Sick of smart TVs? Here are your best options

Post by mattacular » Sun, Dec 14, 2025, 4:26 AM UTC

MrMember wrote: post #455

mattacular wrote: post #450

1. buy any model that meets your specs (i like TCL) 2. setup a one time use wifi network with randomized SSID and password (hotspot from your phone works well) 3. connect your tv to it and update to latest software 4. delete the wifi config and reset that network (roll to new SSID and password) 5. connect an apple tv set top box and never use any of the tv features ever again

Smart TVs are so user hostile now that this doesn't work for me personally anymore. Every TV I've seen recently always tries to get back to the "home" screen so they can funnel you into more ads and/or content that makes them money. If I have the TV set to the HDMI source for my connected HTPC, turn off the TV, and turn it back on again, it will be back on the TV's home screen. If I switch to an HDMI source that isn'…

Post by pabs3 » Sun, Dec 14, 2025, 7:25 AM UTC

ninkendo wrote: post #453

ssl-3 wrote: post #451

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a toaster oven in my kitchen. It's a dumb thing with a bimetallic thermostatic switch, a simple mechanical timer (with a clockspring and a bell), and a switch to select different configurations of heating elements. The power-on indicator is a simple neon lamp. (It also certainly has some thermal fuses buried inside; hopefully, in the right places.) And, you know, it works great. It's simple to operate and (so…

> Why would a toaster oven (or indeed, just a pop-up toaster) that instead used electronic controls need the bar for safety to be placed at a different height? It wouldn't. It's a thought experiment. I even said: > Would the toaster be a better product if you could change the software? Of course. The point is, nobody should be compelling you to make your products hackable. If you don't want to, that's your prerogativ…

Post by pabs3 » Sun, Dec 14, 2025, 7:26 AM UTC

ninkendo wrote: post #453

ssl-3 wrote: post #451

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a toaster oven in my kitchen. It's a dumb thing with a bimetallic thermostatic switch, a simple mechanical timer (with a clockspring and a bell), and a switch to select different configurations of heating elements. The power-on indicator is a simple neon lamp. (It also certainly has some thermal fuses buried inside; hopefully, in the right places.) And, you know, it works great. It's simple to operate and (so…

> Why would a toaster oven (or indeed, just a pop-up toaster) that instead used electronic controls need the bar for safety to be placed at a different height? It wouldn't. It's a thought experiment. I even said: > Would the toaster be a better product if you could change the software? Of course. The point is, nobody should be compelling you to make your products hackable. If you don't want to, that's your prerogativ…

Post by port11 » Sun, Dec 14, 2025, 10:37 AM UTC

taxmeifyoucan wrote: post #101

For a hacker news article, it misses the crucial option - hacking a smart TV! I have LG OLED jailbroken using rootmy.tv, it was pretty trivial. It's basically a linux computer with a huge screen, you can customize it, SSH into it, map any commands to the remote, etc. Before I only used monitor, simple DP/HDMI input is all I wanted. But being able to take full control of the tv and connect it with other devices in the…

Post by lobsterthief » Sun, Dec 14, 2025, 10:41 AM UTC

throwaway94275 wrote: post #420

kevin061 wrote: post #274

A while ago I had a discussion with my friends that it is possible that in the future if 5G is sufficiently cheap, smart tvs come with a 5G SIM so they can force ads and updates even if you refuse to connect it to WiFi. I wonder if this will ever be a real thing. Either 5G, 6G or whatever comes next.

I hope this happens, because with the security track record of these companies it would mean free Internet. These would quickly become web torrent video portals.