How to use your Old TVs in useful way?

Due to latest developments in television industry, there are plenty of models available with a lot of new features.
Though It is not the need of the hour to buy these TVs, but eventually we buy these new TV.
And we are forced to “exchange” our old TVs for cheaper price (ranging from 1000- 2000 INR) because they do not support new features.

In the commercialized world, “use and throw” mechanism overruled “repair and use”. I remember a pen which my Dad used to carry with so many “bandages” to it. Now, my daughter throws away a pen every month & gets a new one.

Coming back to old TVs, they do not have the following features:

1. One cannot mount his USB flash drive & watch movies or images from it on the TV.
2. TV is not able to connect to the broadband connection in wireless or wired mode
3. One cannot watch Youtube videos on these TVs
4. One cannot stream the content from another PC in the house
5. One cannot mirror the content from the Smartphones to these TVs
6. One cannot browse the internet on these TVs
7. The quality of the pictures is far less as compared to latest TVs.

If we can achieve all these features by spending around 5000 INR, is it not worthy to keep these TVs even if we buy new TVs.?

YES, it is possible to have all these features on your old TV at the minimal cost. There are many boards available which can enable to have all these features.

Raspberry Pi
Baglebone Black

Raspberry Pi comes with RaspMC – media center (XMBC) Os. It hardly takes 30 minutes to set up this OS.
The video out & Audio (RCA) can be connected to Old TV using normal AV cables.
You are all set to use old TV with all the features:
1. You can mount USB flash drive & watch movies or images from it on the TV.
2. TV can connect to the broadband connection in wireless or wired mode
3. You can watch Youtube videos on these TVs
4. You can stream the content from another PC in the house ( by adding media extender)
5. You can mirror the content from the Smartphones to these TVs ( set this by few steps – airplay)
6. You can browse the internet on these TVs ( you may want to add wireless keyboard & mouse for easy browsing)

I personally set RaspBMC up on my new TV. But the same will work on old CRT TVs as well.

In stead of exchanging old TV for 2000 rupees, using it another room by spending 5000 is preferred & can serve as additional backup.