The downfall of smart TVs: From promises of seamless viewing to ad tool

They're cheap, really well designed, centrally controlled on your account and you avoid any need to over-invest in specific TV vendors to have the same experience across the board.

And it can't do anything that the HDMI port can't do.

Re: The downfall of smart TVs: From promises of seamless viewing to ad tool

#6

Post by DethNinja » Mon, Aug 22, 2022, 12:26 PM UTC

There is a much better option for HN crowd:

Buy a large/modern computer monitor and connect it to your homelab’s media server.

Literally there is no need for a smart TV so long as you are capable of setting up a small homelab.

Re: The downfall of smart TVs: From promises of seamless viewing to ad tool

#7

Post by candiddevmike » Mon, Aug 22, 2022, 12:26 PM UTC

Downfall implies a failure or ending, it seems like they're still selling like hotcakes. This is why we need regulation to save us from surveillance, most consumers want cheap and don't understand/care that they're selling their privacy instead.

Re: The downfall of smart TVs: From promises of seamless viewing to ad tool

#8

Post by Snitch-Thursday » Mon, Aug 22, 2022, 12:28 PM UTC

brightball wrote: post #5

This type of expectation is why I've always gravitated towards Roku sticks. They're cheap, really well designed, centrally controlled on your account and you avoid any need to over-invest in specific TV vendors to have the same experience across the board. And it can't do anything that the HDMI port can't do.

yeah. I've made the 'not going to do nothing but also not going to dedicate my life to self-hosting everything' choice: I bought a dumb spectre generic tv, then hooked up a roku stick, and am letting the pihole catch whatever it can, and hoping for the best from there.

So far, the banner ads in roku stay away, so it probably works well enough?

Re: The downfall of smart TVs: From promises of seamless viewing to ad tool

#9

Post by dwighttk » Mon, Aug 22, 2022, 12:29 PM UTC

DethNinja wrote: post #6

There is a much better option for HN crowd: Buy a large/modern computer monitor and connect it to your homelab’s media server. Literally there is no need for a smart TV so long as you are capable of setting up a small homelab.

Eh, I’d rather get that ad subsidy and never connect the tv to the internet

Re: The downfall of smart TVs: From promises of seamless viewing to ad tool

#10

Post by theandrewbailey » Mon, Aug 22, 2022, 12:29 PM UTC

DethNinja wrote: post #6

There is a much better option for HN crowd: Buy a large/modern computer monitor and connect it to your homelab’s media server. Literally there is no need for a smart TV so long as you are capable of setting up a small homelab.

Just don't use a smart monitor. Yeah, those will spy on you, too.

https://news.samsung.com/global/samsung-electronics-announce...