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Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
181–190 of 413 posts
Re: Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
#182I want a dumb tv but with one smart feature: the ability to download software emulations of these terrible hdmi sticks so I don’t have to spend $35+ on each one. Imagine a tv with no ports but the ability to pull the souls of these roku, fire, google tv, apple tv and probably a microsoft one soon. I want the tv to manage all of my bluetooth connections and hot swap to the appropriate “OS” when i reach for each blueto…
All of those devices are another useless layer to select an "app" that serves as a client for various streaming services. There is no utility to be had from visualizing multiple entire OS to run their respective nearly identical apps and a unique but useless settings and app switcher gui.
You can experience an actual decrease in complexity simply by getting a device that supports the streaming services desired and reducing the "smart" TV to the dumb duty of displaying the content that comes in via the device's input.
Re: Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
#183Yes, check out Swedx signage display.
Re: Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
#184Earlier quoted context omitted.
Another option if you have good control over your router is to put the TV and other smart devices on a special subnet or vlan and only occasionally give it internet access for updates, etc. Maybe there's a good DNS-based ad blocker you could run on its vlan and nuke all of its ad and spy traffic too. This actually seems like a good market opportunity for yet another home device, a router with aggressive spyware and a…
These products are designed not to rely upon DNS to serve the ad content, though.
I block the ads on my Roku TV through DNS filtering.
Re: Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
#185I’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)
+1, this is great advice. I've been doing the same; get an AppleTV or GoogleTV dongle and never, ever attach the LG or Samshung TV to the network. Benefits of this strategy: * So simple, even non-savvy folks can follow the rule * Protects your privacy * Eliminates an unnecessary, highly invasive, and parasitic advertising vector (ads directly from LG or Samsung) * Protects your TV performance and functionality from s…
> and never, ever attach the LG or Samshung TV to the network.
I recall seeing some pictures of models that eventually refuse to display content until they get a network connection to update (well, really, download new ads).
Re: Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
#186I want a dumb tv but with one smart feature: the ability to download software emulations of these terrible hdmi sticks so I don’t have to spend $35+ on each one. Imagine a tv with no ports but the ability to pull the souls of these roku, fire, google tv, apple tv and probably a microsoft one soon. I want the tv to manage all of my bluetooth connections and hot swap to the appropriate “OS” when i reach for each blueto…
Sounds like you want a computer
Re: Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
#187Earlier quoted context omitted.
These products are designed not to rely upon DNS to serve the ad content, though.
If true, this is an excellent chance for white hat flooding. Knock, and keep that ip offline. With no way to change locationation(DNS), their little ad sceme won't work. Even better if it makes companies shy about using such methods.
Well, no - GP an isn’t exactly correct. They use DNS, they just won’t use your configured DNS. You can play NAT tricks to force all UDP dns queries to your pihole or other DNS based blocker, but they can just as easily use DOH.
Re: Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
#188Re: Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
#189Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sadly, Samsung is leapfrogging LG with QD OLED :-( Which is going to be better technology (brighter colors with OLED blacks) Owner of 2 LG OLEDs
> brighter colors How bright do you want them to be? Do you watch Netflix in a sun-lit room?
I do - why wouldn’t I want to be able to do that?
Re: Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
#190Rtings maintains a list of ad-free TVs. This isn't the same as smart-free, but maybe that's what some people want: https://www.rtings.com/tv/tests/ads-in-smart-tv (The ones with a "10" in the ad-free column.) The often-given advice of "just don't connect it to the internet" is viable only sometimes. My TV shipped with some missing features that were enabled after a software update. Perhaps plug it in, update the soft…
If I have to narrow down a specific definition of "smart feature" I would say voice input of any sort. So my take on OP's question is: can I buy a TV that has no built in microphones? Maybe OP meant something different but that is what I would want. Simplest though is to just not have a TV at all. If there is something important, it will be online.
I ended up buying a cheap TCL brand TV a while ago. It still had all the smart features (which I didnt want) but at least it did have a physical switch to disable the microphone.