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Question: How to Make it Easy for Non-Technical People to View an Internet Video on a Digital TV?

Richard Sheppard
I'm looking for ideas please:


Normally we hold a free-to-attend open day, as part of Heritage Open Days (which itself is the UK part of European Heritage Days). This year, because of COVID-19, we're planning an online event. We want to make it as easy as possible for people to visit and enjoy this event, preferably without needing to download any special apps or to log in (unless perhaps to ask questions). It should also work on the broadest possible range of technology, preferably including digital / smart TVs.


In UK, almost everyone - except me - seems to own a digital TV. However, almost no-one appears to use their digital TV for anything apart from ordinary TV programs and perhaps commercial streaming services; ie. very few people seem to use their digital TV routinely to browse the Internet, YouTube, or other social media; probably because of problems using the TV's on-screen keyboard.

Question 1:

I expect to use one (or more) of the well-known social-media video services: Periscope / Twitter Live; Facebook Live; Youtube Live. Am I correct that Youtube video is the easiest of these to view without needing an account or logging in? Is Youtube currently the service with the fewest "black marks" against it?

Question 2, the Crucial Question:

To help PC users, I'd provide a hyperlink; to help smartphone users, I'd provide a QR code. Assuming that the event is on Youtube Live, and the TV has the Youtube app; Is there any way to make it easier for users of digital TVs to find the correct video stream?


Unfortunately, voice search may be unreliable because of the difficult name.


"Casting" etc. from smartphone or PC to TV is likely to be different with different models.


If there is some way to help digital TV users which works for most models, I'll need to be able to explain this simply & clearly, including to older people who may never have explored the fancy features of their TV.


One fall-back would be to offer a custom "bit.ly" link which was specially designed for easy entry using the on-screen keyboard. But it is hard for someone with aging eyes to focus on the fiddly TV remote control, then the on-screen keyboard on the distant TV; made more difficult by stiff fingers.


I welcome any comments or ideas please.
  • 0
    Hi Richard,


    In order to be able to access any of the services you mention, people will need a smart TV rather than just a straightforward digital TV.  For several years now all digital televisions sold in the UK will have been, to some extent, "smart".  Normally this means they will not only have the possibility of accessing the internet, which as you note can be a real pain with a TV remote in place of a keyboard (also it is very difficult or sometimes impossible to select the links on the page you would normally click on with a mouse), but also the potential to download apps such as iPlayer and, importantly for your activity, YouTube.  Generally the YouTube app will be considerably easier to use than trying to get to content via URL entry or a search engine.  However, digital TV manufacturers are very cost-conscious and don't provide more memory than necessary (at the time the TV is released for sale) and as apps grow in size over time (as they normally do) at some point the TV won't have enough memory to run the app or to download and run the latest version of the app.  So, it is likely that most, but not all, those of your audience will be able to view YouTube videos if they have downloaded the app onto their smart TV.  This of course poses an initial threshold, to ensure the app is on the TV, and then that it can run ok.  Different TV manufacturers make it more or less easy to enter text via their remotes, or in many cases via an app downloaded onto a smartphone or tablet.  I hope all goes reasonably smoothly with your event.
  • 0
    Thanks Graham,


    Yes, although digital & smart TVs have been promoted - including by government - as a gateway to the Internet, the reality is disappointing.


    Enthusiasts may be able to connect a cheap USB keyboard, wired or wireless, to a spare USB port. But most people won't have one available.


    I've now found another batch of Youtube help pages, with good and bad news:
    • Confusingly, there are two different apps: "Youtube app." for no-cost use; "YouTube TV app." for an expensive subscription TV service.

    • Youtube no longer supports early versions of its app. so older TVs may not work.

    • Some previous features and ways of linking devices have been, or are about to be, withdrawn.

    • Although my mobile web browsers offer to "cast" webpages to a TV, Youtube states that this is not now supported.


    It looks as if specially crafted custom bit.ly links might be the best / only option?


    Previous governments have often stressed the importance of everyone having access to digital information and learning. Should government, ie. Ofcom be issuing guidance / regulations to encourage the industry to import better products which make this possible?
  • 0

    The answer is as difficult as finding content (video) online. That is what broadcasters integrated broadband to broadcast using integrating engines such as HbbTV. Now DVB has DVB-I and DVB-Native IP that makes it easy to find content as we have experienced in traditional television. 

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