Ian Nock:
Many (but not all) Smart TVs do include a YouTube application and generally you can use that without any login and you can search for any YouTube content via the search capabilities that it provides, but any character input is via an onscreen keyboard. Some Smart TVs do support bluetooth keyboards for text entry. I would even say some do support USB keyboards, but the support is not universal as this depends not on YouTube but on the TV manufacturer supporting keyboards. Note not having the '/' I would have to check, but I see no reason why you need it as YouTube is just an standalone app run on the TV and is not a web browser so you do not need to enter any URLs which is the only thing I would believe would need that symbol for.
<snip>
There are two ways to login, one is via entering the details via the remote but also there is an approach where you can login on a phone/web browser and 'pair' your account to your TV YouTube app. This makes it much easier and there are instuctions available online to be able to do this and the app on the TV generally will take you through this if you select the login option.
An additional way to use Youtube is to 'Cast' from your phone or web browser to the TV, which uses your account directly. For this you use the built-in YouTube app on the TV, or you can have an enhanced experience by having either a Chromecast device connected to the TV or you can get the same feature through an Android TV STB that you can buy from man places such as from NVIDIA or from Mi. In other words you could do it now by just buying one of these devices for £30 - https://store.google.com/gb/product/chromecast
Casting is not particularly complex as long as you have an Android or Apple mobile phone provided in the last four or five years and the relevant YouTube App on phone and TV, and you have some understanding of the name that the TV is on your network that would automatically show up in the 'Cast to' dialogue.
Many thanks for answering. My TV has a smart brass funnel, but as the fire under its steam boiler went cold several years ago, a streaming box is unlikely to help. ;)
BTW. Enthusiasts suggest building your own streaming box, using a low-cost Raspberry PI + open source software; something the IET might promote as a learning project; particularly as this is a quick-win "assembly" project which does not require people to learn complicated electronics or heavy coding, but which results in creating something useful using a blend of modern hardware and software?
My particular quest this year, is to provide a free-to-attend online event which can be enjoyed by as wide a range of visitors as possible. Usually we offer a free-to-attend physical event and get a whole range of visitors, up to and including people in their nineties.
I have chosen YouTube, because it does not require visitors to book, to have a subscription, to log in, or to download any special software. Also, it is available on most devices which have Internet access... including modern TVs.
But I am now discovering that almost no-one uses their fancy TV for watching anything apart from TV programmes or commercial streaming services. The few people who do use YouTube and other apps, have often had their TV set up by an "expert" or enthusiastic relative.
Recently, I even asked a store manageress who was busy carting away a batch of unsold 4k TV; she relies on a niece to set-up her own TV.
So the original "promise" that smart TVs would offer access to a wealth of online information, seems to have failed. Perhaps that is why there was no discussion about helping children from disadvantaged families - many of whom will have a modern TV - to use it to access learning whilst schools were closed? All media reports lamented the shortage of "laptops"; there was no mention of eg. providing (cheap) USB keyboards even as a stop-gap.
To make it easy for visitors to find our online videos and events, I am providing several aids:
Ian Nock:
Many (but not all) Smart TVs do include a YouTube application and generally you can use that without any login and you can search for any YouTube content via the search capabilities that it provides, but any character input is via an onscreen keyboard. Some Smart TVs do support bluetooth keyboards for text entry. I would even say some do support USB keyboards, but the support is not universal as this depends not on YouTube but on the TV manufacturer supporting keyboards. Note not having the '/' I would have to check, but I see no reason why you need it as YouTube is just an standalone app run on the TV and is not a web browser so you do not need to enter any URLs which is the only thing I would believe would need that symbol for.
<snip>
There are two ways to login, one is via entering the details via the remote but also there is an approach where you can login on a phone/web browser and 'pair' your account to your TV YouTube app. This makes it much easier and there are instuctions available online to be able to do this and the app on the TV generally will take you through this if you select the login option.
An additional way to use Youtube is to 'Cast' from your phone or web browser to the TV, which uses your account directly. For this you use the built-in YouTube app on the TV, or you can have an enhanced experience by having either a Chromecast device connected to the TV or you can get the same feature through an Android TV STB that you can buy from man places such as from NVIDIA or from Mi. In other words you could do it now by just buying one of these devices for £30 - https://store.google.com/gb/product/chromecast
Casting is not particularly complex as long as you have an Android or Apple mobile phone provided in the last four or five years and the relevant YouTube App on phone and TV, and you have some understanding of the name that the TV is on your network that would automatically show up in the 'Cast to' dialogue.
Many thanks for answering. My TV has a smart brass funnel, but as the fire under its steam boiler went cold several years ago, a streaming box is unlikely to help. ;)
BTW. Enthusiasts suggest building your own streaming box, using a low-cost Raspberry PI + open source software; something the IET might promote as a learning project; particularly as this is a quick-win "assembly" project which does not require people to learn complicated electronics or heavy coding, but which results in creating something useful using a blend of modern hardware and software?
My particular quest this year, is to provide a free-to-attend online event which can be enjoyed by as wide a range of visitors as possible. Usually we offer a free-to-attend physical event and get a whole range of visitors, up to and including people in their nineties.
I have chosen YouTube, because it does not require visitors to book, to have a subscription, to log in, or to download any special software. Also, it is available on most devices which have Internet access... including modern TVs.
But I am now discovering that almost no-one uses their fancy TV for watching anything apart from TV programmes or commercial streaming services. The few people who do use YouTube and other apps, have often had their TV set up by an "expert" or enthusiastic relative.
Recently, I even asked a store manageress who was busy carting away a batch of unsold 4k TV; she relies on a niece to set-up her own TV.
So the original "promise" that smart TVs would offer access to a wealth of online information, seems to have failed. Perhaps that is why there was no discussion about helping children from disadvantaged families - many of whom will have a modern TV - to use it to access learning whilst schools were closed? All media reports lamented the shortage of "laptops"; there was no mention of eg. providing (cheap) USB keyboards even as a stop-gap.
To make it easy for visitors to find our online videos and events, I am providing several aids:
We're about to take you to the IET registration website. Don't worry though, you'll be sent straight back to the community after completing the registration.
Continue to the IET registration site
