6 ms·

Its the same sickness as the "infotainment" systems in cars. Its obsolete the moment it leaves the factory floor and the device lasts for years. The screen sho

Its the same sickness as the "infotainment" systems in cars. Its obsolete the moment it leaves the factory floor and the device lasts for years. The screen should be the screen. It you want to make it smart, plug in a Fire Stick, Chromecast, Apple TV or roll your own with Kodi and a Raspi. This is getting stupid. Its to the point that I bought one of these(1) and neutered an older smart TV that we had by replacing its "motherboard" just so it would act as a simple screen. (1) http://www.ebay.com/itm/Universal-V29-LCD-Controller-Motherboard-Board-TV-VGA-HDMI-AV-TV-USB-Interface-/222133043154?hash=item33b8293fd2:g:Q34AAOSwepZXSmhd http://www.ebay.com/itm/Universal-V29-LCD-Controller-Motherb...

StavrosK 10y ago
Wait wait wait. Are all screen interfaces the same? You can just replace the motherboard of any brand TV and it will work? Do all panels use the same voltage/pins/protocol? That's huge, if so.
- wernercd 10y ago
  edited because I misread the thread
  - StavrosK 10y ago
    Huh? I don't think you realize what either I or the GP are saying. I'm asking whether the LED/LCD panel on all TVs use the same protocol to drive the pixels, which is how it would be possible for the GP to replace his motherboard with a generic alternative.
    - wernercd 10y ago
      You're right... I think missed the last sentence. Ignore me :) Trapped inside because of blizzard.
      - lsh 10y ago
        Well, you know what they say "all work and no play ..."
- erentz 10y ago
  Woah woah woah. I'm also interested in this. I have a 47" LG Google TV that is horrible to use, very slow, terrible interface that keeps crashing, and seems to never get any updates. The screen is great though, I have a Roku plugged in and would love to just flash the Google TV OS off it with something dumb that booted it into dumb screen only mode. I didn't know I could replace the motherboard like this so easily.
  - matt_wulfeck 10y ago
    It's so bad that simply turning it on to HDMI 1 is painful? I have a "smart" tv that really is just a display for the much better AppleTV.
  - khedoros1 10y ago
    I've done something similar with an old laptop LCD panel, using an LVDS controller that I bought on Ebay. I assume that's basically what noonespecial did, but hopefully with a board that has more TV-useful features (mine just takes HDMI, VGA, and RCA video input, if I'm remembering correctly).
- awqrre 10y ago
  I don't have the same IOs in my TV, so at least that would need to be modified (unless you can install it outside of your TV)...
- noonespecial 10y ago
  A vast number of lcds use fairly common lvds interfaces. Boards like the one I bought are compatible with hundreds of screens, native resolutions and signal formats. You pick the resolution, voltage, and format by placing a file on a USB stick and flashing the board. You do have to look up the panel in question to make sure you get it right. You also must deal with the back light. Mine was modern, so easy. Just a 12 volt led. If it's an old cold cathode, you need a separate high voltage driver. I'd let a screen like that go. You've got better things to do... I glammed mine up by 3d printing a new little plate for the back to match my new board but that's not necessary.
  - StavrosK 10y ago
    Huh, wow, that's fantastic news! No need to toss the whole TV if the motherboard dies, then (or, really, any other component except the panel itself). Where did you get the firmware from, by the way?
    - BuuQu9hu 10y ago
      Firmware should be on the board before you buy it.
    - noonespecial 10y ago
      It still a bit of a walk on the Chinese wild side. This should help. https://sites.google.com/site/lcd4hobby/5-lcd-as-pc-hdmi-av-tv-multidisplay https://sites.google.com/site/lcd4hobby/5-lcd-as-pc-hdmi-av-...
      - StavrosK 10y ago
        Thank you!
charlieflowers 10y ago
I agree it's stupid, but I don't think consumer demand is driving it. Companies want smart TVs because they can control the DRM easier that way. For example, to get 4k content on your TV, you must have one of a small list of devices that the content provider supports ... most of which are smart TVs. For example, you can't watch Netflix 4K through a computer with a 4k capable graphics card. So the misguided and dumb concept of a "smart TV" is being forced on us.
- seanp2k2 10y ago
  Also, companies can monitor how you use it and gain analytics. The consumer benefits are just teasers to get you to buy it. The real value is in the data the company gets about your usage.
MBCook 10y ago
Are you aware that's more or less exactly how android auto and Apple CarPlay work? Through USB a wireless they send a video signal to the head unit and it sends the control and put back to the phone. So three years from now, whatever the new iPhone does with CarPlay it will still work in my car, only I'll get the updated features. iOS 10 improved CarPlay in a number of ways, and I expect that to continue. And since the head unit side doesn't have to change the car can't hold it back.
- homero 10y ago
  You'll probably be very wrong. You have usb c, usb 3, mhl, usb c hdmi, slimport, displayport, etc. The standards will change.
  - dawnerd 10y ago
    Cables might change but the protocol is actually pretty simple. VW manages to support Carplay, Android and mirror link. What I can see changing over the years is the phones being able to stream data from the cars sensors, making things like Automatic a thing of the past. It would be really nice if my car could report gas mileage to my phone and the phone be able to do whatever with it.
    - izacus 10y ago
      That's actually already part of Android Auto protocol (among with plethora of other sensors). The software doesn't use that data yet.
  - MBCook 10y ago
    The cable is a cable. Doesn't really matter what the port is, as long as the two can communicate. I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that USB two (which is what I'm guessing that uses) is not gonna be lost anytime soon through lack of backwards compatibility.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
kiallmacinnes 10y ago
Hah, I've actually thought about doing something like this.. Android TV is great on the nVidia Shield, it's awful on the Sony Android TVs. I want a dumb screen and a smart box... How did you know what LCD controller to get? Any pointers for my next TV purchase?

