Yesterday, Smart announced a new online TV service called Smart Bro SurfTV. SurfTV turns your ordinary TV set at home into an internet appliance.
Smart Bro SurfTV is a device that connects to a television set and gives it access to the internet any where in the Philippines (well, as long as you have 3G coverage).
You basically plug the device into the RCA port of a color TV set. Smart Bro SurfTV then turns the set into a ready-to-run “internet appliance” where users can surf, chat, and email — through a multi-tasking TV.
Smart Bro SurfTV comes in a boxed set complete with a keyboard, a mouse, a remote control, and a Smart Bro USB stick-type modem with a prepaid SIM, pre-loaded with Php100 worth of load. The entire kit costs only Php4,500 and additional internet access costs Php10 for every 30 minutes.
Not yet sure what it can or cannot do compared to, say, a regular desktop (like how it handles downloaded files, etc.). We’ll just have to wait for the review unit to arrive before we can get more details.
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sign me up once the service offers unlimited internet access
@happyrichpinoy – I think the Smart UnliSurf also applies here. It’s just Php50 for 24 hours.
Twitter: simplynice93
replied on Feb 24th, 2010 at 10:03 am (3)
Cool! Can i still use my Smart Bro sim for SurfTV? Or i need to buy another?
Twitter: eguar51
replied on Feb 24th, 2010 at 10:12 am (4)
Interesting. If only 3G is available in my current location, that is. Had it been, I’ll readily sign up. So, how about it, SMART?
Twitter: Filpolitics
replied on Feb 24th, 2010 at 10:12 am (5)
looks interesting…is this the same compared to PCTV?. I don’t have 3G at home so hopefully it will have a GPRS option
Nice feature!
i’m sure mabagal lang din yan. bili na lang tayo ng xtreamer or any other multimedia player. basta pagdating sa internet access sa telcos natin, wag na tayong umasa. tsk tsk tsk!
Twitter: mponteres
replied on Feb 24th, 2010 at 10:37 am (8)
are they offering this nationwide or only particular area?
-Sent via YugaTech Mobile App
Wow will check this out…cool
Twitter: rand0m_insanity
replied on Feb 24th, 2010 at 11:08 am (10)
Ouch. Internet through 3G. Though the idea is nice, relying on 3G would really be a pain, since not all locations have good coverage. If you have good coverage, congestion may be your next problem.
Twitter: c_quijano
replied on Feb 24th, 2010 at 11:31 am (11)
Guys,
I think SMART is doing their share on penetrating internet access to all people. Yung mga hindi maka-afford to purchase a computer can now access the internet via this device.
Hope that they succeed with this. Actually, this is not new in the local market — look what happened to EMC2 that Destiny Internet released way back before. I think its too early for that they released that device.
Twitter: jhayrocas
replied on Feb 24th, 2010 at 11:38 am (12)
It’s like buying a netbook or nettop sans the screen.
This would be great if you have 3G coverage in your area and a nice LCD TV.
I use Xtreamer for my home theater. is this same kind of device? nakakapanood din kasi ako ng youtube sa xtreamer ko.
Twitter: kzapkzap
replied on Feb 24th, 2010 at 11:53 am (14)
I remember testing something like this before. I think the thing is that without a mouse or pointer, actually a pointer is hard to use even on the wii, i dont think this will fly
Parang Apple TV yata to…?
An affordable alternative to those in far-flung areas where computer access is hard to get. So you get a cheap (and slow i’ll bet) computer which you can connect anywhere since I know almost every house has a TV and some sort of cell signal. Not all TVs are compatible though.
nice. bat di pa nila ibundle ng tv. hehe!
Twitter: choosypinoy
replied on Feb 24th, 2010 at 3:39 pm (18)
can it connect direct to a monitor only?
This one reminds me of something i used a long long time ago that i hook on my tv and uses dialup internet…. does anyone remember it?
So Internet-ready CPU sya na pang TV insstead of a monitor in other words.
Does it have external connection for storage?
