Getting the most out ofyour TVshould be everyone’s goal. You may not have thought about what your “goal” is for your TV besides watching it, but you should consider it. If you want your TV to stand out as more ofan art piecein your room, getting a Roku TV or a Samsung Frame TV would benefit you, as you may turn them into art displays when they aren’t on. If you want it to help controlyour smart home, your TV has to be a smart TV with the ability to connect to other smart home devices.
A TV is a large purchase, and nobody makes one without considering how they’ll use it. If you just want to watch TV, that’s fine – but there’s so much more you could do with it. In fact, there are a lot of devices that can beadded to a smart TVthat will make your experience even better.
You may not have ever thought to use these devices with your TV, but here are five you should test out.
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1A USB drive
Your TV almost certainly has a port for it
Most people probably don’t give their TV’s USB port a second thought. When it comes to connecting devices, HDMI and Bluetooth tend to get all the attention. While you usually associate USB drives with computers, at the end of the day, they’re handy little storage devices – and that includes storing and playing audio or video files directly on your TV.
The USB drive itself should be formatted for FAT32, exFAT, or NTFS. The files should be formatted as MP4, AVI, or MKV for videos, MP3, AAC, or WAV for audio, and JPEG, PNG, or GIF for images.
Before you dive in, ensure your USB drive and the files on it are in a format your TV can read. If everything checks out, you can load up movies and shows on the drive and watch them straight from your TV – perfect for when the Wi-Fi goes out or you’re just trying to stay offline.
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2An external hard drive
More storage and even more uses
If you’re looking to store a lotof files, you might want to upgrade from a thumb drive to an external hard drive. Depending on the size, some can hold terabytes of data. That means space for entire movie libraries, full seasons of TV, and for gamers, plenty of room to stash game files you can plug into a PC or Raspberry Pi, and then connect right back to your TV.
External hard drives can also act like a DVR on some TVs, letting you record and save content directly.
Don’t forget about music – many smart TVs will let you play audio files straight from the drive. All you need is a working USB port.
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3A soundbar
Level up the audio
Admit it: the speakers built into your TV aren’t that good. You can turn them up really loud or adjust the settings (to a point), but at the end of the day, the audio system inside your TV is mediocre at best. Adding a soundbar can be a game-changer, so if you want to go big and set up an entire speaker system in your home, you can do so. But a soundbar is a more cost-effective way to improve the sound of your TV.
Not only can they amp up the volume to higher levels than your TV can, but soundbars can also bring a more immersive sound. They produce a richer, fuller sound that can spread the sound waves further in a room. They’re also likely to be able to connect to almost any TV that you have, as most of them connect via an HDMI cable.
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4A streaming device
This is if you don’t have a smart TV
Most TVs sold today are smart TVs, with built-in operating systems that let you download apps and stream content directly. But if you’re still hanging onto an older TV – or just don’t want to splurge on a smart model – a streaming device will be your best friend. Popular options from Apple, Roku, Amazon, and Google make it easy to make any screen a full-fledged entertainment hub. If you don’t know which one you want, they don’t cost very much to try out.
Streaming devices open the door to millions of shows, movies, and apps. They’re also perfect if you’re thinking of cutting cable. Streaming devices are arguably the best way for people with non-smart TVs to enhance their TV. Even if you already own a smart TV, a dedicated streaming device can actually offer better app support, a snappier interface, or just a user experience you prefer. You just need to plug your streaming device in and swap the source on your TV to play it.
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5A device to cast from
This can be a number of options
You don’t always need extra gear to connect your devices to your TV – chances are, your phone or computer can cast straight to it. How that works depends on the devices you’re using, but most smart TVs offer a few different casting options. For wired connections, you can plug in directly with the right cable. For wireless setups, your phone or laptop can usually connect via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
If you’re an iPhone user, look forScreen Mirroring–it’s built in and works with AirPlay-compatible TVs. However, on Android, features likeCast Screen,Miracast,Smart View, or even just “Screen Mirroring” get the job done. You’ll need to check your TV’s settings to find the right option and, in some cases, enter a passcode to connect.
Once you’re up and running, you may do a lot more than just watch your favorite streamer. You can show off your vacation photos, share a presentation, or mirror a video call on the big screen. Casting is one of the easiest ways to upgrade watching with no new device required.
