Can I just buy a TV and plug it in and watch it just like that?

[JandLandG]

Ok, daft question...

Haven't bought a telly for 15 years...not that keen on owing a new one tbh, but son wants, so...

These days, can I just research what would work for me, order it, plug it in and off I go?

There are no aerials any more are there?

So some kind of internal thing somehow receives the stations and I watch?

Or is it all done through the internet?

My mum's telly somehow has you tube and I player on it...is that because its connect to the wifi?

I've tried to search this up, but I think it's such a daft question it isn't answered properly!

Any assistance/knowledge gratefully received ...

Tv connects to wifi.
You download the apps you want and watch tv on the app. BBC iplayer etc. some have live channels some are preloaded content. Some free and some subscription.

Ooops, sorry, just in case I was unclear above, I'm talking about wanting to watch BBC2 etc - i.e.normal tv stations live - as well as player, YouTube, whatever...

Like I say, daft question...

Even the latest TVs will give you normal live TV channels if you plug an aerial in and tune it to get all your channels, that aspect hasn't changed at all.

TVs now just come with a lot of extra features. You'd have to connect to WiFi, sign in (might require to you make a new account depending on brand), download YouTube and Netflix for those to work but it's very simple. Some TVs come with them pre installed but not all.

You will need an aerial or a dish to connect to "normal" TV using Freeview which is what the standard channels come on. You can use WiFi to access some of the channels if your TV is "smart" or you use a device like a Firestick.

Just to make life complicated, not all brands of smart TVs (I.e. that you connect over wifi to apps to watch on demand services) have the same range of apps available - but search for reviews of any model / brand you are considering, and you will find out!

Yes that is fine assuming aerial is digital compatible

Get a Freely TV. You can then watch live TV without an aerial via WiFi as well as catchup channels, YouTube, NetFlix, etc. We bought a 55 in Hisense for just over £300 from Curry's.

Most tvs have iplayer etc reinstalled.
Decide what you want on the TV, what size and then have a look at which or other guides. From what I can tell LG and Samsung seem to do well in reviews. Be warned there's too much choice so it's worth narrowing it down before you start looking.
Good luck and enjoy. I love a good smart tv 😁

Go to Richer Sounds and throw yourself on their mercy. They know everything, and aren't at all snooty. They will hold your hand through it all, and you can book a chap to come out and install the tv. He will also set it up and get it going for you.

If you want to watch 'normal' TV, e.g scroll through channels, you will need to connect to an aerial. We have never bothered as we only use streaming services - Netflix/Prime/Disney. When we turn the TV on, it just says 'No Signal: Check the aerial connection'.

You can also watch live TV through apps sich as BBC Iplayer/ITVX, however you would need to go into the app, select the channel, it's not a case of just pressing '1' on the remote.

wow...thanks so much for this, all...good info...wasn't expecting ppl to be looking at this tbh, but very grateful...

I think I might have just seen about this - The Independent's guide to the best TV deals of 2025 recommends some with this...including this one - so cheap...I thought I was going to have to pay a thousand pounds or something for something so big and flash....

might order after i've had a think...

https://www.currys.co.uk/products/hisense-43a6ntuk-43-smart-4k-ultra-hd-hdr-led-tv-with-amazon-alexa-10266030.html?awc=22479_1738864152_c058c39045a297f47ed2cead2287a60c&srcid=369&xtor=AL-1&cmpid=aff~http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eindependent%2Eco%2Euk%2F~Editorial%20Content~201309~The+Independent

here's the link to the full guide of top tv's/deals if anyone might be interested -

https://www.independent.co.uk/deals/best-tv-deals-uk-smart-4k-oled-b2689964.html

We have the exact one you've linked but in 55". It's good, but you get what you pay for. It's a cheap TV.

Presuming you'll be using it just for watching TV, maybe movies & Netflix though, it's ideal.

Oh, that's helpful...thank you - I'll go the actually curry's near me tomorrow to check them all out in real life, but yep...I'll be watching live tv, a bit of iplayer/YouTube and such like...maybe some football

tbh, mostly radio as well actually - you cn get radio stations on them, I presume? I can move the radio to the kitchen then...

so, you reckon this tv will be good for me?

I mean, I could pay 1000£+, but what extra would I get?

I couldn't really get that sense from the reviews tbh - some of those tv's were 200 quid odd which I thought was very cheap - the most expensive were 1400 I think...I mean, what's the difference in reality?

what else do ppl do on their telly's apart from watch newsnight and a decent film on BBC4???!

Think about where you will put it. Some TVs have the legs towards the edges rather than in the centre. Our TV stand means we had to discount ones with legs at the edges. Couldn't really change the stand either based on where the TV is.

Yeah you can get radio stations, you can put a radio station on and turn off the display so the screen is just black.

Pricing is generally based on size, the bigger, the higher the price.

We use ours for normal TV, movies, Amazon, home CCTV viewing, gaming, Netflix, YouTube...etc. We have a Firestick and multiple gaming consoles linked to it

I find the best way of doing things like this is to ask adult child when it Would be convenient for them to set it up for me.

That's a bit tongue in cheek, by the way. It's true, I cannot bend sufficiently to plug anything in unless I also count on head butting the nearest hard surface so adult child reckons they may as well do the whole lot while they're about it.

Thanks for asking this question @JandLandG I also had no idea and will probably need to buy one fairly soon.

you could’ve just googled this question

Easier said than done, my lovely, that's why I came here.

Plus I wouldn't have had the very personal, human input from all these lovely MN-ers, would I?

Anything we can help you with, WC?

It's really not that simple, lovely anonymous poster 🙄

If your primary objective is to be able to watch live TV (which will also require a licence) you'll either need a TV aerial, a Satellite dish, or TV with Freely built in.
(Freely gives you access to live channels via the internet)

Most TV's also allow you to use applications like player, Netflix, Apple TV etc via the internet. Some also will give you access to live TV but it's a bit clunky to switch channels as you have to switch apps.

You'll need a TV licence too. I must say, I love our smart TV, which is a few years old now. We use it just for what you can get on Freeview, plus YouTube. Once in a way we pay for a streaming service for a while as well.

My tip would be to get a voice activated tv. It really drives me nuts typing each letter into Netflix etc.