5 ms·

A serious question. I use a “Smart TV” without any internet connectivity whatsoever. Never let it connect to my WiFi, neither did I connect Ethernet. This way I

A serious question. I use a “Smart TV” without any internet connectivity whatsoever. Never let it connect to my WiFi, neither did I connect Ethernet. This way I am happily enjoying a high quality “dumb TV” that I always wanted. Are all the complainers in HN really letting their TV connect to Internet (inspire of knowing all the crap TV manufacturers have been pulling all these years?!)

comprev 5y ago
My TV required connectivity during setup and then removed the config afterwards. About a week later I noticed the "home screen" showing adverts and somehow the Android TV had "auto-magically" reconnected. Had to change the WiFi password to avoid reconnecting. That reaffirmed my stance on Smart TVs remaining dumb in my house. Netflix through the Xbox only!
wickoff 5y ago
I watch YouTube and play music through my TV. I have no choice.
- gambiting 5y ago
  ....how? There are literally hundreds of devices that will offer YouTube playback and music for as little as £30-40. Whether it's a good idea or not is a different matter entirely, but the notion that you "have no choice" is just silly. Is someone forcing you to watch YouTube through your TV?
  - JohnJamesRambo 5y ago
    Is there a difference in your tv spying on you and those devices spying on you? I don’t mean this to sound confrontational or rhetorical, I really don’t know.
    - forty 5y ago
      You can install a good OS which doesn't spy on you on external devices.
    - nextaccountic 5y ago
      You can sometimes build your own Linux with Kodi with those devices. On the plus side, you're then not limited to use streaming services Netflix and can grab media from any place.
- ceejayoz 5y ago
  Your TV doesn’t have an HDMI port?
  - rrobukef 5y ago
    I had to update my TV to get the 4k resolution correct. Otherwise the screen was green-ified.
- reacharavindh 5y ago
  I do too. I bought a used Mac Mini online (any computer with a HDMI port will suffice). You get your browser on Tv. Hook up a wireless keyboard and mouse to your computer, and you can have your privacy friendly Internet TV experience.
fortran77 5y ago
> Are all the complainers in HN really letting their TV connect to Internet (inspire of knowing all the crap TV manufacturers have been pulling all these years?!) Why are people complaining about Smart TVs in a thread about SSD?
- reacharavindh 5y ago
  Because the parent commenter said Samsung Smart TVs are so garbage that even their own employees don’t prefer to buy it. Hence my comment that you can always buy a smart TV and use it as a dumb one by never allowing it to connect to the internet.
darksaints 5y ago
I have a smart tv and I don't like the fact that it connects to the internet...but would it be any better if I had a dumb tv and a fire stick? Honest question...I don't really know the difference.
- reacharavindh 5y ago
  Fire stick is probably not any better than using the apps on TV. I bought a used Mac mini, and connected it to my “dumb” TV via HDMI. I have a wireless keyboard and mouse for my TV. Netflix, YouTube, and anything available on a web browser is now available on my TV. In addition, I can use AirPlay to stream photos or music from my iPhone. This setup has been lovely.
- vidarh 5y ago
  It's better in the sense that if it starts pulling shit that goes one step too far for you, throwing a FireTV stick away is less of a sacrifice than junking the entire TV. That's my main reason for wanting to keep things separate.
vbezhenar 5y ago
My LG TV is always connected to the Internet and I don't use it as a dumb device at all, its only use it to watch local Netflix-like service and Youtube. I don't complain, though. Its smart capabilities are absolutely sufficient to me.

comprev 5y ago

My TV required connectivity during setup and then removed the config afterwards. About a week later I noticed the "home screen" showing adverts and somehow the Android TV had "auto-magically" reconnected. Had to change the WiFi password to avoid reconnecting. That reaffirmed my stance on Smart TVs remaining dumb in my house. Netflix through the Xbox only!

wickoff 5y ago

I watch YouTube and play music through my TV. I have no choice.

gambiting 5y ago
....how? There are literally hundreds of devices that will offer YouTube playback and music for as little as £30-40. Whether it's a good idea or not is a different matter entirely, but the notion that you "have no choice" is just silly. Is someone forcing you to watch YouTube through your TV?
- JohnJamesRambo 5y ago
  Is there a difference in your tv spying on you and those devices spying on you? I don’t mean this to sound confrontational or rhetorical, I really don’t know.
  - forty 5y ago
    You can install a good OS which doesn't spy on you on external devices.
  - nextaccountic 5y ago
    You can sometimes build your own Linux with Kodi with those devices. On the plus side, you're then not limited to use streaming services Netflix and can grab media from any place.
ceejayoz 5y ago
Your TV doesn’t have an HDMI port?
- rrobukef 5y ago
  I had to update my TV to get the 4k resolution correct. Otherwise the screen was green-ified.
reacharavindh 5y ago
I do too. I bought a used Mac Mini online (any computer with a HDMI port will suffice). You get your browser on Tv. Hook up a wireless keyboard and mouse to your computer, and you can have your privacy friendly Internet TV experience.

fortran77 5y ago

> Are all the complainers in HN really letting their TV connect to Internet (inspire of knowing all the crap TV manufacturers have been pulling all these years?!) Why are people complaining about Smart TVs in a thread about SSD?

reacharavindh 5y ago
Because the parent commenter said Samsung Smart TVs are so garbage that even their own employees don’t prefer to buy it. Hence my comment that you can always buy a smart TV and use it as a dumb one by never allowing it to connect to the internet.

darksaints 5y ago

I have a smart tv and I don't like the fact that it connects to the internet...but would it be any better if I had a dumb tv and a fire stick? Honest question...I don't really know the difference.

reacharavindh 5y ago
Fire stick is probably not any better than using the apps on TV. I bought a used Mac mini, and connected it to my “dumb” TV via HDMI. I have a wireless keyboard and mouse for my TV. Netflix, YouTube, and anything available on a web browser is now available on my TV. In addition, I can use AirPlay to stream photos or music from my iPhone. This setup has been lovely.
vidarh 5y ago
It's better in the sense that if it starts pulling shit that goes one step too far for you, throwing a FireTV stick away is less of a sacrifice than junking the entire TV. That's my main reason for wanting to keep things separate.

vbezhenar 5y ago

My LG TV is always connected to the Internet and I don't use it as a dumb device at all, its only use it to watch local Netflix-like service and Youtube. I don't complain, though. Its smart capabilities are absolutely sufficient to me.