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In Defense of Dumb TVs

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Re: In Defense of Dumb TVs

#221

Post by BrandoElFollito »

hnlmorg wrote: post #197
scatters wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For that situation, wouldn't you use voice control? I can say "OK Google mute" in less time than it takes to reach for a remote.

Sure. Assuming your voice assistant works first time. Otherwise the dialog would go a little more like this: Me OK Google mute Me> OK...Google....mute Me> OKGOOGLE mute G> Sorry, I don't understand Me> mute... Me> MUTE MUTE MUTE MUTE MUTE Me> OKGOOGLE MUTE G> What would you like to mute? Me> The TV Me> Mute the fucking TV Google Me> OKGOOGLE MUTE THE FUCKING TV G> Sorry, I don't understand Me> Fuck it. I should have…

This comedy piece usually sends my family into laughter when I try to ask Google Auto to play a song or to call someone.

I end up with some vulgarities and ask my children to do it the old fashioned way (that is to tap the name on their phones, not to use smoke signals)

Re: In Defense of Dumb TVs

#223

Post by m463 »

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…

Of all the apple remotes, I liked the old white one because it was tactile and clicky. (although they overloaded too many features on the buttons)

Re: In Defense of Dumb TVs

#224

Post by nuker »

scrooched_moose wrote: post #7

At least for the time being it's still possible to keep TVs off the internet and bypass this garbage. I've got a 2020 Sony and have never seen an ad on it. I'm expecting these days are numbered though; some combination of ethernet-over-HDMI, Amazon Sidewalk, built-in 5G antennas, or just straight up refusing to work without a network connection feels like it's just a couple years away.

> built-in 5G antennas, or just straight up refusing to work without a network connection feels like it's just a couple years away

Tesla cars now.

Re: In Defense of Dumb TVs

#225

Post by m463 »

prepend wrote: post #116
mkoubaa wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be fair tvs are a very low margin product and without the ads it would be profitless for anyone but apple (or another manufacturer that sold as a premium to avoid ads). I don't know how big the market for that is, personally I'm happy with a dumb tv connected to a video game console that has all my streaming services.

To be fair, TVs are a decades old market that have paid off great for many companies and they didn’t have ads until recently.

i can't help but think it is like bundleware and the PC, which would subsidize the cost of the system, maybe by $50.

same thing is happening with TVs. This crap subsidizes the price of the TV, so then the $279 tv looks more attractive than the more expensive tvs without ads/tracking/data gathering (which then disappear)

Re: In Defense of Dumb TVs

#226

Post by ChuckNorris89 »

gorgoiler wrote: post #216
ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>never connected it to the internet Which is all fine and dandy but if you've bought a fancy new TV with bleeding edge features for use with your next-gen console, like low-latency gaming mode, HDMI 2.1 4K/120Hz, dolby atmos, etc, it can all comes apart when you realize you need a firmware update that fixes a bug with said bleeding edge features, since a lot of consumer HW these days is rushed out the factory door wi…

Connect it, update the firmware, disconnect it. It’s useful to a separate SSID for smart-TV like devices. You can randomly update the passwords (to execute the disconnect it step) without annoying everyone else in the house.

>Connect it, update the firmware, disconnect it.

If your original intent of having it air-gapped in the first place was for privacy and security then doing what you said would be like saying:

remove condom, have intercourse, put back condom :D

Re: In Defense of Dumb TVs

#227

Post by m463 »

Rebelgecko wrote: post #72
jeffgreco wrote: post #30

Vizio's CTO confirmed in 2019 that smart TV data harvesting subsidizes their prices: https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/7/18172397/airplay-2-homekit...

Not surprising. Every time my Vizio TV downloads an update, it "forgets" that I've opted out of all the tracking and phone-homeing

do you get prompted again to opt-in, or does it start collecting data until you opt-out again?

Re: In Defense of Dumb TVs

#228

Post by jasonkester »

WalterBright wrote: post #130
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 (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 :-/

But have you even seen an app that remained paired to any piece of hardware whatsoever for more than a few minutes?

Using any form of technology? Without dropping one side or the other into an irreparable state that requires power cycling one or both ends at least once and then hoping for the best?

It’d be cool if it worked, by my expectation is that it’ll be implemented by the guy in charge of that YouTube “cast” app that has only theoretically worked one time in a lab in Palo Alto.

Re: In Defense of Dumb TVs

#229

Post by nuker »

quicksilver03 wrote: post #209
sa1 wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In this arms race, these companies might start shipping with their own resolver.

You can work around this by either setting a fake gateway in a static IP configuration, or configuring your DHCP server to give a fake gateway to requests coming from the TV's MAC address. By "fake gateway" I mean a non-existing IP on your LAN: that way, no outgoing request from the offending MAC address will ever get out to the public Internet.

> work around this by either setting a fake gateway in a static IP configuration ...

Take it to backyard and axe it to pieces. Just to be sure.

Re: In Defense of Dumb TVs

#230

Post by culturestate »

kccqzy wrote: post #144
culturestate wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The best available option today is LG and it’s still laden with ads and takes a few seconds to boot up. Sharp offers (most of) their range as dumb TVs[1]. They still take a few seconds to turn on, but not notably longer than a typical computer monitor. 1. https://sg.sharp/products/tv?filters%5B33%3A36%5D=33%3A36

In the U.S., Sharp TVs aren't actually made by Sharp. They are made by Hisense and then rebranded Sharp. The link you posted is the Singapore site. https://www.wsj.com/articles/sharp-to-americans-you-dont-wan...

I had no idea that was a thing, though it's not altogether surprising given where Sharp was back then.

At any rate, according to Google it seems to be over[1] and Sharp took back control in 2019.

1. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sharp-hisense-idUSKCN1SE1...

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