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Ask Wirecutter: Can you recommend a not-smart TV for me?

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Re: Ask Wirecutter: Can you recommend a not-smart TV for me?

#161

I've designed and built many such TVs for the commercial/industrial vertical. I am currently working on developing such a TV for the consumer market and launching it under the name DUMBO.TV Let me know your thoughts. Reference pix of 70" industrial display using Samsung LCD panel and in-house LCD controller with physical OSD menu buttons along with IR/RS232 control capability: https://imgur.com/a/k6zrH3s

Keep us updated. I'd likely pay 2x what I payed for my LG C2 for a "dumb" version. Even if just to support such a project.

Re: Ask Wirecutter: Can you recommend a not-smart TV for me?

#162
post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But that would require an accessible WiFi network. I'm sure someday it'll be impossible because they'll embed 5G chips and do it over cell without involving your consent, but that day isn't here yet.

Simple, just put it in a Faraday cage.

It’s surprising how cages work. The MR one at work will leak if the door is open .5mm, it lets blue tooth and wifi through and some phone calls.

Works pretty well for MR at 3T (which is actually more like 2.89T) though - 125Mhz ish.

Re: Ask Wirecutter: Can you recommend a not-smart TV for me?

#164
post #49

For me it’s less about privacy (I just disconnect it from wifi) but just how slow they are. I bought an Apple TV to get around this but it still takes so long for it to even turn on

My TV remote has a dedicated Netflix button. I don't have a Netflix subscription and never will, but it wastes 30 seconds every time I accidentally push it because the UI is that slow and backing out of this nonfunctional Netflix app takes so many steps.

Re: Ask Wirecutter: Can you recommend a not-smart TV for me?

#166

I've designed and built many such TVs for the commercial/industrial vertical. I am currently working on developing such a TV for the consumer market and launching it under the name DUMBO.TV Let me know your thoughts. Reference pix of 70" industrial display using Samsung LCD panel and in-house LCD controller with physical OSD menu buttons along with IR/RS232 control capability: https://imgur.com/a/k6zrH3s

If you survive the lawsuit from Disney, I’m in. I’d prefer a much smaller tv (32-40”) but I’m weird like that. All I’d want is an input for an Apple TV and maybe 2 more hdmi plugs. Doesn’t even need a remote. Good luck.

Wait, this Disney lawsuit thing is news to me. What's up with that? You're right, in the consumer market, there's a much higher demand for 32-40" display. Our UHD controller can easily handle that and comes with 5x total input ports [ 3x HDMI(V1.4a), 1x HDMI(V2.0), 1x DisplayPort(V1.2) ] and can run 3840x2160 or 4096x2160 resolutions @ 120Hz.

Re: Ask Wirecutter: Can you recommend a not-smart TV for me?

#167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Simple, go wired and encase the house in a faraday cage.

Really, anyone who's lived in a sufficiently old house knows you can run your own Wi-Fi in a Faraday cage. Just probably not between rooms.

Underfloor foil insulation works pretty well as a cage. It also adds a nice electrocution risk when installing and is banned in my area for this reason.

Re: Ask Wirecutter: Can you recommend a not-smart TV for me?

#168
post #125

The approach I’ve taken is to just keep my TV off the internet (never join a WiFi network) and make it smart via an Apple TV, which I personally believe to have the strongest privacy protection of any smart TV device. Another bonus is my TV UI hasn’t changed despite changing and upgrading TV brands.

> make it smart via an Apple TV I repurpose the old laptops that I seem to accumulate for this. Just about anything made in the last 10 years can handle at least 1080p video, and will have an HDMI output. I add a small wireless keyboard and use my regular desktop environment. But you can add a remote and use one of the open source media centre suites. I do wish more TVs had a monitor-like sleep mode and accepted the…

Same here. I try to find 3-4 year old laptops with decent graphics cards. It has served well as family gaming pc (casual and retro games) and with attached external drive we can watch family videos, photos etc. Not to mention ad-blocking. Every time I'm at someone's house and have to use a phone to stream things on the TV or to use those point-n-click remotes to type things I lose patience now :)

Re: Ask Wirecutter: Can you recommend a not-smart TV for me?

#169
post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I get that. the point is that turning a TV on, even if it took 30 seconds, is basically nothing given the amount of time you spend watching it. it's not the right thing to optimize. do you know how long it takes to turn on an iPhone? you may have a stroke if I tell you.

Turning on a TV is something you usually do everytime you want to use it, and it's just plain annoying to have to wait. The comparison to an iPhone is bad, because you rarely reboot it. Imagine you had to wait for the iPhone to boot every time you want to read some stuff on the internet or call someone.

Idk, my smart tv takes less than 10 seconds to turn on. If you had a dumb tv you’d turn that on, but how long does a smart dongle take? My Google tv takes about as long as my smart tv

Re: Ask Wirecutter: Can you recommend a not-smart TV for me?

#170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you survive the lawsuit from Disney, I’m in. I’d prefer a much smaller tv (32-40”) but I’m weird like that. All I’d want is an input for an Apple TV and maybe 2 more hdmi plugs. Doesn’t even need a remote. Good luck.

Wait, this Disney lawsuit thing is news to me. What's up with that? You're right, in the consumer market, there's a much higher demand for 32-40" display. Our UHD controller can easily handle that and comes with 5x total input ports [ 3x HDMI(V1.4a), 1x HDMI(V2.0), 1x DisplayPort(V1.2) ] and can run 3840x2160 or 4096x2160 resolutions @ 120Hz.

I think he meant that DUMBO is a name of a disney character
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