Toshiba Smart TV Smart DNS Services Compared
Smart TVs enjoy great popularity, due in large part to their ability to connect to the internet and make use of online services. Toshiba's range of Smart TVs are amongst the most successful on the market and offer users the chance to stream media content from the likes of Netflix and the BBC iPlayer, directly onto their television, via apps.
However, some of these services are region restricted, while others offer a vastly different content library from one region to another. Most do not allow for region switching within the app itself, as region detection occurs automatically. Fortunately, Smart DNS services can be used in conjunction with a Toshiba Smart TV to work around this problem, and increase the range of content available to customers.
Best Smart DNS Services to use on Toshiba Smart TV
» View the Step-by-Step Smart DNS Setup Tutorial for Toshiba Smart TV
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- 1 Month: $4.90
- 3 Months: $12.90
- 12 Months: $39.90
- 24 Months: $49.90
- Life Time: $150
- Amazon Fire TV,
- Android,
- Apple TV,
- Boxee,
- Chromecast,
- Google TV,
- iOS,
- Kindle Fire,
- LG Smart TV,
- Mac OS X,
- Nexus Player,
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- Panasonic Smart TV,
- Philips Smart TV,
- PS 4,
- PS3,
- Roku,
- Samsung Smart TV,
- Sharp Smart TV,
- Sonos,
- Sony Smart TV,
- Toshiba Smart TV,
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- 1 Month: $4.95/Mo
- 6 Months: $4.58/Mo
- 12 Months: $4.16/Mo
- 24 Months: $3.29/Mo
Smart DNS
Designed with streaming video in mind, Smart DNS technology works by tricking services into believing the user is in another location. This is achieved by re-routing their DNS queries through a proxy server located elsewhere in the world. Essentially, the user's internet settings then make them appear as if they are in the location of the server, instead of their real location.
This process can make streaming media services available to people living outside of the region(s) they are usually restricted to, as most of these websites automatically detect a visitor's region through their internet settings. For example, a user in the UK cannot usually access the US Netflix region. Yet, by connecting to a US proxy server, they will appear as if they are located in the US, granting them access to that region and its content.
Smart DNS' re-routing process only takes place on supported websites and services, meaning that all other browsing remains unaffected. Unlike with some similar services, such as VPN, Smart DNS does not cause internet connections to slow down, which makes it perfect for reliable streaming.
Step-By-Step Smart DNS Setup
Upon finding a suitable Smart DNS provider, which covers the services and regions required, users need to register for the service. After doing so, customers will be given new DNS settings, which must then be changed on the device they wish to use. In order to do this on a Toshiba Smart TV, simply follow the instructions below:
- Go to the 'Settings' menu and select 'Network'.
- Write down the number written next to 'IP Address', as this may be required later on.
- Scroll down to 'IP Mode' and change the setting from 'Dynamic' to 'Manual'.
- Enter the DNS settings given by your Smart DNS service into the 'Primary DNS' and 'Secondary DNS' fields and then press 'OK'.
- Press 'Apply' to exit the settings and complete the main part of the Smart DNS setup process.
It is important to restart your Toshiba Smart TV after completing this part of the setup procedure. Once you have successfully reset the device, you can continue to follow the next set of instructions.
IP Address Entry
The next part of the setup process requires the user to share their TV's IP address with their Smart DNS provider. With many Smart DNS services, the user's IP address can be detected automatically by signing into their Smart DNS account on their television's web browser. However, other services require the IP address to be added manually.
If this is the case, you will need to find out this information. Fortunately, we already did this in step 2 of the Smart DNS Setup, as written above. After writing down your IP address, simply go onto your Smart DNS provider's website and follow their instructions for adding an IP address to their database.
It is important to understand that IP addresses do not usually remain the same for very long, and can change on a fairly frequent basis, especially if your router restarts. Each time your IP address changes, your Smart DNS service will need your new internet settings, so you will need to repeat the IP address entry process.
Complete Setup
After adding your IP address to the database of your Smart DNS provider, the setup process is complete and you can now gain access to a range of new content. Region switching takes place by logging into your Smart DNS account via the web browser and following the instructions there.
Please Note: Some users have experienced difficulty using Smart DNS services to access US Netflix on a Toshiba Smart TV, using their ordinary Netflix account. If this is the case for you, you may need to register for a US Netflix account and sign into the Netflix app with that account instead. This is believed to be because of firmware limitations on the Smart TV itself.