There are two problems though, first is price. The better smart tv's tend to be the more expensive and the budget models are usually smaller tv's (typically 32 inch models) with cheaper components and less choice of apps.
The second is lack of apps. A number of smart tv's now use the android operating system but of course you don't get to use the wide variety of apps from androids app market, the Play store. So you either keep your current tv or splash out on a smart one with either a small screen or a small range of apps.
There is of course a third way, make your tv smart. For the cost of a few dvd or bluray movies you can make any hdmi tv into such a smart one that even the smartest of the smart tv's would feel they were lacking features.Products such as the MK802, an android computer with hdmi output and shoehorned into a casing the size of a small usb stick, and a myriad of android set top boxes are becoming increasingly popular. They give you access to most of the 600,000 android apps that are available, tuck nicely out of sight behind your tv, are remote controlled and make your tv into a fully fledged android machine.
Suddenly your tv can do all the things a top smart tv can, such as watch movies on netflix or go on facebook, but it can also play any media file that an android app supports (with no manufacturer restrictions), play android games, access the huge number of android apps available from the play store, become a workstation and much more. You can even control your previously "dumb" tv with your smartphone or tablet.
Imagine you want a smart tv, let's say around fourty inches. A quick google search reveals a lovely smart Samsung LED tv with full hd for four hundred and fourty nine pounds. It's cheap for a smart tv of that size but beyond your budget.
Then you see a non smart samsung, same size, a hundred pounds cheaper and a budget brand model that's two hundred pounds cheaper. You can save that money by buying the non smart tv you like and for under fifty pounds (if you go for the MK802 from a site such as this one) you can have your tv made super smart (well, maybe not smart enough to beat you at a game of Jeopardy but certainly smarter than a high end smart tv such as the £3,500 LC-80LE632U although to be fair that sets key feature is it's whopping eighty inch screen!).
Wait for the smart stick, or box, to arrive and connect it and voila you have a full featured android computer packed into your now smart tv. Now you can have smart tv on a budget, or just make your existing smart tv even smarter.
Imagine watching a film on your smart tv, streamed online from your favourite provider, then killing time with a few playstation games (using an emulator) on your smart tv, or relieving some stress with GTA III. Of course it does have the downside that your friends and family might take control to watch cat videos on youtube but then, if you wanted a break, you could always hide the youtube app.
So what specs do you look for in order to make your tv smart?
There are two main options right now an android stick with hdmi output, such as the MK802, or an actual set top box. The box will be larger allowing more room for heat generated by its internals to dissipate, and some have added usb ports and of course a power switch which the MK802 doesn't have but it's really a matter of personal choice as to which you prefer.
Ideally you want a box or stick running Android version 4.0 with 1 gigabyte of ram. Many offer just 512 mb ram, this will be fine for everyday use but if in the future you plan to play games on it you'll struggle to play some of them.
Don't be put off of products that only offer Android version 2.3 though, this uses a little less memory than the newer versions of the operating system and so a 512 mb product will still be more than enough for most needs and will save you even more money because older models are often less expensive.
That being said there is no reason to avoid a one gigabyte android 4.0 smart tv stick or box other than price, price difference between a 512 mb and 1 gigabyte product can be as little as five pounds so if possible always go for the best.
There is of course a wide variety of processors and gpu's to choose from, a wide range of cpu speeds too.
For an older os such as android 2.2 or 2.3 you will find that anything 700 mhz or higher is fine, even 600 mhz will be usable for everyday smart tv use, but don't go for less than 512 mb ram as there are models with as little as 256 mb and they will struggle to do some things and it will spoil the smart tv experience.
For android version 4.0 try getting a product with at least a 900 mhz or 1 gigahertz cpu and as much ram as possible, if you want to play higher end games get 1 gigabyte of ram. Processor wise most newer products use a Cortex A9 cpu with a mali 400 gpu, a good combination that will meet most needs very easily, a Via WM8710 1 ghz chipset (again good for everyday use but not as good for higher end games or for having lots of apps open simultaneously) or a RockChip RK2918 chipset with a 1 ghz Cortex A8 (again decent for most uses).
Ideally a product with the mali gpu, a 1 ghz cpu and at least 512 mb of ram is the sort of thing that will meet all possible needs and be somewhat future proof. The Mk802 has more support regarding software updates and is my personal choice, although the upcoming Pocket TV may be a better choice when it gets released later this year.
It has virtually identical specs to the MK802 but has a lot more ventilation, which should dissipate heat better, and some may prefer its wii like air remote to the fly remote typically found with the 802 and other android tv devices. Remember that you can use most android tv sticks or boxes with your existing pc mouse and keyboard or a wireless mouse and keyboard so if you are on a tight budget you can opt for a model that has no remote control and save money that you can put to good use elsewhere.Whatever you do remember ventilation, these things can get hot after hours of use so you may want to go for something that has a lot of vents built into it. Do some looking around on google before you make a purchase though as there are some good deals to be had if you do some research first.
