12 ms·

Trying to find a good non smart tv is impossible now, I want dumb tv and dumb fridge

kleiba 5y ago
I don't own a smart TV, so this question is probably a bit naive - but what happens if you don't connect your smart TV to the internet?
- dodobirdlord 5y ago
  Sometimes they will seek out nearby open WiFi networks to join. There’s concern that in coming years with the spread of 5G availability that smart TVs may start packaging a 5G modem and connecting to cell networks, bypassing the need to be connected to a WiFi network.
  - tshaddox 5y ago
    Why would 5G make that be a more viable choice for the TV manufacturers than existing widespread cellular networks?
    - handrous 5y ago
      It's supposed to enable much-cheaper options for IoT applications. If the cost of the chip + the cost of low-bandwidth access drops below the profit gained by ensuring all your TVs can always reach an unfiltered network, they'll start adding them.
    - ectopod 5y ago
      As I understand it, the standard allows a single tower to offer different quality of service levels so operators can sell cheap low bandwidth connections to IoT manufacturers. TVs wouldn't have modems before because no TV manufacturer wanted to pay for a full 3G or 4G connection.
    - rocqua 5y ago
      Because 5G is intentionally marketed as having this functionality. It helps by allowing more efficient low-speed connections, and simpler radio design for very simple implementation. It also has 'slicing' which would make it much easier to provide a wide 5G network to e.g. all LG devices without LG building towers.
    - raxxorrax 5y ago
      Because getting the data about what people are watching plus maybe input from microphone/camera is more valuable than a contract with mobile carriers that would give good prices to vendors.
  - Hamuko 5y ago
    I can't wait to figure out how to run rtorrent on my 5G-enabled TV.
  - deadbunny 5y ago
    > Sometimes they will seek out nearby open WiFi networks to join [Citation Needed]
    - fouric 5y ago
      https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27701977 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27701977 which links to https://old.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/bpr6xs/if_you_choose_to_not_connect_your_samsung_smart/ https://old.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/bpr6xs/if_you_choo... which is archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20201003141448/https://old.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/bpr6xs/if_you_choose_to_not_connect_your_samsung_smart/ https://web.archive.org/web/20201003141448/https://old.reddi...
      - deadbunny 5y ago
        So one Reddit post with zero evidence that has since been deleted? While I understand the distrust I'll take some repeatable evidence (which would be excedingly easy to do) over a random, now deleted Reddit post.
        fouric 5y ago
        > which would be excedingly easy to do False. You would need to buy (or just randomly happen to have) a smart TV model that exhibits this characteristic, which would be very difficult to find, as there is a very wide spread of smart TV models and features, and obviously this "feature" wouldn't be advertised. This is neither easy nor free. You're also clearly moving the goalposts. You first asked for evidence, and then discarded the evidence because "it wasn't good enough". Nor is this capability either technically difficult to implement, illegal, easily-noticed by the average consumer, or abnormal for companies like Samsung, which already engage in highly-intrusive ad-surveillance activities[1]. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24662353 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24662353
        _carbyau_ 5y ago
        While I am rather cynical about manufacturers of all sizes and their attitudes towards customers, I agree with the GP. If this is a common thing, this should be easy to replicate. If it is one unverified reported incident in the whole world then... I have to be skeptical. Don't get me wrong though, my innate cynicism expects this or similar via 5G to be coming in the near future. But it doesn't appear to be happening yet.
- bombcar 5y ago
  It will work but it will have junk it really doesn't need complaining now and then, and be generally slow. Your best bet for a "non smart TV" is either a commercial/industrial one, or just use a monitor instead.
  - axelthegerman 5y ago
    Yea a monitor is not a bad idea but they don't come in very large sizes or are way overpriced. Also if you'd want a decent speaker build in, monitors are not always the best
    - c0nfused 5y ago
      Look into conference room monitors they run around 1k USD and typically are available for reasonable tv Sizes. I think the Dell ones are Up to 55 inch
  - sersi 5y ago
    or a videoprojector. JVC videoprojectors are really great, extremely high image quality and are dumb :)
  - alerighi 5y ago
    Not something I would install to my grandma. Really, she doesn't of course have internet, just the old analog landline phones, doesn't know how to use a computer or a smartphone or anything like that, I want a TV that is simple, just press a button and it powers up on the specified channel. Next year they will switch off DVB to migrate to DVB-T2, and of course I must buy her a new TV (using a decoder it's not an option, too complex having to manage two remotes controls), and it seems that nobody produces dumb TVs anymore...
- axelthegerman 5y ago
  It still takes forever to turn on, has a bunch of menus nobody needs and probably keeps bugging you to connect it to the Internet :( Takes me a minute to turn on my stupid smart TV and switch it to HDMI in
