Any TV is a dumb TV if you take it offline :)
But yes I'm also interested in what other people have afound about ths.
this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2023
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This used to feel true until Amazon Sidewalk happened.
Amazon Sidewalk
Does Samsung use that? What about picking brands that don't use it? Remove antennas from things?
Sidewalk is (to my knowledge) only used by Amazon devices.
My point was more that Amazon advertised a system where if you didn't have internet, don't worry, you can use a neighbours. The current system is all opt in. The issue is that these major companies have never minded hiding other technology or its uses from the end user. We believe we can just block the device from the internet, but it is entirely possible that some of the TV's of today have similar systems to sidewalk (or even just cell connectivity) built right in.
Let's not forget when Google nest security systems sold in 2017 received an OTA update (in 2019) to be able to use voice commands (oops, did we not mention there were microphones in the device you bought?)
I'm not saying everyone needs to slap a tinfoil hat on. I'm just saying that while I also block these devices from the internet, it really feels like any day now things will become more difficult than that (possibly in devices we already own)
not entirely accurate
Please elaborate...
Whether they're online or not, if they're preloaded with crapware they're preloaded with crapware, and they're still technically "smart". If you're trying to avoid dealing with those smart UIs, then they're still a problem.
I put mine on hdmi input and never see anything but what I put through the hdmi ports.
a regular tv, none smart. That just displays images via a hdmi
Computer monitors may scratch your itch.
My smart TV that is not connected to the internet does this just fine. I only use the hdmi input, never connected it to my internet, never setup any apps.
The problem with that option - non-smart - is that it doesn't exist. 2 years ago when I bought a new tv and looked for what was on the market there was basically zero tvs non-smart. Every little and big brand available only has smart tvs.
Depending on what you're looking for, you might just want a computer monitor. Those are essentially "dumb TVs" without Internet connectivity or an operating system, and they have HDMI connections, so there you go.
You can also look into commercial TVs, although more and more of those are "smart" these days. Even if they're smart, and they tend to be a bit more pricy, they aren't preloaded with crapware and usually have excellent warranties. So that's another option.
You are unlikely to find a new non-smart TV... the TV manufacturers get kickbacks from the streaming services for bundling their apps.
If you did find one, it would be more expensive than the dumb TV because you don't have a bunch of streaming services subsidizing the price of the TV for you.
A computer monitor may work for you, or just buy a smart TV and never connect it to a network. You should be able to set it to automatically start up on the last-used input so you never see the built-in UI.
we need to open source tvs, just outsource 4k panels from lg or somewhere else
With sidewalk, weave, and other networks similar popping up, how long until TVs send telemetry through your neighbors Ring doorbell, whether you hook them up to the Internet or not? Or does this happen already?
Snip snip. No antenna, no network.
There is commercial TV/Monitor but last I checked, a 70" SHARP was like $4000.
Or do as I did, I bought a smart TV, did the setup (it needs internet at first to update firmware) then went into the settings to forget network info, and that's it. The TV is a big monitor used with HDMI for a chromecast or BD player.
You can not accept the smart features and it'll be a dumb tv. This is how iuser my Sony. Never accept the agreements or policies.
if I was in the market I'd look at commercial signage displays first. explicitly digital signage because nothing is free from software anymore but signage needs to be plug and play.
Otherwise you're looking at computer monitors.
Personally I have an old Sonique lcd from the analogue change over so it has a bunch of RCA, Component, Hdmi, a tosloink, an analogue tuner that doesn't blue screen so I can watch static if I wanted to (or use a game console from before RCA without modding it) and a digital tuner. and the best part is it has a sleep button that just fucking works.
I do want to find a better option than chromecast but that's a different story.
You want a monitor.
I just connected mine, did all the updates, then disconnected from wifi
Good enough for most I would think
Not really a recommendation, but there are some professional displays for the commercial market that can have removable modules for its content. They are more expensive though and they're more focused at being run 24/7 than looking slim.
Here's a great video on one that uses a raspberry pi compute module: video
Here is an alternative Piped link(s): https://piped.video/-epPf7D8oMk?si=sjucMhhIW3bD0yvc
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I'm open-source, check me out at GitHub.
Just don't connect it to the network?
Sceptre still makes dumb TVs at a reasonable price.
I have a TCL Roku TV that can be configured as a dumb TV the first time you use it, or after a factory reset.
My ex wife has a HiSense Android TV that I'm almost sure has the same option.
I have a small dumb TV I got fairly recently from Best Buy. It's their store brand and has no smart features. Only 720p but they had some 1080p ones too. They're nothing special but very cheap. Mine was an open box and I got it for maybe 40 or 50 dollars.
I have a Samsung TV (was not my choice), and it's a hell for privacy, software is terrible.
Now it has no access to any network, all features that could be disabled are disabled. I use CCwGTV as an OS for my apps, but that could be any dongle or PC.
If you want a 100% safe option don't connect the tv to the internet. Then use your own kodi box or alike.
When I looked into this - the only answer was a dumb panel