So here’s something that has worked well. We had an old TV that we wanted to give new life to in the form of so called ‘Smart TV’ functionality and went for an external streaming device. There are a few manufacturers producing external devices, Amazon has its Fire TV, Google has Chromecast but there are alternatives too.
After some research, we went for a Roku streaming stick which was cheap, low res (since the TV is low res) and it has a wide variety of streaming channels available such as Netflix, Youtube, Google Play, BBC iPlayer, Wuaki and more. The Roku even has a phone app for an extra control option.
If you want to go this route to upgrade an old TV, consider whether you want ethernet and/or WiFi connectivity, the resolution needed, i.e. does your TV and connection support the high resolution offered by the device? and services offered. Also consider vendor restrictions, e.g. will a Google or Amazon device lock out other vendors. The Roku is neutral in this respect which was appealing.
Klaus Harris 