Smart TVs feature a home screen that gives you access to apps, video and more!
(Credit: CBS Interactive)

Given the popularity of smartphones, such as the iPhone, it’s entirely possible that the concept of a “connected device” could easily translate to a television. But what is a smart TV and what does it do?

What does smart TV mean?

Like a smartphone, a smart TV offers a number of “internet connected services” that normal televisions can’t offer. It has the equivalent of a computer built into it, giving you a greater number of services. These televisions offer apps, media streaming, web browsing, games and, perhaps most importantly, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV). IPTV is a specific type of internet video standard, but is now also used as shorthand for any video streamed via the internet to your TV. It can take the form of short clips or continuous “live” channels.

While these features aren’t new, and have been a part of some televisions and set-top boxes since 2005, the term “smart TV” has given them a name.

Why do I need one?

While smart TVs have plenty of whizz-bang features, there is one that promises to revolutionise how we use our televisions. Just as Personal Video Recorders (PVRs) brought with them the idea of “time shifting” - where you no longer had to watch a program when it was aired - IPTV is the next “killer app” of smart TV.

Not only that, but smart TVs use a system called DLNA that lets you stream media from computers or phones to your TV. If you currently download a lot of video or music from the net, then the right smart TV can access that content directly without you having to copy it onto a disk or USB stick!

How do I connect my TV to the internet?

All of the smart TVs currently accept an Ethernet cable at the back of the TV, while most also support wireless connection. To connect to the internet, you will need to set up a home network, and the process is very similar to connecting a laptop.

Some TVs support wireless but don’t have it onboard, instead requiring an optional dongle that usually costs around AU$100. Our preferred method is a wired connection, however, and while you will need to hide the cable away, it will provide a much more stable link.

What can I do on a smart TV?

Aside from lacking productivity functions, such as email and word processing, a smart TV is a lot like a computer. It enables you to browse the web, watch YouTube and catch up on social networking. Some of the TVs (such as Samsung) currently support Flash as well, which means a better web browsing experience.

However, as the category is new, there are inevitably features that will come and go. For example, how many people will use Facebook - which to many is a private activity - on a TV in front of their family when they can easily use a laptop in front of the TV?

To us, the most exciting capability of smart TV is the ability to watch video on demand. At the moment, you can watch catch-up TV from ABC iView, SBS and Plus 7. On most TVs you’ll also find dozens of specialty channels offering surfing, football, music and almost anything else you can imagine.

If you just want to sit down in front of the TV and relax without having to choose something else every three minutes, then services like Bigpond TV (currently on Samsung and LG) offer “regular” channels of music and sport.

Panasonic is making a big deal of its forthcoming games titles, which will include titles by Gameloft, in addition to a number of exercise games that utilise an optional monitor wrist band.

Skype is another new application, which, with the addition of a webcam, lets you talk to your friends and family on your TV.

The NRL Game Analyser on Samsung and LG TVs gives you access to full games with highlights.
(Credit: Samsung)

How do TV apps work?

All of the smart TVs have a home page that lets you access all of the different functions, and from there they also link to individual app stores. At the moment, all of the apps available on smart TVs are free, but the manufacturers are hoping to translate the popularity of paid apps on mobile devices to televisions.

Sony and Panasonic have traditionally been different in that new features are automatically downloaded once available, and become selectable from the main page. However, Panasonic has just announced its own app store, so this may change.

Apps currently include games, internet radio, weather and entertainment. One of the most original apps so far is Bigpond’s NRL/AFL Game Analyser, which includes several seasons worth of full games marked with highlights that you can stream to your TV.

Can I use apps across TVs or devices?

Unfortunately, all of the different TVs have their own unique operating environments, and you can’t translate apps from one device to another. However, most smart TVs have their own remote applications on the Android and Apple app stores that will enable you to control the TV from anywhere in the house.

What if I don’t want a new television?

If you have already bought a flat-panel TV recently, then there is a way to get the smart TV features without having to buy a whole new television. Several companies offer set-top boxes with smart features onboard, and are usually available for a few hundred dollars. Investing in a media player is also an economical way to bring streaming content to your home theatre system.

How do I control the TV?

