Are you a self-confessed television junkie who just happens to be clueless about which type of television can give you the best viewing experience? You’ve come to the right place, because today we will learn more about TV operating systems, and whether they have made a significant dent in terms of TV technology or not.
For some people, choosing the right kind of television involves picking a favorite brand or a desired screen size. However, with more tech trends emerging, it’s important to be educated on the latest developments in the field of television.
Hello, Smart TV!
Smart TVs have emerged as the TV tech to beat in recent years, and a lot of consumers have barely scratched the surface in terms of using this kind of development. Despite this, sales have skyrocketed since 2011, and are expected to further increase in the coming years.
In a nutshell, a Smart TV is a digital television unit that runs on an operating system similar to tablets or laptops. What makes a TV “smart” is that it can access the internet, make use of a web browser, and connect with other smart devices nearby.
Smart TVs come in various screen sizes, resolutions, and features. Check out the following link if you want to find out the best 40 inches TV – or any screen size – that works best for you.
Some of the key players in the field of Smart TV include LG, Samsung, and Apple. While these companies have become known to provide the best quality images, some consumers still look for other options that can fit their budget and viewing needs.
What is a TV Operating System?
The biggest difference between Smart TVs from older models is the operating system (OS). Much like how typical computers function, a Smart TV has a built-in OS that allows the user to update and upgrade the functionality of the device.
Through the OS, any Smart TV enables users to download apps, provided that the unit has enough memory to store them. Although most of these products have built-in TV apps such as Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon, you have the option to add more apps that suit your viewing needs.
Smart TVs with the Best OS
Several TV manufacturers have been able to ride the waves of technology, thereby giving rise to some of the best operating systems in the market. I have written about some of the Smart TVs on this list in my tech blog, and here are some of the best TV OS that is worth mentioning:
Tizen OS
Samsung televisions have been considered by many to be the best in terms of image quality. Samsung Smart TV runs on Tizen OS, which is also being used in mobile devices, printers, cameras, and wearable devices.
Android OS
This TV operating system is perfect for people who constantly want to add different TV apps and want to access online streaming media on large screens. This popular smartphone OS gives the TV the ability to access thousands of apps available on Google Play.
Some of the TV models in the market that run on Android OS feature the capability of 4k hosting service to display UHD content and native voice search that can suggest programming based on specific commands. All Android-enabled devices have built-in Chromecast, which makes it possible to transfer video content from an Android phone to an Android OS TV. Some tech experts consider the Android OS TV to be the most future-proof television.
TV manufacturers that use this particular OS include Sharp, Philips, and Sony. The latter seems to be the most acclaimed because of its extensive list of preloaded apps along with its great image resolution and high-quality hardware. Most of the new Sony TV models are able to connect to the Internet via WIFI or Ethernet and allow users to have access to the Sony Entertainment Network, which offers a ton of premium content.
Additionally, some Sony Smart TVs are PlayStation-ready. Users can hook up a PlayStation console to the TV, in order to stream games via the Sony network. Sony Smart TVs have standard storage of 16GB, which is probably their edge over their competitors.
LG webOS
This particular OS has served as a platform for various devices. This was initially used as a mobile operating system for the first Palm Pilot in 1996. These days, LG webOS is used in a wide array of devices such as smartwatches and TVs.
LG Smart TVs have been known to be user-friendly, and enable the digital tuner, audio-video, and HDMI input to be treated as apps. The magic that it does compare to other Smart TVs is its ability to view two different channels. It also has an app that can control LG smart appliances, which can be convenient for loyal LG users.
Other features include a Magic Zoom that allows viewers to magnify any portion of the screen without sacrificing the picture quality. It also gives users the ability to stream apps from their LG smartphones to Smart TVs. The only downside is that LG cannot upgrade both the 2014 and 2015 models to webOS 3.0 due to firmware issues.
My Home Screen 2.0
Panasonic used Firefox OS in 2015 for its array of television units, including the impressive Viera Smart TV. Unfortunately, the OS has been officially killed by Mozilla. Fortunately for the TV brand, this gave rise to its own OS called My Home Screen 2.0.
The latest Panasonic TV models running on My Home Screen 2.0 have a beautiful and convenient user interface, easy customization options, and fewer built-in apps to swim through. That latter feature sounds like a bad one, but it’s probably good considering that other Smart TVs come with bloatware that hog the TV’s internal memory.
Its built-in Media Player has the ability to handle 4K HDR10 and HLG HDR.
Conclusion
Picking the right TV for you involves checking whether the built-in OS will work for you or not. The best OS can provide you with a seamless and enjoyable viewing experience. Whether you use the Smart TV for watching movies or browsing new titles, the right TV operating system can already make a huge difference in your regular viewing.
This is a guest contribution by Kostas Chiotis, a technology enthusiast, obsessive tinkerer and constant blogger. You can see his blog at Techisignals.com and if you like this article follow him on Facebook and Twitter for more articles like this one.
