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What is the best dumb TV?

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Re: What is the best dumb TV?

#641

Post by nfoz »

krzyk wrote: post #613
hjnilsson wrote: post #371

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Main issue with these are the lack of inputs. 2 HDMI ports is not enough for most people. And lack of ARC complicated adding a sound system.

I don't own a TV, so sorry for the question, but why there are more than 2 HDMI ports needed, or even more than 1?

So you can switch between different inputs such as multiple game consoles, DVD-player, Apple-tv/Roku/whatnot, computer/chromecast, etc.

You can get splitters but that's still not as convenient as just being able to switch with the tv's remote.

Re: What is the best dumb TV?

#642

Post by MaxikCZ »

baby wrote: post #588
kebman wrote: post #207

I don't have a TV, only a few monitors (it's very liberating, actually). So instead I'll talk about my microwave. Yes, unironically! :D It has two dials. OMG how do I survive with only two dials? How do I program it? Well, the answer is, unsurprisingly, that I don't program it. Instead I crank it to watever wattage I need (usually the top one), and the time I think it'll take until the food I becomes hot. Aaaand that…

makes me think about toasters and how they haven't really evolved because it works fine enough

I dont know what toaster you use, but for me, toasters are exactly a piece of technology that evolved from masterpiece to horrible UX.

Look up Sunbeam Radiant Toaster[0]. Now compare it to any other toaster you can buy today. I wish I could buy one Sunbeam Radiant Toaster, but its kinda pricy importing one from random ebay seller to EU..

[0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OfxlSG6q5Y

Re: What is the best dumb TV?

#643

Post by MaxikCZ »

culturestate wrote: post #139
vsareto wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apartments are a problem though

Unless the TV ignores your settings and hops to random networks when it can’t phone home through your AP, this approach should still work fine in apartments.

From what I understood, this is precisely what some new models do.

Re: What is the best dumb TV?

#644

Post by codeulike »

justinlloyd wrote: post #539
codeulike wrote: post #423

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow. So basic. That reminds me about dishwashers - you put powder or a tablet in a little hatch and I always wondered what happened behind the hatch, does it inject water, disolve the powder, and then pump it around to the jets? I recently realised. Nope. It just opens the hatch ten minutes into the cycle and the tablet/powder falls into the machine with a clunk.

And many of the door latches are/were heat sensitive strips of metal. When the temperature of the water inside the machine reaches a certain point, and after a period of heating up the metal door latch, the metal deforms and the door pops open. Then after the wash, everything cools down, and the metal reforms. There is just enough tension on the metal latch to make it latch closed and just enough deflection after hea…

Wait, there's a drying port? Is that the place where I put the Rinse Aid liquid?

Re: What is the best dumb TV?

#645

Post by andi999 »

stickfigure wrote: post #598
andi999 wrote: post #411

Earlier quoted context omitted.

but much better than the old analog knob. For less than a minute you couldnt even turn it (usually jumped back to the bell or was anything from 20s to 1min)

The microwave I grew up with (70s/80s) had a log-ish scale. The first quarter turn was 0-60s, the second quarter turn got you to 5 mins, etc. I don't remember the exact gradations but I remember it was very easy to get almost any time you wanted. I have hated every microwave since.

I am curious how they did this. Was it purely mechanical?

Re: What is the best dumb TV?

#646

Post by dkdk8283 »

ryukafalz wrote: post #488
ascar wrote: post #455

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I want a smart TV so I can access Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ etc. right from the TV and don't need a separate device for it. Many people suggest buying a dumb tv and then an apple tv. The problem is, now I have two devices and instead of trusting [TV manufacturer] I have to trust Apple. I don't see a big gain in it and also don't consider Apple to be especially trustworthy. [TV manufacturer] should just sell me a…

> [TV manufacturer] should just sell me a smart tv without customer hostile "features". Unfortunately there are basically zero TV manufacturers who will do this.

Commercial displays have no ads, but also typically ship with minimal software and fewer inputs.

Re: What is the best dumb TV?

#647

Post by twhitmore »

Zolt wrote: post #508
05 wrote: post #470

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cheap ones, anyway. Expensive models sometimes have an inverter.

Several years back (and things may have changed) Panasonic had a patent on the inverter and was the only microwave that offered it. I purchased a Panasonic for that reason and love it. This from their website: The Panasonic Microwave Ovens powered with patented Inverter Technology™ deliver evenly cooked meals, from edges to center, every time.

My experience with a Panasonic inverter & grill oven was that it didn't make the food hot, even if you gave it double the time. That defeated the point for me.

I ended up using a cheapo 600W microwave that cost 1/4 of the expensive Panasonic but would actually make food hot.

I've also had other experiences of bad usability in Panasonic products. Pointless extra button presses to to tell it you actually want to _microwave_ at _full power_. Who knew you would actually want to use your microwave for microwaving? /s Just let me press the time & start, already.

I now have a Samsung with convenient controls and a cheerful tune.

Re: What is the best dumb TV?

#648

Post by tuatoru »

jiggawatts wrote: post #405
lb1lf wrote: post #373

Earlier quoted context omitted.

-AOL. I work in automation&controls in the oil industry, and my customers are always puzzled when I start to whittle away at the features suggested, rather than adding to them; my mantra being that 'If it isn't there, it cannot fail.' My experience echoes yours - I keep my appliances as simple as possible, both at home and professionally. Add complexity wherever you have to, not wherever you want to.

I work in the IT systems integration industry, and I have unironically used the phrase "fewer moving parts" when describing the benefits of my preferred architectures.

This could be interpreted either way in this context.

So, in the context of microwaves, does this mean you prefer software-controlled ovens instead of simpler ones with mechanical timers (which have lots of moving parts), or the reverse?

Re: What is the best dumb TV?

#649

Post by tuatoru »

strawberrypuree wrote: post #553
ascar wrote: post #455

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I want a smart TV so I can access Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ etc. right from the TV and don't need a separate device for it. Many people suggest buying a dumb tv and then an apple tv. The problem is, now I have two devices and instead of trusting [TV manufacturer] I have to trust Apple. I don't see a big gain in it and also don't consider Apple to be especially trustworthy. [TV manufacturer] should just sell me a…

Apple TV doesn't include ads, and doesn't sell your viewing habits to third parties who create profiles of you. [0] Your TV manufacturer does. [0] https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/en-ww/

Yet. You forgot "yet".

Apples shareholders will one day be keen to achieve the second trillion dollars on the company's valuation.

Re: What is the best dumb TV?

#650

Post by shyn3 »

textman wrote: post #639
shyn3 wrote: post #635

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is not true. It connects to open wireless and updates your software and probably ads. There was a post on here a while ago about it which I can't find from a preliminary search.

Is this the post you refer to? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21002745

Yes there is a reply that takes you a reddit comment [1]. However now it appears as though that commenter deleted their account so I don't know the validity.

https://www.reddit.com/r/security/comments/bpjky4/worried_ab...

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