ANALYSIS: SMART TV Home Entertainment


Screen time


Binge-watching boxsets and screening the latest movies is something we all love to do, and nowadays it’s easier than ever with more smart TV platforms than you can wave your remote at! Jack Cheeseman scans the market for the latest TV tech.


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with our living spaces... Recent data from Statista showed that a whopping 82 per cent of UK homeowners reported they had at least one form of smart device for entertainment purposes; this can be as simple as a smart-enabled TV or a dust- covered first generation Amazon Echo in the far corner of the living room. It seems as though we’re moving ever- closer to the realisation of futuristic movie-like situations where we can seamlessly control our entire living spaces by a few spoken commands or a couple of taps on a phone.


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So how can consumers be taught about all the new and exciting ways Wi-Fi connected products can enhance their daily life? Electrical retail stores are the best place for people to get independent, specialised advice in this increasingly crowded, jargon-heavy smart sector. And in most cases, whether they simply want the product to take away, or they want it installed, set up and integrated alongside their other devices in the home, they can. When most people think of smart products, they think of smart TVs. In the UK, the smart TV household penetration rate reached 84 per cent in 2023, showing signs of further future growth (Statista, 2024). And with so much more content available on streaming platforms today, this is further temptation for consumers to invest in Wi-Fi-enabled TVs.


oday’s homes are more connected than ever before and smart devices are seamlessly blending in with our everyday lives; they are revolutionising the way we interact


Within the past few weeks, Everyone TV (formerly Digital UK) announced multiple new smart TV brands joining the Freely line-up. Freely, which already launched on Hisense smart TVs in April, is the new streaming service backed by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. For the first time, audiences can stream a range of live TV channels alongside on- demand content all in one place for free via their smart TVs, with Freely removing the need for a dish or aerial. Viewers can switch seamlessly between live and on-demand content from the UK’s leading broadcasters and now other free-to-air broadcasters. Metz, Toshiba, Sharp and Panasonic all confirmed to offer the new streaming service.


integrated with Freely, will help consumers navigate the huge array of streaming and linear content options through a simplified, universal discovery process. Lastly, Panasonic’s 2024 line-up of 4K OLED, QLED, and LED TVs will come with Freely built-in (pictured below). “A joint venture between Britain’s leading


broadcasters, Freely is built on collaboration and it is encouraging to see more of the industry coming together to contribute to its success,” explains Deep Halder, Chief Commercial Officer at Everyone TV. “We are working together to secure the future of free TV.” Earlier this year, Hisense unveiled its 2024 range of TVs with four series ranging from 50- inch all the way up to 110-inch screens. The


Metz, one of Germany’s oldest TV brands, will be launching new Freely compatible QLED+ TVs (pictured above) incorporating Dolby Vision and Atmos. These will be available in 43, 50, 55 and 65-inch screen sizes. Toshiba’s new Freely compatible TVs offer QLED 4K immersive viewing paired with Dolby Atmos sound, while Sharp’s new range of smart TVs (GK4 4K and GM6 4K QLED models),


brand was also one of the first manufacturers to have Freely built into all of its new 4K TV models. This year’s TV line-up features a diverse range of models, including the U7N, available in 55, 65, 75, 85 and 100-inch sizes and with the latest version of Hisense’s Vidaa smart platform. Users get custom content recommendations and they can control the TV via voice by a smart speaker or using the Bluetooth-enabled remote control.


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