Here we highlight 9 reasons your next TV should be a smart TV.

Games

With the cost of traditional console-based video games averaging $50 each, gaming can be a very expensive hobby. App games on smart TVs however are often free or cheap (usually around $5).

Music

While DVD players, via their ability to play CDs, have always done double duty as music players, now with services like Pandora and Slacker built into so many connected TVs, your TV can be your main music source without ever having to search for a disc. More people are probably familiar with Pandora, the service that lets you create your own music channels based on bands or songs you like, but Slacker is similar, though in addition it includes a number of pre-determined stations similar to satellite radio and is found on Sony TVs.

Movies and TV

For most consumers, access to streaming movies and TV programs is the primary reason for a smart TV. After all, it’s a television, and that’s what they’re for. More than that, smart TVs, with applications like Netflix, Amazon, and CinemaNow offer the best options for movie night since the decline of disc rental stores like Blockbuster. In many towns, the only place to rent disc movies are those Redbox vending machines found at grocery stores, but they have a limited selection, and you still have to drive back the next day to return the disc. Online movie services are much more convenient and very price competitive.

3D

Chances are that the new smart TV you’re considering buying is also a 3D TV. While there are many 3D Blu-ray releases available, plus 3D video-on-demand from most TV service providers, that may not be enough to satisfy a 3D craving. Vudu, available on some TVs also streams 3D titles. New Samsung TVs feature a new Explor3 3D VOD option.

Fitness

Wii fit isn’t the only tech device to help you get off the couch and into your skinny jeans. Several connected TVs include fitness, health and exercise apps. Panasonic VIERA-Connect TVs include a number of wellness features apps from Withings, BodyMedia and ICON. The BodyMedia FIT app connects with a wireless armband monitor to track data during your workout.

Variety

While many of the apps you’ll find on smart TVs will be familiar to you (Netflix, Pandora, Facebook), the variety of options on some TVs is almost overwhelming. News, games, wellness, art, sports … You now have more media choices via your smart TV than through your cable service provider.

Weather

Most connected TVs feature weather apps that allow you to input your city or zip code for up-to-date weather information. That’s a lot quicker than waiting for the evening news to bring you the forecast.

Social

Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter may be time wasters in the office, but at home they’re a major factor in how we connect to friends and family. Social media on a big screen TV becomes even more social, especially when you want to share posted photos or videos with other people in the house. It’s easier to gather around a big TV than to crowd a small smart phone.

VoIP (Skype)

TVs from Sony, Samsung and Panasonic all allow Skype video calls via a broadband connection. All you need is a USB webcam and a Skype account, and you’re ready to go. Video calls are great for staying in touch with family, allowing children to show off to grandparents and connecting to friends in distant counties.

Zeppelin Air wins European Sound Station Of The Year 2011-2012. P5 wins European Headphone Of The Year 2011-2012. MM-1 wins the inaugural award for European Desktop Speakers of the Year 2011-2012.

Bowers & Wilkins is extremely proud to announce that three of our products have won their respective categories at the European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) awards 2011-2012. These prestigious awards are uniquely decided upon by representatives of the Hi-Fi reviewing community from across Europe.

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air AirPlay® wireless audio system won European Sound Station Of The Year 2011-2012. The judging panel were impressed by the dramatically improved sound quality of the original, ground-breaking Zeppelin, as well as the improved functionality brought by the pioneering addition of Apple’s AirPlay technology
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The judges concluded: “Don’t be fooled by the familiar Zeppelin profile – Bowers & Wilkins new ‘Air’ version boasts improved sound quality and enhanced flexibility. Inside its radical enclosure and five new loudspeaker drivers – one woofer, two midrange and two treble units – each with its own DSP-controlled Class D amplifier.

“As you might guess from the name, the new Zeppelin also contains an Apple AirPlay wireless streaming receiver that will play music directly from your iTunes® library. Moreover the central dock now makes a digital connection with your iPhone®, iPod® and iPad® devices to replay your music with even higher fidelity.”

Bowers & Wilkins P5 mobile hi-fi headphones were adjudged European Headphones Of The Year 2011-2012. A very impressive achievement, in a highly competitive category, made even more so as these are the first ever Bowers & Wilkins headphones.

