Tech Talk: Convergence is the name of the game with TVs, says David Behrens

THE days of using your TV just to watch Strictly Come Dancing may be numbered. At last, television is going online. It’s been possible for some time to hook up internet-enabled devices like games consoles to your TV and use them to browse the web – but it’s only now that we’re starting to see television sets that can do it all themselves.

The latest generation of models can receive content from YouTube, Facebook and Twitter and display it alongside the more traditional offerings. What’s more, they can stream DVD movies as soon as you rent them – no need to go to the video shop. You can also watch films, pictures and home videos stored on your PC with no need to connect up your camera or camcorder. And of course you can access “on demand” services like the BBC iPlayer.

Everything is controlled with a single remote, and the TV displays it all on a menu screen, not unlike the one you’d find on a computer or tablet.

LG, Sony and Samsung are starting to peddle such sets, with prices starting at about £600. But you will need a fast broadband connection if you’re to make full use of the features, which rely on the internet, rather than an aerial or satellite dish, to feed you the pictures.

For this reason, the back of one of these TVs looks more like the Jodrell Bank radio telescope than a piece of lounge furniture, with cables running out to your router, hi-fi and sundry other devices. You can do away with a few of them by opting for a wireless adapter, usually at extra cost. Of course, £600 is still a lot for a TV set, but that’s largely because the manufacturers insist on stuffing them with features we don’t really need. A built-in Freeview receiver, for instance, is a throwback to an earlier era; nowadays most of us have a separate digibox under the TV. But the internet on your TV is a logical coming-together of technology everyone uses. Soon, all televisions will be this way.

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