On: It’s Still Stupidly, Difficult to Buy a ‘Dumb’ TV

[ortusdux]

I'm on year 3 of not accepting the EULA on my 'smart' tv. It has never been connected to the internet. It is effectively a dumb tv that was slightly cheaper because it has dormant bloatware.

[AndyMcConachie → ortusdux]

Same. I don't understand why more people simply don't connect the thing to the network.

[ezfe → AndyMcConachie]

I have a TCL Roku TV that was much cheaper than the competition, but the tradeoff is that it requires connecting to the internet to setup. If you unplug it from the internet, the little light at the bottom blinks FOREVER.

The trick, though, is to connect it to the internet and then block it on your router. For some reason this doesn't trigger the light to blink.

[irobeth → AndyMcConachie]

how far are we from "the TV has a cellular modem so it can receive advertising updates without the need for a home network", though?

isn't it like this for cars already?

[chrisjc → AndyMcConachie]

A great solution while it's an option... however think about where this can/might/is going.

- Ethernet over HDMI

- TVs with modems

- Ambient/background networks like Amazon Sidewalk

- Existing open networks

[andrew_ → ortusdux]

Same here. 2018 Samsung has never been connected. I use an HDMI with Arc peripheral that I have complete control of to run everything that streams.