Make Your HDTV Web-Ready

28.06.2011
By now, you're used to watching all kinds of video via the Web. You get caught up on your favorite TV shows with Hulu, enjoy a movie or two with Netflix Instant Watch, maybe even sneak in a cat video or two (or a dozen) on YouTube during your lunch break at work. You're used to searching the Web to find what you want to watch when you want to watch it.

The moment you're home, though, you turn on your TV, tune in, and zone out--no interaction or Internet required. Nothing on? Guess you'll watch some Law & Order: Criminal Intent reruns. That Vincent D'Onofrio--whatever happened to him, anyway? If only your TV was a little bit more like your PC.

"Smart TV" is the new hot buzzword these days. Imagine, for a moment, that your HDTV combined the simplicity of the normal TV-and-remote experience with the powerful search features and video-on-demand libraries you're accustomed to on the Web. Toss in social networking, photo sharing, music, gaming, and a hundred kinds of Web content. That's what "smart TV" means. It means never needing to settle for anything less than having what you want to watch (or hear, or play) running in big-screen glory right now, while you master the universe from the couch with your all-powerful remote.

Don't let all the TV and tech companies out there fool you, however. You have many ways to make your existing TV smarter, other than just buying a new connected TV with all the bells and whistles built in. You don't have to purchase a brand-new PC or yet another set-top box, either. And you don't have to let your cable-TV subscription hold your eyeballs (or your wallet) hostage with hundreds of channels you'll never watch. Instead, we'll walk you through the products and services that can feed the Web through your TV--without breaking the bank.

Looking to buy a ? Choose the right TV--one that connects directly to the Internet--and you can enjoy loads of Web features and apps without having to buy any add-ons or boxes. But choosing may not be easy: All the major TV manufacturers now have some package of Internet-connected features built into their midrange and high-end models.