TV has come a long way from the bulky appliance that sits at the corner of the room and gets turned on for 2 hours every night till you fall asleep.
With the advancement of Smart TV in recent years, it has become the centrepiece of every home and has inspired a full-blown phenomenon called cord-cutting.
In the early stages of the pandemic where most of the population stayed at home, people turned to TV for entertainment. The sale of Smart TV, especially in Singapore skyrocketed exponentially.
Smart TV has helped usher in a new era of Smart Living as they combined the benefits of movie streaming services and smart home connectivity.
However, it seems that every other device is being slapped on with the word “smart” nowadays. 
So, is Smart TV just a marketing gimmick? How is it different from other TVs?

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1. What is Smart TV?

The traditional TV was really just a bigger and glorified monitor if you think about it. 
In this connected digital world of ours, people expect something a little bit smarter. This is where Smart TV comes into play. 
In short, a Smart TV incorporates an operating system and connects directly to the internet to allow you to access, manage and view your content. 

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2. Home Entertainment
3. Smart Living

Smart TV has fundamentally changed the way people consume media. One of the main driving forces behind the cord-cutting phenomenon is directly influenced by the wide range of media options made available by Smart TV. 
In the past, cable TV was the norm in practically every household. Since the introduction of Smart TV, people began turning to streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Prime Video for entertainment. These streaming services can be directly accessed through Smart TVs, and they allow for more flexibility and control in our media consumption.
No longer can we be interrupted mid-movie for a 5-minute long advertisement, now viewers are able to pick any movies they want and watch uninterrupted. 
On top of watching movies, a Smart TV can be used to play music, surf social media, or plug into a game console, essentially combining all the smart features into a single centralized entertainment hub.
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If you are a big tech-savvy person, you would probably have a lot of smart products at home, like smart lights, smart locks, a smart robot vacuum, a smartwatch, a smart refrigerator, or even a smart sink. 
If you are using TCL Google TV, most of these products would be compatible, allowing them to be connected to form a digital network where you can control each product easily through your Smart TV. 
Products like Google Home, Google Nest, etc can be set up to have a dashboard on your Smart TV where you can have an overview of all your smart devices.
Therefore, it is important to research and know more about what each operating system offers before throwing down your money.
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As technology advances, we might see more and more features added to Smart TV. 
Having a TV that you can speak to and control all your home appliances with, on top of impeccable movie experiences seems unfathomable just merely 10 years ago. 
Who knows what else TV can do 10 years down the road? Although one thing is for sure, that Smart TV is here to stay.  
Most TCL TV models also come with a voice control feature that allows you to speak directly to the TV. Simply say “Dim the light” or “Turn on the air-conditioner” and watch your Smart TV does the work for you. 
However, not all Smart TVs are created equal. Different brands and models would have different operating systems and different compatibility with smart products.