6 Things You Didn’t Know Your Smart TV Could Do

No longer the ‘idiot box,’ that big screen can handle much more

Jason R. Rich

AARP

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Published October 23, 2024

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By now, most viewers are accustomed to internet-connected TV, which lets you stream content from popular services including Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Max, Netflix and Paramount+.

But modern, smart televisions are technologically superior to the cathode ray tubes of yore in many other ways. Here are some things a lot of the latest smart TVs can do:

1. Play video games on the biggest of screens

Use a wireless game controller with the TV to play video games — including versions of classic board games, card games, casino games and puzzle games such as crosswords amd sudoku. No is console needed.

You can play solo or against other players, remotely, in real time. Some game services are free while others require a monthly fee.

2. Display artwork or photos

TV brands have teamed up with world-renowned museums and galleries, so when you’re not watching programming, the set can display high-resolution versions of famous paintings and photographs. Some are free, others require a subscription.

The TVs offer so much detail that you can see brushstrokes and how colors blend. You also can set your TV to display your favorite digital photos, stored in the cloud.

3. Be a substitute for a smart speaker

Your TV may be compatible with a digital assistant, such as Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri or Google Assistant.

4. Make dialogue easier to understand

When sound effects and music are playing in the background, dialogue can be hard to hear. Most TVs have a dialogue enhancement feature you can adjust from the settings.

This feature may be called dialogue enhancement, speech boost, speech clarity or something similar. Or you can turn on closed-captioning if reading the dialogue helps you.

5. Make video calls with a webcam, mic

If you want to see your kids and grandkids bigger than life, some of today's smart TVs, such as Samsung F series TVs, will allow you to make video calls with their built-in cameras. Other big brands, such as LG and Sony, offer separate USB cameras with microphones, and Sony says its camera will track your movements as you speak.

But any USB camera with a microphone can plug into the USB-A port on your TV, just as it would to your computer. You'll want to make sure that it has full high definition (FHD) resolution so you won't be blurry to the person you're calling; a privacy slider to cover the camera lens when you don’t need it; and the ability to use common teleconferencing apps such as Google Meet, Meta’s Messenger, Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

No matter your preferences, everyone on the call must be using the same app.

Apple is different. If you and your buddies love FaceTime on your iPhone or iPad and have an Apple TV 4K running tvOS 17 or later, you can use your phone as the camera and microphone and either start the call on your smaller Apple device and transfer it to the TV or begin it from your Apple TV screen.

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6. Control your home’s other smart tech

Use your TV’s voice remote control to issue commands to your smart lights — on, off, brighter, dimmer — or thermostat — warmer, cooler. When connected to a video doorbell, your TV can show people who approach your door, and you can communicate with them without getting up.

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Jason R. Rich is a contributing writer who covers technology. His work also appears in Forbes and Entrepreneur magazines, and he has written several books, including AARP’s My Online Privacy for Seniors.