Jump to content

Smart TV

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

LG Electronics smart TV from 2011

A smart TV, also known as a TV (CTV), is a traditional television set with integrated Internet and interactive Web 2.0 features that allow users to stream music and videos, browse the internet, and view photos. Smart TVs are a technological convergence of computers, televisions, and digital media players. Besides the traditional functions of television sets provided through traditional broadcasting media, these devices can provide access to over-the-top media services such as streaming television and internet radio, along with home networking access.[1][2][3]

Smart TV should not be confused with Internet TV, IPTV, or streaming television. Internet TV refers to receiving television content over the Internet instead of traditional systems such as terrestrial, cable, and satellite, regardless of how the Internet is delivered. IPTV is one of the Internet television technology standards for use by television broadcasters. Streaming television is a term used for programs created by many producers for showing on Internet TV.

In smart TVs, the operating system is preloaded into the television set's firmware, which provides access to apps and other digital content. In contrast, traditional televisions primarily act as displays and are limited to vendor-specific customization. The software applications can be preloaded into the device or updated or installed on demand via an application store or marketplace, in a manner similar to how applications are integrated into modern smartphones.[4][5][6][7][8]

The technology that enables smart TVs is also incorporated into external devices such as set-top boxes and some Blu-ray players, game consoles, digital media players, hotel television systems, smartphones, and other network-connected interactive devices that utilize television-type display outputs.[9][10] These devices allow viewers to find and play videos, movies, TV shows, photos, and other content from the Web, cable or satellite TV channels, or a local storage device.

Definition

[edit]
Smart TVs on display

A Smart TV device is either a television set with integrated Internet capabilities or a set-top box for television that offers more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary basic television set. A Smart TVs is an information appliance and may be thought of as the computer system of a mobile device integrated with a television set unit. A Smart TV runs a complete operating system or mobile operating system that may provide a platform for application developers. Thus, a Smart TV often allows the user to install and run more advanced applications or plugins/addons based on its specific platform.[1][11][12]

A Smart TV platform has a public software development kit (SDK) or native development kit (NDK) with which third-party developers can develop applications for it, and an app store so end-users can install and uninstall apps. The public SDK enables third-party application developers to write applications once and see them run successfully on any device that supports the Smart TV platform architecture it was written for, regardless of the hardware manufacturer.

Smart TVs deliver content (such as photos, movies and music) from other computers or network attached storage devices on a network using either a Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) / Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) media server or similar service program like Windows Media Player or Network-attached storage (NAS), or via iTunes. It also provides access to Internet-based services including traditional broadcast TV channels, catch-up services, video-on-demand (VOD), electronic program guide, interactive advertising, personalisation, voting, games, social networking, and other multimedia applications.[13] Smart TV enables access to movies, shows, video games, apps and more. Some of those apps include Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon.[14]

History

[edit]

In the early 1980s, "intelligent" television receivers were introduced in Japan. The addition of an LSI chip with memory and a character generator to a television receiver enabled Japanese viewers to receive a mix of programming and information transmitted over spare lines of the broadcast television signal.[15] A patent was filed in 1994[16] (and extended the following year)[17] for an "intelligent" television system, linked with data processing systems, by means of a digital or analog network. Apart from being linked to data networks, one key point is its ability to automatically download necessary software routines, according to a user's demand, and process their needs.

However, descriptions of the elements of a smart television can be found in public discourse from the beginning of the 1980s, if not earlier, with the introduction of videotex services, particularly teletext information for reception by television sets, leading commentators to consider that televisions and accessories would evolve to encompass a range of related activities. In the words of one commentator: "In the long run, this machine is likely to develop into a multi-purpose receiver, for electronic mail, dealing with the bank, calculations, remote information - and 'Not the nine o'clock news' or 'Casablanca' on video."[18]

The mass acceptance of digital television in the mid-late 2000s and early 2010s greatly improved Smart TVs. Major TV manufacturers have announced production of Smart TVs only for their middle-end to high-end TVs in 2015.[19][20][21] Smart TVs became the dominant form of television during the late 2010s. At the beginning of 2016, Nielsen reported that 29 percent of those with incomes over $75,000 a year had a Smart TV.[22]

Typical features

[edit]
LG Smart TV using the Web browser

Smart TV devices also provide access to user-generated content (either stored on an external hard drive or in cloud storage) and to interactive services and Internet applications, such as YouTube, many using HTTP Live Streaming (also known as HLS) adaptive streaming.[23] Smart TV devices facilitate the curation of traditional content by combining information from the Internet with content from TV providers. Services offer users a means to track and receive reminders about shows[24] or sporting events,[25] as well as the ability to change channels for immediate viewing. Some devices feature additional interactive organic user interface / natural user interface technologies for navigation controls and other human interaction with a Smart TV, with such as second screen companion devices,[26][27] spatial gestures input like with Xbox Kinect,[28][29] and even for speech recognition for natural language user interface.[30] Smart TV develops new features to satisfy consumers and companies, such as new payment processes. LG and PaymentWall have collaborated to allow consumers to access purchased apps, movies, games, and more using a remote control, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. This is intended for an easier and more convenient way for checkout.

