Last year I bought a Proscan 55" 4k dumb TV. Maybe you can find one of them? My review: it's fine.
What is the "startup time" like? Meaning how long it takes to go from poweroff/standby to displaying the signal.
Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?
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Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?
#12Hitachi makes some, I have one and it has been great. Before I found their dumb model I was looking at broadcast monitors which were much more expensive and didn't have TV tuning ability or speakers but checked all of the boxes that I wanted with a screen.
Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?
#13I've got one, but it's not very good build or panel quality, just a random Chinese brand. It was in the first batch of 4k models, before all the bonus money from spyware pushed dumb displays out of the consumer tv segment.
Your best bet now is to get an industrial display or find a generic driver board that is compatible with the panel from a smart TV and then DIY a smart TV into a dumb one.
On the DIY perks youtube channel, the host builds a water cooled backlight for a 4k panel in order to make an outdoor-capable TV, and he uses one of those generic driver boards for it.
Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?
#14I was asking myself the same question seeing all the recent TV deals. I came to the conclusion it was best to ignore the deals and look at TVs when I can afford to do some in depth research as to which ones have the least intrusive "smart" functionality (eg quick startup to same hdmi input source, rarely needing to interact with the useless menus, and behaves when given a zero-access wifi network or even better with the wifi module removed).
If you're looking for something smaller I'm using a 43 inch 4K monitor, LG 43UD79 / 43MU79, that was around $450. I'm using it as a monitor, but my backup plan was to use it as a TV if I didn't like it as a monitor. It even comes with a simple remote that is better than common TV remotes because it leaves out all the superfluous buttons (its primary up/downs are volume/brightness). They've since discontinued it and the new model is up at $700 though.
Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?
#15Not that I know of, there are however 4K 'digital signage' displays which are an industrial product. They are the monitors you see in kiosks etc. Be prepared to pay a pretty penny for them however. The last time I checked a 65" digital signage display was roughly 5x the cost of a similarly sized television.
Also note they may have an HDMI implementation that is 'cheap' and doesn't implement the CLEC protocols or HDCP so you may have to jump through hoops to drive them from a PC with commercial content.
Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?
#16I seem to remember that one drawback of trying for a monitor plus soundbar setup (which has tempted me from time to time) was splitting modern HDMI inputs. Can anyone speak to these issues as they stand today (to the extent that I’ve not misremembered)?
Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?
#17Just don't connect it to the network or agree to any of the license clickthroughs, it can't do things behind your back then. HDMI and the RF tuner can still work fine.
You know that some devices essentially "require" network connectivity for initial setup? E.g.
https://eu.community.samsung.com/t5/tv/smart-tv-set-up-witho...
Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?
#18They are not without their drawbacks but you can get an excellent picture quality 4K home theater projector that has none of the ‘smart’ tv features.
Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?
#19Just don't connect it to the network or agree to any of the license clickthroughs, it can't do things behind your back then. HDMI and the RF tuner can still work fine.
I have a Roku that I block from the internet. It blinks an obnoxious red led to complain it can’t phone home. I need some gaffer’s tape to cover it up I guess.
This is what I did for my TCL Roku TV: just taped over the annoying blinking light.
If enough people do this, I anticipate that in the next model, they'll replace that blinking light with an forced on-screen overlay.
Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?
#20Just don't connect it to the network or agree to any of the license clickthroughs, it can't do things behind your back then. HDMI and the RF tuner can still work fine.
You know that some devices essentially "require" network connectivity for initial setup? E.g. https://eu.community.samsung.com/t5/tv/smart-tv-set-up-witho...
So give it a network connection for initial setup then take it away?