Smart technology TV is the ability of a TV to connect to the Internet and communicate with computers and mobile devices. Similar to smartphones, smart TVs have their own set of installed applications and the ability to download them from special store. Gesture and voice control functions can also be supported. Some TVs are equipped with a camera, which gives room for expanded functionality. As a rule, such TVs have an Ethernet and Wi-Fi network connector.

What applications for Smart TV can be called the best.

The leading companies producing models with Smart TV are Samsung and LG. But Sony, Panasonic, Philips and Toshiba also have their own environment. Moreover, to any regular TV you can buy a special set-top box with Android OS, which will turn it into a Smart TV. Each platform has its own pros and cons, but we will consider the best applications for Smart TV on Samsung example and LG, as the most popular and widespread.

Samsung

Samsung currently uses the Tizen operating system for Samsung Smart TV, offering the following features:

• work in an Internet browser from the screen;
• sending photos and videos to TV from a smartphone;
• dozens of games;
• automatic hardware detection;
• launch planning Samsung applications;
• universal remote control for all devices;
• online cinema, sports broadcasts, weather, cloud service and many other possibilities.

Samsung Smart TV is not just a means of watching video, but multimedia center, which allows you to share and view the content of Internet services, customize viewing according to your interests, exchange data with a computer and other devices, receive information about events in the world, play games, post photos on social networks, and make video calls. And do all this without leaving the couch.

Samsung Smart TV applications are available from the Samsung Apps store, which can be accessed through the Smart Hub menu. Here you can sort by category and search.

LG

LG webOS is in no way inferior to its main competitor. At the same time, prices for the company’s products are slightly lower than for similar ones from Samsung. Perhaps that is why LG Smart TV is gaining so much popularity. Features that LG offers in its Smart TV:

• “Quick Start” function - the Smart TV screen is available immediately when you turn on the TV;
• work simultaneously with several applications;
• sorting and organizing application menus;
• saving favorite TV channels in Smart TV;
• universal remote control for different devices;
• remote control with a wheel, similar in operation to a computer mouse;
• voice typing;
• enlarging screen details while viewing;
• control using a smartphone;
• sharing content with smartphones.

LG Smart TV is characterized by a simple interface, convenient control, wide customization options. The company constantly updates the platform, trying to provide it with more and more capabilities and stability in operation.

Applications are available from the LG Store, which can be accessed from the main menu of Smart TV.

Review of the best Smart TV applications

Currently best services Internet applications are being developed for all popular platforms, so there are a number universal programs, and there are those that are typical only for a particular platform.

Interesting apps for Samsung:

Interesting applications for LG:

The best applications for Smart TV, which owners of TVs from Samsung, LG and other manufacturers should definitely pay attention to:

The main interest for Smart TV owners, of course, is online cinemas. Someone is looking free content, someone needs new items or high quality. Install different applications from the recommended ones and choose the most suitable one for you. Gaming and information applications are relevant if your model supports convenient gesture and voice control. If you know interesting new products for Smart TV, write your reviews and experience of use in the comments.

IN Lately, the so-called Android TV BOX, in other words, portable, is gaining more and more popularity among users set-top boxes and Smart TV (" smart TVs") governed by operating system Android.

The reasons for the popularity of this type of device are very simple - this is, first of all, multifunctionality (the user can watch TV programs, films and series via the Internet, play games, listen to music and online radio broadcasts), the absence of a subscription fee for Additional services(for full operation of the equipment, only the Internet is required), as well as the availability of a huge amount of different (paid and free) software for all kinds of needs.

IN current review Free viewing apps will be considered online television, with a description of the advantages and disadvantages of each of them. For those who are especially impatient - download links current versions of the described software are available at the end of the review.) So, let's get started.

Free software

LOL!TV

One of the best applications of its kind for watching TV channels over the Internet. The main advantage of LOL!TV is that it is completely free and lacks any advertising. As the developers explain, this is due to the fact that the program is in the active testing stage, however, on the functionality of the application this fact does not affect in any way.

For the convenience of users, all channels in LOL!TV are divided into categories by genre (sports, films, news, children's, 18+, etc.) and broadcast quality (MQ - medium and HQ - high quality). The number of TV channels available for viewing is about 300 (including those of the same name, broadcast in different time zones).

Lol!TV - channel selection menu.

Using the settings in the application, you can change the scale of channel icons, as well as protect with a password or hide the 18+ category from the main menu.

Application settings.

Functionally, the program works quite stable. Non-working channels and picture freezes are quite rare occurrences. The image quality of "TV pictures" corresponds to the declared level.

