The television works perfectly.
But the apps on it have stopped updating, and one has vanished altogether.
The shop says the answer is a new television.
Very often the answer costs a fraction of that.
What does a streaming stick actually do?
A streaming stick is a small device that plugs into your television.
It runs the apps for you.
It has its own processor, its own memory and its own remote.
Your television stops being a computer and goes back to being a screen.
So an old set with a new stick often feels quicker than a cheap new one.
The panel you own does not get worse with age.
The software around it does.
Will it work with the TV I already own?
Look at the back or the side for a port labelled HDMI.
HDMI is the flat socket that carries picture and sound together.
If you have even one free HDMI port, a stick will work.
You also need a power point nearby.
Most sticks draw more power than a television's USB socket can supply.
Use the plug that comes in the box.
Your Wi-Fi also has to reach the television properly.
Televisions older than HDMI exist, but they are rare now.
Stick or box, which one suits me?
A stick hides behind the television and suits a simple streaming setup.
A box sits on the shelf and usually has a faster processor.
It often adds a socket for a network cable.
That socket matters when Wi-Fi is weak in your TV room.
A cable does not care about walls.
A box also copes better with many apps over the years.
If the television is far from your router, lean towards a box.
Otherwise a stick is enough for most homes.
What will still not improve?
The new device cannot make the panel brighter or the blacks deeper.
It cannot turn a Full HD television into a 4K one.
It will not fix thin, muddy sound.
That comes from the speakers inside the set.
And it cannot repair a dark patch or a dead line.
Buy a stick to fix software, never to fix the screen.
Things to Remember
- Check for a free HDMI port before you buy anything.
- Power the stick from the mains, not the television's USB port.
- Choose a box if the TV room needs a wired network connection.
- Remember it fixes apps and speed, never picture or sound.
- Try the cheap fix before you accept a new television.