Askew (25-07-2014)
Meh. For £30 I can plug a chromecast in to any of my old dumb TVs and make it 'smart' - I then get updates and new functionality/content providers unlike most 'smart' TVs. Same thing with a roku or even a PS3! I think i'd rather buy a cheaper dumb TV when my current TV goes as its less to go wrong! (Saying that an Android TV might be tempting but only if it gets some decent upgrade support for at least 3 years!)
It is the difference between uninterested and disinterested. You may not care for Tesco (really quite understandable ), but they will still influence what is available to you in other shops hence you can't be disinterested.
Still I think you summed it up earlier with:
If for some reason I want to buy a TV without a remote (I admit I do need the exercise) then the reality is I have to buy one with a remote and place the remote in a cupboard. All I am saying is the same will happen with Smart functionality, it is too cheap & easy to add to a TV design and too many drivers pushing it that way.As a result, my SmartTV has been lobotomised .... no internet connection. So, it's a TV display, and a freeview tuner, and that's all it is. If I could have had the same TV without "Smart" functions, I would have.
If you can stomach the experience take a walk around somewhere like PC World, the high end TVs are all smart to the extent they are now starting to get labelled with "Dual Core".
Ah, I see. You missed what I was getting at.
You saidAnd, at least in my case, they're going to be disappointed, because it's Tesco. Also, because I'm not really interested in Blinkbox, but even if I was, I wouldn't be, if you see what I mean.But mainly, Tesco want you to sign up for BlinkBox, so they are starting to push cheap smart TVs so they can push their streaming service.
If, as you assert, they're trying go promote Blinkbox by making "Smart" TV's ubiquitous, then in my case, they're wasting their time. And will be disappointed.
If, on the other hand, we look at the effect of Tesco policy and sales on the prevalence of Smart TVs, then I'd suggest (without any evidence) that they're jumping on a trend, not driving it. There are, in my opinion, too many suppliers of TVs, from PC World/Currys, to John Lewis, to Amazon, to internet box-shifters, to independent high street specialists, for Tesco to direct market trends, And, of course, market competition among both name-brand and white box manufacturers. If Samsung come up with an attractive feature, you can bet Panasonic, Sony, LG, etc won't be far behind. And vice versa. And the own-brand store stuff won't be far behind that.
I think you hit the nail on the head talking about the low cost of implementing "Smart". Because it's so cheap, it doesn't make much difference to cost, and so is obvious to implement on high end sets. That then drifts down the model range, though how well it's implemented is another issue. In that sense, it's like, oh, ABS or air-con on cars. It starts out at the luxury end, gets a bit cheaper, creeps down, and before you know it, it's on bog standard hatch backs. Like mine.
It's also a bit like the "HD ready" badge, or the resolution figures on inkjet printers (until the last few years) .... it's a marketing "must have" since the tick-box crowd won't buy without it. That, I certainly agree with.
Do Tesco have "influence" in that? To some extent, I suppose, but at most, in an oligopoly sense, IMHO.
Does that have much impact on me? Not to any significant extent. I tend to buy a reasonably quality product IF and only if I can get what I want, at a price I'm prepared to pay. But note the order there. It has to be satisfactory quality, or I don't buy at all, regardless of price. I'd rather do without. And if it is, I don't buy until price hits an 'acceptable' point. I'm not price driven, but rather, the right quality at the right price. And as for TVs, I haven't bought other than in John Lewis for years. Why? Their 5-year warranty, for a start, but as importantly, customer service. I'm not precluding the possibility of buying elsewhere (except Tesco) but it's have to be somewhere that both matched JLs offering, AND met my expectations of JL standards of service. In no small part, it's that CS that keeps me going back, and right up to the point I stop getting it, it's likely to keep me going back. I only go elsewhere, to be honest, given exceptionally good reason. Like, a year or so, a new freezer. High end LG model, £1000 almost everywhere. My local Curry's had one display version (unmarked, and I checked carefully, in the store and again on delivery) of the previous, almost identical (cosmetic changes) model, on sale at, IIRC, about £350-£400. That, I admit, shifted me away from JL.
So sure, I look about for "steals". But otherwise, JL it is. In any event, I'm not one, typically, for "own brand" budget models. Sure, some are bargains, but all too often, you're buying domething made down to a price. And quality costs. I bought a 'sale' food processor at £40. It works, yeah, but isn't great. I then bought a premium one. It was a LOT more expensive (more than 10x) but, it's far, FAR better, and with a huge range of tools, too. And, a 20-year motor warranty. Any company offering a 20-year motor warranty isn't expecting many motors to go wrong.
Anyway, back on point.
It's Blinkbox Tesco will be disappointed about as far as I'm concerned. And yes, costings are meaning just about every TV is "Smart" just as now, every TV is HD .... which, of course, means the marketing machine has moved on. 3D pretty much flopped, so now it'll be 4k, or whatever.
That explains it. I only meant Blinkbox as an example of a driver towards smart TVs. Sky want you to have NowTV built in, Netflix want the obvious, Amazon will no doubt be next with a built in Prime streaming service. These people will probably be willing to pay more than the incremental hardware cost of having a smart TV to get pre-loaded on popular ranges like Samsung and LG. So I expect the average customer doesn't care, but these companies do.
I think atm I can watch NowTV on the TV directly, on the PS3, or using my phone and miracast to the TV screen. That is an awful lot of options for something that failed to hold my interest for the free month
I can certainly understand your using JL, bit of a git for me to get to the nearest now though.
I once stropped out of Tesco and didn't go back into one of their stores for years because they had a huge range of electrical goods, but no corned beef and I had a real craving for a corned beef sandwich, not a badly made big screen TV.
If I could get an 800mhz 3d non smart tv, then I would. I do not want a 1-200mhz tv which are the only models which appear to be "non smart"
Don't press the smart button. Really, it is that easy. I have an old Samsung which I bought because the picture looked really good. It is an early generation smart set, and the smart functionality is utterly useless. If you do accidentally press the smart button, then the interface is so slow it takes a minute or so before you can press exit to make it go away. Modern Smart TVs aren't that invasive with a wrong button press, so if I can put up with mine then really you don't have a problem.
That set is still the main living room TV, picture still looks lovely, still glad I bought it.
Askew (25-07-2014)
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