The disadvantages of Lol!TV include: lack of TV channel schedules (in latest version) and viewing archived recordings of television programs.

Watch the broadcast.

Important! For correct operation Application requires installation additional software- Ace Stream Media, since TV broadcasting is carried out via P2P networks or, simply put, using Torrent technology.

LazyIPTV

Another application that deserves close attention is LazyIPTV, which is essentially an IPTV client. The quantity and quality of content reproduced in the program depends on the playlist used by the user.

In addition to watching TV broadcasts, the application allows you to listen to Internet radio, watch movies, TV series or videos from sources available on the Internet.

Main menu

Import playlist

The advantages of the software include: the ability to add your own playback source, accessibility flexible settings programs (choice color scheme, import and export of user data, function " parental controls" and much more), TV program schedules, no installation of additional software required.

Actually, the advantages of the application also lead to disadvantages: to watch broadcasts you need a working playlist (by default, you can add 3 official sources to receive them through the built-in wizard manager), instability of operation and insufficient quality of many channels, since playlists become outdated very quickly.

Playing a TV channel

The program is completely free, but there are unobtrusive advertisements third party software in small quantities.

Torrent-TV

Torrent TV is the official client application from the torrent television provider of the same name. TV channels are categorized by genre, more than 400 are available to the user (to get full access to all broadcasts you need free registration on the TV operator's website).

Functionally, the program works very stable. The quality of the broadcast content depends on the broadcaster, roughly speaking, the user distributing this channel.

Selecting a channel category in TorrentTV

I would include the advantages of the application: the availability of announcements of TV shows and viewing of archived recordings, the ability to choose an engine for playing broadcasts (AceStream, NoxBit - free, TSProxy - paid), the presence of a small archive of films and TV series available for playback, as well as the absence of advertising. Disadvantages - there is no way to adjust the scale of the inscriptions and the channel logo (in my opinion, the fonts are difficult to read, especially for people with “weak” vision).

Settings menu.

Watching TV broadcast.

Important! As in the case of LOL!TV, for the application to work correctly, you need to install additional software - Ace Stream Media.

Parom TV

Parom TV - another one free application to watch online TV without any paid subscriptions or advertising. The quality of video content is at an acceptable level. In the program you can watch about 40 Russian and Ukrainian TV channels.

The advantages of the program include: a user-friendly, detailed interface, the ability to select TV programs by category (Russian, Ukrainian, news, music), the presence of TV program announcements, a built-in option for scaling text and the channel logo.

Parom TV menu for selecting a channel.

The only drawback of the application is the limited set television programs(for the most part these are the main federal channels and a small set of regional ones).

Parom TV settings menu

Planer TV

Free client for watching TV, very similar in functionality to the previous application. A total of 33 broadcast channels are available on Planer TV. The quality of the offered video content is at a very decent level. The standard set of settings is quite minimalist: you can select the resolution, the type of device used for viewing (tablet, TV) and the output image format.

Planer TV main window with channel list

Advantages: stability of operation, availability of TV program announcements. Minus one: limited selection of TV programs.

Settings menu

View content

Eye TV

An easy-to-use application with a minimum of settings. About 50 are available for viewing federal channels. The quality of broadcasts, when compared with the previously described software, is much worse. The “picture” looks quite “soapy”; there is no choice of resolution.

Eye TV - list of TV channels.

In addition, Glaz TV has a short announcement of the TV program, there are practically no settings, as noted earlier, only the ability to select the image scale and sound level, and there is also a small amount of advertising.

Broadcast playback window.

Shareware.

Lime HD TV

As the name suggests, most broadcasts on Lime TV are presented in HD quality. In addition, the application has advanced settings - it is possible to select video quality and region for a more complete display of content, there is an option to speed up the start of TV programs in case of low Internet speed.

List of TV channels

Most of the TV content offered in the application is available free of charge, but viewing the most interesting TV programs is possible only by purchasing a paid subscription (costing from 59 to 99 rubles per month, depending on the selected package). Total number of channels available to the user- more than 140.

With the latest smart TVs, you don't need to stream your favorite movies or music to your TV. Samsung Smart TV is one such TV that offers great content without the need of a set-top box. Powered by Samsung Smart TVs are fast and responsive, but in order to enjoy this great feature, users need to have it installed on their TV. Samsung Smart TV apps are readily available on the Samsung store, and there are plenty of programs to choose from depending on your needs. And so, we present to you the best 10 applications that will help you extract maximum benefit from your Smart TV.

