So if you just use the HDMI port, does the smarttv know what is going through the HDMI port?
A smart tv with no internet connection that only uses its HDMI ports is a dumb tv, isn't it?
Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?
41–50 of 518 posts
Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?
#42Just 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.
HDMI cables now come with 10/100 Ethernet built in. So it could connect via your devices connection. So pay attention to the hdmi cable you use.
There are no receivers on the market that act as HDMI Ethernet network switches.
Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?
#434K 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…
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Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?
#44I have a few years old Sony XBR model. I had to factory reset it a few months ago due to it randomly restarting itself after a system update. I just never connected it to the Internet and use an AppleTV and Xbox for streaming and gaming.
Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?
#45Just 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.
HDMI cables now come with 10/100 Ethernet built in. So it could connect via your devices connection. So pay attention to the hdmi cable you use.
They have been for a while. But are these actually used for IP connectivity? If that was the case, a laptop’s HDMI port should show up as network interface, which it doesn’t, at least not on my machine.
Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?
#46As many people said already in the comments, search for
digital signage instead of TV. E.g. https://www.lg.com/us/business/digital-signage
Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?
#47Just 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.
I have a Roku that I block from the internet. It blinks an obnoxious red led to complain it can’t phone home. I need some gaffer’s tape to cover it up I guess.
What is your usecase? Trying to understand the point of having apps without the wifi.
I have noticed a marked increase in youtube ads in the roku app. Prob due to roku has updated itself without permission.
Now i dread having to deal with pihole hacks + routers to fence it out of our home network :/
Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?
#48Telefunken as brand is a safe bet if you can find in stores close to you.
They are mostly built in Turkey now, but they are pretty decent and don't include bloatware
Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?
#49Seems like this would be a good use case for a "TV Honeypot" that would intercept phone-homes, recognize the model, imitate whatever jank rpc is needed to keep the unit happy, and dump all telemetry to /dev/null.
Imagine if it could replace the ads with pictures of your family, news, inspirational quotes…
Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?
#50I seem to remember that one drawback of trying for a monitor plus soundbar setup (which has tempted me from time to time) was splitting modern HDMI inputs. Can anyone speak to these issues as they stand today (to the extent that I’ve not misremembered)?
For literally trying to make a dumb TV out of a monitor and sound bar https://www.amazon.com/OREI-HDA-912-Audio-Converter-Extracto...
If you want actual OTA TV on your dumb TV https://www.amazon.com/ViewTV-ATSC-Digital-Converter-Clear/d...
If you have many sources consider https://www.amazon.com/Output-Switch-Switcher-Support-Contro... or getting a receiver instead of all the above (more costly).
If you want to make your own smart TV look at the Shield TV with a USB TV Tuner, the extractor is probably still best for the sound bar in that case.