Literally, the phrase Smart TV translates into Russian as "smart TV". Initially, another term was used to designate this technology — Connected TV, which it was decided to abandon. Instead, a more understandable term appeared, born from the analogy with Smart Phone ("smartphone" — "smart phone"). The vast majority of existing "smart TVs" are very expensive devices with large diagonals and 3D format support.

Roughly speaking, Smart TV is a computer system with a pronounced television component. Moreover, it can be built not only into the TV, but also into the receiver connected to it. And if your TV was not originally "smart", then it is possible to correct this situation by connecting a special set-top box to it. Of course, you can simply connect a media centre (HTPC) to the TV, but this option has a serious drawback. The fact is that HTPC is still a computer in the classical sense of the word. That is, an additional and often very expensive device, possibly with excess power. You need to connect it separately, which means extra wires and another remote control. It is likely that the media centre will not match the selected TV model in some way. The idea of a Smart TV is good because everything is in one device. The user simply buys a TV, connects it and can enjoy all the benefits of civilization without having to deal with something else.

 

"Smart TV" works on the basis of a special operating system, such as Android or Bada. The software can be purchased in special online stores. Media content will also be available there. Its assortment is not too large yet, but this is temporary. By the way, each TV manufacturer has its own store, so the competition will soon move to another level — users will choose TVs not so much based on the technical parameters of the device (and they are, as you know, very similar in a variety of models) and the brand, but taking into account the software that is available for it. A similar trend is already being observed in the smartphone world.

Many leading TV manufacturers are working on the Smart TV concept today — Samsung, Sony, LG and many others. The ubiquitous Google did not stand aside either, having proposed the GoogleTV concept. Microsoft, which created Mediaroom, is not far behind. To date, there are enough developments from various companies. But there is a problem in such a variety — as you know, an excessive number of similar solutions can confuse the consumer. However, it can be assumed that in a few years only the most worthy products will remain on the market. This has happened many times with other types of devices.