Question about Smart TV's

Ralph,
 Does your DVD player have an HDMI cable output? I guess it is possible your DVD player would be component(RGB) RedGreenBlue or possibly RCA Red,Yellow,White. If so an upgrade is probably in order,if you use DVDs often. What other issues are you having? Common things that my son at Best Buy runs into is sound issues. The TV's are so thin they really don't have good volume/audio for ..ahem...older people like me. Then you have to upgrade to a soundbar to hear the dialogue better,more cables, sometimes wireless,but another expense.

Andy, re "TV's are so thin they really don't have good volume/audio for ..ahem...older people like me. Then you have to upgrade to a soundbar to hear the dialogue better."

Agreed.

I'm pushing 65. I can hear someone dropping a kleenex on the carpet in the next room. But on Smart TVs, I can't follow the dialogue most of the time....

I also think part of the problem is the sound recording people are bunch of idiots. Why would you have the street or other background noise as loud as or louder than the dialog being said.  We get a blast from our band director if the melody gets drowned out by the other instruments and this is no different.
I often run the sound through our sound system; it is better but often lacking. We turn on the closed captioning if we can't understand the dialog and are surprised to find out we are not alone.
Of course another problem for people and perhaps for us older people is not just the volume level but also our processing power of the sound waves is not as good.

Added later 08 min 27 s:

Ralph Lipeles wrote:

The DVD player is connected to the TV with a cable that has red, white & yellow RCA connectors on one end and a HDMI connector on the other end.

Do you also have a box between the 2 types of connectors to do a conversion?  Without a converter I don't think it is capable of working unless the TV has composite inputs (red, white, yellow RCA jacks) and you wouldn't use the HDMI connector. 
HDMI is basically digital where as the red, white, are analog sound and video. HDMI is looking for digital signals. You will be getting less than ideal resolution with the composite video signals compared to a DVD player with HDMI out.

I have resorted to occasionally using bluetooth headphones when watching TV ,most often at night if the rest of the house is quiet. My bedroom TV has an adapter/transmitter I can plug in and send bluetooth to my headphones. The 2 newer TVs in the house a Sony and a Samsung both have bluetooth built in and will send a signal to my headphones. I don't have a pair of earbuds like AirPods or such but my understanding is they would work as well. I don't have hearing aids either,I'm told there are many out there with bluetooth,which could connect to the tv. I probably should start looking soon, but I only mention it as alternative method to adjust/get better audio out of your TV,without a soundbar/volume at maximum blast.
Ralph ,I can't explain your DVD player, I believe Bill is on the right track.The only thing I can think of to check is to make sure the TV input/source is selecting the proper HDMI port ,today's TVs have more than 1. Not what you want to hear but a $50 new DVD player and a $10 cable may be in your near future.

Bill Howatt wrote:

I also think part of the problem is the sound recording people are bunch of idiots. Why would you have the street or other background noise as loud as or louder than the dialog being said. 

That's one of my pet peeves, they also like to blacken the screen to make it dramatic but usually to the point of not knowing whats going on, I use CC most of the time especially if it's British

It is difficult to understand why any new TV wouldn't work with a DVD player. My semi-antique 55" TCL Roku set certainly does and it is far from top-end. Are you sure that you've followed whatever steps the manufacturer intends you to follow? Most sets are completely trouble-free when setting up any external devices, especially when they are HDMI. If yours isn't HDMI then there may be other steps required.

I'm not Bill, but here is the converter.  I use this to connect an old Wii console to my smart TV.  It takes old composite A/V inputs (red/white/yellow RCA plugs) and converts the signal to HDMI.  Your smart TV will have multiple HDMI inputs.
Converter Box (on Amazon)

Glad you posted the converter details, Tim. I have never used one so it's good to get your experienced info.

Ralph, Any updates?

I don't use them.  I have dumb TVs.  Lower power usage, and sometimes they last longer.  Low end that I have is a Chinese 42 inch TV that cost 90 bucks a few years back, and is far better than the Sony TVs I used to prefer.  High end are commercial display sets, I am told.  I also like the fact that my watching is private.

The smart part of the package is a Raspberry Pi.

TomD wrote:

I don't use them.  I have dumb TVs.  Lower power usage, and sometimes they last longer.  Low end that I have is a Chinese 42 inch TV that cost 90 bucks a few years back, and is far better than the Sony TVs I used to prefer.  High end are commercial display sets, I am told.  I also like the fact that my watching is private.

The smart part of the package is a Raspberry Pi.

I think that's a smart way to go about it. One of the possible shortcomings of 'smart' TVs is the disinterest of manufacturers in keeping the network software up to date. A networked device that isn't kept updated can compromise an entire network, not just the vulnerable device. Networked printers that didn't have passwords had this issue a few years ago.

@Walt,
I agree, this is already becoming an issue in many things such as the "infotainment systems" in cars that now basically control everything. My 2014 Volt already has issues making it incompatible with newer Bluetooth protocols and GM says it may need an "update" which they will gladly do for only $500, with no guarantee it will fix the problem.

What's really funny is the movement to make everything "pay as you go."  Buy a new BMW with heated seats, and they stop working after a few months. Then you get a message, "Is your butt cold? Your heated seat subscription included free with the purchase of your new car has ran out. Renew now for only $8 a month!"

Makes one wonder how many other things you thought you purchased with the car are also subscription based.

"We see it is raining, and you attempted to turn on your windshield wipers.  Unfortunately, your windshield wiper subscription has ran out. Renew TODAY for only $11 a month...before you run into something!"

I hadn't realized the subscription thing being invasive. Step-son's Subaru requires subscription for the remote start now that the warranty ran out. I had thought it was just part of the car before he told me.