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In Defense of Dumb TVs

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Re: In Defense of Dumb TVs

#31

Post by augstein »

rubyfan wrote: post #14

I recently bought a new TV and did a little searching for dumb TVs before buying. It’s really hard to find a dumb TV. I learned that you can in fact buy a commercial TV that is dumb which seems like a good option. I ended up going with a smart enabled Samsung TV and have not enabled the TV to access wifi. It wants me to agree to terms and conditions whenever I pull up the main menu. I’ve learned to ignore it but it h…

A possible alternative, at least for people inclined to a more cinematic watching experience (which has its pros and cons), is to buy a projector.

Re: In Defense of Dumb TVs

#32

Post by lrvick »

freedomben wrote: post #23
lrvick wrote: post #4

This is exactly why I never connect TVs to the internet. Then they are just dumb HDMI panels.

Soon they'll be coming with their own 5G chips that phone home over cell networks - no wifi access required. Or, like the Amazon Echoes, they'll form a mesh network with your neighbors TVs and other devices and then just use your neighbor's wifi to phone home. It's coming. I'm buying Spectres and I suggest others do the same.

Also why I keep a hackRF/BladeRF around.

I don't have any active cell phone modems on my property ever, so such transmissions would be easy to identify.

Re: In Defense of Dumb TVs

#33

Post by throwawayboise »

freedomben wrote: post #23
lrvick wrote: post #4

This is exactly why I never connect TVs to the internet. Then they are just dumb HDMI panels.

Soon they'll be coming with their own 5G chips that phone home over cell networks - no wifi access required. Or, like the Amazon Echoes, they'll form a mesh network with your neighbors TVs and other devices and then just use your neighbor's wifi to phone home. It's coming. I'm buying Spectres and I suggest others do the same.

I just don't have a TV.

Re: In Defense of Dumb TVs

#36

Post by rubyfan »

scrooched_moose wrote: post #24
rubyfan wrote: post #14

I recently bought a new TV and did a little searching for dumb TVs before buying. It’s really hard to find a dumb TV. I learned that you can in fact buy a commercial TV that is dumb which seems like a good option. I ended up going with a smart enabled Samsung TV and have not enabled the TV to access wifi. It wants me to agree to terms and conditions whenever I pull up the main menu. I’ve learned to ignore it but it h…

I did much the same and ultimately came to the conclusions that: 1) The remaining consumer options are on the low to mediocre end of the spectrum and don't have great picture 2) The commercial options are more expensive with mediocre picture, as they're intended for digital signage (24/7 full brightness), not movies.

Yeah those are the reasons I went with the smart TV kept offline. It’s a bummer that TVs now come with terms and conditions designed to monetize you and even though you own the thing you can’t control it.

Re: In Defense of Dumb TVs

#37

Post by derwiki »

julianlam wrote: post #25
rubyfan wrote: post #14

I recently bought a new TV and did a little searching for dumb TVs before buying. It’s really hard to find a dumb TV. I learned that you can in fact buy a commercial TV that is dumb which seems like a good option. I ended up going with a smart enabled Samsung TV and have not enabled the TV to access wifi. It wants me to agree to terms and conditions whenever I pull up the main menu. I’ve learned to ignore it but it h…

This may be tinfoil-hat adjacent, but I have heard that the allure of advertising data is so high that TV manufacturers will program their software to connect to any open WiFi network in order to deliver their collected data. By the way, your post is basically the article, except they mention Sceptre TVs, who specialize in making dumb tv panels.

If you connect to a black hole Arduino AP is it smart enough to detect that and roam to an open Wifi network?

Re: In Defense of Dumb TVs

#39

Post by joney_baloney »

smitty1e wrote: post #20
joney_baloney wrote: post #17

Saw this just after reading this post. Not a bad development. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/02/the-best-feature-of-...

Uh-huh. Until Google decides to alter the bargain in accordance with paragraph 3.5.34.3.67.2 of the User Agreement.

More than likely.
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