121–130 of 190 posts
I never connect my smart TVs to the network, I just plug in my Apple TV and move on. It's frustrating because it takes longer to turn these devices on than it should because of all the additional overhead I don't want or need. I wish someone would make a painless gadget to flash the software with dumber software that loads instantly.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> the cost was double because the target market is "ad agencies" or whatever. A TV capable of operating in those conditions has to be more expensive or else it'll need replacing twice as often and cost even more long term. Remember when Tesla used bog standard laptop screens in their dash because they were cheaper than automotive grade, leading to high failure rate?
This makes me wonder if my local McDonalds, which has three big screens mounted vertically in the drive-thru, ended up with not the commercial grade ones. They’re cooking in the sun in a hot climate all day, so they fail and turn into flickery messes, and it seems like they’re on a cycle of roughly 3 months newly-replaced & working, 1 year flickering.
Just use an AppleTV, Roku, etc. and connect it to the HDMI port. TV is just a screen. That is how I've used mine for the last 5+ years.
Saw this elsewhere: "It will not let you do anything until you download the app on your phone, make an account, and log in on the TV. You cant just change it to HDMI 1 and use a Firestick. I set it up with a throw away email, then deleted the app, and took the TV off of the WiFi."
Just use an AppleTV, Roku, etc. and connect it to the HDMI port. TV is just a screen. That is how I've used mine for the last 5+ years.
I find roku really ad heavy and it sent tons of traffic back to roku.com. Same for firetv.
For now, we can vote with our wallets and avoid this crap. But, how long until the entire TV and display industry requires an account to tether you to each company in order to use their products?
I do that by never shopping at Walmart. I was bored one weekend, and went to a bunch of stores to compare prices. The Walmart near me did have somethings that were cheaper, but for the most part the prices were average with other stores. So I can honestly say for things I buy, Walmart is not worth it for me and it's not just the principle of not shopping at Walmart but it's a principal issue
I just have Stremio, Jellyfin and VLC installed and remapped the free TV button on the remote to Stremio.
Is there any kind of “hook up” on wholesale large dumb displays? I know I’m preaching to the choir, but I just want a giant dumb display from my Apple TV. I vaguely remember someone posting a link to tvs restaurants use but I don’t remember exactly what or if it was what I’m looking for. (Sorry, being lazy here)
I wonder if a "woot" style service could work. If 10K like-minded consumers made a group-buy every 2-3 years, a high-end panel vendor might be willing to provision a new SKU with a few firmware tweaks.
If one wanted arguably less/different spyware, there's the Fire TV Stick 4K Max* $35, Apple TV 4K* $149, or Nvidia Shield TV Pro** for $199.
* Shows ads
** Shows ads that can be disabled by stopping Google/Android services
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Can you even buy 'just a screen'? We have huge (100"+) screens in the office, they cost A LOT. full of spam, apps, ads, popups. It doesnt even swithc to hdmi or what ever you input automatically, you need to select the screen mode orso. The local electronics chain has 50-100 different TV's. All are 'smart'. I would be ok with classifying this as a crime against humanity. /s But honestly, I've just given up. I don't w…
Sceptre used to sell dumb TVs but they seem to be exiting the marketplace. Computer monitors and digital signage may be your best bet. You'll have to save up for 'em but that was true of TV sets back in the day too.
Is this a benefit in disguise? You refuse to create walmart account, and therefore your smart TV is rendered dumb and you can just use it like normal?