It is not correct to say that you have to connect the TV to the telephone wire (better said ’twisted pair’). It is correct, however, to say that the TV be connected to a device for access to the Internet. In most homes such device is an ADSL router , which accesses the Internet through the twisted pair and is able to route on it the data requested or generated by all smart devices ( computers, tablets , smartphones , TV) present at home or office, to / from the Internet. However, it could also be a coaxial cable router connected to a digitalized cable network or a router for optical fiber access connected to the Internet without the intermediation of the telephone network .
The connection between the TV and router will occur through RJ45 cable ( and then the TV must have a dedicated Ethernet port ) or WiFi ( and then the TV must feature WiFi) . Current routers have both Ethernet capabilities, as wired functionality is more efficient in terms of speed and wireless functionality is essential – among other things – for access to the Internet from tablets and smartphones. The TV has both features only for certain models of medium-high price range.
The name SmartTV is reserved, for copyright reasons, for a precise commerical line of a TV manufacturer brand. In general, we must talk about connected TV. With that device, not only can you receive programs transmitted via the Internet, but you can run widgets, which are the equivalent of the apps in a tablet or a smartphone. It also possible to browse the Internet, with a widget that opens a browser similar to that used in PCs. It should be noted, however, that while browsing is fairly easy with the arrows and direction keys of a classic remote control, data and text string entry can be boresome if made possible only with an on-screen virtual keyboard. Some connected TVs come with a touch remote control, which can present its own virtual keyboard. Indeed, the touch remote control can also be a tablet or a smartphone driven by a suitable app made available by the manufacturer of that TV.
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