Best Samsung Smart TV Apps

1. is almost a household name all over the world when it comes to online video streaming. He has remained ahead of the curve since he invented the entire concept almost ten years ago. Netflix currently offers an impressive selection of existing TV shows and movies in its arsenal. But that's not all! The company is also investing heavily in its own exclusive productions, including the political drama House of Cards and comedies such as Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. When we talk about the amount of content in Netflix's database, it is by far the largest streaming service. However, the available content depends on your location. Content available in the UK app store may not appear in the US app store. Netflix is ​​also a great starting point if you decide to become a streamer. It's also worth noting that you can find movies in 4K resolution on Netflix.

2. – Amazon is another amazing app that offers you great TV content. The video content offering has improved significantly in recent years, with Amazon now offering its own catalog of exclusive shows. Amazon also has a notable collection of content from other providers, but like Netflix, the content is different from the US and UK stores. One good thing about Amazon Prime Video is that you don't need to register account, before you can browse movie titles, unlike Netflix. The Amazon Prime list is available directly on Amazon's website so users can see what they like before signing up.

3. Hulu(USA only). Previously, Hulu offered two types of services which included free service with limited content and advertisements between films and paid service, which expands the choice of content, but advertising still remains. However, last September the company finally introduced a completely ad-free subscription service, putting the service on par with rivals Netflix and Amazon Prime. Hulu is still several steps behind Netflix and Amazon Prime in the number and quality of exclusive offerings. Another problem is that a small number of videos will still show ads even if you are on a paid subscription.

4. IPlayer(UK only). The BBC's iPlayer app is only available in the UK and streams high-quality TV, radio and movies. You get to watch some of the best TV shows the BBC has produced in recent years, such as Doctor Who, Sherlock and Luther. Although the BBC makes its shows available to watch for 30 days after their first broadcast, iPlayer makes up for this by arguably delivering the most wide choose shows available on any of the streaming services on this list.

5. All 4(UK only). While the BBC has an iPlayer, Channel 4 also has its own All 4 app, which covers content from Channel 4, E4 and More 4. Its offering, however, differs from the BBC iPlayer in that it offers access to unlimited time-honored most popular shows. So, if you want to sit down and watch every episode of Peep Show since it aired in 2003, All 4 makes it very easy.

6. Playstation Now is not a video streaming application, it is a gaming application that allows you to play various PlayStation games 3 on your TV. Well, the processor on a Samsung TV isn't designed for heavy games like Assassin's Creed II, but the app can stream the game directly from Sony servers, so the game is not actually controlled by your TV's processor. The app relies heavily on Internet speeds to make games feel as responsive as if they were running natively on a console. To use this application you will also need game controller(joystick)

7. HBO Go/HBO Now(US only) - HBO Go and HBO Now are available in the US only. They offer streaming from the Home Box Office TV network, which includes the now classics The Sopranos, The Wire and of course Game of Thrones. HBO has the largest number of classic series in its arsenal, giving the service a big advantage on the network. Amazon Prime Video has some of HBO's best shows, like Game of Thrones and others, but HBO's own apps give you access to shows as soon as they air. So, if you watch the next episode of Game of Thrones on the day it's released, you'll have to subscribe to HBO Go or HBO Now. HBO Go is available to subscribers only cable television HBO, and HBO Now is available to everyone, whether you pay for a premium channel or not.

8. YouTube- OK OK! Everyone knows what YouTube is! The only thing you may not know is that in addition to amateur videos of skateboarders and cats falling, YouTube in recent years has begun to host a variety of content, from comedies to reality shows and documentaries. YouTube also provides full movies that can be rented for 30 days or purchased directly.

9. Spotify- If you have a great sound system for your home theater, it would be nice to also play music on it, rather than just stream streaming video. Spotify is perhaps the world's most famous and largest music streaming service. There are more than 30 million tracks in its database. Exists free package with advertising, and paid - without advertising, and with music in the best quality.

10. VUDU(USA only). We come to yet another video streaming service, VUDU. The service is only available in the United States and you can only rent or buy movies on an individual basis. The website often runs sales where you can save big. Rental prices range from $0.99 to $5.99, and purchases range from $4.99 to $24.99. VUDU has a much smaller library of movies compared to Netflix, but they publish them immediately after release, unlike Netflix, which tends to use older movies in their library. VUDU is best used as a complement to Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Today's realities are such that the market is literally flooded with new TV models that we could not even dream of just ten years ago. This made a large number of people think about how to watch movies and TV series absolutely free on a Smart TV.