  - lotsofpulp 5y ago
    I find Sony TVs to be pretty quick. I use it them in conjunction with Apple TV, and I never have to deal with the TV itself, and it is quick to turn itself off and on via HDMI CEC. They are not the high end models either, I have a $630 one from 2016 and a $600 one from 2020.
    - handrous 5y ago
      My Roku-built-in TV is usable in maybe 3-4 seconds—when it's in sleep mode. A cold boot (say, if it's lost power for any reason) does take tens of seconds. Meanwhile, my dumb LCD TV from ~2008 only does cold boots and comes up in maybe 2 seconds, no matter what.
      - lotsofpulp 5y ago
        I assume Roku does not have the sufficient resources to properly equip their products with the necessary hardware to cope with their software, resulting in a compromised product that manifests as slow start times. Unfortunately, I do not see how some of these smaller players can come close to being competitive with the big players seeing how small the profit margins are on physical devices. Unless they have a reputation for very high quality, I assume there are lots of compromises being made on the hardware side to be able to compete on price.
        asdff 5y ago
        Its not just Roku. Every single TV sold is like this from every single manufacturer. They are all slower and shittier at being a TV screen than my 720p screen from like 2005. What's with that? It's like a giant cabal of an entire industry deciding that their customers aren't worth the hardware, no matter of its some Walmart only entry level TV or the top of the line thousands of dollars screen from a major brand. The only way to get a competent TV is to not even buy retail, but buy the same exact panels without the dumb hardware from the commercial market.
- gorjusborg 5y ago
  If the incentives stay strong enough, they'll likely just build in 'free' mobile data to bypass your network. Faraday cage or soldering iron, anyone?
  - apk17 5y ago
    Our TV started to complain that the Wifi module was unplugged (which apparently is on the main board). Problem: This happened regularly with a dialog box. 'Solution': Put a Wifi dongle in the USB port.
- apocalypstyx 5y ago
  Some brands/models can't even be setup without an internet connection and setting up accounts (and sometimes credit card information). Eventually, they'll probably have their own independent 5g connection.
  - rocqua 5y ago
    Source / link? I would love to dive into such an example.
    - apocalypstyx 5y ago
      I can't remember the brand. I think it was one of the cheaper Roku tvs produced by a Chinese company I saw when I was looking for a replacement for my parents (reminds me of the issues with Onyx Boox devices). At this point, I just assume everything is spying. (Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to harvest your data, I guess.) https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/09/18/you-watch-tv-your-tv-watches-back/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/09/18/you-wat... https://www.tomsguide.com/news/skyworth-tv-spying https://www.tomsguide.com/news/skyworth-tv-spying
- quietbritishjim 5y ago
  It depends strongly on the brand. LG is well known to be good in that situation. I bought one on the recommendation of HN comments and it seems to work great to me.
- bennyp101 5y ago
  I have mine going via pihole, and every few days it basically comes crashing to a halt and needs turning off/on at the plug. I guess keeping it totally off would be better, but then it kinda defeats the point of getting a smart tv edit: It's a Roku, so probably worse than others.
- brewdad 5y ago
  Some (Sony) pop up random nag screens in the middle of the movie or show you're watching. Even if that show is being streamed on a different smart device or you are watching OTA TV where internet is completely unnecessary.
adflux 5y ago
Plenty of dumb projectors on the market, ofcourse not suitable for many rooms, but maybe worth considering
nerdawson 5y ago
TV manufacturers are responding, often clumsily and based on their self-interest (data collection), to what consumers want. Trying to find a dumb TV is like trying to find a car without a built in radio. You're welcome to leave it switched off. Smart TVs are dumb if they aren't connected to the internet. Some may be slow. Some may have a poor interface. I'd worry about solving for that rather than expecting manufacturers to cater to a very niche group.
- fsflover 5y ago
  > Smart TVs are dumb if they aren't connected to the internet. Unless they find an open WiFi network.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - gryn 5y ago
    or come integrated with an unremovable sim card that connects to a private Corporate APN.
    - nerdawson 5y ago
      There are a million things TV manufacturers could do that would be a problem but I think we should be focusing our attention on what they actually are doing. Hardcoding DNS for example which makes Pi-hole ineffective. That is increasingly happening and should quite rightly be criticised.
      - nitrogen 5y ago
        I think we should be focusing our attention on what they actually are doing. It's absolutely necessary to try to anticipate the future, because the future always becomes the present. If we don't try to anticipate, we will be stuck with whatever is given to us. Like the introduction of ads on Android TV.
  - 5y ago
Smithalicious 5y ago
TV design decisions baffle me. Why no displayport? Why only optical audio out and no jack? I just have mine hooked up to my pc with a long hdmi cable so my use case might be unusual, though.