To many people, a “smartphone” means that it has a touchscreen, but when your TV is six feet away this makes it hard to “touch”. As a way to get around this, manufacturers have come up with several different methods available for controlling smart TV.

Our current favourite is LG’s Magic Motion remote. It acts like a Nintendo Wii-mote and enables you to naturally point at objects on the screen. This comes particularly in handy when navigating web pages.

Some people out there really hate 3D movies and will go out of their way to see the 2D version of a movie if there is a choice.

But what happens if your normal 2D movie has the potential to be ruined by the technology as well?

A whistleblower from the US has told Boston.com that 3D lenses are often used to show 2D movies because it’s too expensive and time consuming to remove them, which means that your movie is half as bright as it should be.

The problem allegedly stems from the new Sony 4K projectors, which require security clearances and Internet passwords to change lenses, and will shut down if accessed incorrectly. Boston.com says that this is above the level of most movie staff, and so they leave the lens in place.

Director Peter Farrelly said that he saw two screenings of his movie Hall Pass, one with a normal lens and one with a 3D, and he wasn’t impressed; “The first screening looked spectacular and the second was so dark, it was daytime versus nighttime …That’s no way to see a movie.”

How can you tell if your movie is being shown through a 3D lens? According to Boston.com, you need to look behind you; “If you see two beams of light, one stacked on top of the other, that’s a Sony with the 3D lens still in place.”

We doubt that it’s an isolated case, as you can bet that if it’s happening in Boston, it’s happening anywhere that there’s a Sony 4K projector - including Australia.

Let us know below if you go to a showing that looks darker than normal and has two different beams of light.

However, with the advent of 3D in the meantime, Oppo has decided to update its player with not one but two models: the base BDP-93 and the audiophile-friendly BDP-95, which includes the DSS Sabre DAC.

Features of the BDP-93 include a Marvell Kyoto-G2 video processor with second-generation Qdeo technology (replacing Anchor Bay's VRS), included wireless-N adapter, a 7.1-channel analog output and an eSATA Port for connecting compatible hard drives.

Playback over a network via DLNA now supports both WAV and FLAC lossless formats, which is good news for audio enthusiasts.

The player also sports dual HDMI inputs, which is handy for users who don't have a receiver that supports 3D pass-through; one HDMI cable to your sound system and one straight to the TV.

While the US version supports Netflix and Blockbuster on Demand, there are no such services in place for the Australian version.

The only negative we can see is with the price difference; the BDP-83 is selling for US$499 in the US, but is sold for AU$$975 locally. In the past a doubling of the US price was the norm, but at the time of writing the Australian dollar is worth more than the greenback. Even companies like Apple are introducing local prices that are comparable. However, we do grant that the players are modified to be Blu-ray zone and DVD region-free once in Australia using third-party components.

While some units have already shipped, further models aren't expected till late April 2011.

Sydney is set to play host to what its makers call the "world's first 360-degree 3D AI cinematic experience" and is penned by the writer of Australian film The Boys.

The "film" is called Scenario and incorporates elements from gaming, 3D cinema and Star Trek's holodeck in an interactive experience "where no two 'screenings' will be the same".

The story revolves around a family trapped in a labyrinthine basement and requires the help of the handful of audience members to help the family escape.

The effort is a collaboration between director Del Favero, screenwriter Stephen Sewell and AI scientist Maurice Pagnucco.

The free event is expected to launch at the Sydney Film Festival from 8 - 19 June 2011.

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• Solid build
• Great sound
• Instant upgrade to CD player or media streamer
• Compact
• 24-bit DAC
• USB input is high-quality

The bad

• Expensive for upgrade and dongles
• Wireless is proprietary
• Can interfere with Wi-Fi
• iOS 4.3 eliminates need for proprietary iPod dongles
• Limited inputs

Editor’s note: the Arcam rDac wireless edition is very similar to the Editor’s Choice-winning Arcam rDac, but we cover the differences in the Wireless performance section below.

Arcam has taken the DAC blue-print established by rival Cambridge’s Audio DacMagic and expanded upon it with the release of two new models: the rDAC (AU$598) and the rDAC wireless (AU$775). If you buy a standard rDAC you have the option of buying an upgrade with a kit costing AU$198.

