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In Defense of Dumb TVs

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Re: In Defense of Dumb TVs

#121

Post by anuragsoni »

ProfessorLayton wrote: post #112
anuragsoni wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like the apple tv interface, but I really disliked the remote that ships with it. The touchpad like interface feels really awkward, i would lift it up the wrong way pretty much every time. I remember reading about an apple certified 3rd party remote that was more like a traditional tv remote but that was only sold in the european market for some reason. If they ever decide to switch back to a proper remote i'll tak…

Not a huge fan of the Apple TV remote either (But I also don't hate it). The good news is that the Apple TV plays nice with stock TV remotes + game console controllers — I use my 8bitdo Sn30 Pro, but PS/Xbox controllers should work fine too. If you already own an extra gamepad, then it's worth a try and doesn't cost extra. There's a few gems in Apple Arcade, which was a surprise.

> Not a huge fan of the Apple TV remote either (But I also don't hate it). The good news is that the Apple TV plays nice with stock TV remotes + game console controllers — I use my 8bitdo Sn30 Pro, but PS/Xbox controllers should work fine too.

Thanks, this is nice to know! I'll keep this in mind for whenever I'm ready to replace my Roku.

Re: In Defense of Dumb TVs

#122

Post by SOLAR_FIELDS »

randallsquared wrote: post #81
gonehome wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes - I wish Apple would just make a TV. Call it a living room screen or a living room monitor or something. Make it OLED, dumb TV, instant on, Apple TV box plugs in. Separate box with front facing ports that connects to screen with one cable. A remote designed by someone who thought about it for ten seconds (why do modern TVs have dozens of buttons no one ever uses?). This entire market is in desperate need of someo…

> A remote designed by someone who thought about it for ten seconds I love that a sibling comment to yours calls out the remote as dealbreaker terrible, but I agree with the sentiment that I would love a remote that was really well-designed.

You can go too far in the other direction too, however. Apple TV remote infamously has no mute functionality. And if you do an internet search on how to mute the Apple TV using the remote (because of course there’s a way, right? No one would design a TV remote that has volume control without mute) you get either one of two answers:

- it’s impossible/difficult to do with current tech (not true)

- the classic Apple forum response of “why would you want to do that?”

This turned into a bit of a rant but I’ll conclude the thought by saying that there’s certainly some sort of happy medium between a gajillion buttons on the remote and lack of absolutely critical functionality. In fact if you invest a bit of extra money into the Sideclick add-on to Apple TV remote you achieve exactly that.

Re: In Defense of Dumb TVs

#123

Post by lyrrad »

ravenstine wrote: post #89

Question: Does a smart teevee need to be hooked up to the internet? I have a dumb teevee so I genuinely don't know. If not, can't one simply not ever give it access to a WiFi network, plug in a Chromecast/Firestick/Xbox, and call it good?

It's possible. I've had Samsung and LG TVs that I've left disconnected most of the time and used them with external boxes like the Nvidia Shield, Apple TV, PCs and game consoles.

I've used wired connections or temporary Wifi network in order to prevent the TV from connecting to the internet without my knowledge.

I was able to update the firmware on my LG TV by downloading it and loading it onto a USB drive. Some firmware updates may improve picture quality or compatibility with external devices.

One annoyance is that there may be buttons on the remote that launch built in internet connected apps. It's important to have a TV that can easily switch between inputs.

Re: In Defense of Dumb TVs

#124

Post by anuragsoni »

prepend wrote: post #115
anuragsoni wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like the apple tv interface, but I really disliked the remote that ships with it. The touchpad like interface feels really awkward, i would lift it up the wrong way pretty much every time. I remember reading about an apple certified 3rd party remote that was more like a traditional tv remote but that was only sold in the european market for some reason. If they ever decide to switch back to a proper remote i'll tak…

I didn’t like it at first, but now it’s my favorite tvbox remote ever. Mainly because it doesn’t take batteries, is flat, works great with my phone, and I can use the touchpad without finding the specific button in the dark. I do pick it up the wrong way a lot, but it’s better than all other devices I’ve tried- fire, roku, tv, wd. Just not having to find doubleA batteries in the past few months has made me accept it.

The built in batteries are indeed nice and I did like that aspect of the remote.

> and I can use the touchpad without finding the specific button in the dark.

Interesting! This goes to show how the same design feels so different to different users :)

I think I could've gotten used to the touchpad if I spent a lot more time with with the apple-tv/remote, but at the time it felt like a big regression. Compared to the roku remote, i'd lose a mute button, a headphone jack for private listening, and ended up with a touch heavy interface that was more frustrating than useful considering me and wife would pick it up the wrong way a lot. At the end of the day I decided to stick with a Roku and have something that doesn't frustrate my wife, instead of trying to get used to the remote just to have the apple tv interface :)

Re: In Defense of Dumb TVs

#125

Post by imglorp »

neolog wrote: post #9
imglorp wrote: post #6

> Incredibly, Samsung even recommends that you run virus and malware checking on your TV regularly. Given its constant ambient speech scanning, Samsung also recommends that you leave the room if you want to have a private conversation. This makes me very, very angry.