Platforms

[edit]
See also: List of smart TV platforms
Samsung's discontinued Orsay platform

Smart TV technology and software is still evolving, with both proprietary and open source software frameworks already available. These can run applications (sometimes available via an 'app store' digital distribution platform), play over-the-top media services and interactive on-demand media, personalized communications, and have social networking features.[31][32][33][34]

Android TV, Boxee, Google TV, Horizon TV, Inview, Kodi Entertainment Center, Mediaroom, MeeGo, OpenTV, Plex, RDK (Reference Development Kit), Roku, Smart TV Alliance, ToFu Media Platform, Ubuntu TV, Vewd, and Yahoo! Smart TV are framework platforms managed by individual companies. HbbTV, provided by the Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV association, CE-HTML, part of Web4CE, OIPF, part of HbbTV, and Tru2way are framework platforms managed by technology businesses. Current Smart TV platforms used by vendors are Amazon, Apple, Google, Haier, Hisense, Hitachi, Insignia, LG, Microsoft, Netgear, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, TCL, TiVO, Toshiba, Sling Media, and Western Digital. Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, LG, and Roku TV are some platforms ranked under the best Smart TV platforms.[35]

Sales

[edit]

According to a report from research group NPD In-Stat, in 2012 only about 12 million U.S. households had their Web-capable TVs connected to the Internet, although an estimated 25 million households owned a set with the built-in network capability. In-Stat predicted that by 2016, 100 million homes in North America and western Europe would be using television sets blending traditional programming with internet content.[36] By the end of 2019, the number of installed Connect TVs reached 1.26 billion worldwide.[37]

The number of households using over-the-top television services has rapidly increased over the years. In 2015, 52% of U.S. households subscribed to Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Hulu Plus; 43% of pay-TV subscribers also used Netflix, and 43% of adults used some streaming video on demand service at least monthly. Additionally, 19% of Netflix subscribers shared their subscription with people outside of their households. Ten percent of adults at the time showed interest in HBO Now.[38]

Use and issues

[edit]

Social networking

[edit]
See also: Social media and television

Some Smart TV platforms come prepackaged or can be optionally extended, with social networking technology capabilities. The addition of social networking synchronization to Smart TV and HTPC platforms may provide an interaction both with on-screen content and with other viewers than is currently available to most televisions, while simultaneously providing a much more cinematic experience of the content than is currently available with most computers.[39]

Advertising

[edit]

Some Smart TV platforms also support interactive advertising (companion ads), addressable advertising with local advertising insertion and targeted advertising,[40] and other advanced advertising features such as ad telescoping[41] using VOD and DVR, enhanced TV for consumer call-to-action, and audience measurement solutions for ad campaign effectiveness.[42][43] The marketing and trading possibilities offered by Smart TVs are sometimes summarized by the term t-commerce. Taken together, this bidirectional data flow means Smart TVs can be and are used for clandestine observation of the owners. Even in sets that are not configured off-the-shelf to do so, default security measures are often weak and will allow hackers to easily break into the TV.[44]

2019 research, "Watching You Watch: The Tracking Ecosystem of Over-the-Top TV Streaming Devices", conducted at Princeton and University of Chicago, demonstrated that a majority of streaming devices will covertly collect and transmit personal user data, including captured screen images, to a wide network of advertising and analytics companies, raising privacy concerns.[45]

Digital marketing research firm eMarketer reported a 38 percent surge – to close to $7 billion, a 10 percent television advertising market share – in advertising on connected TV like Hulu and Roku, to be underway in 2019, with market indicators that the figure would surpass $10 billion in 2021.[46][47]

Security

[edit]

There is evidence that a Smart TV is vulnerable to attacks. Some serious security bugs have been discovered, and some successful attempts to run malicious code to get unauthorized access were documented on video. There is evidence that it is possible to gain root access to the device, install malicious software, access and modify configuration information for a remote control, remotely access and modify files on TV and attached USB drives, access camera and microphone.[48]

There have also been concerns that hackers may be able to remotely turn on the microphone or webcam on a smart TV, being able to eavesdrop on private conversations. A common loop antenna may be set for a bidirectional transmission channel, capable of uploading data rather than only receiving. Since 2012, security researchers discovered a similar vulnerability present in more series of Smart TVs, which allows hackers to get an external root access on the device.[49]

