I absolutely hate “smart” TVs! You can’t even buy a quality “dumb” panel anymore. I can’t convince the rest of my family and friends that the only things those smarts bring are built-in obsolescence, ads, and privacy issues.
I make it a point to NEVER connect my new 2022 LG C2 to the Internet, as any possible improvements from firmware updates will be overshadowed by garbage like ads in the UI, removal of existing features (warning: reddit link), privacy violations, possible attack vectors, non-existent security, and constant data breaches of the manufacturers that threaten to expose every bit of personal data that they suck up. Not to mention increased sluggishness after tons of unwanted “improvements” are stuffed into it over the years, as the chipset ages and can no longer cope.
I’d much rather spend a tenth of the price of my TV on a streaming box (Roku, Shield TV, etc.) and replace those after similar things happen to them in a few years. For example, the display of my OG 32-inch Sony Google TV from 2010 ($500) still works fine, but the OS has long been abandoned by both Sony and Google, and since 2015-16 even the basic things like YouTube and Chrome apps don’t work anymore. Thank goodness I can set the HDMI port as default start-up, so I don’t ever need to see the TV’s native UI, and a new Roku Streaming Stick ($45) does just fine on this 720p panel. Plus, I’m not locked into the Roku ecosystem. If they begin (continue?) enshitifying their products, there are tons of other options available at similar price.
Most people don’t replace their TVs every couple of years. Hell, my decade old 60-inch Sharp Aquos 1080p LCD TV that I bought for $2200 back in 2011 still works fine, and I only had to replace the streamer that’s been driving it twice during all this time. Sony Google TV Box -> Nvidia Shield TV 2015 -> Nvidia Shield TV 2019. I plan to keep it in my basement until it dies completely before replacing it. The Shield TV goes to the LG C2 so that I never have to see LG’s craptastic UI.
Sorry, just felt the need to vent. Would be very interested in reading community’s opinions on this topic.
The specs on those QET models don’t look great. 300 nits max brightness? That can’t be right. Aren’t they designed to be in brightly lit areas like inside stores?
I’d much rather have a VESA mount than a stand. VESA stands are easy to find and cheap, and if you want to wall mount or get a fancier stand that is an option.
edit - It was not easy find this. As I wasn’t in a hurry at the time I took a while to find an acceptable model. Thinking more about it using eBay’s boolean search options may have helped drill down to good choices.
I made the mistake of using the LG smart tv features for like 2 years. I set up a pihole to block ads and eventually WebOS just quit working because ads and trackers did t work anymore. I factory reset the tv and switched over to a Roku stick. That worked well for nearly 4 years. Now I’m on a $19 ONN 4k streaming stick from Walmart. It’s actually kinda beef for what it is. Made by Asus and flashed LineageOS on it. Audio drops out and requires a reboot every few days. I want to move to a Nvidia shield but haven’t had the funds for it because I’m in a kitchen remodel.
I’ve got an nvidia shield but if you’re looking for cheap and good, google chromecasts are good these days. I managed to get one for free with an offer too.
The thing about chromecast dongles is they integrate with Android. You kind of have to use it with Android if you want to just stream easily with Apps. It is kind of amazing. Be it photos, Netflix, Tubi, … Just open your mobile app as usual and hit the streaming button. You can even disconnect your mobile device in many cases after streaming starts.
Privacy. Have no idea, but my default assumption is not so good like most Google products. Wish I knew exactly.
I’m about to get rid of my ageing “dumb” TV and not replace it. Everything comes in to my laptop now, so any monitor and set of speakers to plug it in to will do.
My prediction is that this is going to be the end of the line for TVs as stand-alone hardware - just like most people don’t really have stand-alone Hi-Fi systems any more.
The best way to handle those devices would be to use some rules on the router or firewall to intercept all traffic to port 53 and give it to the Pi-hole DNS.
Same here. I use my TV as a glorified monitor with a ton of HDMI ports. All smart features are basically non-existant to me. I disable all picture “quality improvement” shit (that typically introduces latency). Everything else is then handled by the attached smart devices that I can exchange or upgrade however I want.
When I look for a new TV, I actually still prefer going to the store, because the one most important aspect for me is input latency. I absolutely hate hitting a button on the remote and then having a delay of a second or so until it actually reacts to it. So this is something I need to try in person: if I hit a button, how fast do I get feedback? If it’s not instant, the TV is out of the question.