I use Smart Bro Broadband Plan 999 which I know uses 3G coverage.I think my place has a fair amount of signal. If Smart Bro SurfTV will have plans like from their broadbands, this newest product from Smart would be great for places with great 3G signals.
cool ha…! how about downloading may feature din ba sya para dito..?
still premature compare to the connectivity problems… better settle that issue first before they sell another useless gadget.
they only know how to market but they cannot deliver the goods… tsktsktsk
for what smartbro plan is to put an iptv (internet protocol television) which is another way of television broadcast which is different from the common catv,analog tv and direct tv satellte.but the quality of this new way of watching tv is depend on how fast internet connection you have?
@xmint, i can relate to that
Parang blast from the past, i used to use one of those things that you connect to your tv and that thing would dial-up to your ISP. back in those days, that dial-up “computer” really sucked, parang useless din.
RCA ang connection niyan? pangit ng output niyan, kahit naka high definition na 55″ ka pa, RCA eh analog ang resolution, sana pwede man lang VGA input, pero HDMI na sana.
@drealmarlon
there’s no way you can do IPTV over wireless, for now or maybe never. the bandwidth demand for a true IPTV service would require a cosistent flow of 5-7Mbps for Standard Definition and around 14Mbps for High Definition IPTV and of course multicast. In reality, GPON or FTTX or maybe Cable with the use of DOCSIS 3.0 or ADSL2+ or VDSL would make IPTV possible. Internet TV pwede pa siguro hehe.
Twitter: ramfree17
replied on Feb 25th, 2010 at 9:26 am (27)
@sherwin: high definition on 3G will only have two possible outputs: congest the network to the point of unusability or choke the CPU/vid card of that device.
ciao!
@Erin
What I meant by RCA vs VGA or high def/HDMI output relates to the screen resolution of your TV and doesn’t equate to the bandwidth that will be needed to surf your internet. it’s the device to the tv lang
kahit dial-up ka pa it doesn’t matter po.
anyway, we’ll wait for some screenshots of that SurfTV.
At a price of P4,500.00, this would not be a good deal for class C and D families. Better to buy a second hand PC worth 3.5K and a SBro plug-it device… ^_^
I agree with techwell17 on that… this device will have no future…
+1 kay techwell17.
reminds me of an old internet tv device sold here that connects to a hard coded dial-up ISP with prepaid cards. Exporting files was a chore and later revision of the web doomed it to obsolence afaik.
Also browsing using a tv was hard on the eyes (low res)
wow! surfing the web through tv! parang naglalakad na tv! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahL3WnStKgM
I hate boot up… will this answer my problem?
I am very much eager to hear the feedback of the product as I was in the team of developing the same.
All the best !!!
Twitter: ramfree17
replied on Feb 26th, 2010 at 10:30 pm (36)
@sherwin: i know pero where would those feed come from? would this gadget support external storage devices?
not good for me, eventually not so bad. atleast smart have the concept, but in a misplace way.
Any mall demo yet? Would like to see the quality of the gfx (TV-Out tends to max out at 800×600 on tv and it is still quite blurred)
For internet surfing this device should be able to display pages at a minimum of 1024×768
Most likely it could compete VS
-refurbished PCs (P4000+)
-PC/notebook/netbook with fast booting OS (Embedded custom linux OS)
meron daw usb keyboard and mouse ang package. nabasa ko sa newspaper kanina.
Please publish the complete details and data of operation including the efficiency.
I used to be a big fan of Smart Bro. Before they launched their ads (those that were endorsed by Mo Twister) the service was very fast and when they dropped the price to 950 for unlimited plans, the download and upload speed were superb. I got the chance to download files at 300 kbps here in Global City Taguig before. Now, it is extremely slow. The average download speed is around 30 kbps. I guess many jumped in to Smart Bro after those marketing campaign and new pricing strategy.
I am concerned with Smart TV, if I am correct that feature will also run on the same network system. If right now subscribers find their internet very slow, how much more if a huge batch of users (from Smart TV subscribers)will be added.
