https://pointerclicker.com/best-dumb-tv/ Search “dumb tv” at hn, there’s a post with 600+ comments and tons of option
Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
211–220 of 413 posts
Re: Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
#212You want to buy a “monitor”, not a TV. For instance there is this from LG [0] or this from Dell [1]. Just do a search for “large 4K monitor” and you’ll find more. [0] - https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lg-43-ultrafine-4k-uhd-monitor-... [1] - https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-55-4k-conference-r...
Is there a proper term or category for a monitor meant for high end installations that has no branding on it (e.g., as one would put into a display at a museum)?
I refuse to buy something with a logo on the front of it.
Re: Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
#213Just don’t connect it to your WiFi, and instead use an Apple TV. It’s far better than any built-in UI and I like the airplay integration as well.
Re: Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
#214Earlier quoted context omitted.
Does anything keep them from adding ads to your already purchased television at an arbitrary time in the future?
Nothing except the dangers of terrible PR, I suppose.
Didn't stop Google from turning the top third of all Android-based TVs' UI into ads a while back.
People weren't pleased that their $4000 Sony TVs were turned into a spam conduit, but Google was quite pleased to say FU.
Re: Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
#215You want to buy a “monitor”, not a TV. For instance there is this from LG [0] or this from Dell [1]. Just do a search for “large 4K monitor” and you’ll find more. [0] - https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lg-43-ultrafine-4k-uhd-monitor-... [1] - https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-55-4k-conference-r...
Is there a proper term or category for a monitor meant for high end installations that has no branding on it (e.g., as one would put into a display at a museum)? I refuse to buy something with a logo on the front of it.
I got a projector. No "smart" bullshit, branding issues, or other obnoxiousness.
Re: Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
#216What about getting a smart TV that respects you, because you paid a premium. I have a Sharp/NEC c651q. The Raspberry Pi 3 Compute Module in it lets me watch media on the internet(newer models will accept the RPi4 CM). It has no integration with Netflix, Amazon, Apple, etc.
This sounds right up my street. My crappy smart TV is the worse. I went searching and this warning stood out:
> Legal Disclaimer To California Residents >WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including Styrene and Formaldehyde (gas), which are known to the State of California to cause cancer, and Lead, which is known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.p65warnings.ca.gov
Re: Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
#217You want to buy a “monitor”, not a TV. For instance there is this from LG [0] or this from Dell [1]. Just do a search for “large 4K monitor” and you’ll find more. [0] - https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lg-43-ultrafine-4k-uhd-monitor-... [1] - https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-55-4k-conference-r...
Is there a proper term or category for a monitor meant for high end installations that has no branding on it (e.g., as one would put into a display at a museum)? I refuse to buy something with a logo on the front of it.
You might want to search for "Public Display" monitors. Although these usually have some smart-ish software used to run digital signage and stuff, they probably don't spy on you.
Re: Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
#218I think the alternative question is:
Is there a TV on the market that is easy to convert into a dumb TV?
For example; I am happy to use just Apple TV. Is there a low-risk way to cripple my TCL so all it does is allow for input via Apple TV and not run other process?
Re: Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
#219Earlier quoted context omitted.
+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…
> Protects your TV performance and functionality from surprise degradation due to "updates" Instead, it will have its own upgrades which will degrade performance and/or UI. A recent Android TV update on my Xiaomi Android TV brought ads covering a 1/4 of the screen from services I'm not subscribed to. Had to revert the upgrade and stop it from updating.
A new dongle is a lot cheaper and less e-waste than a new TV.
Re: Ask HN: Is there a TV on the market without “Smart TV” features?
#220Earlier quoted context omitted.
One would think this would have been more obvious.
> One would think this would have been more obvious. Devices can refuse to function without a network connection, and the profits to be made from simply including a cellular connection of some sort for ad refresh + tracking are too high to be ignored forever. So this isn't a reliable, long-term solution.
I have to think that far less than 1% of STV owners don't connect them. Adding hardware to capture whatever % of them it actually is seems extremely financially dubious to me, especially given how unlikely they are to have positive ad conversions.