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Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?

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Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?

#311

Post by foobarian »

Volundr wrote: post #252
cronix wrote: post #173

All TV's are dumb tv's if you only use them as an external display/monitor and don't connect them to the net. I have a dedicated computer for a media center and just use HDMI1 input on the TV. Never enter menus. Never update the OS. Never agree to anything. Never let the TV "phone home." Never set up wifi. Never connect a CAT5 to it. Set the input using the remote and forget it. Treat it as a dumb monitor. Computer i…

That's sadly not really true. I have an LG that I (thought) I was using this way until one day in the middle of watching some TV I get a prompt about a OnePlus phone trying to control my TV, do I want to accept? Needless to say and didn't, but I was baffled by what happened. Turns out that the stupid TV is controllable via an app over bluetooth, and there is no way to turn bluetooth off. I'm just stuck with my TV con…

> and there is no way to turn bluetooth off

Challenge accepted!

Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?

#312

Post by andrewjf »

drexlspivey wrote: post #255
rtkwe wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just don't connect your TV to wifi? That's what I did when I finally had to get one when I was replacing the ancient energy hungry plasma I'd been using. I already have other devices for watching Netflix/YouTube/ChromeCast.

That isn’t going to work for long, your neighbor’s Alexa is now automatically sharing his internet with you, it’s just a matter of your TV manufacturer striking a deal with amazon for access to their mesh network.

Thanks, I really hate this.

But seriously, what can we do here? How to I inform people like my parents of this kind of thing without being an alarmist? Should I even care?

Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?

#313

Post by ceejayoz »

scoopertrooper wrote: post #295
beagle3 wrote: post #256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Amazon had (perhaps still has) whispernet - a global coverage of cellular networks. It was used to download books to your kindle, essentially anywhere in the world, without having to have a local plan or WiFi. It was 2G iirc, enough for book download. Uploading a perceptive hash of what you are watching - e.g. a frame every few seconds - also fits on 2G speeds.

Whispernet is dead from what I understand. As countries began shutting down 3G networks, Amazon was no long able to get connectivity at a price point where it was economically feasible.

Not dead, just replaced.

https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Sidewalk/b?ie=UTF8&node=213281...

Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?

#314

Post by rightbyte »

krustymeathead wrote: post #283
gopalv wrote: post #278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> grant the fucker an internet connection over BT, it starts to rat on you Or it does that by itself, with a mesh network that your neighbours have setup by accident with their Alexa or Ring - Amazon Sidewalk is an amazing end-run around your own firewall rules.

I wonder when home security setups will start including a Faraday cage, at least for certain rooms or areas.

It seems way simpler to short the wifi antenna or something than to redo the walls? Bluetooth is probably harder to fix though, if the TV has that.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?

#316

Post by bo1024 »

cgriswald wrote: post #191
bo1024 wrote: post #137

Summing up the main options and linking to some comments that mentioned them: * extra-large gaming monitors, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29383077 * Sceptre brand TVs (they can be purchased from Walmart) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29383298 * Projectors maybe, but 4k projectors are very expensive. (On the other hand, 1080p projectors look great in my opinion.) * Most big brands such as LG, Samsung, e…

Projectors require dark rooms; the less dark it is, the less contrast you'll see. I've got a 1080p projector on a wall at 100" and it looks fantastic. But it's in my bedroom and I use it only at night. I imagine for most people's living rooms, especially for daytime viewing, a projector won't work.

I'd like to see a side-by-side comparison. A projector will have problem with direct sunlight on the screen, but so will a TV. I've found projectors okay in a reasonably bright room, depending what's on screen.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?

#317

Post by tomnipotent »

pwdisswordfish9 wrote: post #296
yholio wrote: post #275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To second this advice, I have a 4 year old 75" Sony Bravia that I did not connect to the internet in any way, despite being an Android device. I have updated the firmware using the instructions on the Sony website, downloaded a package, extracted on a USB stick and let the TV boot on that. Figured it's best to have an up to date operating system for bug fixes, security updates, file format support etc. Never intend t…

What do you need security updates for if you don’t connect it to the Internet?

Updates include more than just security fixes.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?

#318

Post by isoprophlex »

gopalv wrote: post #278
isoprophlex wrote: post #266

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No of course not. The moment you - possibly accidentally - grant the fucker an internet connection over BT, it starts to rat on you. However briefly. Aything with an IR remote does not betrays it's users like that (through the remote)

> grant the fucker an internet connection over BT, it starts to rat on you Or it does that by itself, with a mesh network that your neighbours have setup by accident with their Alexa or Ring - Amazon Sidewalk is an amazing end-run around your own firewall rules.

Thanks for giving me another invention to be angry about, haha.

Makes you wonder about the opportunities for poisoning of Sidewalk networks, just to get some petty revenge.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any 4K “dumb” televisions?

#319

Post by ldehaan »

kwertyoowiyop wrote: post #49
michelpp wrote: post #31

Seems like this would be a good use case for a "TV Honeypot" that would intercept phone-homes, recognize the model, imitate whatever jank rpc is needed to keep the unit happy, and dump all telemetry to /dev/null.

Imagine if it could replace the ads with pictures of your family, news, inspirational quotes…

I don't know who you are, I can't prove to you I am real, but I love you. Have a nice day, and please, down vote this, I was doing so good being invisible until Someone upvoted me to a 1 again...
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