Smart TVs vs. Media Hubs – Who Will Prevail?

Your TV is changing – it is becoming smarter. It goes beyond whether your TV has been has branded as Smart TV by the TV maker or not. The changing face of entertainment and information has dictated that we demand more of our TV, and Smart TVs and other devices that make the TV smarter are just a part of the trend.

The buyers of today are simply much more connected, and like to multitask even while being entertained. A few weeks back, I read a report that more and more people like to fiddle with their Smartphones even while watching TV. They do it for various purposes – to share something they watch on TV, to check about something, or simply seek more information about some programs. So, rather than turning to their PC, they do so at a leisurely pace – and on their smartphones.

Additionally, net surfing is also a part of our daily infotainment diet. Most of us, after spending a day at work on workstations, still go back to our home PCs to surf the internet. We may download our favorite tunes, download a movie, or just your favorite apps – they are all a part our daily entertainment or rather, infotainment schedule.

Smart TV boxes, media hubs and media streaming devices such as Apple TV, Roku and Google TV are just fulfilling a function to integrate most of such functions in a single device. The devices – either hardware based or services based – are meant to be attached to your HDTV, and seek to become a total infotainment hub – when connected to the internet.

Some of these efforts have outright failed, while some have achieved only a moderate degree of success. For example, though well regarded and positively reviewed, Apple TV has still seen low penetrations, especially when compared to the craze that every other Apple product or service seems to attract. The Google TV has been a big failure for the search engine giant – despite repeated attempts at resuscitation and rejuvenation.

The field for these players is further queered by the TV makers, who have realized the potential of an integrated entertainment and information device – and are offering a solution themselves in the form of Smart TVs. Considering that media streaming devices and services like Google TV and Apple TV are dependent on HD TVs for final output, the entry of the TV makers in the field should be a matter of concern for them.

The Smart TV makers are also playing it much smartly – the solution set offered by the Smart TVs is much more comprehensive than that of media streaming services and STBs. For example, LG Smart TV offers a comprehensive suite of applications, games and a combination of free and premium services to the buyers, in addition to access to social networking sites and net surfing. Additional features like Smart Share and 3D viewing further strengthen the case of Smart TVs.

The much anticipated union of TV and internet is already happening, and the Smart TVs are seemingly taking the fight away from media hubs. The coming days will see interesting action on this front, and whether media hubs and streaming services still stay relevant, or lose their ground to Smart TVs will be an interesting thing to watch.