A quarter of smart TVs are not connected to the internet

Philips smart TV

It seems that half of those who buy a so-called 'smart TV' don't know what it's capable of, and around a quarter of them never connect it to the internet.

That's according to a poll by YouGov, which also found that only 37% of those planning to buy a new TV in the UK said that the ability to connect to the internet was a key part of their decision.

Among those who already own a smart TV, picture quality was cited as the most important factor (96%), followed by the size of the screen (93%) and then sound qulaity (89%).

Dan Brilot, YouGov's media consulting director, says: "I think many early adopters of smart TV are buying them for the sake of owning the latest gadget. These are the kind of people who are willing to make a big-ticket purchase without quite realising what they've bought."

Among existing smart TV owners, 36% have a Sony, 33% a Samsung and 16% a Panasonic.

And 26% of respondents said they planned to buy an Apple TV, although the survey doesn't make clear if that means the existing Apple streaming box or the much-rumoured full-size Apple TV expected to arrive this autumn.

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Andy Clough

Andy is Global Brand Director of What Hi-Fi? and has been a technology journalist for 30 years. During that time he has covered everything from VHS and Betamax, MiniDisc and DCC to CDi, Laserdisc and 3D TV, and any number of other formats that have come and gone. He loves nothing better than a good old format war. Andy edited several hi-fi and home cinema magazines before relaunching whathifi.com in 2008 and helping turn it into the global success it is today. When not listening to music or watching TV, he spends far too much of his time reading about cars he can't afford to buy.