Make Dumb TV Smart

[mattylad]

I would be worried about giving someone else access to your amazon account just to watch tv.
AFAIK they still have the ability to go buy something etc. Including the paid movies.

A months subscription to netflix would do the job, you could even use the free trial.

 

[Mottie]

Not the answer I was looking for..

I thought you said you didn’t want to spend a lot of £££? Less than £20 comes into that category, surely? I know I’d rather spend up to £20 on another flat screen (possibly smart) telly with an HDMI input rather than almost the same amount on a converter that may or may not work!

 

[Lucid]

I thought you said you didn’t want to spend a lot of £££? Less than £20 comes into that category, surely? I know I’d rather spend up to £20 on another flat screen (possibly smart) telly with an HDMI input rather than almost the same amount on a converter that may or may not work!

Here's your mistake. You tried to apply man-logic to an emotional situation.

The OP wanted an adapter-box solution. Regardless of whether or not it was appropriate, that's what he wanted. Logic had already left the building.

 

[Diyisfun]

I thought you said you didn’t want to spend a lot of £££? Less than £20 comes into that category, surely? I know I’d rather spend up to £20 on another flat screen (possibly smart) telly with an HDMI input rather than almost the same amount on a converter that may or may not work!

Ive looked...plenty about if I want to travel.

 

[brig001]

Humax box?
We have a BT badged one that has SCART, but doubt that current ones do
Gives Amazon, Netflix, iPlayer etc as well as recording etc., but does need a wired ethernet connection - fixed with a wireless access point

Brian

Edit: Like this one https://www.humaxdirect.co.uk/freeview/humax-hdr-1800t-500gb-freeview-hd-recorder.html

 

[Lucid]

Humax box?
We have a BT badged one that has SCART, but doubt that current ones do
Gives Amazon, Netflix, iPlayer etc as well as recording etc., but does need a wired ethernet connection - fixed with a wireless access point

Brian

Edit: Like this one https://www.humaxdirect.co.uk/freeview/humax-hdr-1800t-500gb-freeview-hd-recorder.html

I have a couple of Humax boxes here. The 1800T and 2000T. They're great little recorders but the apps no longer work. iPlayer crashes each machine - and yes, before anyone asks, the firmware is the latest version. The bottom line here is that the app on the device is only half of the story.

The other half is in the servers that provide the feed. You see, when a device comes out it's hardware will support a certain level of performance, and so it will 'dial in to' a specific server feed for each of its apps. The service providers such as the BBC with iPlayer maintain these feeds for as long as possible until new features or obsolete hardware make it no longer viable. That's when the apps stop working. Their feeds get dropped and the hardware is too old to handle a more up-to-date feed.

Manufacturer hardware is always going to be limited by budget where the brand doesn't make any (or much) money from providing streaming features. This is the case with PVRs, smart TVs, smart BD and UHD players. It's a similar no-profit situation for gaming consoles except that their hardware is massively more capable and so they have greater longevity for app support.

The devices that tend to work best are those allied to pay services. This would be Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV. These devices stand or fall on their ability to stream. That's all they do, so they have to do it well. What's more, the companies making them want their buyers to subscribe to additional services. This means there's a direct revenue stream that the PVR and smart TV manufacturers don't have. The business model then is about using the hardware as a way to get subscribers. The result is better hardware than that fitted in the average smart TV etc, and so they keep working for longer.

For all the reasons above, this is why I'll only put my faith in devices such as Fire TV sticks. They plug into a spare HDMI socket on a TV; and if the TV doesn't have a HDMI socket then it's high time to get one that does if the user wants smart features.

 

[brig001]

I have a couple of Humax boxes here. The 1800T and 2000T. They're great little recorders but the apps no longer work. iPlayer crashes each machine - and yes, before anyone asks, the firmware is the latest version. The bottom line here is that the app on the device is only half of the story.

Not denying, but our apps all still work. I guess they won't work forever, so a more modern option would be better
Ours is a DTRT2110

Brian