There's a new wave of so-called “smart TVs” in the market, offering Internet-connected features and digital media streaming. But do you really need to spend so much money? Tech companies have been trying to get into the living room for years, and failing for the most part. That's because everyone's been trying to make the TV more like a computer, breaking the one-way flow of content and adding more options. As it turns out, people don't really want that. No one wants to wait a minute or longer for a TV to boot up, then select a user profile, then deal with a bunch of notification messages, then jump through a tangle of menus before reaching the show they want to watch.

If you bought an LCD TV any time within the last five years, chances are it's in perfectly good condition. If you're thinking of an upgrade, it's only because you've been convinced or seduced by advertising and shop displays. All these new “smart” features fall into two main categories: accessing digital or online media, and using social networking or apps through the TV. The first set of functions can be added on with one or more of the variety of devices we're talking about. We'll take you through the whole range of options, starting with the cheapest and ending with the most indulgent. Smart TVs will no doubt change. For the second set? You'd probably be happier with a phone or tablet in your hands than pulling up Facebook updates for the whole family to see anyway! The choice is yours, but we've got the pros and cons of each listed right here.

Basic DVD Player

A DVD player that can handle digital files is basically the cheapest way to get digital content playing on your TV. Most budget DVD players now come with USB ports and support the playback of digital files from pen drives. These are effortless to set up and use. Moving further up the price ladder, most Blu-ray players include networking capabilities and can handle media streaming around the home.

Price: Up to Rs 4,000

USB media receiver

A number of brands sell tiny devices that connect to your TV and allow you to play digital files off USB pen drives or hard drives. The more expensive varieties can handle HD video and high-quality sound as well. Examples include WD's WDTV, Amkette's FlashTV, Asus' O!Play, etc.

The higher end models include network connectivity as well as USB, which is where the fun comes in. Network streaming becomes amazingly easy, and it's even possible over Wi-Fi

Price: Rs 4,000-7,500

Media Storage Hub

Previously the domain of ultra geeks, media hubs are becoming more common now. These essentially combine the functions of a USB media receiver with a built-in hard drive and media server capabilities in addition to mere reception. The advantage is that you have your entire collection accessible in one single box, rather than having to browse over a network and deal with configuration and laying wire. These usually come with 1 or 2 TB of storage space, or in some cases, make you supply your own hard drive. Some of the better known manufacturers are Xtreamer and Popcorn Hour

Price: Rs 10,000 onwards

Game Consoles

Modern game consoles, namely the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, both come with networking capabilities and can receive streamed content from home media servers. Both also include online services including Facebook and Twitter, which actually makes a bit more sense since text input is a bit easier using the game controller. They also have USB ports and can directly play most audio and video formats. The PS3 has a rudimentary Web browser, and the Xbox can stream live TV from a Windows PC if you use its Media Centre features. This is a good option if you want to play high-def games anyway or just have an additional TV in the bedroom, as you get extra functionality in the same box and don't need to mess around with multiple wires and remotes.

Rs 15,000-22,000

Laptops

Want the ultimate in flexibility? Just plug in your laptop, netbook or PC and you'll never have to worry about which file formats are supported or whether you can add more storage in the future. In addition to simply watching your digital files on what is effectively a giant monitor, you can organise your entire media collection in one spot, use the same machine to download and stream whatever you like, browse the full Web and use other online services, and even play 3D games from the comfort of your sofa. You'll need at the least a wireless keyboard and mouse, though several combo products exist just for the purpose, such as Amkette's Wi-Key. However you'll have to contend with all the downsides of running a full-sized PC, such as ensuring you have the right software updates, antivirus protection, etc.

Connected TVs

One step away from full-fledged smart TVs, Connected TV was last year's buzzword. These are sets which have USB and/or network ports, which act exactly like built-in media receivers. Only the highest end ones come with LAN ports (or rarer still, Wi-Fi) that let you run the standard media sharing and DLNA functions. Some even used the Internet connection to display weather, stock updates, and other such widgets.

If you're an enthusiast who loves movies and TV and you're buying a TV anyway, it makes complete sense to go for the top-end models that offer today's best features. But if not, there's no need to buy the upgrade hype—just choose from any of our listed solutions and wait for the real killer apps to be launched.

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