Ask Slashdot: Affordable Large HD/UHD/4K "Stupid" Screens? 330
New submitter LOGINS SUC (713291) writes Truly in the first-world problems category, I've been looking for large format (>55") HD/UHD screens for home entertainment. In light of the recent Samsung big-brother monitoring and advertisement injection concerns, does any reputable manufacturer still make "stupid" TVs? I don't want to pay for all the WiFi, apps, cameras, or microphones. I don't need it to have speakers. And at this point, I don't even care if it has the TV receiver functionality. All this stuff leads to vendor lock-in or is well on the path to obsolescence by the time I purchase the device. I prefer all of this non-visual functionality be handled by devices better suited to the purpose and I don't want to pay for screens including these widgets I have no intention of ever using, at all.
I've searched all the normal retail outlets. If I find anything, they are wildly expensive. "Computer monitors" fit the bill but are almost all 55") LCDs in the sub-$3,000 range anymore? Are projectors the last bastion of visual purity for home entertainment?
I've searched all the normal retail outlets. If I find anything, they are wildly expensive. "Computer monitors" fit the bill but are almost all 55") LCDs in the sub-$3,000 range anymore? Are projectors the last bastion of visual purity for home entertainment?
Vizio P Series (Score:2, Interesting)
http://www.vizio.com/p-series
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These appear to have wi-fi, so probably not as dumb as one would like.
Re:Vizio P Series (Score:5, Informative)
Presumably by leaving it unconfigured or intentionally misconfigured, you could trick it into not being very "smart" at all. I would only consider smart TVs with mandatory connectivity (of which I don't know of any) as really falling outside the acceptable criteria here. If you dont like the "smart" features don't freaking use them. Rip the button off the remote and cover it with a bit of black electrical tape. Whatever floats your boat. However, the features come from a $10 ARM SoC which every vendor is building in nowadays since it really doesn't increase their cost much. In fact, as the question suggests, making special TVs without these features is now more expensive since more people want them than don't.
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Buying a smart TV already tells the manufacturers that they're selling and make more. Specifically buying non-smart tvs is one less smart tv sold sending the right message.
We're already at the tipping point that manufacturers have pushed smart tvs so hard, people didn't even know they were buying a smart tv and haven't used any of their features, but it's giving manufacturers the excuse that they're selling so they make more.
Your "solution" makes it worse.
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Not to mention that having a SoC probably enables a more responsive UI for the non-smart portion of the TV.
Re:Vizio P Series (Score:5, Informative)
It could be argued (and has) that "Smart TV" features, are a value-add for the manufacturer, not the consumer. (because those very features are used to generate revenue, and are not particularly useful to the end-user).
The only real benefit to the end-user is if they're too dumb or lazy to hook up a Roku or other cheap streaming device (or whatever). In fact; I found my Samsung's menus and apps to be so ridiculously slow and poorly designed, that those features are basically unusable. (example: get up in the morning, turn on TV to watch something while I eat breakfast: TV takes at least 60 seconds before Netflix app can even be selected (please wait, the TV is starting up), then another 30 seconds to START the program, then another 30 seconds to display, pick, and enter the profile - OMG-Teh LAG!; we're all used to Netflix taking about 5-10 seconds to fire up the stream of your selected program, plus the remote is shitty, is very sensitive about direction pointing, weird button placement, poor battery life. . . if I instead use the Roku, it's literally 5 seconds to get into where I'm picking the program, the remote has a simple, intelligent layout, and doesn't particularly care if it's pointed perfectly at the device).
As far as "Smart TV" features go, I think it's just this year's "3d" (which, also, nobody wanted.)
Re:Vizio P Series (Score:4, Insightful)
Oh, God, please save us from having a Smart TV 'experience'. Otherwise known as a Telescreen [wikipedia.org].
Re:Vizio P Series (Score:4, Informative)
On top of this not being a "stupid" screen, this product is also unsuitable as a pc monitor. It uses 4:2:0 chroma subsampling which makes text look terrible.
http://www.geeks3d.com/2014120... [geeks3d.com]
Projector (Score:5, Insightful)
Just use a projector. It's inexpensive and typically has no features other than projecting.
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A projector has a very low contrast, because what you see when you turn it off (the usually white wall) is it's blackest black. This is a huge difference to modern TVs.
You have no understanding of light (Score:3, Interesting)
I have a projector that I project onto a very white surface,
Black is fine, because the BRIGHTEST aspects of the image are so bright that the non-illuminated parts of the screen are, in fact, quite black.
If I bring a totally white piece of paper in a cave, and shine a light away from it, will it glow like the su? Of course not.
Modern projectors are usually pretty bright. And you can of course easily provide some darker surface to project upon if you really feel it is an issue.
Now we are targeting dead tech? (Score:3)
Compare that to a Plasma TV,
Why should I when they are dying [plasmatvbuyingguide.com].
Yes, Plasma TV's have amazing contrast - which is an utterly irrelevant fact in 2015.
Frankly even though the blacks are a little better there's no way I'd buy one of any size due to how delicate and heavy the beasts are. Projectors are vastly more practical than Plasma.
