someone. I think this will be especially true for owners of relatively old TVs (who are 5-8 years old). It happens that the box from the TV is no longer there, the documents too, the model of the TV is unknown, and whether there is Smart TV in the TV is not clear. Anyway, if you have a modern TV and want to know if it has a Smart TV function, then this article will help you.
Tips are suitable for TVs of all manufacturers: LG, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, Philips, Toshiba, DEXP, TCL, Hisense, Panasonic, etc. First, a few words about the Smart TV function itself. This is an operating system (program) that is installed in the TV and expands its functionality. Roughly speaking, a Smart TV is like a big tablet. You can install applications on it, access the Internet, watch YouTube, watch videos through other applications or a browser, etc.
Today, Samsung TVs run on their Tizen OS system. LG also installs a proprietary webOS system on its TVs, and TVs from other manufacturers (Toshiba, TCL, Philips, Sony, etc.) run on the Android TV operating system. An important point: if the TV has a Smart TV, then it necessarily has the ability to connect to the Internet. Network cable and / or Wi-Fi. If the TV is not Smart, then it cannot be connected to the Internet. This is also very often asked. But the presence of a LAN port on a TV does not mean that it has a Smart TV and the ability to connect to the Internet. More about this in a separate article: why a LAN connector on a TV.
How can I check if my TV has Smart TV?
Smart TV, or not - is not difficult to determine. The simplest thing is to look at the technical specifications. Having learned the model of your TV, you can always look at the technical specifications on any website (better, of course, on the manufacturer's website). This information should also be on the box or in the documents. Usually, on the box is the inscription "Smart TV". You can find a button on the remote control to bring up the Smart TV menu. You can also pay attention to the boot screen when you turn on the TV. These methods are more than enough. Let's take a closer look at them.
Smart TV support is listed in the technical specifications
You hardly know your TV model. Therefore, we need to get to know her. If there is no box and documents (you can see the model there), then pay attention to the sticker, which should be on the back of the TV. The model is exactly indicated there. You can also look at the TV settings, there may be an item "Device Information", or something like that.
For example, I have a Philips 43PUS7150 / 12. We just enter the manufacturer and model into the Google or Yandex search box and look at the technical specifications (Smart TV availability) on some website. It is best to find the official website of the TV manufacturer in the search results.
In the characteristics we see information about the Smart TV function, the operating system is indicated there (in my case, it's Android). This means that the TV has support for Smart TV.
For example, on the LG website:
In the same way, you can see the characteristics of any TV model on the website of Samsung, Sony, etc. You can also see the characteristics in popular online stores. It's even simpler and clearer there.
We are looking for a button to call the Smart TV menu on the remote control
If the TV is with Smart TV, then the remote control must have a button to call this function. Let's see how it might look using the example of different remotes.
This button usually has an icon in the form of a house, or the inscription "Smart", "Smart TV".
TV boot screen
On my Philips TV, Android appears on boot. Only it can be seen after turning off the power from the TV, when the TV is fully loaded, and does not come out of standby mode.
I guess this is how all TVs that run on Android TV are loaded. Perhaps, when you turn on LG and Samsung TVs (which work on other OS), at startup, some information also appears that informs that your TV has support for Smart TV.
As a result of the check:
- The TV has a Smart TV. You need to connect the TV to the Internet and you can use all the smart TV chips. For example, I only watch YouTube. I don't use other programs at all. You can find instructions on how to connect TVs to the Internet in the corresponding section of our website and in the article How to connect a TV to the Internet. Almost all new TVs have built-in Wi-Fi. But if possible, then I would advise you to connect the TV to the router using a network cable.
- There is no Smart TV on the TV. In this case, the options are few. Face it, buy a new TV, or buy a Smart Box (which runs Android) and connect it to your TV. In this way, you can get all the capabilities of a smart TV without built-in support for this function. But you have to spend money on a prefix.
If you could not determine the presence or absence of Smart TV support - write your TV model in the comments, I will try to suggest.
