Our TV has always been an integral part of our life. Right from black and white satellite TVs to the modern smart LED TVs, most of our family time has always been centred around watching our favourite shows and movies together.
With our increased tendency to watch TV, whether to binge-watch our favourite shows on Netflix or to remain updated with the news around the world, it is always fun to enhance our TV viewing experience. Even though our TVs have become smart with new technologies like the Android operating system and 4k UHD screens, a lot is still left to the imagination. Hence, we bring you 5 technologies that you should definitely consider connecting with your TV, not only to enhance and upgrade your TV watching time but also to make your lives much easier.
1) Soundbars
Even though many latest OLED and QLED TVs come with amazing inbuilt sound systems, there is always a risk of getting your TV sound system faulty, along with the additional hassle of uninstalling and installing it to get your TV repaired. Moreover, no matter how good a TV’s sound system is, it can never compete with a dedicated 5:1 or 2:1 sound bar system. A good sound bar not only enhances your viewing experience by generating more realistic sounds, but also it gives you a real theatre-like experience right in your home. And let’s address the elephant in the room, with theatres closed, we all are craving a nice movie while munching popcorn and pizza in a theatre. Here are a few soundbars that you can consider while buying:
a) Bose Soundbar 700 with Alexa Voice Control
No doubt Bose is one of the best sound system companies in the market. Though expensive, the Bose soundbar 700 is worth every penny spent. The built in Alexa and eight-microphone array, you can play just about anything with a command of your voice. It also has ADAPTIQ audio calibration that optimizes the soundbar’s performance according to the size and characteristics of your room. As the soundbar comes both with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth inbuilt, you can play music from your phone or Amazon music.
b) JBL Bar 5.1 Powerful 4K UHD Soundbar
JBL is not behind Bose in terms of sound quality. One of the most remarkable features of JBL Bar is that two of the side speakers are easily detachable from the main soundbar and then act as surround sound speakers. You can easily detach the magnetically attached speakers and place it anywhere in your room. With good Bluetooth connectivity along with wireless subwoofer, this soundbar is definitely one to try.
2) Streaming stick or dongle
A streaming stick or dongle is one of the best ways to make your normal TV smart. We all crave for a real watching experience for movies and shows on popular streaming services like Amazon prime, Netflix and Hotstar among others. But watching them on a small mobile phone screen or laptop dampens the experience. A streaming stick tackles this problem precisely. These sticks have inbuilt Wi-Fi card and their own OS, which can connect to your home Wi-Fi and can download multiple apps and games. These dongles easily connect to your TV through the HDMI port and provide high quality smart TV features without burning a hole in your pocket. I would definitely recommend buying a non-smart TV and make it smart through one of the streaming sticks in the market, thus eliminating the risk of software corruption of your TV motherboard due to a malware or failed software update. Here are a few famous dongles in the market.
a) Amazon firestick
Amazon firestick is one of the most famous streaming stick in the market. With an inbuilt memory of 8GB, it comes in full HD and 4K options. It easily connects with your home Wi-Fi once you plug it into your TV HDMI port. With Alexa enabled voice search, it makes life easier as its remote syncs with your TV, thereby eliminating the hassle of maintaining two remotes.
b) Google Chromecast
Google Chromecast does not work like Amazon firestick. It mainly works as a mirroring device, which connects your TV to Wi-Fi once inserted in its HDMI port and you can easily connect your mobile, laptop or tablet through any casting app to your TV. All you need is your phone, laptop or tablet to use the Chromecast. It also connects with Google home to provide voice controlling features.
3) Webcam for TV
With the COVID induced lockdown and we all working from home for the foreseeable future, it’s best to take off your eyes from your mini laptop screens and focus on the big TV screen. Be it an office meeting or a friendly Skype call with friends, everything looks good in your big FHD or 4k TV screen. Not only it prevents our eyes from fatigue but also enhances our chatting experience. Here are some of the good webcams for TV:
a) LOGITECH C922 PRO STREAM
This is one of the newest webcams in the market, and thus has the latest features. With a full HD glass lens, it can deliver 1080P video at 30 fps or 720P at 60Fps. It has two built in mics to enhance voice capturing capabilities with features such as background replacement technology, which comes in handy during a work from home office call.
b) Microsoft LifeCam HD-3000
If you want a budget webcam, Microsoft LifeCam is one of the best choices. Its microphone has noise reduction features along with a widescreen with 720p HD video chat and recording. One of the main features of this webcam is that it can also work with your laptop, desktop or notebook.
4) Home theatre for TV
No matter how good a sound bar is, it cannot replicate the theatre like experience as good as a home theatre. After all, it’s in the name! A home theatre generally comes with multiple independent speakers controlled by a central console. These speakers can be placed at every corner of the room, to give a 3D sound effect and a theatre like feel. Home-theatres today generally come with features to control the sound output to each speaker, thus giving the flexibility to change the sound quality according to our needs. Here are some goof home theatre systems in the market:
a) Sony BDV-N9200W 3D Blu-Ray Home Cinema SystemLink:
This audio system comes with a 1200W 5.1 channel surround sound with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. Plus it is a blue ray Home theatre system which supports multiple file formats, which is really good for home use. Moreover, it comes with the quality guarantee that comes with the brand name of Sony.
b) Yamaha YHT-3072IN 4K Ultra HD Home Theatre System
Yamaha is already an established brand in home theatres. The Yamaha YHT is a Bluetooth powered home theatre with 4k Ultra HD Video and 5.1 channel surround sound. One of its main features is that it uses YPAO sound optimization, which automatically applies sound equalization, thus compensating the volume level.
5) Convert TV into touch screen
Well we all know, everything is better with touch screen, be it laptops or our TV. Most touch screens overlay their content using our TV glass as the base. The main advantage of such feature is that we can use smart features with a touch screen, even when your TV does not support smart features. Here are a few cheap touch screen conversion devices we came across:
a) Touchjet Wave Android Screen projector.
It’s a small device that fixes on the top of your TV screen and projects its smart screen onto the TV glass up to a size of 65 inches. It comes preloaded with android OS and you can download multiple apps in it to customize your touch screen according to your needs.
b) PQ Labs G4 Series
It’s a big touch sensitive glass that you can install in front of your TV glass and can connect to your TV through a USB cable. It has really good touch sensitivity and is also water proof.
So here are some really advanced and useful technologies that you can use with your TV to enhance your viewing experience.