How to turn your TV into a Smart TV

Most TVs these days are so-called Smart TVs, so you can enjoy all your streaming platforms with ease.

For those who have a regular TV, there are easy ways to turn your current TV into a Smart TV.

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Sometimes it’s best to look for the best 4k TV deals and find a brand new smart TV.

If you’re looking to buy a TV, make sure you know what size TV to buy and how to measure a TV screen.

But you don’t have to spend on a new OLED screen to access all your streaming hubs.

Most converters give you a way to access the internet through a streaming hub, making your regular TV smart.

If you’re looking to wall mount your new TV, check out our picks for the best TV wall mounts you can buy.

You can convert your old TV into a Smart TV using many different devices, so we’ve cleared up the confusion and explained the different options.

1. Amazon Fire TV Stick, £39.99

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Amazon offers a range of prices for its Fire TV Sticks, from just £29.99 to the £109.99 Fire TV Cube.

The Fire TV Stick balances budget and streaming ability as it can handle HD streaming without the hefty price tag.

The sticks – and the cube – work by plugging into your HDMI port, plugging into a power source, and connecting to WiFi.

This creates a streaming hub for all your services like Amazon Prime and gives you internet access and other apps.

Amazon’s Lite version of the stick saves you £10 but you lose the HD quality of the stream, while the 4K and 4K Max versions offer Dolby Vision and 4K definition at a higher price.

The offer is rounded off by the Amazon Fire TV Cube with Alexa voice control, higher storage space and a faster hexa-core processor.

You can often find the Fire Sticks discounted, so check out our Amazon Device Deals page for the latest deals.

The classic Fire TV Stick is still the best for easy and affordable streaming – although the 4K version is an excellent choice for more avid viewers.

Other devices available on Amazon:

2. Roku Express 4K, £32 (save 18%)

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Slightly cheaper than the Fire TV Sticks and also currently on sale is the Roku line of streaming devices.

The Roku Express 4K is currently just £32 on Amazon – down from £39, giving you an 18% saving.

Much like the Fire Sticks, the Roku devices work by plugging them into your TV, connecting to the internet, and setting up a Roku account.

All streaming services can be found on your Roku homepage, including Netflix and Disney+.

If you have a wall-mounted TV, you might want to opt for the Roku Streaming Stick+, which is also on offer for £46.99 – a 22% saving.

Roku also has a Streambar that doubles as a smart device and a soundbar, saving you space on your TV stand.

Other devices available from Roku:

3. Google Chromecast, £30

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A great budget streaming device to convert your old TV is the Google Chromecast.

This affordable little media streamer supports up to 4K resolution and can be paired with your Google Home devices for voice control.

Chromecast can be used by anyone in the room to cast video from their phone to the TV, even if they’re not connected to WiFi.

Using the HDMI port for both power and connection to your TV is easily concealed without cables hanging down.

Chromecast is a great and affordable option for people who already use Google at home.

4. Apple TV HD, £139

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While it can be confusing, these aren’t the same as or limited to Apple’s streaming platform, Apple TV+.

Apple TVs are one of the more expensive streaming devices out there, starting at £139.

That’s because they also have a lot more storage – while most devices are around 8GB, Apple TVs start at 32GB.

The 4K version comes in a choice of 32GB or 64GB, meaning you’ll have more space for all your apps, movies and TV shows to download.

This little box connects to your TV via HDMI, so you can access all your favorite streaming shows with Dolby Surround Sound.

For the price hike, Apple’s TV doesn’t offer much that even the most expensive Amazon TV Cube wouldn’t offer.

Although Apple includes three months of free Apple TV +, their own streaming service, with every purchase, including its TV boxes.

Other devices available from Apple:

5. Facebook Portal TV, £94

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Meta’s video calling device is not only for chatting with friends, you can also use it to stream your favorite shows.

The Facebook Portal TV connects to your TV and is a camera that lets you video chat right from your TV instead of holding up a tablet or phone.

It also has the ability to download streaming platform apps so you can watch your favorite movies too.

Portal also connects to your Alexa devices to call someone or watch a TV show using just your voice.

Even better, this is currently reduced from £149 to £94 on Amazon – a saving of 37%.

6. DVD player – Panasonic DMP-BD84EB-K, £69

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The humble Blu-ray player can be the key to converting your old TV into a smart TV.

Many modern Blu-ray and DVD players allow you to connect to the internet using an Ethernet cable or WiFi.

This Panasonic is a slim Blu-ray player with internet connectivity and a USB port in case you have any movies on a memory stick.

7. Gaming Consoles – Xbox Series S, £242.99

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Both the Playstation and Xbox consoles allow you to stream TV and movies through their user interface.

You can download apps for all your favorite streaming platforms straight to your Xbox home screen.

The cheapest deal is the Xbox Series S, you can get up to 8K quality if you use an 8K capable HDMI cable.

The Xbox Series X is the high-end version with built-in 8K capabilities, 4K gaming, and a larger processor—it’s also almost twice the price.

It’s an expensive way to turn your old TV into a smart TV, but if you’re looking for a games console anyway, this could kill two birds with one stone.

The Xbox Series S console is also currently slightly discounted on Amazon.

If you’re looking for an Echo, Kindle or Fire, don’t miss our round-up of Amazon device deals currently available.

And if you’re looking for some extra cybersecurity, don’t miss our picks of the best VPNs or the best VPNs for Netflix.

There’s also a roundup of the best SIM-only deals if you’re looking to upgrade your data plan