midasuni 5y ago
How do you define TV There’s the LCD screen A driver to convert an input (hdmi, vga, ntsc, DVB/ATSC, MPEG, HLS) A speaker (or more), with input (from driver or not) A control plane of some sort to control the other bits (brightness, gamma, input, volume) It seems that people who want dumb TVs want most of that, including different inputs, but just a specific driver and/or control plane A computer monitor will do most of this just fine, especially if matched with a separate speaker.
- bogwog 5y ago
  Computer monitors are (typically) significantly more expensive than TVs (smart or not).
- cesarb 5y ago
  > How do you define TV By the presence of a built-in TV receiver (DVB, ISDB, etc). If it doesn't have such a built-in receiver, it's a monitor.
- alerighi 5y ago
  Monitors have other purposes of TVs, the things that are important on a monitor are not the same on a TV, and a good monitor doesn't necessary mean that it's a good TV or vice versa. See the same difference in the audio world: there is monitor/studio equipment that has the purpose of reproducing the sound as closely as possible to the original media, and then there is listening equipment that is meant to make the sound more enjoyable for the listener. Monitors also doesn't include a TV receiver. While that can be an advantage in countries like mine for people that wants only to look at internet content since if you have a TV with a receiver you have to pay a tax, it doesn't work for people that just want's to watch TV, meaning connecting the power and aerial cable to the TV and use it. You need an external decoder, that needs to have a separate remote control, you then need two power outlets, more cables, you then have to install the decoder somewhere, it's not as clean as having it integrate in the TV itself. I think especially at my grandma, that doesn't have internet, and wants a TV that is as simple as possible, press 1 on the remote and the TV turns on at the channel 1. Press volume up/down and the power button. Nowadays it's difficult to find TV with that requisite, modern remotes have a ton of buttons what will bring up functionalities that then are difficult to exit, especially for an 85 years old woman that never used a computer or a smartphone or anything other than a TV and the landline phone.
LeoPanthera 5y ago
It's expensive, but certainly not impossible. What you are looking for is a "commercial monitor". https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Flat-Panel-Displays/ci/16073/N/4205668456 https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Flat-Panel-Displays/ci/16...
- SilverRed 5y ago
  I just put my desk in front of the couch and use the big PC monitor as a TV.
bserge 5y ago
Get a laser projector, it's life changing.
- raxxorrax 5y ago
  I think the worst thing about projectors is their noise. I heard lasers are a bit better here, but I only saw a model that was as noisy as the others, while the image wasn't that much or even at all better. That was in the quality segment that use DLP for image modulation. Did this improve in recent years?
  - bserge 5y ago
    Hmm, can't say I've been bothered by noise on any projector. Primarily because the audio system or headphones drown it out. Cooling design hasn't changed much from what I've seen but newer projectors are quieter.
alkonaut 5y ago
I don’t want to pay a premium for dumb TV though. Just like a laptop without crapware is more expensive because the crapware actually subsidizes it, a dumb TV can be more expensive. But if you pick a good (quick, without annoying UI, allows USB upgrade and offline configuration and so on) smart TV and just don’t connect it, I think that’s probably a better idea than getting a commercial monitor for example.
- kevindong 5y ago
  I bought a mid-range Vizio about two years ago. Vizio has progressively made its OS more and more laggy every few months and filled it to the brim with unblockable ads. Software updates would regularly break things for a few days/weeks at a time until the changes get rolled back. When Apple came out with their new Apple TV, I bought one, connected that to my TV, and disconnected my TV from the internet. Now life is good since the Apple TV is buttery smooth and does not have ads.
  - alkonaut 5y ago
    The TV shows ads? In menus? Or while watching TV channels? Or at startup? Or, when? I’d pull the internet cable in a heartbeat if I saw an ad on it, and I’m on my second smart TV for the last 10 years (although my current one is 7 years old). I mean I don’t actually use any of the “smart” stuff. No Apps or anything. Not sure why anyone would want to? I watch my TV channels on the built in receiver (90% or more of what I watch is regular scheduled TV, I love my old fashioned TV channels!), and I cast stuff to it when I want to stream Netflix or sports.
    - kevindong 5y ago
      When I switch apps (e.g. Youtube, Netflix, Plex, etc.), the switcher has several rows of media that I must scroll past. That media usually comprises of media that I am not subscribed to and would have to pay to access (e.g. mostly random shows or movies). There were no ads (from Vizio) once I was inside of an app. I don't subscribe to TV/cable/satellite. I only have Youtube Premium (ad free Youtube videos; not Youtube TV), Netflix, Amazon Prime TV, Nebula, and a local Plex server.
MonaroVXR 5y ago
https://www.cdw.com/product/samsung-678u-series-55-4k-uhd-led-hospitality-tv/5364487 https://www.cdw.com/product/samsung-678u-series-55-4k-uhd-le... It's a hospital TV Check for more on their website.

