My Cart - I’m not talking about pills – it is highly unlikely your TV will ever develop a headache! I’m of course referring to tablet computers and their increasing use as TV remote controls.
Some of the major brand TV manufacturers also make tablet PCs, some prominent examples being Samsung and Sony. If you happen to have a SMART TV made by the same manufacturer then it’s extremely likely that there’s a downloadable TV Remote control app for your tablet. These same manufacturer apps will have the most functionality.
What if I Don’t Have a Tablet and TV by the Same Manufacturer?
The tablet and smart phone market is dominated by just different 3 operating systems (an OS is the software that runs your tablet device). These are Apple iOS, Android and Blackberry OS. The millions of people using these operating systems are too big a crowd to be ignored, so the manufacturers have developed apps for them.
If you need an example of this working, I have the Sony Media Remote application installed on my Samsung Galaxy S3 phone and it works flawlessly. Visit Google Play store, iTunes app store or Blackberry app world to search for apps by your TV manufacturer.
So how can a tablet pc or a phone control my SMART TV?
Your SMART TV needs to be connected to your home internet network either via WiFi or a wired LAN connection to make use of its extra interactive features. Similarly your tablet or smart phone connects to your home WiFi for its internet signal. This gives a route for you tablet or phone to link into the TV and take control.
Amazingly you don’t need to be in the same room as the TV to control it. This was a great source of amusement to me, whilst my wife was watching Hollyoaks, I was upstairs switching the TV to BBC NEWS 24!
Unlocking Its Potential
You might be wondering what the point there is to having a tablet that can control your TV – after all your TV came with a dedicated remote control.
Well the full benefit comes from being able to share content on your tablet with the TV. If you want to show everyone a photo you’ve got on your tablet you can swipe across the tablet screen and within a moment or two it will be on your TV for all to see.
This works similarly with movies and pretty much any media you happen to have on your tablet. You can also use your TV as a large screen for the games you play on your tablets whilst still using the using the tablet as your controller.