Smart TV technology is available on almost everyone modern models TVs produced by companies such as Philips, LG, Samsung, Sharp and many others. With the help of this very useful function you can watch movies and sometimes some IPTV channels absolutely free. And do it online, using only the TV. How can this be done? Let's figure it out.

Launching Smart TV

Watching Smart TV is only possible if this function is available in the television receiver. To activate it, the control panel has special button. That is, to launch Smart TV, just find and press it on the remote control.

Information! On some TV companies, to find the item you may have to activate the “Menu” button, and sometimes go into the settings. That is, you need to take the operating instructions for the device and decide how the Smart TV is located in this model. Once the application is activated, you can begin to configure it.

Setting up an Internet connection on Smart TV

To set up Smart TV, the TV must be connected to the Internet. Most often, home Wi-Fi is used for this purpose. To understand the nuances of connection, let’s take specific model and let it be Samsung MU6400.

Smart TV setup algorithm:

• After pressing the Smart TV button, the user will be notified of the need to connect to the Internet. Click on the “Next” button.
• We decide on the method of connecting to world wide web on the one that is most convenient. We can talk about both a wired version (via cable) and a wireless one (Wi-Fi). In the first option, the connection is made using an ordinary cable, at the end of which there is an RJ connector. But we will focus on the wireless option.
• To find your Wi-Fi, click the “Update” button.
• A list will appear available networks, among which you need to select the one belonging to the user. Enter your password and click on the “Done” button.

Watching movies and IPTV channels on unofficial applications for Smart TV

ForkPlayer

ForkPlayer provides the opportunity to find and watch movies online using open sources. This opens up access to a significant amount of content on a variety of topics without any payment. Moreover, they can be taken either directly from the Internet or using a flash drive. And in addition, M3U (IPTV), XML channel playlists can be created for this purpose.

Today Fork Player especially popular among Samsung Smart TV owners. But even in the very recent past, it was impossible to even imagine that something would appear that could compete with NstreamLmod. Nobody took ForkPlayer seriously. But its active development throughout recent years brought him to a leading position. You can download the ForkPlayer widget.

nStreamLmod

The full name of the Lmod application is nStreamLmod. It was developed specifically for Samsung. The number of its possibilities is literally enormous. By using it, consumers have online access to videos posted on YouTube. It makes it possible to watch films in hundreds of online cinemas, including those showing films in HD quality.

In addition to this, the viewer can become familiar with full program transmission And movies located on torrents can be watched without first downloading them. True, for this there must be a combination of the TV and the computer.

The program's capabilities don't end there. Installing it on your TV will bring a lot of pleasant moments, but it must be said that they will not be free. However, before purchasing the application, you can install the widget for thirty days - a test period. If at the end of this period payment is not made full version, then the functionality will be significantly limited. You can download the nStreamLmod widget.

XSMART

This is the name of the application for devices that support Smart TV. It combines various functions. There is a Cinema section, which represents a lot of sites offering films. The TV section contains both paid and free services that allow you to watch IP-TV. Users here can add their own playlists using Personal account and use the cloud to save bookmarks. You can download the XSMART widget.

GetsTV

In addition to films and TV series, users of the GetsTV widget have the opportunity to enjoy watching digital television absolutely free. Since you don’t have to pay to watch a variety of television channels. In addition to the main channels, there are also cable channels. And all this despite the fact that GetsTV is ready to please its users with a huge number of films, including the latest news.

For the convenience of those who like to spend time watching TV series, GetsTV uses a function that allows you to automatically switch series. If the Internet is weak, channels may be viewed in low quality. The TV section offers the opportunity to select low or medium signal transmission quality. You can download the GetsTV widget.

The best official applications for Smart TV

ivi service

In Russia, ivi is one of the most significant repositories of television programs and films. There are more than 60,000 different files, which are mostly presented for free. Although users are prompted to complete a subscription.

Its owners, in addition to access to all ivi files without exception, have the opportunity to watch films without commercials. For those who refuse to subscribe, all films will be periodically interrupted by commercial breaks, just as it happens on regular television. You can install the ivi widget from the application store of your Smart TV.

Megogo service

In the countries that are part of the CIS, this Ukrainian portal is the most popular. The number of films on Megogo reaches three and a half thousand, cartoons about 1800, and TV series - 850. Watching some films is possible for free, and for some the user will have to pay an n-sum. You can install the Megogo widget from the application store of your Smart TV.

