So at Ireland Website Design we really like technology and though this blog post is about Smart TV Boxes (and not websites), we put it together to tell you why purchasing from our own client Smart TV Box is a good idea. We loved the Minix Neo 7 so much ourselves we got one and set it up in the office (we like to spoil our staff!).

So you might be tricked into believing with TVs now coming with built-in Smart TV functionality that Smart TV Boxes are no good. Well, this is totally untrue and is exactly what your TV salesperson would like you to think when purchasing your new Smart TV – which they can charge extra for.

So I guess the first thing is to tell you what a Smart TV Box is. These devices connect to your TV using HDMI ports (or for older TVs through the analog port). They appear on your TV just like another channel (similar to how a Games Console or Cable Box appears on your TV). You then get a remote to control the box (and an air mouse which is like a PC mouse but does not need to be on a hard surface, some remotes even have a qwerty keyboard included). The screen that appears shows different apps that you can use, this is similar to how your smartphone or tablet would appear. In the case of the Smart TV Box, most of the apps are for video/media streaming services. It is possible to access video content for free or to pay for it through apps such as Netflix and XBMC. You may also download films or home movies and transfer them from your computer to the device.

So why are boxes better?

1. Storage

Firstly with boxes you get more internal storage so the ability to store more photos, videos, and games is really important, meaning you do not have to delete TV shows or films you have not seen yet or ones you want to re-watch. It’s also very handy to be able to store your home movies on the device. You can also increase your storage by adding larger flash drivers or connecting USB hard drives.

2. Piracy

Piracy is quite popular and in most cases, the external TV Boxes do not block you from accessing content that you would otherwise pay for, though the author does not condone piracy – it is a fact that it is a huge contributing factor to people using Smart TV Boxes. It is worth pointing out that the likes of Sony have built-in piracy detection software that flags when you try to use your TV for piracy reasons and therefore blocks the content.

3. Gaming

As gaming moves to streaming, we envisage a future where you will not need a PlayStation or Xbox to access the latest games, these games will stream (with all their graphics) over the internet from service providers. Smart TV Boxes will in the future be able to handle this content and is a reason why we believe the Smart Box that costs between €100 and €200 will dominate the living room and not the traditional games console.

4. Speed

In an effort to reduce TV prices the manufacturers use low spec hardware built into the TV, however, Smart TV Boxes now have octa-core processors, lots of rams, and decent hard drive space, all the reason to have an external box.

5. Portability

The Smart TV Box is quite small and can be easily moved from one place to another meaning when traveling abroad or to the next room in your house, you can just bring the box with you.

6. Built-in projectors

We see the future of Smart Boxes having built-in projectors to display what is on the device on your wall. This will be seriously cool.

7. Cost

When you have a good TV you can spend over €1,000 for it but quickly the TV gets outdated but not with the Smart TV Box, you only need to upgrade the €100 – €200 box instead, thus keeping your nice flat widescreen TV.

So this is why we believe the Smart TV Box is the future and not the Smart TV. Can you think of any other reasons why a Smart TV Box will work really well?