Commercial panels are a great option, although, can be more expensive.
Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
161–170 of 413 posts
Re: Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
#162I’ve kept my Samsung offline since I purchased it in 2019. I’ve kept my LG offline since I purchased it in 2016. As long as you have an AppleTV or similar connected to service your need for “smarts” it won’t be hard to leave the TV offline. (I recommend LG over Samsung - Samsung TV has native undismissable ads from 2019 still)
Also, don't agree to the Terms of Service when prompted. This should in theory give extra protection against ads, etc.
There's no nagging on a Samsung when you do this and use a Chromecast.
Re: Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
#163I’ve kept my Samsung offline since I purchased it in 2019. I’ve kept my LG offline since I purchased it in 2016. As long as you have an AppleTV or similar connected to service your need for “smarts” it won’t be hard to leave the TV offline. (I recommend LG over Samsung - Samsung TV has native undismissable ads from 2019 still)
This will work for now, but device manufacturers are working towards building out mesh networks. You may not have connected your TV to the internet, but your neighbor did, and your TV can piggy back on your neighbors connection.
Crazy! This reinforces the idea of not agreeing to the Terms of Service when prompted. I've found you can easily avoid doing that on a Samsung.
Re: Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
#164Earlier quoted context omitted.
I did this with my LG TV as well. What ads do you refer to on Samsung though? I dont recall any ads on my Samsung. I have my Samsung hooked up to the internet until I buy a second Apple TV device.
It's hard to find definitive information on this, but from what I can recall I don't think Samsung actually rolled out the current ad platform until mid-2019, and only in certain regions. So you might have been spared if you never updated your firmware or were in a region with no Samsung ad sales channel.
I have a Samsung Device from 2021 and an LG one from like 2016 or so the LG I never hooked up to the internet, but the Samsung I keep online due to not having a streaming device for it, and maybe I'm just not noticing any but I have no ads. I also keep it plenty up to date.
Re: Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
#165Just don't ever give it the wifi password. Drive the TV from a PS4/PS4, xbox series X or home theatre PC. Use the youtube/netflix/amazon video/whatever client software on those platforms. I have a thousand times more confidence that microsoft or sony will keep their operating system patched and free from zero days than some random OS on a TV. And at least they're big enough that their telemetry and data collection pr…
You may need to explicitly opt out somehow or connect the tv to a dummy network that blocks all traffic. I am having trouble finding the source on google again but I remember reading about some tv manufacturers automatically scanning for and connecting to open internet connections to update and upload telemetry data even when no Wi-Fi network was provided.
>I am having trouble finding the source on google again but I remember reading about some tv manufacturers automatically scanning for and connecting to open internet connections to update and upload telemetry data even when no Wi-Fi network was provided.
To my knowledge I can't find any reliable first-hand accounts of this happening. It's all pseudonymous internet commenters claiming it's happening, or tech news websites reposting said claims. For a phenomena that should be so easy to reproduce (all you need is a smart TV plus a laptop with wireshark), the absence of reliable evidence should be used as evidence against its existence. It's in the same category as "facebook is secretly eavesdroping on your conversations".
Re: Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
#166Earlier quoted context omitted.
I know them as 'digital signage' or 'hospitality tvs' and they do work for their intended use. But they're usually a lot more expensive than their consumer counterparts? My guess is they are either heavily subsidized and/or built to be powered ON 24/7?
The MFG make more money on selling ads to you than you pay for the TV.
This wasn't a business model that was a factor in the launch of 1080p high def TVs or the subsequent fall in prices.
I don't even recall it being much of a factor in the launch of 4K TVs which launched at typically very high prices and begun falling in price without ads becoming a big thing.
I think this is just unacceptable greed.
Re: Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
#167Earlier quoted context omitted.
They're going to get more aggressive about putting LTE/5G SIMs into the devices, maybe as eSIMs. That will make it a lot harder to disable their remote monitoring functions.
As a Canadian, I'm wondering what would happen if I popped across the border and bought a TV in the US. Would it still connect? Are they paying roaming charges or do they have a plan that covers all of NA?
All the Vancouver Canadians buying stuff at the Bellingham Costco may be the first to find out.
Re: Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
#168Earlier quoted context omitted.
> (I recommend LG over Samsung - Samsung TV has native undismissable ads from 2019 still) Wow you get ads even when you never connected it to the internet? That's really user hostile design. If I get a tv it'll be LG anyway because they do real OLED, not that Qled stuff that Samsung does.
The AppleTV he recommended to use in its place has ads too I believe, through sponsored app placements.
> The AppleTV he recommended to use in its place has ads too I believe, through sponsored app placements
This really is the most nitpicking anti-Apple comments I’ve seen in a while. A friend of mine had a TV that would randomly interrupt films and programs he was watching (even in the middle of an action sequence) and show an ad that was inserted by the TV software. Luckily only happened for about 6 months - I’m guessing viewer reaction was too much for this ‘feature’ to survive.
To see the ‘ad’ you’re referring to, you’d have to go into the Apple AppStore, search for an app, go to the result screen and maybe see a small section at the top of that view with a sponsored application.
Re: Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
#169Buy a TCL panel and never connect it to the internet. They are technically marketed as Smart TVs but there is no requirement that you connect them, and there are zero prompts or limits if you don’t. I’ve been using them for years and love them, primarily for the stupidly simple remotes and UI.
there's often a reason TCLs are very cheap, however, the 55" 4K for sale at costco for $280 right now is fine if you only ever use it in a dark room, but even when cranked up to 100% brightness is near unusable in a sunny room when a samsung at 70% brightness is just fine.
I’ve got a 55” 4k set and I definitely don’t have that problem - I live in the Oregon high desert, where we get a ton of sun, and with my set located about 8’ from a 9’ x 16’ picture window I have never had trouble seeing even dark movies, a la Blade Runner, midday.
Re: Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
#170https://www.newegg.com/Commercial-TVs/SubCategory/ID-3672 Try this. You’ll likely pay more but your TV won’t be subsidized by ads and such.
Unfortunately most if not all of the displays I see here don't meet the minimum baseline at any price. I don't see any OLED options, and none of them appears to advertise support for Dolby Vision HDR. HDR probably has no point for advertising purposes, and OLED might actually be a negative if it reduces the light output capability of the screen. You can't use the full contrast range in a brightly let room anyway.
These days you can get a 65 inch LG OLED TV for under $1500. Sure, you can infer that it's $500 cheaper than it "should" be because of their expected advertising earnings over the lifetime of the device (although that seems really high), but I see no "dumb display" options even in the $3000 range.