StavrosK 10y ago

Wait wait wait. Are all screen interfaces the same? You can just replace the motherboard of any brand TV and it will work? Do all panels use the same voltage/pins/protocol? That's huge, if so.

wernercd 10y ago
edited because I misread the thread
- StavrosK 10y ago
  Huh? I don't think you realize what either I or the GP are saying. I'm asking whether the LED/LCD panel on all TVs use the same protocol to drive the pixels, which is how it would be possible for the GP to replace his motherboard with a generic alternative.
  - wernercd 10y ago
    You're right... I think missed the last sentence. Ignore me :) Trapped inside because of blizzard.
    - lsh 10y ago
      Well, you know what they say "all work and no play ..."
erentz 10y ago
Woah woah woah. I'm also interested in this. I have a 47" LG Google TV that is horrible to use, very slow, terrible interface that keeps crashing, and seems to never get any updates. The screen is great though, I have a Roku plugged in and would love to just flash the Google TV OS off it with something dumb that booted it into dumb screen only mode. I didn't know I could replace the motherboard like this so easily.
- matt_wulfeck 10y ago
  It's so bad that simply turning it on to HDMI 1 is painful? I have a "smart" tv that really is just a display for the much better AppleTV.
- khedoros1 10y ago
  I've done something similar with an old laptop LCD panel, using an LVDS controller that I bought on Ebay. I assume that's basically what noonespecial did, but hopefully with a board that has more TV-useful features (mine just takes HDMI, VGA, and RCA video input, if I'm remembering correctly).
awqrre 10y ago
I don't have the same IOs in my TV, so at least that would need to be modified (unless you can install it outside of your TV)...
noonespecial 10y ago
A vast number of lcds use fairly common lvds interfaces. Boards like the one I bought are compatible with hundreds of screens, native resolutions and signal formats. You pick the resolution, voltage, and format by placing a file on a USB stick and flashing the board. You do have to look up the panel in question to make sure you get it right. You also must deal with the back light. Mine was modern, so easy. Just a 12 volt led. If it's an old cold cathode, you need a separate high voltage driver. I'd let a screen like that go. You've got better things to do... I glammed mine up by 3d printing a new little plate for the back to match my new board but that's not necessary.
- StavrosK 10y ago
  Huh, wow, that's fantastic news! No need to toss the whole TV if the motherboard dies, then (or, really, any other component except the panel itself). Where did you get the firmware from, by the way?
  - BuuQu9hu 10y ago
    Firmware should be on the board before you buy it.
  - noonespecial 10y ago
    It still a bit of a walk on the Chinese wild side. This should help. https://sites.google.com/site/lcd4hobby/5-lcd-as-pc-hdmi-av-tv-multidisplay https://sites.google.com/site/lcd4hobby/5-lcd-as-pc-hdmi-av-...
    - StavrosK 10y ago
      Thank you!

charlieflowers 10y ago

I agree it's stupid, but I don't think consumer demand is driving it. Companies want smart TVs because they can control the DRM easier that way. For example, to get 4k content on your TV, you must have one of a small list of devices that the content provider supports ... most of which are smart TVs. For example, you can't watch Netflix 4K through a computer with a 4k capable graphics card. So the misguided and dumb concept of a "smart TV" is being forced on us.

seanp2k2 10y ago
Also, companies can monitor how you use it and gain analytics. The consumer benefits are just teasers to get you to buy it. The real value is in the data the company gets about your usage.

MBCook 10y ago

Are you aware that's more or less exactly how android auto and Apple CarPlay work? Through USB a wireless they send a video signal to the head unit and it sends the control and put back to the phone. So three years from now, whatever the new iPhone does with CarPlay it will still work in my car, only I'll get the updated features. iOS 10 improved CarPlay in a number of ways, and I expect that to continue. And since the head unit side doesn't have to change the car can't hold it back.

homero 10y ago
You'll probably be very wrong. You have usb c, usb 3, mhl, usb c hdmi, slimport, displayport, etc. The standards will change.
- dawnerd 10y ago
  Cables might change but the protocol is actually pretty simple. VW manages to support Carplay, Android and mirror link. What I can see changing over the years is the phones being able to stream data from the cars sensors, making things like Automatic a thing of the past. It would be really nice if my car could report gas mileage to my phone and the phone be able to do whatever with it.
  - izacus 10y ago
    That's actually already part of Android Auto protocol (among with plethora of other sensors). The software doesn't use that data yet.
- MBCook 10y ago
  The cable is a cable. Doesn't really matter what the port is, as long as the two can communicate. I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that USB two (which is what I'm guessing that uses) is not gonna be lost anytime soon through lack of backwards compatibility.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]

kiallmacinnes 10y ago

Hah, I've actually thought about doing something like this.. Android TV is great on the nVidia Shield, it's awful on the Sony Android TVs. I want a dumb screen and a smart box... How did you know what LCD controller to get? Any pointers for my next TV purchase?