Zoomby service

The main advantage of this service is a stunning selection of films. To be fair, it must be said that among them there are quite a lot of films of very low quality, shot at an amateur level. However, this is the problem with the majority of sites focused on Smart TV. In any case, fans can find a lot of interesting things here. Even 3D films are available. You can install the Zoomby widget from the application store of your Smart TV.

Tvigle service

Also quite popular service. Priority on tvigle is given to Russian films, including a large number of classic films from the times of the Soviet Union. For the convenience of users, there is a breakdown of all files into categories, of which there are already eighteen. There are no subscriptions to Tvigle as such, but there are advertisements. You can install the tvigle widget from the application store of your Smart TV.

All-tv service

This service has a lot in common with Megogo, but there are also significant differences. Thus, oll-tv has close connections in the sports world, and therefore actively cooperates with broadcasts of football matches. This allows it to successfully compete with standard television channels. So, matches from the Champions League and Europa League are regularly broadcast here. Moreover, they have HD quality. You can install the oll-tv widget from the application store of your Smart TV.

Today we'll sort it all out possible questions related to Samsung Apps. Let's figure out how to install them, update them, or remove unnecessary ones. And for the convenience of moving through the Smart TV menu, between applications and services, I recommend buying computer mouse. Absolutely any mouse will do, as long as it comes with USB interface(although now everyone is probably like that). You can take the cheapest wired one, or you can take the wireless one so as not to go to the TV every time. Paste into any USB connector

How to install new apps in Samsung Apps

So, go to the Smart TV menu (multi-colored M-shaped button):

And go to the Samsung Apps application store by clicking on the button of the same name:

Note. If you do not have this button, then you need to update the applications. To do this, click on the “Service” link in the lower right corner or press the “Tools” button on the remote control:

and in the menu that appears, select “Application Update”:

Then the TV will automatically update everything and the Samsung Apps button should appear. If it does not appear, then turn off and then turn on the TV again.

here in front of us great amount various programs and sports broadcasts, and information resources and a bunch of other things. Most of them, unfortunately, are designed for watching programs in English, but there is also something for Russian-speaking viewers.

As you can see, everything is divided into categories here. You can also go to "Most popular apps“and there choose something suitable for yourself. To find out detailed information about the service you like, select and press “Enter” on it on the remote control or click with the mouse. The menu of this widget will open and you will see additional options. information, and here you can install it so that in the future you can watch movies or other programs using this service:

Here on the right you see brief information, about what you can watch using this apps, and on the left, if desired, you can install this application to your TV. To do this, click on the “Download” button, a notification will appear informing you that the installation has started:

There is no need to click anything here. We are waiting for everything to be installed. After installation, another window will appear - a notification that the installation is complete:

Now you can either immediately launch the application and see what it is like. Or you can postpone the tests until later, close this window and continue installing other applications further.

Note. It happens that the installation freezes. Or it seems like one or two have been installed, then nothing else wants to be installed. The way out of this situation is this: turn off the TV (sometimes you can even turn it off from the outlet if nothing works), and then turn it on again and everything should work fine.

How to remove unnecessary Samsung Apps applications

This can be done in two ways.

1. In the main menu of Smart TV, click right click mouse on unnecessary application and select “Delete”:

2. Or go to the Samsung Apps application store - go to the “Downloaded applications” section:

Select here, in the right window, the service that you want to delete, go to its menu (press “Enter” on it or with the mouse) and click on the “Delete” item on the left:

Note. It is worth noting that you can only delete applications third party developers, but the standard ones (they are already installed from the start) cannot be removed.

I would also like to note that if you experience some specific Smart TV glitch, they won’t install additional applications or not at all Samsung buttons Apps even though you have updated everything, in this case it can help general reset settings.

How to do a general reset of Smart TV settings

You can do this as follows. In the Smart TV menu, click “Tools” on the remote control or select the “Service” menu in the lower right corner of the screen and select “Settings” in the window that appears:

A confirmation window will appear where you will need to enter the PIN code to reset the settings and confirm your action. The default PIN code is 0000 (four zeros).

Naturally, after this operation all your settings on Smart TV and installed applications will be destroyed, and everything will have to be done anew.

Well, that’s actually all I wanted to tell you today about installing and managing applications from Samsung Apps. If you have any questions, ask in the comments.

And I’ll say goodbye to you for a moment. All the best! And see you soon.

IMPORTANT!!!

Often, owners of Samsung smart TV experience certain problems, which, after some time, disappear on their own and everything starts working as it should. Here, as the closest example, is Vladimir’s comment:

and a few days later he writes that everything was decided by itself: