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

nytimes.com

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

#371

Post by kulahan »

SeanLuke wrote: post #361

> “Any TV worth buying is very likely going to ask to connect to your Wi-Fi, and that’s been the case for many years now,” he says. “If you can find one manufactured recently that isn’t smart, I don’t know that I would trust it to be worth what you’re paying for it, because it’ll likely be missing several other salient features that you may actually want, like Bluetooth compatibility, HDR functionality, built-in chan…

The HDMI input labeling thing is nice. When my family comes to visit, it's pretty neat that they can go to inputs and select "Chromecast" or whatever instead of "HDMI 1"

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

#372

Post by jeremy_wiebe »

benreic wrote: post #56
KerrAvon wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, this. I bought an LG OLED C2 recently, plugged in an Apple TV, have not connected the TV itself to the internet. Works absolutely fine; bonus is that the apparently annoying voice control option is disabled. You don't need firmware updates unless there's a specific bug that you need fixed, and you can update by USB stick if you do need a fix.

I also got a C2 and briefly connected it via WiFi before I had the Apple TV. After hooking up the Apple TV I turned WiFi and thought I was all set, but it keeps turning WiFi on by itself and checking for updates which is really annoying. Might do a factory reset to clear out the WiFi password.

Just change the wifi password. :-)

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

#373

Post by nrvn »

lbotos wrote: post #31

Search: digital information display Samsung 4k https://www.samsung.com/us/business/displays/4k-uhd/qb-serie... It's more expensive then the subsidized ones, but right in the description: QB65B--N * Direct-Lit 4K Crystal UHD LED Display for Business Without Embedded Wi-Fi or Bluetooth As others have suggested as well, possibly a monitor, but I'm not aware of many 65" 4k monitors (But they may exist)

DIDs are great but there are two main problems with them:

1. They appear to be more expensive than consumer TV’s

2. They might be more difficult to find through usual channels because they are targeted at businesses (but it probably depends on where you are located)

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

#374

Post by foogazi »

threeseed wrote: post #312
whalesalad wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the pro gamer move. I have a new LG C2 OLED and I love it. It has no idea that the internet exists. I use an Apple TV as well.

I have an LG C2 OLED and had it connected to the internet. It spams me with in-screen notifications at least once a week with either Privacy Policy updates or advertising new apps or TV shows. Great TV but definitely need to leave it unconnected.

My LG did that then I just blocked it on the wifi router

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

#375

Post by stephenboyd »

ed25519FUUU wrote: post #2

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.

That is also the advice given in the article.

Unfortunately it follows that with "occasionally connect the TV to the internet for a minute to see if it needs any firmware updates" which is pointless if the TV is already working properly.

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

#376

Post by rolenthedeep »

"just don't connect it to the internet" is such a typical HN response that completely misses the point. A smart TV with no internet connection is still a smart TV. It still has an entire operating system that needs to load wifi, ethernet, Bluetooth, usb driver stacks. It still has an awful, flashy interface that adds unnecessary steps between changing inputs. It still tries to load god knows what apps every time you turn it on.

A dumb TV is a panel, some inputs, and an OSD menu that hasn't changed since 2005. It has exactly two functions: select an input and display that input. It should turn on in seconds, not minutes. Changing inputs should have at most two steps and take no more than two seconds. It should have exactly as much processing power as is required to pipe an hdmi signal to the panel and nothing more. It should be so fundamentally incapable of injecting ads that the very idea is laughable. Hell, I'd even prefer it not have speakers.

Disconnecting your smart TV from the internet only means it doesn't spy on you and advertise to you. It doesn't solve any of the other problems making these devices awful.

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

#378

Post by xen2xen1 »

TylerE wrote: post #255
pupdogg wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, going to take care of that. Thanks for the heads up. I really looked that one over...didn't think too much of it as the domain was available. It's hard to do anything the easy way nowadays!

What about something a bit more...positive? PureTV?

Taken for a product that bleeps out cuss words IIRC.

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

#379

Post by hilbert42 »

tzs wrote: post #149
modriano wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The mesh would have to be so fine that you wouldn't be able to see the screen (unless you were inside the "cage").

Google is telling me that the mesh for a Faraday cage that would block WiFi could have hole sizes up to about 5 mm. Suppose you made your faraday cage (or at least the part that goes in front of the screen) out of 40 gauge wire (0.07874 mm diameter) with the wires spaced 2.25 mm apart. On a 70" 4K TV a pixel is about 0.4 mm x 0.4 mm. If the mesh were close to the screen I think about 30% of the pixels would have wire…

Make life easy, just stop RF getting to and from your TV by cutting the WiFi, Bluetooth and mobile antenna leads.

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

#380

Post by madeofpalk »

rolenthedeep wrote: post #376

"just don't connect it to the internet" is such a typical HN response that completely misses the point. A smart TV with no internet connection is still a smart TV. It still has an entire operating system that needs to load wifi, ethernet, Bluetooth, usb driver stacks. It still has an awful, flashy interface that adds unnecessary steps between changing inputs. It still tries to load god knows what apps every time you…

meh, i think your response is more 'typical HN'. Nether are more correct than the other, but if you're annoyed or distrustful of all the internet connected factors of a TV, just don't connect it to the internet. I think that's a fine non-perfect, pragmatic solution.
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