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What is the best dumb TV?

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Re: What is the best dumb TV?

#501

Post by kingosticks »

Moru wrote: post #434
kingosticks wrote: post #415

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You and me both. I was fed up of following the cooking instructions only to have some things explode. I was particularly tired of cleaning up porridge which will quickly turn concrete-like. Instead, drop it down to medium, add on a minute or two and it's perfect. Why is it that all microwave cooking instructions say to use high power. I recently bought a soup that included the cook time for a 1000W microwave, I can't…

A microwave only work with an on/off cycle. It runs on MAX for x seconds and off for y seconds. If you want 50% effect, it runs 5 seconds, then wait 5 seconds. Cooking it on low is just letting the food distribute the heat naturally for a while, instead of building up an energy bubble that will expload in steam. So low effect is good. It's still max effect but on half the time. When cooking oatmeal porridge I usually…

My partner enjoys what we call "overnight oats" but it's not for me, I like the warm wake-up. I'm half milk, half water, 4 mins at 60% and then I don't have to stand there watching it. Fruit on top as a treat otherwise it's plain all the way! But there can be a big difference in the oats you use, totally agree.

Re: What is the best dumb TV?

#502

Post by garfieldnate »

tssva wrote: post #421
iforgotpassword wrote: post #396

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Found the millennial? The knob design is the much older one as it's purely analog. I don't have a microwave anymore for almost a decade now, but even before I used it occasionally only, mostly for heating up food from the day before, nothing where I'd need sub-millisecond accuracy. Also in general food tastes different/weird if you blast it at full power, so going for lower wattage and longer cooking times would redu…

I'm 52 and have used microwave ovens since my parents bought one in 1981. It had a touchpad and every microwave I have ever used since then has had a touchpad. My experience is that except for the extremely low end of the countertop microwave market it was rare to see a microwave with knob controls until the last 10 years.

I grew up with touchpad microwaves and I assumed that most models still used that interface. I live in Germany now, and when I search through the models on Amazon US, UK and DE I was only able to find one touchpad microwave that I could get here, and unfortunately it was capacitive :( I was pretty surprised at this change. I wonder what drives microwave UI patterns over time.

Re: What is the best dumb TV?

#503

Post by 3np »

gjm11 wrote: post #469
3np wrote: post #425

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the only reason why I'm concerned about an overly optimistic 5G rollout. It's frustrating that all the nutso conspiratists have made it practically impossible to problematize this without coming off as either uneducated or a lunatic.

Meta-conspiracy-theory: the 5G conspiracy theories were spread deliberately with the precise intention of making the truth look like just another crazy conspiracy theory. (I don't think that's very likely in this case, but I bet there are actual examples out there of conspiracy theories being deliberately seeded as a way to discredit potential real criticisms.)

I absolutely think that there are forces putting fuel to the flames with this as one goal. Not necessarily the origin or the main driving force, but I'm sure it happens. Just as with other recent polarizing movements.

Re: What is the best dumb TV?

#504

Post by franga2000 »

namdnay wrote: post #497
franga2000 wrote: post #355

I love the idea of smart TVs, but every single implementation I've seen in the last few years has been utter garbage. Everything they do is one step forward and like 3-30 steps back. For example, I recently bought a low-end Samsung TV running Tizen, which meant I could return my set-top-box (ISP has a Tizen app), get rid of my barely-functioning miracast stick, bluetooth transmitter (native features) and media PC (ap…

Honestly I have the opposite feedback for a Samsung TV. It’s a really nice aluminium remote, there are less than 8 buttons total, and yet I can use TV, Netflix and YouTube perfectly. My only gripe is that I can’t VPN with it to get US Netflix. Oh and the ads on the menu :(

Must be a higher-end thing, for whatever reason. Mine is literally the cheapest 43-inch 4K "HDR" model they sell (for a bit under 300€).

I got a plastic remote with a fair amount of buttons that are much closer to standard a dumb TV remote (and rather suspiciously similar to LG's...). I also haven't found any ads in any menu, despite being connected to the Interned and logged into a Samsung account (by necessity).

Re: What is the best dumb TV?

#505

Post by avh02 »

phendrenad2 wrote: post #219
chillfox wrote: post #208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Far from it. The problem with smart TVs is that they provide an inferior experience to a dumb TV. They have sluggish menu systems, are slow to switch between inputs and startup times frequently measured in 10s of seconds. Compare that to dumb TVs that switch on in less than 2 seconds and respond immediately. Then there’s of course the ads and spying that you can avoid by not letting it on the network.

