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

Post by thwarted » Sat, Apr 08, 2023, 2:24 AM UTC

nerdix wrote: post #575

potatolicious wrote: post #551

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "A smart-but-disconnected TV can meet all of those functional requirements, and your nonfunctional requirements" Ehhh I beg to differ. I got a Sony TV a year or so ago with Google TV built in. It's been a nightmare - the GUI is basically unusably slow (literally 5 entire seconds from button press to response) and the whole experience sucks. So I did what most reasonable people did - plug in some HDMI device that do…

Are you using HDMI-CEC? You shouldn't be touching your TV remote at all. You shouldn't need to set a default HDMI input. All you have to do is press any button on the AppleTV remote and it will turn on the TV with the correct input device selected. I have a 2 year old Sony TV with GoogleTV and it works fine. I can go directly to a PS5 and Switch by just turning on the respective controller.

Post by hot_gril » Sat, Apr 08, 2023, 2:25 AM UTC

warning26 wrote: post #457

tsujamin wrote: post #406

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What it doesn’t solve is the friction and bloatware of the tvos. My Sony tv’s Android interface has unbearable input lag using its menus, so I inevitably leave it set to my appletv hdmi input. Could the TV do everything the appletv could? Yep just worse and I can’t get rid of it

That applies regardless of whether or not the tv is “smart” - my current “smart” Roku TV runs great, and I had an old “dumb” Samsung that took forever to do anything. Well-written software is what helps here, not smartness or lack thereof.

Post by dreamcompiler » Sat, Apr 08, 2023, 2:28 AM UTC

p5a0u9l wrote: post #631

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…

Children are complaining, but this is exactly right. Yes, I can work around the device connecting me to the internet. What I’d really prefer though is to exchange whatever cost went into the shit add ons, the Bluetooth, the speakers, the wifi, the usb, and put that into a better display. Done. I’m sure there’s a good business reason why this simple, obvious project is not what’s in the market.

Post by jfim » Sat, Apr 08, 2023, 2:34 AM UTC

justinclift wrote: post #599

prepend wrote: post #525

Earlier quoted context omitted.

$7/month is a really high amount. Especially for nothing. Or something I actively don’t want. I have lots of dumb devices in my house I don’t want piling on $7 so the manufacturer can try to earn $0.30/month in data fees. I have multiple TVs, a washer, a dryer, a fridge, a cryo tank, lots of things. I don’t want them to waste $7 each.

cryo tank?

Post by onetimeuser1235 » Sat, Apr 08, 2023, 2:35 AM UTC