My beef with TVs these days is that they have no buttons. I’ve got little kids, the remote simply doesn’t stay in one place. Both of the TVs I currently own have one button on them. Why? Just give me some volume and input switching buttons please.
Ask Wirecutter: Can you recommend a not-smart TV for me?
401–410 of 1001 posts
Re: Ask Wirecutter: Can you recommend a not-smart TV for me?
#402This article misses the point. I desperately want a non-smart TV because I don't want to deal with the absolute mess that is smart TV software. I want to have a TV with a nice panel, a basic OSD that lets me switch inputs and set up color/HDR profiles, and that's it .
Did you actually read the article? They said their first two picks will boot to the most recent input without any UI to step through, which they consider acceptable. Combined with CEC input switching, I agree that the UI shouldn't be much of a concern. I use a TCL P607 disconnected from the internet, and the UI is not a concern because of CEC switching.
I don't consider that acceptable.
Re: Ask Wirecutter: Can you recommend a not-smart TV for me?
#403"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…
What TV takes minutes to turn on?
My smart tv is set to turn on and switch to the Apple TV when the Apple TV wakes from sleep. The tv turns on in about a second, waits for a few seconds, and then waits five seconds to switch to the Apple TV.
Re: Ask Wirecutter: Can you recommend a not-smart TV for me?
#404Earlier quoted context omitted.
You're going to want to change that name... Disney... They have the class 9 Trade Mark for Dumbo, and call out: "television sets;"[1][2]. [1] https://search.ipaustralia.gov.au/trademarks/search/view/115... [2] https://files.littlebird.com.au/Shared-Image-2023-04-08-06-5...
Probably best to avoid the conflict, per your advice. But if they're not really using the mark that way I doubt it's enforceable.
You will make lawyers rich proving that. Even if you win, odds are you don't have enough cash to make the product after that fight.
Re: Ask Wirecutter: Can you recommend a not-smart TV for me?
#405"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…
A smart-but-disconnected TV can meet all of those functional requirements, and your nonfunctional requirements (low processing power) frankly don't matter to most people. My smart-but-disconnected TV turns on just as quickly as my PC monitors can return from sleep (a second or two); changing inputs is just as quick (input button on remote, left/right to select, okay to confirm), and the automatic input selection when a device turns on means I barely even need to endure that tiny hassle; the interface it displays is more than a dumb monitor's OSD, but not by much.
You seem to be of the opinion that it's the principle of the thing, mine is avoiding ads and bloated/slow interface. To me, keeping it disconnected avoids all of the problems of it being smart. Those "smart features" are not features to me (or most people here), but neither are they anti-features.
Re: Ask Wirecutter: Can you recommend a not-smart TV for me?
#406"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.
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
Re: Ask Wirecutter: Can you recommend a not-smart TV for me?
#407The 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.
Another way to "keep it off the Internet" without keeping it off the Internet is:
Perflyst and Dandelion Sprout's Smart-TV Blocklist
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Perflyst/PiHoleBlocklist/m...
Re: Ask Wirecutter: Can you recommend a not-smart TV for me?
#408"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…
You can build your own with a monitor and SFTP, etc.
What does SFTP mean in This context?
Only thing I can think of is SSH FTP, but not sure how that ties in?
Re: Ask Wirecutter: Can you recommend a not-smart TV for me?
#409I've designed and built many such TVs for the commercial/industrial vertical. I am currently working on developing such a TV for the consumer market and launching it under the name DUMBO.TV Let me know your thoughts. Reference pix of 70" industrial display using Samsung LCD panel and in-house LCD controller with physical OSD menu buttons along with IR/RS232 control capability: https://imgur.com/a/k6zrH3s
Just call it “Not.TV”
- is Not smart
- does Not spy on you
- does Not show you ads
- is Not going to harm your family
…
You get the idea..
Re: Ask Wirecutter: Can you recommend a not-smart TV for me?
#410I would buy this type of tv. Please include a tuner. Hope the addressable market is big enough for you to be a success!