http://www.techradar.com/news/televisio ... ay-1183140

All they have to do in the UK is say, 'Look, iPlayer without a box!* YouTube! eBay for when people ask if you can get them something!'

But honestly? The controls are your problem.

* Conveniently forgetting that super-cheap Sky Now box you could tuck away behind the TV you have now...

Add in iPads and I would totally agree.

I doubt that smart TV's are necessary. If I want to watch anything on catch up the iPad suits me perfectly. I can always stream anything from my computer to the TV with an Apple TV so a why would I need a smart TV. I suspect that it is adding features for the sake of it.

I still think people are missing the point, and that “smart TVs” are really a red herring.

A TV is a screen - a display for whatever device you choose to connect to it. So if you want iPlayer - chances are that you’ve got it in your cable TV box already. If you want “smart TV” like capabilities, then surely it makes more sense to buy the TV with the best picture you can afford, and then pick up a little box that adds that to the display you have.

My TV has some form of “smart TV” capabilities (browsing, YouTube; the usual suspects). I don’t use it. All those features are either on my tablet (which I can mirror to the TV should I wish), or on my Apple TV or PS3.

I really, really wish iPlayer was on Aplle TV. That would make that unit pretty much complete as far as my needs are concerned. Right now, I use the PS3 or stream iPlayer from the iPad to the Apple TV.

I use iPlayer on my TV, but that's about it. I'll occasionaly plug in a USB stick and look at some photos too.

Yes but as you can mirror it already so do you really need it on your TV? I suspect that there are licensing issues with it being on the Apple TV. It really should not be that difficult to port from the iPhone or iPad to the Apple TV.

I suspect that the problem is that the manufacturers will add features to differentiate their models from the rest of the market. Personally I would want a better picture with additional HDMI sockets so I can add a box if necessary as you mentioned.