INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Best Smart TV Buying Guide: Welcome to TheIndianSubcontinent's round-up of the best smart TVs and smart TV platforms you can buy in
2017."What’s the the best Smart TV I can buy" It’s a familiar question, especially if you’re looking to replace your TV
A new flatscreen isn’t exclusively about sharper pictures or better sound
The user experience is important too
These days, connected sets have become ubiquitous
An internet-connected smart platform is the norm, not a luxury; indeed it’s central to how the set works. The good news here is that TV
platforms on offer have matured dramatically over the past few years
TV makers no longer try and emulate the tablet experience on a bigger screen, although you will still see holdovers from that early smart
phase on cheaper models - no, you really don’t need Facebook and Twitter on your TV.Today, the best smart TV platforms actually enhance
They help you access streaming content services and curate your viewing
If you want viewing recommendations, your smart TV should provide them. Similarly, if you need to simplify streaming from your mobile
device, or want to share images quickly and conveniently, your connected set should facilitate that too
And when so many of us have content elsewhere on our home network, be it video files, music or JPEGs, offering seamless access to that
through DLNA should be a given.Most smart TVs give access to leading streaming services like Netflix, BBC iPlayer and YouTube (although some
are inexplicably absent on some sets - we’re looking at you Amazon Video)
Beyond that, there can be a bewildering array of second (or third) tier streaming apps available to download from the resident portal
These might serve particular interests, such as the subscription-based UFC Fight Pass app, or offer VoD pay movies, such as
Wuaki.tv.Today’s Smart TV ecosystem is split between proprietary platforms tied to a specific manufacturer, like LG’s webOS and
Samsung’s Smart Hub, or a generic alternative such as Android TV, as found on Sony and European Philips TVs.All are usable, functional and
most of the time downright enjoyable to use
But while they may look similar on the surface, under the hood there are a plethora of differences between them.So, what's the best smart TV
platform you can buy We've ranked the the world's major connected TV platforms, putting equal emphasis on ease of use, functionality,
stability and content support. Plus, once you've decided on a smart TV platform, we've included our favorite TVs that use it – that way
you'll have a good starting point when it comes time to finding the perfect TV for you.Just want to know to know the Best Smart TV on every
platform Here you go!Best Smart TV with Samsung Smart HubThe Samsung Q9FN is the best Smart Hub/SmartThings TV on the planetSpectacular HDR
picture quality Good smart system Cutting-edge gaming featuresLimited viewing anglesWhile the 65Q9FN’s Smart TV system is based
closely around the Eden platform Samsung has been busy refining for the past couple of years, expect a few tasty new morsels that add to the
experience without taking anything away. For starters there’s now compatibility with Samsung's SmartThings platform, which provides an
onscreen hub for monitoring and even controlling other smart devices (fridges, washing machines, lights etc) on your network. There’s
also much better integration of the TV listings and live broadcasting into the TV’s content searching features: There are now hour-by-hour
show recommendations, for instance, as well as TV shows getting much more prominence in the content browsing menus.Samsung has delivered
enhanced interactivity with your smartphones and tablets too, as well as some seriously cool new gaming related features. Overall, a slick,
easy to use and helpfully customizable interface belies the impressive sophistication and comprehensiveness of Samsung’s latest smart TV
Read the full review:Samsung Q9FN QLED TVBest Smart TV with Android TVThe winner is the Sony 65-inch A1 Bravia OLEDStunning image
qualityOutstanding audio systemLean back design Inevitably expensiveThe Bravia A1 OLED combines innovative engineering with stunning design
– making it easily one of the best TVs to sport Android TV.Not only does it look great, but it sounds great, too, despite not having a
Instead, it uses a pair of sonic actuators, positioned on the rear of the panel which vibrate, creating stereo sound
Bass comes from an 8cm subwoofer in the stand.The set’s Android smart platform has Chromecast built-in, making it easy to cast content
from a compatible mobile phone
Apps include Netflix and YouTube in 4K.Picture quality is drop dead gorgeous
A Triluminos wide colour gamut display, colour vibrancy is high, while a 4K Reality Pro picture processor maximizes image detail
Integral to the set’s image success is Sony’s new 4K HDR X1 Extreme image engine
Object-based HDR remastering does a great job making regular SDR TV look like HDR.If you’re looking for the top Android TV display, the A1
is the model to beat.Read our full review:Sony Bravia A1 OLEDBest Smart TV with My Home Screen 2.0The winner is the Panasonic TX-65EZ1002
OLED TV (UK only)Unprecedented colour accuracyStraightforward smart TV systemNo Dolby Vision supportThe 65EZ1002’s smart TV system is
pretty to look at, easy to use, and effortless to customise - everything, in other words, that a smart TV interface ought to be.It’s not
the most content rich system in town, perhaps, but I don’t actually think that’s a bad thing
Most of the key TV-centric apps are there (Netflix in 4K HDR, Amazon in 4K HDR, the catch up TV services for the main terrestrial
broadcasters via an integrated Freeview Play app), and it’s actually kind of nice not to wade through mountains of dross just to find all
the good stuff. It’s worth adding that since the 65EZ1002 uses Freeview Play to provide its broadcaster catch-up TV services, you can
search for shows you’ve missed via an intuitive electronic programme guide that scrolls back as far as seven days.Read the full
review:Panasonic TX-65EZ1002 OLED TVBest Smart TV with webOS 3.5The winner is the LG OLED C7 Stunning contrast-rich picturesGorgeous
ultra-thin designExcellent operating systemLacks brightness vs LCDLG’s webOS smart TV interface was the first one that really felt like it
had been developed from the ground up for TV rather than smartphone or PC users: It’s graphically rich, incredibly straightforward and
logical in its layout, easily customizable, slick to navigate and sensibly focussed on the sort of TV-centric apps most users actually want
a TV to deliver.These apps include (4K/HDR-capable) versions of Amazon and Netflix, Youtube, NowTV, plus all of the catch up services for
the main terrestrial UK broadcasters courtesy of the Freeview Play service, which lets you search for shows you might have missed via an
electronic program guide that scrolls back through time as well as forwards.The latest version of webOS built into the OLED55C7 only really
delivers a couple of relatively minor enhancements over previous versions: support for ‘360’ VR clips navigated by waving LG’s magic
remote control around; and the option to use the number buttons on the remote control to directly access favorite apps
But there’s no need to fix something that isn’t broken.Read the full review:LG OLED C7Best Smart TV with Roku TVThe winner is the TCL
P-Series 55P607 (US only)Bright, colorful HDRRoku TV is amazingSupports Dolby VisionUpscaling isn’t world-classThe smart TV version of
Roku both looks and acts like the platform used on streaming video devices like the Roku Ultra and Roku Premiere+: The Home section contains
all the apps in your library, while My Feed tracks movies and TV shows you’re interested in and shows you where they can be found
We're also pretty big fans of Roku's universal search feature that rifles through 300+ apps to find movies and TV shows and displays them
with the cheapest option first.Overall, Roku TV is simple, efficient and straightforward enough for most people to pick up and use without a
problem.New for platform in 2017 is the ability to label inputs (labeling one input as Xbox or DVD Player instead of Input 1, etc…), some
additional smartphone features and, for the first time, Dolby Vision support
Dolby Vision allows you to get the absolute most from the TV in terms of performance and while tracking down Dolby Vision content is a bit
of a hassle, Roku does a good job highlighting all the available content in a new row in the 4K UHD Spotlight app
Read the full review:TCL P-Series 55P607aaacf65308be58fe357a09da8727b4a3.jpg#
