Considerations of a Modern Entertainment Center Television

As a result of a collection of technologies, it’s only natural that entertainment systems would be under constant evolution alongside their components. While this development is fantastic in regards to bringing us a wider array of entertainment, it can also be confusing in what is needed to stay relevant and modern.

In this article, we want to take a look at one of the most major modern components in any entertainment center – the television. With an astonishing amount of choice both in features and style, making the right decision here is tricky. Though the style side is entirely up to your tastes, we can at least help when it comes to features.

Future Forward

Many of us cultivate a sort of inflexibility when it comes to complex technological systems. We enjoy what we have now, and we believe this is probably good enough for the future. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this, but you shouldn’t underestimate the sheer convenience of modern software out of fear or frustrations of learning alone.

As a basis, a smart television over an older non-smart TV is an effective necessity. Other smart devices are also fantastic, but even the best of these are, for the moment at least, still optional. It needs to be said, however, that not all smart televisions are created equal. On the software side of this equation, the most common complaint people have with smart TVs comes from the lesser availability of apps.

According to dedicated tech sites, the best televisions in terms of app availability are those which operate the Android TV operating system. If you value choice above all else, then this one single component can make all the difference. A great example of this is the MX Player, which interfaces extremely well with a wide variety of formats. If you’ve ever had a media player try and fail to run a movie from an external device because of format, solutions like this are god-sends. 

Also useful for many users are apps like AirScreen, which allows you to cast from macOS computers straight to your television. This is fantastic for people on mobiles or laptops who want to extend their experience to a larger screen. A common illustration we’ve seen of this is from people who like betting on online sports odds. While activities like checking odds and placing bets for games like hockey and basketball are already easy on other devices, screencasting can make the experience even more engaging. This method is also great for sharing the experience with others, which is difficult on smaller devices.

Of course, without enough hardware power to drive a device, or a poor user interface to inhibit the experience, all the choice in the world isn’t going to matter. Because of this, it is often best to trial televisions in-store first, or put some heavy work into investigating online reviews for pros and cons.  

Remember the Internet

Turning to hardware, there is one unavoidable issue here that needs to be addressed. This is that of your internet connection, an inseparable part of most smart TVs. If you want to watch 4K video, and you’re not close to your router, it can be better to have a corded connection available. Ethernet connections can require planning before installation to hide the cables, but it’s also infinitely more reliable a data stream than wireless waves.

Don’t Rush

It might be tempting to jump on a new deal you see for cheap smart TVs, but you never want to be in the situation where you’re stuck for years with an inferior product. Rather, a better idea is usually to ask around with friends and family first. See what they have, what they love and hate, and adapt their ideas to your own home. The right choice can be with you for a decade or more, so weigh your options well before taking the plunge.