I am using my TV as a monitor, it starts on HDMI1, my Chromecast. I never use the remote of the TV, it’s plugged on my good old 5.1 setup for sound. You are using the TV remote for what?
the smartshitification of TVs is annoying, and i too hate being tracked by every device i use. That said, the incredible value of these TVs can’t be overstated. Most people can’t or won’t spend more than $500 on a TV, so most people would still be using 1080p displays if it wasn’t for this phenomenon, but now EVERYONE gets to have a 4k TV because the price is partially subsidized by all those ads you’re seeing.
I think it’s probably a net negative for society overall, but just wanted to point out that there is an upside to all those ads.
I found this comment funny because I’m still using 1080p TVs in the house. Mostly because after we got them I cut the cord and couldn’t even remotely stay under the Comcast cap with 4k. Even after I moved on to T-Mobile home internet, uncapped for now, I haven’t upgraded because there really hasn’t been a pressing need. Hell, cable and streaming don’t actually deliver 1080p, it usually is 720p max. I have no idea if the 4k options actually broadcast in 4k vs a smaller resolution.
honestly you’re playing it smart. I can’t speak to cable, but you are right that streaming apps don’t exactly justify the bump in resolution. The image they spit out to your screen is 4K, but the compression required to stream in 4K means that most of the added details are just crushed by the format. So ironically, you don’t really benefit from 4K unless you use Blurays, at which point you don’t really need any of the “smart” features of your 4K tv.
The compression issues are true for 1080p too, any dark scene on Netflix gets some horrible color banding and artifacts.
Ironically, the pirates don’t have that issue as their multi-gig torrents don’t have much compression compared to the some-hundred megs stream provided by Netflix
My biggest regret was getting rid of a perfectly good portable CRT TV that would have been ideal for pre-7th generation gaming, just as they stopped making good quality CRTs.
I use a 32" 60Hz monitor That’s the way to go Level One Techs covered this due to those same reasons Wendel’s mom’s Smart TV ran out of storage for the OS Updates and some apps upgraded beyond working on the old OS It’s like cell phones So, I went with a large cheap monitor on sale and stream from my PC or Roku stick It’s basically built-in obsolescence
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Samsung commercial displays don’t have any smart features, I think.
They don’t come with a stand.
https://www.samsung.com/us/business/displays/4k-uhd/qe-series/qet-series-43-lh43qetelgcxza/
The specs on those QET models don’t look great. 300 nits max brightness? That can’t be right. Aren’t they designed to be in brightly lit areas like inside stores?
I’d much rather have a VESA mount than a stand. VESA stands are easy to find and cheap, and if you want to wall mount or get a fancier stand that is an option.
I have an older model of this one: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/insignia-43-class-n10-series-led-full-hd-tv/6530085.p?skuId=6530085
Added a refurb 2.1 sound bar for better sound.
edit - It was not easy find this. As I wasn’t in a hurry at the time I took a while to find an acceptable model. Thinking more about it using eBay’s boolean search options may have helped drill down to good choices.
Don’t connect it to the network. Sadly best you can do.
I made the mistake of using the LG smart tv features for like 2 years. I set up a pihole to block ads and eventually WebOS just quit working because ads and trackers did t work anymore. I factory reset the tv and switched over to a Roku stick. That worked well for nearly 4 years. Now I’m on a $19 ONN 4k streaming stick from Walmart. It’s actually kinda beef for what it is. Made by Asus and flashed LineageOS on it. Audio drops out and requires a reboot every few days. I want to move to a Nvidia shield but haven’t had the funds for it because I’m in a kitchen remodel.
I’ve got an nvidia shield but if you’re looking for cheap and good, google chromecasts are good these days. I managed to get one for free with an offer too.
Ive never used a chromecast. Can they be flashed and de-googled?
I like Android overall, but I try and avoid as much google as I possibly can.
Not that I’m aware of.
The thing about chromecast dongles is they integrate with Android. You kind of have to use it with Android if you want to just stream easily with Apps. It is kind of amazing. Be it photos, Netflix, Tubi, … Just open your mobile app as usual and hit the streaming button. You can even disconnect your mobile device in many cases after streaming starts.
Privacy. Have no idea, but my default assumption is not so good like most Google products. Wish I knew exactly.
I’m about to get rid of my ageing “dumb” TV and not replace it. Everything comes in to my laptop now, so any monitor and set of speakers to plug it in to will do.
