5 surprising issues I found my good TV can do

Regardless of proudly owning a comparatively giant 55-inch

Sony 4K smart TV
, I am hardly a frequent shopper of flicks and exhibits. The one streaming service I exploit each day is

YouTube
(primarily through my smartphone), and I in all probability watch a median of 10 full-length movies in complete per yr.

That being stated, my dwelling room-situated flat display does not sit idly. I recurrently make the most of its high-resolution show and its

high dynamic range
(HDR) visible acuity in numerous non-motion-picture-related methods. Listed here are the highest 5 issues I personally use my good TV for every day.

1

Charging up my tech peripherals

Paradoxically, one of the vital frequent issues I exploit my good TV for does not contain its show within the slightest. My flat panel

has three built-in USB-A ports
, that are able to delivering energy to externally linked units. I hate the muddle of getting cables sprawled round my work desk, and so I decide to plug a lot of my peripherals into my TV to prime up on juice, as an alternative.

Mostly, I plug my recreation controllers and my

Apple TV
distant into my TV, however the ubiquity of USB-C ports on my devices makes it straightforward to recharge something from my mouse and keyboard, to my wi-fi earbuds, and all the things in between.

2

Setting the temper for my dwelling surroundings

Serenity is a screensaver or soundscape away

I am a giant fan of screensavers — a lot so, in truth, that

I wrote an entire editorial
concerning the sorry state of screensaver assist on Home windows 11. Fortunately, most good TV working methods (in addition to exterior set-top bins) supply a variety of pictures, patterns, backdrops, and landscapes to cycle by way of throughout system downtime.

Seeing how I rarely use my TV to, effectively, watch TV, you’ll be able to think about how incessantly my flat panel switches into screensaver mode. I like configuring

scenic nature shots and architectural landscapes
to slowly pan on display, as I discover them so as to add ambiance to my front room aesthetic. I will usually throw on some soothing music through the TV Spotify app, too, which solely provides to the calm and comfortable vibes.

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3

Casting my PC display

Presentation mode is useful when least anticipated

Below the suitable circumstances, being able to forged my PC’s display straight onto my TV panel has confirmed immensely helpful. In school, I’d observe displays on this manner, casting my slideshows onto the massive display throughout rehearsals. Extra lately, I have been casting previous images and residential films onto my TV, that are linked domestically to my PC through an

external hard drive
.

It’d definitely be attainable to attach a tough drive or stable state drive on to my TV, however I discover my mannequin’s built-in

Android TV
working system to be considerably sluggish and clunky to maneuver round. As an answer, casting my Mac show and working inside a well-known desktop UI paradigm has helped streamline my entry to recordsdata and different content material.

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4

Controlling my good residence home equipment

TVs make for glorious widescreen good residence hubs

I have been reluctant to leap head-first into the world of good residence applied sciences, however I’ve gone forward and dabbled within the Apple HomeKit and

Philips Hue
ecosystems over the previous couple of years. Whereas it is easy sufficient to regulate good residence merchandise utilizing a smartphone or a devoted good show, I usually depend on my TV display for things like adjusting LED colours, tweaking the room temperature, and turning on my

doorbell camera
dwell feed as wanted.

Is that this probably the most pragmatic strategy to constructing a centralized good residence hub? For most individuals, the reply might be no. For somebody like me who rarely makes use of my TV for multimedia consumption, having it function a hilariously large good show (full with a far superior sound bar audio setup) has been a enjoyable and surprisingly efficient strategy to good residence system administration.

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5

Displaying images

There is no want to purchase a devoted digital photograph body

Along with displaying aesthetically pleasing screensavers on the common, I usually make the most of my good TV as a devoted digital photograph body. My Apple TV routinely synchronizes with my

Apple Photos
library, and presents recollections and snapshots on display in a superbly curated slideshow.

Basically, I’ve a behavior of snapping a ton of pictures, after which neglecting to return and recognize them sooner or later. By having a direct photograph feed displayed on the largest display in my residence, I be certain that no photograph of a enjoyable social outing falls by the wayside or goes underappreciated in the long term.

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