Smart TV Networking Falls Short for Gaming, High-Bitrate Streaming
TV manufacturers are compromising on network hardware quality (Wi-Fi, Ethernet) in smart televisions to cut costs, as current 4K streaming demands are relatively low. This cost-cutting affects high-bandwidth applications like game streaming and local media serving (Plex) more than standard streaming services. The article notes that network components like Wi-Fi chipsets, Ethernet ports (often limited to 100Mbps Fast Ethernet), and internal processors are often subpar.
Key Takeaways
- Many modern smart TVs, including models from LG, Samsung, and Sony, prioritize display quality over network hardware.
- TVs commonly feature 100Mbps Fast Ethernet ports rather than 1Gbps Gigabit Ethernet, and use aging Wi-Fi chipsets.
- Standard 4K streaming services like Netflix typically use 25-35Mbps, making 100Mbps connections adequate.
- High-bandwidth uses, such as cloud gaming and local Blu-ray quality media streaming (>100Mbps via Plex), will experience lag and buffering due to inadequate TV networking.
- Internal processors and limited RAM in many TVs also contribute to networking bottlenecks, even with theoretically faster Wi-Fi chips.
Why It Matters
TV manufacturers are making a calculated trade-off, optimizing for mainstream streaming while creating a performance gap for power users. This approach minimizes production costs but externalizes the need for high-performance streaming devices for cloud gaming and advanced local media. The disparity will likely persist until streaming services universally adopt higher bitrates that necessitate improved network hardware as a baseline. Industry players should monitor adoption rates of 4K cloud gaming and higher-bitrate content streams, which could force TV manufacturers to upgrade integrated networking solutions.
Additional Context
The smart TV chip market continues to evolve, with Mediatek's Pentonic line (700 and 800 series) offering SoC solutions that support Wi-Fi 6/6E/7 and claim to enable 4K120 streaming and cloud gaming with low latency. These chips, released around 2024-2025, integrate advanced AI processing for image enhancement and support high refresh rates (up to 165Hz for the Pentonic 800), indicating a manufacturer recognition of the need for improved performance in specific use cases (Mediatek Product Pages, 2024-2025). Some TV manufacturers are starting to incorporate gigabit Ethernet in their premium models; for instance, certain 2024 Hisense U8N and U7N TVs include 1Gbps ports, while mid-range and older models largely retain 100Mbps Fast Ethernet (Techjunctions.com, May 2024). The Smart TV Chip Market is projected to see OEMs account for 63% of the market by 2026, with a focus on custom silicon for responsiveness and media handling. Major firms like Qualcomm, Intel, and Nvidia are developing advanced chips for connected screens, with Qualcomm's Dragonwing QCS8550 processor powering a new Android TV platform unveiled in January 2026 (Coherent Market Insights, 2024-2033 Report).
Read full article at msn.com
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