I don't own a smart TV, so this question is probably a bit naive - but what happens if you don't connect your smart TV to the internet?

dodobirdlord 5y ago
Sometimes they will seek out nearby open WiFi networks to join. There’s concern that in coming years with the spread of 5G availability that smart TVs may start packaging a 5G modem and connecting to cell networks, bypassing the need to be connected to a WiFi network.
- tshaddox 5y ago
  Why would 5G make that be a more viable choice for the TV manufacturers than existing widespread cellular networks?
  - handrous 5y ago
    It's supposed to enable much-cheaper options for IoT applications. If the cost of the chip + the cost of low-bandwidth access drops below the profit gained by ensuring all your TVs can always reach an unfiltered network, they'll start adding them.
  - ectopod 5y ago
    As I understand it, the standard allows a single tower to offer different quality of service levels so operators can sell cheap low bandwidth connections to IoT manufacturers. TVs wouldn't have modems before because no TV manufacturer wanted to pay for a full 3G or 4G connection.
  - rocqua 5y ago
    Because 5G is intentionally marketed as having this functionality. It helps by allowing more efficient low-speed connections, and simpler radio design for very simple implementation. It also has 'slicing' which would make it much easier to provide a wide 5G network to e.g. all LG devices without LG building towers.
  - raxxorrax 5y ago
    Because getting the data about what people are watching plus maybe input from microphone/camera is more valuable than a contract with mobile carriers that would give good prices to vendors.
- Hamuko 5y ago
  I can't wait to figure out how to run rtorrent on my 5G-enabled TV.
- deadbunny 5y ago
  > Sometimes they will seek out nearby open WiFi networks to join [Citation Needed]
  - fouric 5y ago
    https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27701977 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27701977 which links to https://old.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/bpr6xs/if_you_choose_to_not_connect_your_samsung_smart/ https://old.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/bpr6xs/if_you_choo... which is archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20201003141448/https://old.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/bpr6xs/if_you_choose_to_not_connect_your_samsung_smart/ https://web.archive.org/web/20201003141448/https://old.reddi...
    - deadbunny 5y ago
      So one Reddit post with zero evidence that has since been deleted? While I understand the distrust I'll take some repeatable evidence (which would be excedingly easy to do) over a random, now deleted Reddit post.
      - fouric 5y ago
        > which would be excedingly easy to do False. You would need to buy (or just randomly happen to have) a smart TV model that exhibits this characteristic, which would be very difficult to find, as there is a very wide spread of smart TV models and features, and obviously this "feature" wouldn't be advertised. This is neither easy nor free. You're also clearly moving the goalposts. You first asked for evidence, and then discarded the evidence because "it wasn't good enough". Nor is this capability either technically difficult to implement, illegal, easily-noticed by the average consumer, or abnormal for companies like Samsung, which already engage in highly-intrusive ad-surveillance activities[1]. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24662353 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24662353
        _carbyau_ 5y ago
        While I am rather cynical about manufacturers of all sizes and their attitudes towards customers, I agree with the GP. If this is a common thing, this should be easy to replicate. If it is one unverified reported incident in the whole world then... I have to be skeptical. Don't get me wrong though, my innate cynicism expects this or similar via 5G to be coming in the near future. But it doesn't appear to be happening yet.
bombcar 5y ago
It will work but it will have junk it really doesn't need complaining now and then, and be generally slow. Your best bet for a "non smart TV" is either a commercial/industrial one, or just use a monitor instead.
- axelthegerman 5y ago
  Yea a monitor is not a bad idea but they don't come in very large sizes or are way overpriced. Also if you'd want a decent speaker build in, monitors are not always the best
  - c0nfused 5y ago
    Look into conference room monitors they run around 1k USD and typically are available for reasonable tv Sizes. I think the Dell ones are Up to 55 inch
- sersi 5y ago
