Internet is the greatest achievement of man in recent decades and its widespread diffusion has made it the reference point for anyone who wants to obtain multimedia content without necessarily having to depend on a physical medium or on air broadcasts. The Internet is therefore synonymous with fun: there are many sites that broadcast videos and music on demand and also contents such as films, TV series and documentaries accessible at any time.
But if we wanted to access this content also on the home TV, without having to use the PC every time "> Connect mobile phone or tablet to the TV (Android, iPhone or iPad)
In order to have Internet on TV, a distinction must be made between Smart TV and Standard TV.
- The Smart TV can connect to the Internet via Ethernet cable or WiFi and has its own app park, therefore it does not require other devices;
- The Standard TV does not have Internet connectivity or it is very limited (for example only Ethernet cable to take advantage of DLNA or for updates), not allowing access to the contents of the Web.
In order to have the Internet on this type of TV, it is necessary to have at least one free HDMI port, to use the dedicated devices.
The guide will examine both types of TV, so that you can have the Internet with any type of television you own.
1) Smart TV app
If you have a Smart TV, simply connect it to your home network (via cable or WiFi) to be able to install and exploit a whole series of apps exactly as if it were on a smartphone!
On all TVs there are the most famous apps (YouTube, Netflix, Facebook etc.) we will only have to install them, log in to the services that require it and start viewing the contents of the Internet on the TV without going through the PC, often at even better quality (especially if we have support for 4K HDR).
The apps can be downloaded by visiting the dedicated store in the interactive TV menu, so we immediately identify the "magic" button on the remote control to quickly access Smart content.
We can discover the apps for Smart TV by reading the guide present here -> Best apps for Smart TVs Samsung, LG and Android .
2) Smart TV browser
In addition to the apps dedicated to the main Web services, we can also find comfortable Web browsers on Smart TVs, very similar to those found on a PC in order to navigate between your favorite pages.
Just search and open the Browser app then use the on-screen keyboard or the remote control keys to be able to type in your favorite site and browse the Internet.
These browsers often also support multimedia content, so it will be possible to access the sites where there are films, videos or anything else without having to turn on the PC.
READ ALSO: Best browsers for Android TV, Box and Fire Stick to open videos and websites
3) Chromecast
This is the first method we recommend trying if we have a standard TV without an app and an Internet connection.
We can view the Chromecast from here -> Chromecast (€ 39).
This small device connects via the HDMI port to the TV and accesses the Internet via the home wireless network, just configure it with the Google Home (Android) or Google Home (iOS) app.
Once configured we will have a device capable of receiving any multimedia content from smartphones, PCs and tablets on the same network.
In fact, there are no apps or browsers inside the Chromecast: it is only a receiver of content, which must be searched and shared starting from the apps for mobile devices or using the Google Chrome browser on the PC.
In any case, we can play practically any Internet content, just look for the Cast symbol in the app.
On Google Chrome for PC, simply click on the three dots at the top right, then use the Cast menu so you can send the content of the card to the foreground (including audio and video).
If instead we want a web browser on mobile configured with the Chromecast (so as to play any content), we can use the Web Video Cast app, available for Android from here -> Web Video Cast .
Using this app is very simple: search the site in the internal browser until you get to the page with multimedia content, then click on the Cast symbol at the top to associate it with the Chromecast;
Now you just have to start the multimedia content to capture it and send it to the TV via the Chromecast.
If we want to deepen the discussion on Chromecast we can read the guide present here -> Chromecast Guide with 18 tricks and applications to use it at its best .
4) Amazon Fire TV Stick
A good alternative to having Internet on classic TV is to use the Amazon Fire TV Stick device, available for purchase from here -> Amazon Fire TV Stick (€ 39).
The device also connects via HDMI and accesses the Internet via the wireless connection in the house.
Compared to Chromecast this device has its own operating system (based on Android) so you can install a multitude of different apps (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video etc.), so you can see the best streaming content without problems and without using for force your smartphone.
Some Google apps are not available for commercial choices (the YouTube app is missing for example), but it is possible to remedy by installing the Firefox web browser and browsing the Web pages until you find the sites and services we need.
We can deepen the discussion on the Amazon Fire TV Stick by reading the guide here -> Amazon Fire TV Stick guide with tricks, apps and hidden functions .
5) TV Box
In addition to the devices seen so far, we can have the Internet on the TV by installing a TV Box in the living room.
There are many Chinese TV Box models plus some certificates, the choice is very wide; we can see some of the models available in the guide present here -> Best Android TV BOX to watch movies on TV .
Choosing a Chinese TV Box we will spend little and we will have all the Android apps available, but we will not be able to take full advantage of the on-demand services (such as Netflix, which runs at 480p on all Chinese TV Boxes).
To obtain maximum quality and to take advantage of on-demand services in FullHD or 4K, we recommend focusing on the Nvidia Shield TV Box, available here -> Nvidia Shield (€ 229).
In addition to the multimedia content available via app or browser, this TV Box also allows you to play the games available on the Google Play Store or on the dedicated store, thanks also to the wireless controller (it was born as a game console, even if it is in effect a TV Android Box certified 4K HDR).
6) Apple TV
The last method we can use to have the Internet on the TV is Apple TV, the certified TV Box compatible with all the devices of the Apple ecosystem; we can view it from here -> Apple TV (199 €).
This TV Box is compatible with 4K HDR content present in Apple's dedicated store or by installing one of the numerous apps compatible with the device (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video etc.).
With the intelligent remote control, you can play anything on the Internet, also taking advantage of the version of Safari optimized for viewing on TV.
One of the choices with higher quality, but take advantage of 100% only if affiacato from an iPhone (which can send content via wireless) or a Mac (which can send the full screen on the TV).