My prediction is that this is going to be the end of the line for TVs as stand-alone hardware - just like most people don’t really have stand-alone Hi-Fi systems any more.
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I do it the other way, my laptop and PC are HDMI into giant TVs, and wired to the sound system.
Most digital signage displays are ‘dumb’ tvs
yes, but they also tend to have crappy specs compared to ‘good’ TVs.
I was never so glad I’d bought a normal telly as the week I spent in a rental with a “smart” one.
I use pi-hole to block tracking.
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The best way to handle those devices would be to use some rules on the router or firewall to intercept all traffic to port 53 and give it to the Pi-hole DNS.
Same here. I use my TV as a glorified monitor with a ton of HDMI ports. All smart features are basically non-existant to me. I disable all picture “quality improvement” shit (that typically introduces latency). Everything else is then handled by the attached smart devices that I can exchange or upgrade however I want.
When I look for a new TV, I actually still prefer going to the store, because the one most important aspect for me is input latency. I absolutely hate hitting a button on the remote and then having a delay of a second or so until it actually reacts to it. So this is something I need to try in person: if I hit a button, how fast do I get feedback? If it’s not instant, the TV is out of the question.
I am using my TV as a monitor, it starts on HDMI1, my Chromecast. I never use the remote of the TV, it’s plugged on my good old 5.1 setup for sound. You are using the TV remote for what?
For picture options and to switch between inputs.
Look at commercial TVs, those used by businesses. Some even come with a RPi slot.
Smart TVs in general suck but I’m getting a lot of mileage of my TCL Google TV, firmly in spite of what is intended, by sideloading apps.
Privacy and security-wise it’s probably terrible but I’m just tired of having to think about it.
the smartshitification of TVs is annoying, and i too hate being tracked by every device i use. That said, the incredible value of these TVs can’t be overstated. Most people can’t or won’t spend more than $500 on a TV, so most people would still be using 1080p displays if it wasn’t for this phenomenon, but now EVERYONE gets to have a 4k TV because the price is partially subsidized by all those ads you’re seeing.
I think it’s probably a net negative for society overall, but just wanted to point out that there is an upside to all those ads.
deleted by creator
I found this comment funny because I’m still using 1080p TVs in the house. Mostly because after we got them I cut the cord and couldn’t even remotely stay under the Comcast cap with 4k. Even after I moved on to T-Mobile home internet, uncapped for now, I haven’t upgraded because there really hasn’t been a pressing need. Hell, cable and streaming don’t actually deliver 1080p, it usually is 720p max. I have no idea if the 4k options actually broadcast in 4k vs a smaller resolution.
honestly you’re playing it smart. I can’t speak to cable, but you are right that streaming apps don’t exactly justify the bump in resolution. The image they spit out to your screen is 4K, but the compression required to stream in 4K means that most of the added details are just crushed by the format. So ironically, you don’t really benefit from 4K unless you use Blurays, at which point you don’t really need any of the “smart” features of your 4K tv.
The compression issues are true for 1080p too, any dark scene on Netflix gets some horrible color banding and artifacts.
Ironically, the pirates don’t have that issue as their multi-gig torrents don’t have much compression compared to the some-hundred megs stream provided by Netflix
I have a 720p Sony Bravia from 2008. It has a coaxial input. I can still play my retro consoles on it.
I hope it never dies. I’ll do whatever I can to keep it for as long as I can. Even if it means paying the equivalent of a new TV in repairs.
My biggest regret was getting rid of a perfectly good portable CRT TV that would have been ideal for pre-7th generation gaming, just as they stopped making good quality CRTs.
You can’t find a decent quality standard TV? Why?
Have you tried in the past few years? They basically don’t exist anymore in the consumer space.
Yes I have and I can go to my local supermarket and get a conventional LCD with no “smart” function.
I won’t be buying a brand name most probably but I can buy a conventional LCD tv.
You can find fairly large computer monitors, and some monitors have built in speakers. That’s about the best you can do.
I use a 32" 60Hz monitor That’s the way to go Level One Techs covered this due to those same reasons Wendel’s mom’s Smart TV ran out of storage for the OS Updates and some apps upgraded beyond working on the old OS It’s like cell phones So, I went with a large cheap monitor on sale and stream from my PC or Roku stick It’s basically built-in obsolescence