To use the wireless features of this edition you’ll need to purchase one or two dongles: the rWave PC adapter (AU$198) and/or the rWand 30-pin iPod/iPhone (AU$198) adapter.

Design and features

As with the standard rDac, build quality is exemplary with a sturdy rubber base and a compact design, meaning it can fit into tighter spots than the DacMagic. If you’re buying the upgrade kit version of the wireless edition, there is a rubber grommet on the back of the unit that peels off and lets you attach the antenna.

The rDAC features a higher specification than the DacMagic with the inclusion of a 24-bit/96kHz BurrBrown DAC that will also decode USB files at the same rate. This feature is welcomed as we criticised the Cambridge Audio product for its inability to process the free, high-quality music from the likes of Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead.

The rDAC features fewer inputs than the Cambridge though as it only has one optical, one coaxial and one USB. On the output side it does both kinds of (non-PC) digital and stereo RCA. Like the Cambridge it also jettisons a remote control. The device instead uses a push button on top to cycle through the four different inputs including wireless.

Wired performance

We used a mix of different devices to test the rDAC including the iPhone (using the digital output of the Onkyo ND-S1 dock), the Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player and the Marantz NA7004 network player. As we hooked the rDAC into the Sony STR-DA5400 receiver we also compared it to the onboard sound as well.

There are many benefits of buying an outboard DAC, especially if you have an older receiver or analog amplifier. Using the rDAC we were able to dig out much more of the sound imprinted in the disk or held between the zeroes and ones of the digital files. Music had more impact and vibrancy, with details that might have seemed throwaway before now suddenly given their rightful attention.

Vocals were simply more expansive than the Sony could muster and once-woolly basslines such as in Nick Cave’s “Red Right Hand” were now given enough space to swing their meat cleavers around. This more expressive bass was also able to propel rock and dance music forward, getting the feet tapping (or running away, in St Nick’s case).

Compared to the Marantz NA7004 and the DacMagic, the Arcam rDAC was able to carry a touch more exposition, and the ability to play 24-bit files meant that a new raft of music untouchable by the DacMagic was now playable.

Wireless performance

The wireless system works on the proprietary Kleer protocol that delivers lossless music on the 2.4GHz spectrum. “But hang on,” we hear you say, “isn’t that the same frequency used by laptops and such? Is there any interference?” Well, yes; and yes, there is.

Connecting the dongles is easy enough. The iPhone version is the quickest: simply connect the rWand to the 30-pin connector and the rDac will turn from red to green when it detects a signal. The rWave is a little more complex as it involves connecting the USB key-sized dongle and then choosing “Arcam sound card” from the sound properties on your computer. For Vista/Windows 7 users, this involves right clicking the speaker icon in your task bar, choosing “Playback Devices” and then choosing the device from a list. The only thing you need to remember before connecting either dongle is to change the rDac to the “Wireless” input, first using the top-mounted switch.

If you’ve already paired your devices the rDac will detect the dongles as soon as you connect them and will be playing your music or soundtracks within seconds. Audio quality of the wireless unit was seemingly indistinguishable from the wired version, and would be worth purchasing if it wasn’t plagued with problems.

During our testing we tried two different wireless routers and found that the rWave interfered with the signal from both of them. Either the music would stop or the internet connection would freeze for seconds at a time. While this wasn’t an issue with light web browsing - where the page is only refreshed after several pages of reading - it was definitely an issue when trying to move files around, such as in downloading.

In addition, the unit’s lack of remote control functionality largely negates its usefulness. You still have to be within arm’s reach of the rDac to change inputs anyway.

Lastly, dongles are small. They can easily get lost, and ponying up an extra AU$200 because your dog inhaled the rWand is something we wouldn’t wear.

Conclusion

Judged purely on the wireless performance alone, the rDac is not a great streaming device: its interference issues and lack of a remote control make it too hard to use.

Nevertheless, the Arcam rDAC wireless is great at decoding wired devices, but there are cheaper ways to stream. One option is to buy a device like the Apple TV for AU$129, plug it into the standard rDac and then stream to it from your iPhone or iTunes.