I second this. Every smart TV I've used has had an annoying "bootup" time, between 2-5 seconds, just to display the menus. Dumb TVs I've used have all displayed a menu in < 1 second.

I had the pleasure of using one in an airbnb that wouldn't allow you to change volume during the first 5 seconds. It would also not boot up on the previous input, so could be quite noisy with no recourse.

Re: What is the best dumb TV?

#506

Post by a5withtrrs »

I'd love it if there were recommendations for TV's available in other countries. It looks like the recommended TVs (Sceptre branded) are only available in the US. If anyone has any recommendations for Australian equivalents I'd love to know!

Re: What is the best dumb TV?

#507

Post by dredmorbius »

kingosticks wrote: post #501
Moru wrote: post #434

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A microwave only work with an on/off cycle. It runs on MAX for x seconds and off for y seconds. If you want 50% effect, it runs 5 seconds, then wait 5 seconds. Cooking it on low is just letting the food distribute the heat naturally for a while, instead of building up an energy bubble that will expload in steam. So low effect is good. It's still max effect but on half the time. When cooking oatmeal porridge I usually…

My partner enjoys what we call "overnight oats" but it's not for me, I like the warm wake-up. I'm half milk, half water, 4 mins at 60% and then I don't have to stand there watching it. Fruit on top as a treat otherwise it's plain all the way! But there can be a big difference in the oats you use, totally agree.

Overnight, then heat (saucepan/stovetop, or microwave) in the morning.

Cooking need only be long enough to heat the oatmeal, not to absorb liquids. This is especially useful for steel-cut oats.

Re: What is the best dumb TV?

#508

Post by Zolt »

05 wrote: post #470
Moru wrote: post #434

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A microwave only work with an on/off cycle. It runs on MAX for x seconds and off for y seconds. If you want 50% effect, it runs 5 seconds, then wait 5 seconds. Cooking it on low is just letting the food distribute the heat naturally for a while, instead of building up an energy bubble that will expload in steam. So low effect is good. It's still max effect but on half the time. When cooking oatmeal porridge I usually…

Cheap ones, anyway. Expensive models sometimes have an inverter.

Several years back (and things may have changed) Panasonic had a patent on the inverter and was the only microwave that offered it. I purchased a Panasonic for that reason and love it.

This from their website: The Panasonic Microwave Ovens powered with patented Inverter Technology™ deliver evenly cooked meals, from edges to center, every time.

Re: What is the best dumb TV?

#509

Post by bsanr2 »

ryukafalz wrote: post #488
ascar wrote: post #455

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I want a smart TV so I can access Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ etc. right from the TV and don't need a separate device for it. Many people suggest buying a dumb tv and then an apple tv. The problem is, now I have two devices and instead of trusting [TV manufacturer] I have to trust Apple. I don't see a big gain in it and also don't consider Apple to be especially trustworthy. [TV manufacturer] should just sell me a…

> [TV manufacturer] should just sell me a smart tv without customer hostile "features". Unfortunately there are basically zero TV manufacturers who will do this.

I think it would be extremely interesting if the thing that got tech nerds to get on board, politically, with the notion that a single company doesn't have to have a monopoly for consumers to be hurt by "market standards" was, uh, smart TVs with too many ads.

Re: What is the best dumb TV?

#510

Post by dredmorbius »

paleogizmo wrote: post #483
kebman wrote: post #207

I don't have a TV, only a few monitors (it's very liberating, actually). So instead I'll talk about my microwave. Yes, unironically! :D It has two dials. OMG how do I survive with only two dials? How do I program it? Well, the answer is, unsurprisingly, that I don't program it. Instead I crank it to watever wattage I need (usually the top one), and the time I think it'll take until the food I becomes hot. Aaaand that…

I've never got the meme about numpads on microwaves being needlessly complicated design. On about any decent microwave made in the last 10 year, pushing 1-6 gives a cook time of 1-6 minutes, respectively. Pushing start again after cooking has started will add 30 seconds. For longer cook times, press "time cook." Maybe this sounds a bit complicated, but it's efficient and all written down on the keypad . Mechanical ti…

There are nonlinear dials with larger, clearly-marked steps for short periods (often only a few seconds), then larger steps.

See: e.g. https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61-ZBoSyt0L... https://media.primasupply.com/25104-38090/cms/38090/files/8c...

DDG image search: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=micrave+dial+timer&iax=images&ia=i...

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