Sony Android TV – It’s a whole NEW viewing experience!
When you’re asked to review a product there are some that induce mild panic (irons), some that I feel excited to review (audio or cooking gadgets / appliances) and some that I think I already know about (everyday use items). When I was asked to review a Sony TV, I was looking forward to checking out the spec, screen size, resolution – y’know, the usual stuff. This TV, however, it’s a TV, but not as we know it. From Sony comes Android TV. Smart TV just got a whole lot smarter. Packed with features, it can transform your everyday TV use.
Google Cast lets you send movies, photos and video clips to your TV from your Android or iOs device or laptop – so no more crowding round your ‘phone as you all strain to see the hilarious / cute video clip that you got took that afternoon.
Voice Search is a brilliant feature. We all know that the remote (on any Smart TV) isn’t always the easiest input so this great feature allows you to ask for what you want, whether that’s “Oooh, what other films has he been in?” or “You Tube clip of cats falling off things”.
Home Menu The push of one button takes you straight to the Home Menu which is simply laid out & easy to navigate. The content discovery bar, up top, has great suggestions presented from YouTube, Google Play Movies, TV Music and Games plus some tutorial videos from Sony on how to make the most out of your new TV. Underneath that are clearly laid out rows for featured apps, inputs, games and so on. It’s attractive, bright and colourful without getting in your face.
Parental Control Our (nearly) 5 year old is a whizz with the remotes and this TV has some brilliant parental restriction functionality so that certain content can be restricted – as our children swiftly become more technically adept this is a great idea.
One Flick remote This brilliant device sits neatly in the palm of the hand and offers a really quick and easy way to navigate and search compared to a standard TV remote. Where your thumb naturally rests is a touchpad interface that gives fast scrolling through screens and menus. By dragging up you get the ‘Discover Menu’ to the bottom of the screen, a nice easy function. There are various key controls mapped around the remote for things like volume control, power on/off and channel up/down. The One Flick remote also features a microphone which can be used to search for apps and content using Voice Search.
Latest Apps You can enjoy a huge range of apps and content, including ones from Google Play, in a brand new way. When you can choose from YouTube, Google Play Store, Asphalt8, Netflix, Google Play Movie & TV, Google play Music and Google Play Games. There’s so much there that you may never watch a soap opera again!
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