Anticipating growing demand for an antivirus for a Smart TV, some security software companies are already working with partners in the digital TV field on the solution. It seems like there is only one antivirus for Smart TVs available: "Neptune", a cloud-based antimalware system developed by Ocean Blue Software in partnership with Sophos. However, antivirus company Avira has joined forces with digital TV testing company Labwise to work on software to protect against potential attacks.[50] The privacy policy for Samsung's Smart TVs has been called Orwellian (a reference to George Orwell and the dystopian world of constant surveillance he depicted in Nineteen Eighty-Four), and compared to Telescreens because of eavesdropping concerns.[51][52]

Hackers have misused Smart TV's abilities such as operating source codes for applications and its unsecured connection to the Internet. Passwords, IP address data, and credit card information can be accessed by hackers and even companies for advertisement. A company caught in the act is Vizio.[citation needed] The confidential documents, codenamed Vault 7 and dated from 2013 to 2016, include details on CIA's software capabilities, such as the ability to compromise Smart TVs.[53]

Restriction of access

[edit]

Internet websites can block Smart TV access to content at will or tailor the content that will be received by each platform.[54] Google TV-enabled devices were blocked by NBC, ABC, CBS, and Hulu from accessing their Web content since the launch of Google TV in October 2010. Google TV devices were also blocked from accessing any programs offered by Viacom's subsidiaries.[55]

Reliability

[edit]

