If you thought you need to break the bank to jump on-board the Smart TV bandwagon, you might not believe how low prices are getting.
It's not even Black Friday or Cyber Monday yet, and I caught wind of a sale on a 22-inch Philips 4000 Series LED television (model # 22PFL4907) for just $199.99 at Best Buy.
While you could plug this flat-panel television into a high-speed modem or router (via Ethernet jack), in the box is a wireless adapter to join your Wi-Fi network.
Some of the Smart TV apps built into the television include Netflix and Hulu Plus (streaming movies and TV shows), YouTube (videos), Facebook and Twitter (social networking), Pandora (Internet radio) and many other NetTV apps.
Yes, at 22 inches it's on the small side, but it's hard to deny this is a heck of a deal. And it's rated very well by customers: Out of 8 reviews at Best Buy, the television netted an average score of 4.9 stars out of 5.
A 32-inch version of this television sells for $318 (model # 32PFL4907).
Other features of this Energy Star-certified television include: 720p HD quality (TV stations aren't broadcasting in 1080p yet anyway); 8ms response times (for smooth motion); edge-lit LED lighting for superior contrast (blacker blacks and whiter whites); 3 HDMI ports to connect multiple high-def components; and built-in 4-watt speakers with SRS TruSurround XT sound technology.
The Smart TV also has an integrated ATSC tuner in case you want to add an antenna to get free over-the-air HD channels (depending on where you live). Or if you have photos (JPG), music (MP3) or video (MP4) on a USB thumbdrive, you can snap it into the television to play content right from the drive.
While the Best Buy page doesn't mention anything about it, the Philips website for the product says you can also wirelessly play media from a nearby WiFi-enabled laptop, via MediaConnect technology. This television also houses a dozen casual games playable via the remote, says the NetTV page at the Philips website.