Related Articles

• Arcam rDAC
• Marantz NA7004 network audio player
• Creative Inspire S2 Wireless
• Cambridge Audio DacMagic

Customers may have to wait three to four weeks for an iPad 2 (Screenshot by CBS Interactive)

While customers can choose to buy it from a third-party reseller or from an official Apple store those who sign up for a new iPad are now informed there is a three- to four-week wait.

Orders for the iPad 2 began at approximately 1.20am this morning and the initial wait time was two to three weeks.

After being asked for the reason behind the delay, Apple Australia's Fiona Martin replied with the statement:

"iPad 2 went on sale on the Apple online store overnight and we are continuing to take orders. The iPad 2 is yet to go on sale at the Apple retail stores or Apple Authorised Resellers. Doors open at 5pm this evening. Customers can choose to order online, join the queue at the Apple retail stores or contact their local reseller. We do not have a pre-order."

The iPad 2 is an update on last year's model. It includes front and rear cameras, a dual-core processor and a slimmer design. Prices start at AU$579.

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On this week's Pulse podcast we discuss the tablet wars - the Apple iPad 2 might be released tomorrow, but is Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1v actually better? Also, we ask how you like to get your music: do you still listen to CDs or have you gone completely digital?

Your hosts this week are CNET Australia editors Ty Pendlebury, Joseph "Chicken" Hanlon, Lexy Savvides and Derek Fung.

This episode's topics of discussion include:

• Apple iPad 2 launch centre
• Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1v price matched with iPad 2
• Apple iPad 2 pricing announced
• Groupon's Stardeals goes live in Melbourne
• Samsung glasses-less 3D in 2014
• Poll: how do you get your music?
• Is this the strangest music game ever?

Don't forget to watch the latest episode of Pulse TV: everything about ebooks where we look at the problems with Borders and how piracy affects ebook sales.

Want to get in touch? Leave us your comments below, on our Facebook page or in the forums. You can also call our 24-hour Pulse hotline on (02) 8514 9902 and leave a message.

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• Telstra T-Touch Tab
• Optus My Tab

• Easy to use
• Large 1TB capacity
• Seamless integration of digital TV and IPTV
• Decent image quality Music channels are excellent

• Lack of compelling channels and on-command content
• Weak digital tuner
• Can affect some general web usage
• No remote recording
• Stereo only
• Only available to select Internode, iiNet and Adam customers

Internet Protocol television: not something that rolls off the tongue. Yet it's something that many of us will be watching everyday in the near future. But what is IPTV? As it sounds, it's television delivered via the internet, and the FetchTV is one of several new systems offering a wealth of content beyond normal free-to-air.

Design

The FetchTV looks very similar to the Foxtel iQ2 when they're placed side by side, and has a piano-black finish and blue activity lights. However, the FetchTV adds some distinctive touches that mean it can't easily be confused with the cable provider's offering. Firstly, the logo: the FetchTV features the doggy logo on the left-hand side, which also doubles as a power light - a blue dog when on and a red one when switched off. Secondly, there is only one control on the front of the unit: power. While this makes the unit hard to control if you lose the remote, it also serves to keep the front of the box clean and uncluttered.

The remote that ships with the device is quite similar to others in the genre and is friendly and easy to use. Unfortunately, there's minimal backlighting, though.

Features

The FetchTV is what could be described as a "hybrid PVR", as it includes dual HD digital tuners and an IPTV receiver. The box enables users to record two channels at a time from any source and then watch a third. The box includes a capacious 1TB HDD, which promises up to 500 hours of recordings.

FetchTV is offered by a handful of internet service providers (ISPs) presently, with the two major ones being Internode and iiNet. In addition to the digital free-to-air channels, the box offers over a dozen channels delivered through your internet connection including MTV, National Geographic and the travel-centric Luxe TV. There are also a number of football (soccer) channels such as Manchester Union TV and Chelsea.

The ISPs are offering four different ways to pay for and use the FetchTV. Subscribers can either buy the box outright for AU$399 and then pay AU$19.95 per month for the full service, or AU$5.95 per month for Lite (which only includes the pay-per-view channels). The more economical method is simply rent the box with no upfront outlay for AU$29.95 a month for the full package or AU$14.95 a month.

