Had a similar thought before recently buying a new TV. I had heard of Samsung ads, LG's slow interface so was looking for something else. I do use a PiHole in t

Had a similar thought before recently buying a new TV. I had heard of Samsung ads, LG's slow interface so was looking for something else. I do use a PiHole in the house, but didn't want to rely on it. Ended up finding the Philips 50PUS6753/12 50in 4k - the previous version got What Hi-Fi's TV of year award and does a much better job than a PC monitor. Under £400 on Amazon atm. In-built sound is, for me, enough to avoid the soundbar. Also the Ambilight is a nice touch, sort of extending the picture beyond the screen. Responds to screen, audio or custom colour. Main thing though is there are no ads that I've noticed and it's a fast enough interface. Currently using the TV itself for catchup/freeview/youtube and the rpi as a media centre. You can just not plug the TV in too if you want it truly dumb.