  or a videoprojector. JVC videoprojectors are really great, extremely high image quality and are dumb :)
- alerighi 5y ago
  Not something I would install to my grandma. Really, she doesn't of course have internet, just the old analog landline phones, doesn't know how to use a computer or a smartphone or anything like that, I want a TV that is simple, just press a button and it powers up on the specified channel. Next year they will switch off DVB to migrate to DVB-T2, and of course I must buy her a new TV (using a decoder it's not an option, too complex having to manage two remotes controls), and it seems that nobody produces dumb TVs anymore...
axelthegerman 5y ago
It still takes forever to turn on, has a bunch of menus nobody needs and probably keeps bugging you to connect it to the Internet :( Takes me a minute to turn on my stupid smart TV and switch it to HDMI in
- lotsofpulp 5y ago
  I find Sony TVs to be pretty quick. I use it them in conjunction with Apple TV, and I never have to deal with the TV itself, and it is quick to turn itself off and on via HDMI CEC. They are not the high end models either, I have a $630 one from 2016 and a $600 one from 2020.
  - handrous 5y ago
    My Roku-built-in TV is usable in maybe 3-4 seconds—when it's in sleep mode. A cold boot (say, if it's lost power for any reason) does take tens of seconds. Meanwhile, my dumb LCD TV from ~2008 only does cold boots and comes up in maybe 2 seconds, no matter what.
    - lotsofpulp 5y ago
      I assume Roku does not have the sufficient resources to properly equip their products with the necessary hardware to cope with their software, resulting in a compromised product that manifests as slow start times. Unfortunately, I do not see how some of these smaller players can come close to being competitive with the big players seeing how small the profit margins are on physical devices. Unless they have a reputation for very high quality, I assume there are lots of compromises being made on the hardware side to be able to compete on price.
      - asdff 5y ago
        Its not just Roku. Every single TV sold is like this from every single manufacturer. They are all slower and shittier at being a TV screen than my 720p screen from like 2005. What's with that? It's like a giant cabal of an entire industry deciding that their customers aren't worth the hardware, no matter of its some Walmart only entry level TV or the top of the line thousands of dollars screen from a major brand. The only way to get a competent TV is to not even buy retail, but buy the same exact panels without the dumb hardware from the commercial market.
gorjusborg 5y ago
If the incentives stay strong enough, they'll likely just build in 'free' mobile data to bypass your network. Faraday cage or soldering iron, anyone?
- apk17 5y ago
  Our TV started to complain that the Wifi module was unplugged (which apparently is on the main board). Problem: This happened regularly with a dialog box. 'Solution': Put a Wifi dongle in the USB port.
apocalypstyx 5y ago
Some brands/models can't even be setup without an internet connection and setting up accounts (and sometimes credit card information). Eventually, they'll probably have their own independent 5g connection.
- rocqua 5y ago
  Source / link? I would love to dive into such an example.
  - apocalypstyx 5y ago
    I can't remember the brand. I think it was one of the cheaper Roku tvs produced by a Chinese company I saw when I was looking for a replacement for my parents (reminds me of the issues with Onyx Boox devices). At this point, I just assume everything is spying. (Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to harvest your data, I guess.) https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/09/18/you-watch-tv-your-tv-watches-back/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/09/18/you-wat... https://www.tomsguide.com/news/skyworth-tv-spying https://www.tomsguide.com/news/skyworth-tv-spying
quietbritishjim 5y ago
It depends strongly on the brand. LG is well known to be good in that situation. I bought one on the recommendation of HN comments and it seems to work great to me.
bennyp101 5y ago
I have mine going via pihole, and every few days it basically comes crashing to a halt and needs turning off/on at the plug. I guess keeping it totally off would be better, but then it kinda defeats the point of getting a smart tv edit: It's a Roku, so probably worse than others.
brewdad 5y ago
Some (Sony) pop up random nag screens in the middle of the movie or show you're watching. Even if that show is being streamed on a different smart device or you are watching OTA TV where internet is completely unnecessary.

