The problem with the Link is more or less "devices" that rely on the network for core functionality. So I'm not sure that a smart TV is the best parallel, as mo

The problem with the Link is more or less "devices" that rely on the network for core functionality. So I'm not sure that a smart TV is the best parallel, as most of them from what I know will work without the Internet. To go with the music world, the best parallel would be the increasingly annoying tendency for music software to move to "cloud" based offerings or other Internet authorization techniques. For instance Roland, with their "cloud plugins", apparently thinks all music venues have super spiffy wifi, as they require network authorization every time the plugin loads in the DAW. (https://www.rolandcloud.com/faq#FAQLink17 https://www.rolandcloud.com/faq#FAQLink17) If Roland ever pulled this authorization scheme, poof, your plugins no longer work. I have a 16 year old keyboard (Alesis Andromeda) and a synth that is a bit over a quarter of a century old (Roland D-50), and they both work fine more or less (a few issues here and there but nothing that stops me from using it). They don't need an Internet connection just to work. The companies can discontinue support (or even go bankrupt, in Alesis's case), and the synths still work. Personally, I certainly do not have great confidence that the Roland Cloud authorization service will last a quarter century. Hardware that requires the Internet to work is no different than software that requires the Internet to work, it honestly is a risky prospect for longevity. The Harmony Link from what I see was released in 2011. Maybe 7 years is a long time in this current disposable electronics world, but it doesn't feel like that to me.