this post was submitted on 12 Sep 2023

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The smart(shit)ification of TVs pisses me off. (beehaw.org)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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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.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

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/

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (7 children)

I'm really happy that I got to skip the whole smart TV stuff by being a projector guy. They are still dumb as rocks for the most part.

My HTPC is an Odroid, so all is well in that department as well.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Thanks for this info. One day I will buy a projector. They have seemed to be superior and cheaper overall than most TVs now. This is just another tick mark in their favor.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I have some practical annoyances, most surrounding multiple remotes and the clunkiness of it. I have two TVs in my house: a Samsung smart TV from 2019 and a Hisense Google TV I purchased earlier this year. The Google interface is not the most responsive, but it packs in all of the stuff I would want. Android is the most supported platform for apps. Samsung's OS has good app support, but open source projects and more niche apps aren't there. I think there is a nebula app now, but for a while there wasn't, for instance. So, I bought one of the Chromecast with Google TV sticks to bridge the gap. It works well most of the time, but unlike the Hisense, it doesn't support airplay. So if someone airplays, you get kicked back to the native OS and have to use the native remote. It's possible to configure the Chromecast to use the native remote, except the home button doesn't map, it is the home menu for the native OS. So it's just kinda clunky. I do think newer Google tvs with airplay built in (varies by brand) are going in the right direction here. If you're concerned about privacy, they're still gonna be a nightmare though.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

multiple remotes

I have a Logitech Harmony Ultimate remote with Hub. It was the best thing ever for me, because in my living room setup I have the TV, A/V receiver, Nvidia Shield TV for streaming, and an Xbox Series X for my kids and occasional BR/DVD movies. With programmable activity buttons, a single tap on the remote turns on the appropriate devices, switches them to the correct inputs, and provides appropriate controls. Tap another activity, and it turns on devices that are required, turns off the ones not in use, and switches controls to the proper device.

Unfortunately Logitech discontinued the Harmony line. It's only a matter of time before they take down the servers that host device databases and allow you to reprogram the remotes. I've been looking into replacements, but there aren't many that have feature parity with Harmony.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

I just never entered my Wifi details into my smart TV. I only use the HDMI inputs on it anyway, so it behaves like a dumb one. It's a RCA TV from Walmart, if anyone is wondering.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

I finally looked in the settings and found I can set my roku tv to not start in the smart menu and it is immediately better for me.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

Don't connect it to the network. Sadly best you can do.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

32" is pretty small for a living room TV. I'd wager most are at least 40 or more.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (8 children)

I'm looking to buy a new TV soon ish and I'm really afraid of ending up with something with a ton of pre installed bloatware, simply because that's the industry standard nowadays. If anyone has any tips for "dumb" TVs in the ~€600/$650 price range I'd love to hear them. I have a chromecast for streaming and it works fine, so I'm really just looking to buy a large screen without bloatware, no Internet connection required, etc. That's what my current ~10 year old TV does and tbh I just want the same thing but better picture quality.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I'm still rocking the original Shield TV that I got in 2017. It's still as new. They added ads to the UI a while back now, but I just installed a custom launcher. Works great.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Look at commercial TVs, those used by businesses. Some even come with a RPi slot.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

I was never so glad I'd bought a normal telly as the week I spent in a rental with a "smart" one.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I run a DNS server on a raspberry pi and block only those domains where LG gets ads and promoted content from. I can then have a clean and responsive interface while services like Netflix still work.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I recommend you to also make sure to configure your router so no other device but your pihole can make DNS requests. some devices bypass your DHCP settings and use custom DNS servers.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Still using a 14 year old Panasonic plasma TV in the living room and I dread the day that I have to replace it.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (6 children)

I don't think I'll ever need anything like a streaming box or whatever. I'm fine with the computer monitor I have right now, which is a bit wider then an early 2000's CRT. Anything I stream is done through Firefox with NoScript and Origin to block the bullshit. I'm not entirely sure why anyone uses streaming boxes and whatnot when you can just do the same thing, but safer and cheaper on a desktop. Maybe so you can more easily watch stuff with people in the same room? Find a use for that couch? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Many streaming services don't offer content at the same quality when played from a PC vs something like an Nvidia Shield, and the 4k upscaler on the Shield 2019 is very good. I can understand if these features aren't things you care about, but if you have a modern 4k OLED and you want to take advantage of 4k HDR Dolby Vision content from various providers, doing that from a PC will prove difficult. Also, my partner is not very tech-savvy and I need to keep the TV usable for them, so running an HTPC is kinda out of the question for me, even if it had feature parity.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

So buying a smart TV and connecting it with streaming box/stick for accessing streaming services does seem to be the best solution.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I use pi-hole to block tracking.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

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.

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