In Defense of Dumb TVs

Post by zapdrive » Sun, Feb 28, 2021, 2:02 PM UTC

rurban wrote: post #296

friseurtermin wrote: post #253

I fully agree about dumb TVs for personal use. Even having to wait for your TV's OS to boot up when you turn it on is a terrible UX. However, when it comes to buying a TV for your conference room where you have a TV running 12hrs/day (when you're not a small startup with 10ppl), invest in a proper commercial TV like NEC or (my personal favorite brand) iiyama: 1) the're dumb TVs from the start, 2) you get proper warra…

The problem is not the mere boot time of your SmartTV. You are waiting for the SmartTV to send your viewing profile home. That's a lot of data. Before that the UI stays frozen. In earlier SmartTV OS versions it was immediate startup, the delay only started some years ago. Never upgrade your OS. Maybe they are even sending home recorded audio of what you did in your bedroom, that long it lasts.

Post by vincengomes » Sun, Feb 28, 2021, 2:14 PM UTC

ScoobleDoodle wrote: post #222

I think a better term would be “simple TV”. It has one job and does it well.

Post by cactus2093 » Sun, Feb 28, 2021, 2:19 PM UTC

wlesieutre wrote: post #155

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…

Google is adding a “dumb TV mode,” but I’m skeptical. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/02/the-best-feature-of-... Presumably will still boot slowly and only the topmost UI layer loads differently, and until they confirm otherwise I’m guessing that even with a simplified UI it still includes all the creepy tracking of everything you watch.

Post by gowld » Sun, Feb 28, 2021, 2:22 PM UTC

marshmallow_12 wrote: post #243

atoav wrote: post #193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The best option that I know of today (in terms of resulting usabilty and long term reliability) is using a dumb computer monitor and roll the rest yourself with a Raspi. While this option is certainly not available to all, it is the only thing that will really fit your needs. I completely gave up on finding anything decent in that market.

Are the graphics on a Raspi really that good?

Post by gowld » Sun, Feb 28, 2021, 2:24 PM UTC

m463 wrote: post #220

afterburner wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OLEDs are much cheaper than that. Or do you mean an Apple markup?

Look at recent trends in the price of the mac pro, or how much their headphones cost. Heck, the stand for the mac pro monitor is $999.