adflux 5y ago

Plenty of dumb projectors on the market, ofcourse not suitable for many rooms, but maybe worth considering

nerdawson 5y ago

TV manufacturers are responding, often clumsily and based on their self-interest (data collection), to what consumers want. Trying to find a dumb TV is like trying to find a car without a built in radio. You're welcome to leave it switched off. Smart TVs are dumb if they aren't connected to the internet. Some may be slow. Some may have a poor interface. I'd worry about solving for that rather than expecting manufacturers to cater to a very niche group.

fsflover 5y ago
> Smart TVs are dumb if they aren't connected to the internet. Unless they find an open WiFi network.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- gryn 5y ago
  or come integrated with an unremovable sim card that connects to a private Corporate APN.
  - nerdawson 5y ago
    There are a million things TV manufacturers could do that would be a problem but I think we should be focusing our attention on what they actually are doing. Hardcoding DNS for example which makes Pi-hole ineffective. That is increasingly happening and should quite rightly be criticised.
    - nitrogen 5y ago
      I think we should be focusing our attention on what they actually are doing. It's absolutely necessary to try to anticipate the future, because the future always becomes the present. If we don't try to anticipate, we will be stuck with whatever is given to us. Like the introduction of ads on Android TV.
- 5y ago

Smithalicious 5y ago

TV design decisions baffle me. Why no displayport? Why only optical audio out and no jack? I just have mine hooked up to my pc with a long hdmi cable so my use case might be unusual, though.

midasuni 5y ago

How do you define TV There’s the LCD screen A driver to convert an input (hdmi, vga, ntsc, DVB/ATSC, MPEG, HLS) A speaker (or more), with input (from driver or not) A control plane of some sort to control the other bits (brightness, gamma, input, volume) It seems that people who want dumb TVs want most of that, including different inputs, but just a specific driver and/or control plane A computer monitor will do most of this just fine, especially if matched with a separate speaker.