Source?

https://www.cnet.com/news/samsungs-warning-our-smart-tvs-rec...

Re: In Defense of Dumb TVs

#126

Post by jeswin »

pridkett wrote: post #15

I’m really pleased the author called out the Apple TV as a device that lets you avoid ads. We tried to go cheap on another of our TVs and get an Amazon Fire Stick and in addition to it being not as smooth (combo of UX and speed) at the Apple TV, it had a good amount of ads all over the place. There’s lots of griping about the cost of an Apple TV 4k, but I’ll pay that extra $100 to avoid ads and not be tracked so exte…

I have been using an Apple TV and a Chromecast for a long time.

I've never seen an ad on the Chromecast - it simply plays a stream as instructed by an app on the phone. Is it different with the Fire Stick?

Re: In Defense of Dumb TVs

#127

Post by BoorishBears »

anuragsoni wrote: post #76
pridkett wrote: post #15

I’m really pleased the author called out the Apple TV as a device that lets you avoid ads. We tried to go cheap on another of our TVs and get an Amazon Fire Stick and in addition to it being not as smooth (combo of UX and speed) at the Apple TV, it had a good amount of ads all over the place. There’s lots of griping about the cost of an Apple TV 4k, but I’ll pay that extra $100 to avoid ads and not be tracked so exte…

I like the apple tv interface, but I really disliked the remote that ships with it. The touchpad like interface feels really awkward, i would lift it up the wrong way pretty much every time. I remember reading about an apple certified 3rd party remote that was more like a traditional tv remote but that was only sold in the european market for some reason. If they ever decide to switch back to a proper remote i'll tak…

The Apple TV 4k supports HDMI CEC (and I'd assume the earlier models do too?)

My normal LG TV remote works fine for controlling it

Re: In Defense of Dumb TVs

#128

Post by dexterdog »

SOLAR_FIELDS wrote: post #122
randallsquared wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A remote designed by someone who thought about it for ten seconds I love that a sibling comment to yours calls out the remote as dealbreaker terrible, but I agree with the sentiment that I would love a remote that was really well-designed.

You can go too far in the other direction too, however. Apple TV remote infamously has no mute functionality. And if you do an internet search on how to mute the Apple TV using the remote (because of course there’s a way, right? No one would design a TV remote that has volume control without mute) you get either one of two answers: - it’s impossible/difficult to do with current tech (not true) - the classic Apple for…

I never use the mute button. I just turn the volume down because I know where that button is without looking.

Re: In Defense of Dumb TVs

#129

Post by nanidin »

anuragsoni wrote: post #76
pridkett wrote: post #15

I’m really pleased the author called out the Apple TV as a device that lets you avoid ads. We tried to go cheap on another of our TVs and get an Amazon Fire Stick and in addition to it being not as smooth (combo of UX and speed) at the Apple TV, it had a good amount of ads all over the place. There’s lots of griping about the cost of an Apple TV 4k, but I’ll pay that extra $100 to avoid ads and not be tracked so exte…

I like the apple tv interface, but I really disliked the remote that ships with it. The touchpad like interface feels really awkward, i would lift it up the wrong way pretty much every time. I remember reading about an apple certified 3rd party remote that was more like a traditional tv remote but that was only sold in the european market for some reason. If they ever decide to switch back to a proper remote i'll tak…

I bought a silicon sleeve[0] for my remote - it makes it much easier to find in the dark, and it makes it really obvious which way is the right way to grab and use it.

I generally use the built in remote app on my iPhone though - it’s accessible from control center, and my phone is usually easier to find than the remote at any given moment.

[0] https://www.amazon.com/Remote-Generation-Silicone-Controller...

Re: In Defense of Dumb TVs

#130

Post by WalterBright »

gonehome wrote: post #79
pridkett wrote: post #15

I’m really pleased the author called out the Apple TV as a device that lets you avoid ads. We tried to go cheap on another of our TVs and get an Amazon Fire Stick and in addition to it being not as smooth (combo of UX and speed) at the Apple TV, it had a good amount of ads all over the place. There’s lots of griping about the cost of an Apple TV 4k, but I’ll pay that extra $100 to avoid ads and not be tracked so exte…

Yes - I wish Apple would just make a TV. Call it a living room screen or a living room monitor or something. Make it OLED, dumb TV, instant on, Apple TV box plugs in. Separate box with front facing ports that connects to screen with one cable. A remote designed by someone who thought about it for ten seconds (why do modern TVs have dozens of buttons no one ever uses?). This entire market is in desperate need of someo…

> A remote designed by someone who thought about it for ten seconds (why do modern TVs have dozens of buttons no one ever uses?).

I'd prefer the remote as an app on my phone. My desk is covered with remotes. Remotes are so 1980s :-/

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