If you have a smart TV and simply use it to “watch TV”, we are sorry to tell you that you are wasting it entirely. This type of equipment has a lot of extra functionalities that with which you will not only enjoy many more contents, but will help you in more than one day-to-day task. Today we tell you how you can get the most out of your Smart TV .
Squeeze the use of your Smart TV
The arrival of connectivity to televisions has provided them with many possibilities and functionalities that allow us to take the experience with them to another level: from consuming streaming content, listening to music or using it as a control center in our home. These are some of the actions you can do with your TV to make the most of it.
So, now that you know this, let’s go from some of the simplest things you can do with this equipment to those that are a little more complex. Thus, whether you are a very basic user or a more advanced user, you can learn something new from your smart TV.
Connect it to the internet and start downloading apps
It may seem very basic, but the first and most basic thing you should know / know what you can do with these devices is to connect them to your home network . You can either do it through the Wifi, from the settings, or by connecting a network cable that goes from the router to the TV.
Once you have connectivity, don’t be afraid to get lost in the Google Play app store. Think that it is a computer with an Android-based operating system, that is, that you will be able to locate many of the applications that you use on your smartphone directly to use them on the TV.
Series and movies at your command
Some of the applications that you can use on a Smart TV are the main streaming services for multimedia consumption: Net-flix, HB-O, Pri-me Video or Y-Tube . You just have to download the corresponding app and register on the platform you want to have access to its entire catalog.
What’s more, if you pay attention, in many remote controllers there is a button for quick access to Net-flix that, just by pressing it, you will have access to everything that this platform offers at the touch of a single click.
Say goodbye to the remote control
With the arrival of connectivity to televisions and the possibility of installing apps, the controller of these equipment has already been in the background. Now you need it because you can do everything from your own smartphone thanks to the applications of the manufacturers.
The main brands of smart TVs have developed specific applications to be able to control everything through the mobile screen. From changing channels, downloading apps, sending images, etc.
In addition, these devices are compatible with receiving content sent from our smartphone. You just have to use a compatible app, such as the streaming services that we mentioned before, find the content delivery icon and select your TV. And all this without touching the remote control.
Duplicate the screen of your phone, tablet or computer on the TV
Using this multimedia sending compatibility, you can send not only the content but everything that is played on the screen of your smartphone, tablet or computer to the big screen.
On an Android phone, you can do this process in two ways:
- There are some models that directly include the mirroring function in the notifications section. Depending on your smartphone or tablet, you may find it by different names, but you can easily recognize it. You just have to press this function and select where you want to send the screen.
- In the event that your device does not include this function, you can do it the same way from the Google Home application. Once inside, you must select this equipment and, at the bottom of the screen, the send screen function will appear. Pressing it will give us the option to easily reproduce our screen on the TV.
If you have a device that has iOS , an iPhone, you will not be able to carry out any of these processes natively. But, there is an application from the App Store with which we can emulate this function called “Chromecast Streamer” . Once installed, we can use it to send the screen of our iPhone to the television, send music, photos or even be able to use our camera as a webcam on the screen.
In the event that you want to send what you are seeing on your computer , you only need to install Google Chrom. Then you must click on the menu of the three points in the upper bar and choose the option to send. Here you can select if you want to reproduce that tab, or do the same with the entire desktop. The main problem with this last option is that the sound will continue to be broadcast from the PC and not from the television.
You no longer need a sound system
Another advantage that you can have with one of these televisions is that of being able to listen to music directly on them. Thanks to its integrated speakers and, as we said before, the possibility of installing applications, you can use services such as Spotify or YouTube itself to play music without using extra sound equipment.
Of course, the quality of this will depend on the TV’s own speakers. So if you are an audiophile, you have two alternatives:
- Buy a sound bar to enjoy better quality.
- Don’t use this tip and move on to the next one. Of course, you will remain anchored to your sound equipment.
Play big on your Smart TV
As we have already explained, these teams have the Android TV operating system and, therefore, have access to Google Play and its entire catalog. Therefore, among thousands of applications, you will also have access to many of the games in this store. Enter it and take a look at all the games that right now you can start enjoying in a big way.
But things don’t just stop there, if you want to bring the best games on the market to the big screen, you can do it using the Steam Link app and a Bluetooth controller. Although remember that you will need to have the Steam service on your computer and perform the synchronization.
Manage your Smart TV with your voice and use it as a home control center
One of the best functions you can do with your smart TV is to operate it through voice commands. As it is a connected equipment that has the Android TV operating system, we can include it within the home automation equipment in Google Home. Therefore, just by saying the words “Ok, Google”, we can invoke Google Assistant and ask what we need.
Depending on the TV model you have, you can do this in different ways:
- From the remote controller itself, clicking on the Assistant icon (if it has one).
- Talking to your screen , since there are televisions that include speakers to perform these actions.
- From your smartphone , adding the final tagline of “… on the television” to carry out the tasks on it.
- If you have Google smart speakers, you can send the same commands to the smartphone to activate the TV.
Also, since this screen is included among your Google Home devices, you can ask it to activate any device on this list using voice commands.
Beyond internal content
If you have looked at the connectors of your television, you will have seen that it has more than the antenna cable or the HDMI ports to connect the game console. They also have USB ports that will allow you to perform different actions depending on the type:
- With “normal” USB you can connect any storage device to consume what it has inside.
- With the USB for recording you can do just what its name indicates. By connecting a storage unit to them, you have the possibility to save what is playing on the screen to it.
How do you know what type of connector you are using? Normally next to these connectors the possibilities they have are indicated. But, if you still have doubts, take a look at the instructions that came with the Smart TV, there is everything in detail about these ports.
Your television as a decorative element
Today these screens are not only useful as a content display center but, with a few simple adjustments, we can give them decoration functions for our home.
Some Samsung models include the “Ambient mode” , a mode that turns the TV into a giant photo frame and that, by following the appropriate steps, can be completely camouflaged with the wall.
We also have the Google screensaver that, after a while of inactivity, begins to show us photographs that are in the company’s repository. Usually these are dreamy landscapes that, in the absence of holidays, can help us to explore many countries and, of course, to decorate the living room.
But, if what you want is to personalize the photos that appear on your screen , you can do it using the Google Photos service and the Photo Gallery app on your Smart TV. You just have to synchronize your Google account in this application and choose the screenshots or album that you want to appear on the screen.
These are some of the best functions you can do with your smart TV. If you follow these tips you will get the most out of this team.