bogwog 5y ago
Computer monitors are (typically) significantly more expensive than TVs (smart or not).
cesarb 5y ago
> How do you define TV By the presence of a built-in TV receiver (DVB, ISDB, etc). If it doesn't have such a built-in receiver, it's a monitor.
alerighi 5y ago
Monitors have other purposes of TVs, the things that are important on a monitor are not the same on a TV, and a good monitor doesn't necessary mean that it's a good TV or vice versa. See the same difference in the audio world: there is monitor/studio equipment that has the purpose of reproducing the sound as closely as possible to the original media, and then there is listening equipment that is meant to make the sound more enjoyable for the listener. Monitors also doesn't include a TV receiver. While that can be an advantage in countries like mine for people that wants only to look at internet content since if you have a TV with a receiver you have to pay a tax, it doesn't work for people that just want's to watch TV, meaning connecting the power and aerial cable to the TV and use it. You need an external decoder, that needs to have a separate remote control, you then need two power outlets, more cables, you then have to install the decoder somewhere, it's not as clean as having it integrate in the TV itself. I think especially at my grandma, that doesn't have internet, and wants a TV that is as simple as possible, press 1 on the remote and the TV turns on at the channel 1. Press volume up/down and the power button. Nowadays it's difficult to find TV with that requisite, modern remotes have a ton of buttons what will bring up functionalities that then are difficult to exit, especially for an 85 years old woman that never used a computer or a smartphone or anything other than a TV and the landline phone.

LeoPanthera 5y ago

It's expensive, but certainly not impossible. What you are looking for is a "commercial monitor". https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Flat-Panel-Displays/ci/16073/N/4205668456 https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Flat-Panel-Displays/ci/16...

SilverRed 5y ago
I just put my desk in front of the couch and use the big PC monitor as a TV.

bserge 5y ago

Get a laser projector, it's life changing.

raxxorrax 5y ago
I think the worst thing about projectors is their noise. I heard lasers are a bit better here, but I only saw a model that was as noisy as the others, while the image wasn't that much or even at all better. That was in the quality segment that use DLP for image modulation. Did this improve in recent years?
- bserge 5y ago
  Hmm, can't say I've been bothered by noise on any projector. Primarily because the audio system or headphones drown it out. Cooling design hasn't changed much from what I've seen but newer projectors are quieter.

alkonaut 5y ago

I don’t want to pay a premium for dumb TV though. Just like a laptop without crapware is more expensive because the crapware actually subsidizes it, a dumb TV can be more expensive. But if you pick a good (quick, without annoying UI, allows USB upgrade and offline configuration and so on) smart TV and just don’t connect it, I think that’s probably a better idea than getting a commercial monitor for example.

kevindong 5y ago
I bought a mid-range Vizio about two years ago. Vizio has progressively made its OS more and more laggy every few months and filled it to the brim with unblockable ads. Software updates would regularly break things for a few days/weeks at a time until the changes get rolled back. When Apple came out with their new Apple TV, I bought one, connected that to my TV, and disconnected my TV from the internet. Now life is good since the Apple TV is buttery smooth and does not have ads.
- alkonaut 5y ago
  The TV shows ads? In menus? Or while watching TV channels? Or at startup? Or, when? I’d pull the internet cable in a heartbeat if I saw an ad on it, and I’m on my second smart TV for the last 10 years (although my current one is 7 years old). I mean I don’t actually use any of the “smart” stuff. No Apps or anything. Not sure why anyone would want to? I watch my TV channels on the built in receiver (90% or more of what I watch is regular scheduled TV, I love my old fashioned TV channels!), and I cast stuff to it when I want to stream Netflix or sports.
  - kevindong 5y ago
    When I switch apps (e.g. Youtube, Netflix, Plex, etc.), the switcher has several rows of media that I must scroll past. That media usually comprises of media that I am not subscribed to and would have to pay to access (e.g. mostly random shows or movies). There were no ads (from Vizio) once I was inside of an app. I don't subscribe to TV/cable/satellite. I only have Youtube Premium (ad free Youtube videos; not Youtube TV), Netflix, Amazon Prime TV, Nebula, and a local Plex server.

MonaroVXR 5y ago

https://www.cdw.com/product/samsung-678u-series-55-4k-uhd-led-hospitality-tv/5364487 https://www.cdw.com/product/samsung-678u-series-55-4k-uhd-le... It's a hospital TV Check for more on their website.