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Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?

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Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?

#171

Post by mholm »

jrm4 wrote: post #143
dmd wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a TCL Roku 6-series. If you do a factory reset, and from the start don't let it connect, then you won't get the blinking light. You only get the blinking light if you take away access after having given it.

I was curious about this -- I've been digging and I can't find a solution, is it possible to tell these things to jump straight to HDMI once you turn them on? Or are you always stuck with at least that one homescreen jump. Trying to make this thing as "dumb" as possible.

If you use any device that correctly uses HDMI CEC, then yes. I only have an Apple TV remote with some cheap Element Amazon TV, and I keep the TV remote taped to the back of the TV. Apple TV and Chromescasts will turn it on, off, and swap source to itself when used. I'd imagine Roku/Firesticks do as well.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?

#172

Post by deeblering4 »

bo1024 wrote: post #137

Summing up the main options and linking to some comments that mentioned them: * extra-large gaming monitors, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29383077 * Sceptre brand TVs (they can be purchased from Walmart) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29383298 * Projectors maybe, but 4k projectors are very expensive. (On the other hand, 1080p projectors look great in my opinion.) * Most big brands such as LG, Samsung, e…

Came here to suggest projectors. I personally prefer my 1080p projector on a 100" fixed screen over a 50" 4k. When looking at projectors pay attention to the warranty period, and think about throw distance/placement.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?

#173

Post by cronix »

All TV's are dumb tv's if you only use them as an external display/monitor and don't connect them to the net. I have a dedicated computer for a media center and just use HDMI1 input on the TV. Never enter menus. Never update the OS. Never agree to anything. Never let the TV "phone home." Never set up wifi. Never connect a CAT5 to it. Set the input using the remote and forget it. Treat it as a dumb monitor. Computer is connected to the net, TV is not and has no way to access it.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?

#174

Post by MerelyMortal »

tombert wrote: post #109

It's a kind of hackey way of handling this, but what I do is open up the TVs and removing whatever components are required for the WiFi to work. Sometimes you can just remove the network card easily, but usually the easiest thing to do is find and break the antenna. It's inelegant, and of course the smart features are still there , but it at least reduces or eliminates the tracking crap.

I removed the WiFi card from my LG TV before I first turned it on, it's been great since.

Apparently some TVs are bad at nagging about missing the hardware, so another suggestion would be to add a load or something to the antenna. I forgot what that's called, and at the time, couldn't really find any details online.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?

#175

Post by jitix »

squiffsquiff wrote: post #17
jimjams wrote: post #2

Just don't connect it to the network or agree to any of the license clickthroughs, it can't do things behind your back then. HDMI and the RF tuner can still work fine.

You know that some devices essentially "require" network connectivity for initial setup? E.g. https://eu.community.samsung.com/t5/tv/smart-tv-set-up-witho...

Yeah I was afraid my new TV would do that. I was planning to return it if it did because I had bad experience with Vizio and TCL smart TVs breaking updates before (I'm an Apple TV user).

I can confirm that Roku firmware works great without the internet and doesn't nag. I just turn it on and switch to my Apple TV.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?

#176

Post by lvass »

haunter wrote: post #32

4K monitors. You need a soundbar though or some kind of audio setup + remote. Also no built-in tuner or such but I assume you get a set top box from your service provider or use a streaming device (Apple TV, Fire stick etc.) 4K OLED https://pcpartpicker.com/products/monitor/#r=384002160&P=7 4K IPS https://pcpartpicker.com/products/monitor/#r=384002160&P=2 4K VA https://pcpartpicker.com/products/monitor/#r=384002160&P…

>Apple TV, Fire stick etc.

That's just offloading the problem to a separate device.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?

#177

Post by yupper32 »

tomc1985 wrote: post #166
yupper32 wrote: post #52

Why don't people like their Smart TVs? I've had a 4k smart TV for years and love it. Being able to stream without needing my phone is great. It seems ironic that people are complaining about smart TV ads while the [2] link in the OP has an absolutely MASSIVE video ad that takes up 2/3s of the screen. And it's not like you're not being tracked when you stream from a Roku stick / Chromecast. Edit: I have a 4k Samsung t…

Who says I'm using a Roku? My defanged smart TV has a computer (and a Shield that only runs Kodi) attached to it. Many of us still have large personal media libraries. Samrt TVs do nothing for that.

> Many of us still have large personal media libraries.

You are a massively small minority if you're mostly using personal media libraries as your entertainment on your TV.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?

#178

Post by dragonwriter »

jjoonathan wrote: post #78
haunter wrote: post #32

4K monitors. You need a soundbar though or some kind of audio setup + remote. Also no built-in tuner or such but I assume you get a set top box from your service provider or use a streaming device (Apple TV, Fire stick etc.) 4K OLED https://pcpartpicker.com/products/monitor/#r=384002160&P=7 4K IPS https://pcpartpicker.com/products/monitor/#r=384002160&P=2 4K VA https://pcpartpicker.com/products/monitor/#r=384002160&P…

Why does (consumer) monitor tech always seem to lag TV tech by a few years? It looks like the situation is still that in the 4k OLED space there are a few ~$4000+ monitors and dozens of ~$1000 TVs. Per the pcpartpicker link, maybe the Gigabyte FO48U will change that, but it's still out of stock. Besides, I feel like this has happened before with HDR and 4k and IPS. First it shows up in TVs, a year later it is cheap i…

> Why does (consumer) monitor tech always seem to lag TV tech by a few years?

Well, “always” seems like an exaggeration; consumer monitors were far beyond 480i before consumer TVs were.

> It looks like the situation is still that in the 4k OLED space there are a few ~$4000+ monitors and dozens of ~$1000 TVs.

That’s not monitors being behind in tech, that’s TVs being cheaper because of economies of scale and opportunity for ad serving and data harvesting.

> Is it an industry structure thing, where panel manufacturers integrate and co-develop with TV manufacturers but monitor manufacturers are separate

AFAIK, LG, Sharp, Samung, and Sony are all four panel/TV/monitor manufacturers; I dont think that’s an issue.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?

#179

Post by basch »

ff317 wrote: post #68
yupper32 wrote: post #52

Why don't people like their Smart TVs? I've had a 4k smart TV for years and love it. Being able to stream without needing my phone is great. It seems ironic that people are complaining about smart TV ads while the [2] link in the OP has an absolutely MASSIVE video ad that takes up 2/3s of the screen. And it's not like you're not being tracked when you stream from a Roku stick / Chromecast. Edit: I have a 4k Samsung t…

Because it's cheap to replace a roku/chromecast as technology evolves, but TVs tend to be longer-term investments. Hating smart TVs is akin to hating cars that have built-in factory navigation systems. Content streaming devices/services (and mapping/navigation/music for cars) regularly evolve/change with the fast pace of technology and the Internet, while TVs and Cars are hardware you hang onto for a long period of y…

If you want to buy a Google or Roku anyway, why wouldnt you buy the appropriate tv with it built in, and THEN upgrade in 3-5 years when the smarts arent as bright anymore? Are people really expecting a 4 year end of life software upgrade to disable the hdmi ports? You might be able to find a one off freak occurrence, but thats not regular practice.

Everyone buying a Spectre/Insignia to avoid smarts is getting a considerably worse picture quality (which I would think is almost number one TV criteria after size) in exchange for nothing.

People could look at TV OS as a differentiating factor, not a burden. Make picking your OS your first choice, and find the best panel at budget within that category.

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