In 2017, high-end Samsung Smart TVs stopped working for at least seven days after a software update.[56] Application providers are rarely upgrading Smart TV apps to the latest version; for example, Netflix does not support older TV versions with new Netflix upgrades.[57]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Steve Kovach (December 8, 2010). "What Is A Smart TV?". Businessinsider.com. Archived from the original on November 30, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  2. ^ Toeman, Jeremy (October 20, 2010). "Why Connected TVs Will Be About the Content, Not the Apps". Mashable. Archived from the original on December 22, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  3. ^ "Internet TV and The Death of Cable TV, really". Techcrunch.com. October 24, 2010. Archived from the original on November 14, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  4. ^ "Smart TV competition heats up market". Asianewsnet.net. Archived from the original on April 7, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ "Smart TV Shower Opens Smart Life". Koreaittimes.com. October 7, 2010. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  6. ^ Chacksfield, Marc (May 12, 2010). "Intel: Smart TV revolution 'biggest since move to colour' – The wonders of widgets?". Techradar.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  7. ^ "Google, With Intel and Sony, Unveils Software for 'Smart' TVs". Bloomberg BusinessWeek. May 20, 2010. Archived from the original on May 23, 2010. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  8. ^ Katzmaier, David (September 8, 2010). "Poll: Smart TV or dumb monitor?". News.cnet.com. Archived from the original on February 19, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  9. ^ Intel and Smart TV Archived August 6, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. intel.com. Retrieved on November 11, 2010.
  10. ^ "Roku 2: Same Old (But Still Good), Same Old". Gizmodo.com. August 4, 2011. Archived from the original on January 18, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  11. ^ Previous post Next post (September 7, 2010). "Android Holds the Key to Samsung's Smart TV Plans". Wired. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  12. ^ Previous post Next post (May 20, 2010). "Google Introduces Google TV, New Android OS". Wired. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  13. ^ "A first look at Google TV's new apps". Gigaom.com. September 15, 2011. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  14. ^ "Samsung Smart TV – TV Has Never Been This Smart". Samsung Electronics America. Archived from the original on October 2, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  15. ^ Gene Gregory (1985), Japanese Electronics Technology, Enterprise and Innovation, page 351, Japan Times
  16. ^ "espacenet – Original document". Worldwide.espacenet.com. Archived from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  17. ^ "espacenet – Bibliographic data". Worldwide.espacenet.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  18. ^ McLaren, Ian (May 1982). "Head, Heart, Hand - and Screen". Design. pp. 50–54. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  19. ^ Dieter Bohn (January 5, 2015). "All of Sony's new smart TVs run on Android TV". The Verge. Vox Media. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  20. ^ "CES 2015: New Samsung Smart TVs Will Be Powered by Tizen OS". Tech Times. January 3, 2015. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  21. ^ "LG to show off webOS 2.0 smart TV at CES 2015". CNET. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 23, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  22. ^ Winslow, George (January 4, 2016). "CES 2016: Five Things to Watch". Broadcasting & Cable: 10–14.
  23. ^ "Netgear unveils NeoTV Streaming Player, takes another shot at the smart TV market". Engadget.com. September 14, 2011. Archived from the original on December 25, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  24. ^ "BuddyTV debuts Google TV app, with iPad and iPhone link". GeekWire. October 28, 2011. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
  25. ^ "Thuuz Android App for Google TV Gives DISH Customers Instant Alerts of Most Exciting Moments in Sports". Bloomberg. January 8, 2012. Archived from the original on April 20, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
  26. ^ https://techcrunch.com/2012/06/04/microsoft-introduces-second-screen-feature-xbox-smartglass/ Archived July 7, 2017, at the Wayback Machine Microsoft Introduces Second-Screen Feature, Xbox SmartGlass
  27. ^ http://mashable.com/2012/06/04/xbox-smartglass/ Archived January 26, 2013, at the Wayback Machine Xbox SmartGlass Brings the Second Screen to Games and Videos
  28. ^ Robinson, Blake (November 4, 2010). "Last.fm Gesture Controls for Xbox Kinect". Mashable.com. Archived from the original on October 14, 2011. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
  29. ^ Narcisse, Evan (December 8, 2011). "Wave Hello: Microsoft's Requiring Kinect Functionality for All Future Apps Built for Xbox 360". Kotaku.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  30. ^ https://appleinsider.com/articles/13/01/10/2013-smart-tvs-dismissed-as-not-that-smart-leaving-opportunity-for-apple Archived March 23, 2020, at the Wayback Machine 2013 smart TVs dismissed as "not that smart", leaving opportunity for Apple
  31. ^ Devindra Hardawar (December 8, 2010). "Why your TV is the new app battleground". Venturebeat.com. Archived from the original on December 31, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  32. ^ BBC News – Google launches smart TV service Archived November 10, 2018, at the Wayback Machine. bbc.co.uk (May 20, 2010). Retrieved on November 11, 2010.
  33. ^ Stan Schroeder 230 (May 17, 2010). "Google, Intel and Sony to Introduce Smart TV". Mashable.com. Archived from the original on January 12, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  34. ^ "Opinion: Will Google's Smart TV Finally Bring Apps and Web Browsing To The Living Room?". Socialtimes.com. May 17, 2010. Archived from the original on January 6, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  35. ^ "The 5 best Smart TV platforms in the world 2016". TechRadar. Archived from the original on November 4, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  36. ^ "100 Million TVs will have internet connections by 2016". Archived from the original on April 2, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  37. ^ Watkins, David. "Consumer Electronics Reports". www.strategyanalytics.com. Archived from the original on August 13, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  38. ^ "U.S. Connected-TV Penetration Passes 50% | Multichannel". www.multichannel.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  39. ^ "TVs get smart with Internet access in 2011". Abc15.com. August 23, 2010. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  40. ^ Daniel Cooper (January 15, 2014). "Sky's AdSmart brings targeted advertising to your TV". Engadget. AOL. Archived from the original on May 15, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  41. ^ "Ad Telescoping". Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  42. ^ "Kudelski Group :: Notification". nagra.com. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  43. ^ ""NAGRA-OpenTV and Time Warner Cable Media Extend Advanced Advertising Partnership" March 5, 2012 – Cheseaux, Switzerland". Archived from the original on January 5, 2017. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  44. ^ "Your Smart TV Could Be Hacked to Spy On You". Mashable. August 2, 2013. Archived from the original on February 4, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  45. ^ "Smart TVs, Subscription Services Leak Data to Facebook, Google". threatpost.com. September 19, 2019. Archived from the original on September 20, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  46. ^ Sleffo, George P. (November 7, 2019). "THE TRADE DESK BETS BIG ON CONNECTED TV AS REVENUE JUMPS 38 PERCENT". Ad Age. Retrieved November 15, 2019.[permanent dead link‍]
  47. ^ Williams, Robert (November 5, 2019). "EMarketer: CTV media spending will soar 38% to $7B this year". Marketing Dive. Archived from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  48. ^ Niemietz; et al. "Not so Smart: On Smart TV Apps" (PDF). International Workshop on Secure Internet of Things. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 27, 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  49. ^ "Samsung TV vulnerability could let a hacker change the channel". December 12, 2015. Archived from the original on March 6, 2013.
  50. ^ "CAN YOUR SMART TV GET A VIRUS?". Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  51. ^ "Samsung smart TV policy allows company to listen in on users". The Independent. February 9, 2015. Archived from the original on February 9, 2015. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  52. ^ Not in front of the Telly Archived May 19, 2018, at the Wayback Machine BBC News, 2015
  53. ^ Shane, Scott; Mazzetti, Mark; Rosenberg, Matthew (March 7, 2017). "WikiLeaks Releases Trove of Alleged C.I.A. Hacking Documents". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 7, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
  54. ^ "Big Networks Block Web Shows From Google TV". The New York Times. October 21, 2010. Archived from the original on August 10, 2011. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
  55. ^ "Comedy Central, MTV now blocking Google TV". CNET.com. November 22, 2010. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
  56. ^ "Samsung TV owners furious after software update leaves sets unusable". The Guardian. London. August 24, 2017. Archived from the original on August 24, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  57. ^ "Netflix Recommended TVs | Built for a better Netflix experience". devices.netflix.com. Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
[edit]
  • Media related to Smart TV at Wikimedia Commons
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Smart_TV&oldid=1258092634"