3 ms·

If you don't connect it to the internet, all TVs are dumb.

nickthegreek 7y ago
At least until TV manufacturers start having them try and connect to open wifi points or try and piggy back off of a connection thru HDMI ARC.
- foobiekr 7y ago
  Or embed a $2 3g dongle.
  - kelnos 7y ago
    The real cost there is data usage, and just keeping the SIM live. Even with large volume discounts, that's not gonna be cheap. (Wireless carriers don't price machine uses cases the same way they do retail phone SIM cards.) And then there's obsolescence: you said 3G... how long before carriers have shut down their 3G networks, or at least have reduced coverage to the point where it's hard to get a 3G connection in most places? Granted, if the manufacturers only use that as a backup, since most customers probably will connect the TV to their wifi, maybe it won't cost that much.
    - danieldk 7y ago
      The real cost there is data usage, and just keeping the SIM live. Even with large volume discounts, that's not gonna be cheap. (Wireless carriers don't price machine uses cases the same way they do retail phone SIM cards.) I don't buy this. Here in the Netherlands, every house is fitted with a smart electricity/gas meter, that connects over cellular. The Kindle 3G has worldwide connectivity. If Samsung or Sony goes to a major carrier to get a low-data rate 3G or 4G connection to send viewing habits, etc., times a gazillion units, they will get it. Such analytics are worth a lot, so I guess the cost is easy to offset.
- kelnos 7y ago
  I recall a comment on HN a few months ago from someone who said they deliberately didn't connect their smart TV to their wifi, but then found that the internet-enabled features were in fact working. Turns out the TV had indeed found an open wifi network on its own and had automatically connected. They had to create a locked-down VLAN on their own network (with no outside connectivity), and connect to that in order to get the TV to remain offline.
  - kwhitefoot 7y ago
    I wish my laptop were as clever!
  - Jonnax 7y ago
    Did they name this TV brand and model? Because this sounds a bit ridiculous. The majority of open WiFi networks are WiFi pages with captive portal logins. Of those, there's a good subset of which you need to pay for. Sounds more like a case that someone else connected the TV to the WiFi network to browse YouTube and when they discovered it they decided to choose the most farfetched reason.

At least until TV manufacturers start having them try and connect to open wifi points or try and piggy back off of a connection thru HDMI ARC.

foobiekr 7y ago
Or embed a $2 3g dongle.
- kelnos 7y ago
  The real cost there is data usage, and just keeping the SIM live. Even with large volume discounts, that's not gonna be cheap. (Wireless carriers don't price machine uses cases the same way they do retail phone SIM cards.) And then there's obsolescence: you said 3G... how long before carriers have shut down their 3G networks, or at least have reduced coverage to the point where it's hard to get a 3G connection in most places? Granted, if the manufacturers only use that as a backup, since most customers probably will connect the TV to their wifi, maybe it won't cost that much.
  - danieldk 7y ago
    The real cost there is data usage, and just keeping the SIM live. Even with large volume discounts, that's not gonna be cheap. (Wireless carriers don't price machine uses cases the same way they do retail phone SIM cards.) I don't buy this. Here in the Netherlands, every house is fitted with a smart electricity/gas meter, that connects over cellular. The Kindle 3G has worldwide connectivity. If Samsung or Sony goes to a major carrier to get a low-data rate 3G or 4G connection to send viewing habits, etc., times a gazillion units, they will get it. Such analytics are worth a lot, so I guess the cost is easy to offset.
kelnos 7y ago
I recall a comment on HN a few months ago from someone who said they deliberately didn't connect their smart TV to their wifi, but then found that the internet-enabled features were in fact working. Turns out the TV had indeed found an open wifi network on its own and had automatically connected. They had to create a locked-down VLAN on their own network (with no outside connectivity), and connect to that in order to get the TV to remain offline.
- kwhitefoot 7y ago
  I wish my laptop were as clever!
- Jonnax 7y ago
  Did they name this TV brand and model? Because this sounds a bit ridiculous. The majority of open WiFi networks are WiFi pages with captive portal logins. Of those, there's a good subset of which you need to pay for. Sounds more like a case that someone else connected the TV to the WiFi network to browse YouTube and when they discovered it they decided to choose the most farfetched reason.