The judging panel said: “Bowers & Wilkins P5 noise-isolating headphones treat the listener to high quality music reproduction wherever you are. The deceptively light weight on-ear headphones feature real leather ear pads for comfort and a strong metal headband. The drivers use Mylar diaphragms and neodymium magnets offering accurate and efficient output.

“Supplied with an Apple approved remote and microphone, the P5s offers hands-free call handling as well as great sound. The sound is wide and open in mids and highs while the bass is deep and punchy even when driven from a smartphone or other mobile device. A fine set of headphones, delivering fantastic reproduction and delicious good looks.”

Finally, the EISA judging panel were impressed by Bowers & Wilkins MM-1 computer speakers. Which, breaking new ground and opening up new premium consumer electronics categories in the same way Zeppelin did when it was first launched, won the inaugural European Desktop Speakers of the Year 2011-2012.

The judging panel said: “Turn your PC into a Hi-Fi system by adding a dynamic set of active speakers. The Bowers & Wilkins MM-1 will be your best company for work and play on your computer. The enclosures feature spun aluminium top plates and detailing and a black cloth grille offering a minimal, high-class design. This stunning pair of 2-way speakers stands just 17cm high housing DSP controlled bass drivers and tweeters with Nautilus™ technology and a built-in DAC. A stylish remote control and a USB or 3.5mm mini jack connection complete the set. They are not inexpensive, but the sound quality easily justifies the cost.”

Bowers & Wilkins is proud to introduce the PM1, probably the most refined small speaker yet created. It offers an extremely high-quality audio performance and features several key technological innovations, including a new tweeter design and a cabinet unlike anything previously constructed by Bowers & Wilkins.

Foremost among the new technology is the PM1’s Carbon Braced Tweeter. This new design takes the already high performance of Bowers & Wilkins aluminium domes to a whole new level. The tweeter mechanism is mounted on top of the PM1 in the same way as the 800 Series Diamond and uses a Nautilus™ tapering tube. However, its high-quality aluminium dome, is strategically stiffened with a ring of filament-wound ultra-high modulus pitch-based carbon fibre.
One of the reasons why diamond domes perform so well in the flagship 800 Series Diamond is that they raise the break-up frequency of the tweeter. The PM1’s Carbon Braced Tweeter similarly raises the break up of the aluminium dome, in this case to around 40KHz. This has a dramatic effect on the audible frequencies below 20kHz. A new surround material improves the harmonic structure of instruments and voices and enables the listener to pinpoint the position of the performer with greater accuracy.
Sitting below the Carbon Braced Tweeter is what at first appears to be a regular Bowers & Wilkins Kevlar® cone bass/midrange driver, as found on the likes of the well-regarded CM1, and which is renowned for its ability to deliver clarity and detail at mid frequencies. However, the PM1’s drive unit features a new Anti-Resonance Plug: a mushroom-shaped device that is a tight fit inside the voice coil former, helping to damp the motion of the former. This reduces cone break-up, for a smoother, more refined sound, again raising the performance of a key Bowers & Wilkins technology to a new level of performance.

The construction of the cabinet is critical in any loudspeaker, but especially so in a mini monitor. Internally, the PM1 uses the Bowers & Wilkins Matrix™ bracing system, for improved rigidity. This is a vital element in producing a large sound from a compact loudspeaker. The striking front baffle and top panel is also a key element in the PM1’s refined performance. The shape echoes the profile of the ‘head’ unit used on the 800 Diamond and 802 Diamond, and improves image localization. A layer of mineral-filled resin is poured in liquid form to the back of the outer thermoset profile, where it sets to create a dual-layer composite that combines high mass with damping for an impressively inert construction.
Elsewhere, lessons learned in the development of the 800 Series Diamond have also influenced the design of the PM1. This is particularly the case with the use of Oxygen Free Copper terminals and Mundorf M-Cap Supreme capacitors, which combine to maintain the full clarity of the signal, and therefore the resulting performance.
These elements all combine to create the PM1. Quite possibly the most refined small loudspeaker Bowers & Wilkins has yet produced.

The Bowers & Wilkins PM1 is available from approved stockists in July.
PM1 costs £1995 / $2800 per pair.
PM1 dedicated stands cost £400 / $ 550 per pair.