I wish Smart will improve the quality of its network and ensure that the speed will still be fast despite the increase of users. Right now I am really frustrated with the slowness of their network. Good thing I just invested on the pre-paid service and not the post paid service. Smart please bring back the good ol high speed before engaging in new markets!
marami din ang umaasa na mapakinabangan ang internet.. sa murang halaga na P4,500.00, you can own a device like that.. pero hindi naman lahat kaya i-afford ang isang multi-tasking LCD TV.. so balewala rin.. better to buy a second hand Desktop PC and a prepaid broadband like techwell17 said..
hindi ko sinisiraan ang SMART Telecom, actually i was once a SMART Broadband user..
I’m a smartbro user and medyo hindi na ko happy with their service. mabagal most of the time and madalas ma-disconnect. From what I’ve read in other forums, this is because congested na daw ang smart network sa dami ng subscribers. What will happen when madaming nag-surf TV? They are using the same network for this right?
magandang product pero maraming kulang. para lang to sa mga mahilig magsurf. pero sa mga multi tasking users na gumagamit ng ibat ibang pc applications useless ito
is it true malabo dw ang dating sa tv if u using this devise internet tv?
As the name suggests, pang SURF lang siya.
interesting comments here. i heard there is a demo at the smart tower in makati. will check it out since its a cheaper alternative than buying a whole pc. i surf the web a lot so if the demo works out, i’ll buy it.
This is great for the older generation whose afraid of computers but wanted to connect thru internet for their loved ones, but still its similar because of the keyboard. But for kids, it would’nt be good for their eyes to be soaked at the TV for a long time. but with an LCD TV this is great. but if you could buy a decent LCD TV, we can assume you would want to buy a decent netbook or a laptop would you?
I think it won’t be a hit. Here’s why:
This product is targeting the masses, or more specifically, people who cant shell out cash for a full-blown PC/netbook. Now,what kind of TV unit does this people have? Traditional CRT TVs, mostly. If anyone already have connected a PC to a TV using RCA(or even S-Video), the screen is barely readable. You have to be very close to the screen to be able to read it. This would also be a health issue, knowing how dangerous it is to stay near a CRT TV. It might be feasible to those using LCD TVs. But then again, most of those who have LCD TVs also have PCs.
HAAAAYYYY!!!
another unreliable service…
is our DOTC or NTC using their heads…..
We are the ones who are fooled
Are they really capable in servicing that?
They cant even maintain the reliability of their other services..
Filipino’s … wake up!!!
This NTC i think had no knowledge enough of this kind of thing…
they simply put their asses well comfort because under the table just flows like a honey..
The future is high technology and is inevitable that communication system arent included.
This department of gov’t should be serious enough in punishing this telecoms..
or they where just pupies waiting to be feed by this fools.
ahahahha.. funny.. what a funny “INNOVATION”.. ahahaha sabi nga nga ibang na comment dito.. pure surfing lang.. how about the other use of the internet? downloading? ahahahah.. its like.. connecting to the internet.. and getting only the portion of its userfullness.. ahahhahahha… nagpapayaman nnmn ang smart.. tsk! ahahahaha…
Hi Everyone! You could check smart’s goals with Surftv in this press release: http://bit.ly/bleVat
Here is a review by another blogger that might give more insight to SurfTV: http://bit.ly/ac9tAx hope this helps!
Wala na to! Pinull out na ng Smart! Hahahaha.
SMARTBRO SURF TV = FAIL
I’d rather go for a CinemaTube media player or other media players in the market. Smart Bro nga bulok na tapos aasa pa ng internet streaming? haha.
Well, so nice to know about that new technology… I’m just so amazed with technologies nowadays… since my laptop is not that good anymore,,, it seems that i”m so interested… Is it already available in the market?
I just want to congratulate smart for this new smart bro surftv…it could be saleable to the market…
hoy!tumahimik nga kayo jan…wala naman itulak kabigin sa inyo eh!pare-parehas kayong MALASPOT!
