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Best Dumb TVs

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Re: Best Dumb TVs

#41

Post by yellowapple »

idontwantthis wrote: post #39
yellowapple wrote: post #27

Unsurprisingly, every 4K TV on this list is Sceptre.

Is it a good brand? I've never heard of it before.

They're acceptable. You get what you pay for. I have two of their 4K monitors on my desk (though only one is currently hooked up to my desktop; the other just runs my PS4 at the moment), and aside from some flickering sometimes when they first power on / wake up they work well enough. A prior job of mine involved setting up a bunch of Sceptre 4K TVs for dashboards / metrics displays / leaderboards on a warehouse floor (as well as for the warehouse's conference room) and they were adequate. I had one at home that burned out from being on 24/7 for a couple years in my living room; it's in storage until I get around to troubleshooting it, but they're cheap enough that I might very well buy a second one.

Long story short: they ain't LGs, but they're surprisingly acceptable for the price.

Re: Best Dumb TVs

#42

Post by yellowapple »

kdtsh wrote: post #34
yellowapple wrote: post #27

Unsurprisingly, every 4K TV on this list is Sceptre.

I have never seen a Sceptre for sale anywhere, they are always out of stock. Are they actually produced anymore or do they just go out of stock as soon as a new batch comes through?

I've only ever seen 'em on Amazon, and there are some 50" and 55" in stock right now.

Re: Best Dumb TVs

#43

Post by eps »

copperx wrote: post #20
egberts1 wrote: post #3

Best dumb Large TV are the SmartTV that have its WiFi antenna disconnected and not plugged into the Internet. Sceptre Model U65 is a 4K UHD, 65” 3840x2860 that supports Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) upscaling, HDMI 2.0, HDCP v2.2. Best part? No Ethernet plug nor WiFi. It’s nearly $649 USD (or still almost $10/screen-inch).

> It’s nearly $649 USD (or still almost $10/screen-inch). That's crazy expensive for a TV of such quality.

That's likely the actual cost of making a modern TV. It's just that Smart TVs are subsidized by future ad revenues.

Re: Best Dumb TVs

#44

Post by psd1 »

robomartin wrote: post #28
cricalix wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The law basically says a panel with the capacity to receive a TV signal via integrated receiver is a TV. That means you owe a fee for the privilege of owning such a device. Simply removing the receiver circuit is not valid, since it can be repaired. https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/consumer/phone_interne... Has a summary.

Thanks for the link. From the article: "A TV licence costs €160" "You can be fined up to €1,000 (or €2,000 for subsequent offences) if you do not have a TV licence when you need one." "An Post keeps a database of every premises which should have a TV licence. The database is regularly updated." "A TV inspector could visit your premises to check if you have a TV." "If you have been fined and you breach court orders di…

Not sure about Ireland, but in the UK, the TV license funds the BBC. Until the Tories made that DG a political appointment and the political coverage went to shit, I found that quite fair.

I've also spent the bulk of my life neither paying the fee nor owning a telly.

The cost is comparable to Netflix and cheaper than buying a console game every second month. Not to moralise, but are you arguing it's a fundamental right to stare at the gogglebox? I'm progressive but that's a step too far for me.

Re: Best Dumb TVs

#45

Post by cricalix »

psd1 wrote: post #44
robomartin wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for the link. From the article: "A TV licence costs €160" "You can be fined up to €1,000 (or €2,000 for subsequent offences) if you do not have a TV licence when you need one." "An Post keeps a database of every premises which should have a TV licence. The database is regularly updated." "A TV inspector could visit your premises to check if you have a TV." "If you have been fined and you breach court orders di…

Not sure about Ireland, but in the UK, the TV license funds the BBC. Until the Tories made that DG a political appointment and the political coverage went to shit, I found that quite fair. I've also spent the bulk of my life neither paying the fee nor owning a telly. The cost is comparable to Netflix and cheaper than buying a console game every second month. Not to moralise, but are you arguing it's a fundamental rig…

In Ireland it funds RTE TV/radio. I don't consume the television and radio media that RTE produces, and thus consider the fee a grab for money they're not owed.

https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0711/1309666-media-commission/ (I get the irony of linking to rte.ie for a news story) indicates that the fee may be changed to be a wider funding of the arts and media in Ireland. That would make me consider changing my mind and stance, but at that point I'd rather see a % based take-off of my income so that less affluent households are affected to a lesser degree.

Re: Best Dumb TVs

#46

Post by egberts1 »

parker_mountain wrote: post #24
copperx wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It’s nearly $649 USD (or still almost $10/screen-inch). That's crazy expensive for a TV of such quality.

I'm not even sure where OP is getting those numbers, because a google search instantly found it for under $400

That was Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP).

https://www.sceptre.com/TV/4K-UHD-TV/U650CV-UMCC-65-4K-UHD-T...

Amazon have them way cheaper.

Re: Best Dumb TVs

#47

Post by robomartin »

psd1 wrote: post #44
robomartin wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for the link. From the article: "A TV licence costs €160" "You can be fined up to €1,000 (or €2,000 for subsequent offences) if you do not have a TV licence when you need one." "An Post keeps a database of every premises which should have a TV licence. The database is regularly updated." "A TV inspector could visit your premises to check if you have a TV." "If you have been fined and you breach court orders di…

Not sure about Ireland, but in the UK, the TV license funds the BBC. Until the Tories made that DG a political appointment and the political coverage went to shit, I found that quite fair. I've also spent the bulk of my life neither paying the fee nor owning a telly. The cost is comparable to Netflix and cheaper than buying a console game every second month. Not to moralise, but are you arguing it's a fundamental rig…

> but are you arguing it's a fundamental right to stare at the gogglebox?

It's interesting to me how people can rationalize the government coming into their homes from every possible angle. The idea that a government agent can --according to the law-- come into your home to determine if you have a TV is nothing less than dystopian to me.

Funding the BBC? Have a separate tax people can vote on to fund the BBC. If they think it has value they can vote every n years to keep it funded.

I feel quite strongly that both liberals and conservatives have lost their ways. Freedom should be a top class unassailable right that rules all decisions. I am not taking about no government and complete mayhem. What I am talking about is government becoming a brutal beast that swallows it all and controls it all.

I'll give you an example of this. We live by a lake. I can walk there. It's beautiful. I love walking around the lake. However, I cannot dip my toes in the water. I cannot walk along the shore in water up to my ankles. It is illegal. I could be fined a non-trivial amount for this. No, this is not a source of drinking water at all. There are people fishing and kayaking in the lake. There are a couple of zones designated for swimming (only when allowed and lifeguards are present). Getting your feet wet, either sitting at the edge of the water or walking, not permitted.

Every time I go there I think "Land of the Free" (a common US phrase and part of the national anthem) in a sarcastic tone. It's ridiculous that we have allowed things to get this far. And this is a simple example. We need less government, not more.

Re: Best Dumb TVs

#49

Post by egberts1 »

eps wrote: post #43
copperx wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It’s nearly $649 USD (or still almost $10/screen-inch). That's crazy expensive for a TV of such quality.

That's likely the actual cost of making a modern TV. It's just that Smart TVs are subsidized by future ad revenues.

Except that one model isn’t considered a “Smart” TV.
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