Smartie Pants
Chapter: Random
Smart TVs are great, in theory, until you try to understand the myriad of controls you are presented with. Look at your remote control. Chances are good that you never use more than 50% of the buttons on it. Heck, I don’t even know what half of the buttons are supposed to do. Smart TVs are too complex for anything but the basic tasks, and I’d argue – some are too complex even for that.
It’s 2013 – and yet modern TVs are still stuck in the 1970’s. What’s stopping TV manufacturers from putting some real weight behind this problem?
-Krishna
These beautiful and intelligent people wrote
Tell me what you think!
Ben Wilson
February 13, 2013 at 6:42 amSo true. Although my TV remote can control about 3 different devices connected to the TV so that’s handy. But yeah not going to use all those buttons.
Although it is fun to say “I can stream Sci-fi over my Wi-fi with surround sound Hi-fi”. I dunno, I think I saw that on Sheldon or something. Fun to say.
Scott Prichard
February 13, 2013 at 11:26 amI don’t think the TV OEMs are stuck in 1970’s by choice. The Smart TV’s are trying to break out and deliver content in better ways. It’s the cable companies that are stuck in the 1970’s with their archaic copper and coax ball and chains. They are monopolies and don’t have to innovate anymore. They stick with copper because the infrastructure is already in place, repair is cheap, and they can charge an arm and a leg to get maximum profits with minimal effort. They refuse to upgrade to FiOS, which would benefit them and the customer because it will take all of their profit chest to do it. They would rather sit and roll in money instead of making the home Internet backbone better. Further, they force you to get a cable package to either get their “upgraded/faster” Internet and/or get a cheaper price for it. They are holding back media delivery. Until the cable company monopolies are broken up, and true competition given in all regional locations, the SmartTVs will continue to flounder and seem “too complex.”
Jose Gonzalez
February 19, 2013 at 5:38 amTrue. Too many options that I would not even consider using. Heck… who wants to do social apps on a big screen? The only thing I use is Netflix. Of course, I don’t watch regular tv/cable that much at all. I suppose, someone that doesn’t have a computer may benefit in some way, but still. Way too big a screen for most of the things one does on the web. And the silly apps/games on it are clunky enough to manage. I suppose it takes a different crowd to use it. (like those airline passengers that play solitaire, and the like on their media entertainment systems stuck to the back of the front passenger seat).