If I were you I will jsut buy a second hand computer that is worth 4500.00 atleast it has its own hard drive and you can definitely play games and download songs and movies and store files. Then I will just subscribe to a DSL line or wireless DSL that has an unlimited connection not like this Smart Bro SurfTV that uses the same technology in a cellphone.
bk8 hnd ako maka connect sa internet using surf tv,,
nahihirapan ako…
mayron bang setting para hindi na nag e error every mag ba-browse???TY
pwede ba kabitan ng printer yan para may pakinabang sa mga bata nag aaral at gumagawa ng project nla?
hay,,,,,,,,,,,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjdkjWVnsRM
at around 1 minute makikita nio how the browser looks like
my guess is that this is an opera browser.oh shit @ 1:11 it is an opera browser..its not a bad thing in fact I love opera..though what I saw was opera’s loading error message(GOOD JOB SMART YOU JUST SHOWED HOW REALLY SHITTY YOUR INTERNET IS)
at 1:19 the “watch videos” portion I can see a 582.XX MB thingy saying that is the size of the video so i think its ok for anyone to expect at least 4-16 gb of space in it..
what can i say is either the video quality is shitty or the crt display is shitty
I’m actually more happy for my browser opera than the product itself.
I’m curious too on what codecs are in it..
what can I say I’m more curious on the technology than the product itself
ay naku.. nkakasira ng mata yan! kaya nga may monitor ang computer, eh.. ano ba nman yang wla kwentang device na yan! wag na kayong mag-support nyan, smart lang ang nkikinabang nyan… dont be naive guys!! be informed! kung gusto mo nman lang mag-internet, sa computer ka nlang! anu ba..
ano ba dw speed ng processor nyan? kaya bang itapat yan sa mga existing intel processors na ginagamit natin sa ating mga apple computers?? come on, you guys.. don’t be a fool!! think it again
peace
cool,
but can i use smart tv surf for gaming??
i want to buy some coz i want 2 use it for playing pet society and farmville….
i think smart tv surf cant run games coz its not a computer that has intalled game player!!
Is it possible to use webcam here…
And i am also a skype and messenger…
im more on chatting.. can i do that here….
Bumili po sister ko hoping our parents can use it. Pero sobrang bagal! First, sa web connection, nasa 30 minutes yata inabot bago macomplete download page to think yung signal ng Smart Bro namin is either CDMA or HSDPA (based sa color ng LED indicator). so bago ka makapagsurf talaga laki na ng nagastos mo. Hindi din nagamit sa youtube or FB games since “No Flash detected. Download it here”, kapag kinlick mo naman nagaask na ng flash drive. pero kapag may flash drive nageeror na! Second, antagal magread ng flash drive para sa picture, music and movies. Sa totoo lang hindi ko tuloy nacheck kung anung file type supported nito. Haaaayyyz.. Ngayon nagask na sila ng assistance kung ganun ba talga kabagal yun and bakit walang Flash. Pwede daw webcam kaso yung Logitech Quick Cam Go lang supported daw. Di ko na natry wala naman kami nung cam na yun.
how about webcam? will it work with this smart surf tv?
can i use my computer monitor instead?
bako kayo bumili test nyo muna s dealer or s wireless center kung maganda ang produktong yan… pareho din yan ng Cignal Satellite TV palpak ang Set Top Box 30% s unit nila sira… wag kayong bumili nyan nasubukan ko n yan.. ang tagal nyan mag boot.. dapat ang price nyan P450 lang di P4500… By the 2nd half ng 2010 mura na yan at walang bumibili… basta product ng smart asahan no ang lokohan…
can i play games using smart tv???
hello!! can i use wife connection instead of smart bro usb?????
wow.. wow… I really want buy one…
the modem is not too expensive… but can i use wifi connention or internet connection instead of loading for 30php. per hour?
Twitter: dforthster
replied on May 16th, 2010 at 6:32 am (73)
ok lang ito pag di malaki tv mo, mga about 14″. Anyway pwede din ba tayo mag install d2?kaso d2 samin nasa tapat ng tower ng smart patay patay nga lang ang internet connection. bakit kaya?