Subscribers get to choose from 30 on-demand movies as part of the package with content refreshed every week, though most of these are older titles. There is also a selection of pay-per-view TV and movie content from the likes of Warner Bros and Paramount.

If you've got five minutes of thumb twiddling to do, the FetchTV offers some time killers in the form of interactive games such as Patience and Blackjack, in addition to a Facebook app. Text input with a remote control remains a pain, though.

One of the FetchTV's most valuable additions is the selection of 15 music channels arranged by categories including rock, urban, indie, pop, jazz and classical. Each channel gives you cover art for the song just played, the song now playing and the next, as well as a helpful progress bar. After each song the screen changes, which is of use to users with plasma screens.

The music channels are some of the FetchTV's best features. (Credit: CBS Interactive)

In addition, FetchTV says to expect "some exciting news in 2011" as far as content is concerned. In the meantime, iiNet and Internode customers are greeted with a "Coming Soon" screen.

At present, there aren't any remote recording capabilities - something Foxtel and TiVo users have enjoyed for a while - but FetchTV says this is "still under development and is not available yet".

Connections on the FetchTV include an antenna pass-through, USB (not used at the moment), AV-out, component, HDMI, digital and optical audio and an Ethernet port. There is no wireless option.

Set-up

The hardest part of setting up the Fetch TV was that it required a new ADSL router, which, according to Internode, only two companies make routers that support the Fetch: Fritz! and Billion. If you're looking to take up the service it bears to keep this in mind. Your line also needs to pass a speed test to make sure it can handle the bandwidth required.

With the router set-up completed, we hooked up the FetchTV via Ethernet and the corresponding install took about 30 minutes. The box browsed all of our digital free-to-air channels and then presented us with the main screen.

Performance

If you sign up with Internode, it will require changing to a FetchTV-specific account that apportions bandwidth to the box and your regular usage accordingly. Internode guarantees users will never receive any less than 512Kbps for normal internet usage while using Fetch, though we did notice some slowdowns with web browsing at times.

Even so, in our attempt to "max out the pipe", we were able to watch the high bandwidth Luxe TV channel, stream a song from Music Unlimited, download a file at 250Kbps and conduct a speed test simultaneously without a glitch!

While we were able to get a whole range of channels with the tuner - including regional stations - we found that reception was a little spotty. Channel 7 in particular gave us problems with stuttering and blocky break-ups every 30 seconds. While the digital tuner on our Panasonic G10 had no problems with 7mate, the FetchTV hiccuped and burped its way through daytime reruns of Airwolf and Baywatch. On occasions we'd also get some freezing on IPTV channels as well, but less frequently.

Overall, we found the user experience with the FetchTV box to be quite positive - the screens are sensibly arranged and it's easy to navigate around. The Electronic Program Guide features a Picture-in-Picture display, but we wish that it could have fit more channel information on-screen instead.

Recording and watching channels was a breeze, and setting up "Series Tag" was a straightforward experience - all recordings of a single series are also conveniently grouped into a single folder. Picture quality on live and IPTV channels was at most times indistinguishable, and recordings were also of a high standard. We were a little disappointed that all of the content - whether web- or tuner-based was restricted to two-channel audio.

Only on video-on-demand did the web-based nature of the service show itself, and we think this was due to the low bitrate content and not the "pipe" itself. For example, while the pay-per-view copy of The Other Guys was presented in standard definition, static shots would occasionally "de-rez" or strobe, and a lack of surround sound meant that action scenes lacked the oomph that an equivalent AU$5.95 purchase on the Foxtel iQ2 service would deliver.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, people will pay for content. The FetchTV offers more channels and the ability to record them over the equivalently priced Foxtel on Xbox 360, making it a better deal overall.

But the channels provided still seem a little scattergun, and don't particularly cater to any one taste. It seems like a pretty poor option if you can pay just AU$14.95 a month and get access to just digital TV and pay-per-view.

While Foxtel iQ2 is undeniably more expensive, the selection of channels and exclusive local content means it's still the king of paid content in Australia. With that said, we look forward to seeing what FetchTV can offer in the future.

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