Even decent cheap projectors now are as good as LCD TV's, which are all you can find anymore... and you can always control viewing conditions to improve a projected image to your l
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You're doing it wrong. Most people watch projected images with the lights dimmed... like at the local cinema.
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That is in fact why I no longer have a projector. My wife isn't as big a fan of having the lights off to watch TV.
Re:Projector (Score:4, Funny)
Why did you get rid of the projector, then?
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143" HD screen for under $3k.
Brand and model would help.
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Just use a projector. It's inexpensive and typically has no features other than projecting.
"Inexpensive"? Umm... no. To get a decent set up in my house I'd have to ceiling mount the projector. That means punching holes in my ceiling and bringing in an electrician to run the wires. I'd have to put some sort of screen on one of my walls. I'd have to spend quite a bit of money for a projector with adequate brightness and spend a fair bit of time tinkering with it. And then if I decide to rearrange the room I'm pretty much stuck with what I've got. All of that costs significant $$$ unless you
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An inexpensive UHD projector? Where?
Projectors are super simple to position (Score:2)
Projectors are harder to position in a home
Not if you place them on the ceiling. You can simply run cabling along the ceiling to where it needs to go.
A projector on the ceiling can go pretty much anywhere.
are significantly more expensive for equal quality
For the size? Don't think so.
require expensive screens if you want decent contrast and visibility
I project onto a piece of why vinyl I think cost me around $10, over a small wood frame I made myself for around another $10. That works great.
So many people
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Last summer my brother brought over a projector he had from when he was in college it cost around $900 at the time and is comparable to todays $200-$300 projectors. We set up a screen using a unused drop cloth in the back yard against the garage. We had BBQ and watched a few movies the family thought it was great even the neighbor came out and was talking about being reminded of the movies in the park when he was kid only this looked a lot better. I've been considering building a theater in my basement kind
Problems with projectors (Score:3)
Not if you place them on the ceiling. You can simply run cabling along the ceiling to where it needs to go.
Run cabling "along the ceiling"? Maybe you like your house to look like crap but personally I think running wires along the ceiling looks terrible and my wife would feel even stronger about it. To do it so it doesn't look all JV requires actually putting holes in the ceiling/walls and is a substantial project. It also requires hiring an electrician unless you are planning to violate a whole bunch of code and safety regulations.
A projector on the ceiling can go pretty much anywhere.
No it cannot because you have to project it onto something. Maybe every wall
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We have a "fake" ceiling - similar to an office environment. honestly if your building a finished basement I highly recommend it, gives you a ton of flexibility. What I lose out to in quality that only a video-phile would notice, I gain in an 8 foot screen. Can't actually buy a TV that big as far as I know, at least not unless your Elon Musk level rich.
I'm sorry you don't like projectors, and they don't suit you - but to blow them off completely is a bad way of going about it. It's all about being the r
Re:Problems with projectors (Score:4, Interesting)
No it cannot because you have to project it onto something.
Even if you don't have a blank wall (most homes in fact do have walls) it's very easy to put a large piece of something flat together to project on. I use a cheap $10 vinyl sheet.
Run cabling "along the ceiling"? Maybe you like your house to look like crap
If you run cabling carefully and the cables match the ceiling color it can look just fine. That said I did simply put a small hole in the ceiling and run the cables between floor joists, it didn't require much effort to do that.
If you want to talk "convenience" then how about the substantial effort it takes to put in a screen anywhere near as large as what you get with a projector? I have a 70" diagonal image, how many people would it take to move around a TV that had that size of screen? What happens when it breaks down? What if I want to bring it somewhere for a party? There are massive inconveniences to "real" TV sets that I don't have to worry about. I also can fling all the Wii controllers I like right into the screen without care.
Good luck getting a good cheap 4K projector plus accessories cheaper than a 70" flatscreen.
Admittedly that is true right now for 4k projectors, but it's not true for 1080p projectors. In a year or two projectors will probably reach equality.
I thought you were just telling us to mount it to the ceiling.
I'll give you a pass on this since you don't seem to know much about projectors, but most mounts have a part that attaches to the ceiling, then a part you put on the projector that attaches to the ceiling mount so you can easily remove the projector. On mine I can just turn three large knobs, twist the projector 90 degrees and it detaches from the mount.
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Not significantly unless you're totally unskilled.
>are significantly more expensive for equal quality
A 10' direct view display would be much more expensive than a nice projector and screen.
>require expensive screens if you want decent contrast and visibility, etc
If you consider $155 to be expensive, you're not really the market for a big-screen TV experience. Screens haven't been insanely expensive for years.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/produ... [amazon.com]
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It's modded up because I'm not wrong. Projectors these days can be very high quality. I have one in my basement. 1080p native resolution. When 4k becomes sub $1000 (and there is 4k content available), I'll get one of those. For now, I can live with 1080p. Also, I'd love to know where you can pick up a 100" TV (even 1080p) for $800.
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I thought the same (they'll cost you at least thousands of dollars), but it's the title that is at fault here: 'HD/UHD/4K'.
Although I have no idea why anyone would want to buy a new HD projector nowadays. I've always felt that the resolution of projectors was terrible and that they would benefit most from a push for higher resolutions.
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I was talking about a 1080p projector (Usually $800). But if we're talking 4k, let's do a little googling.
First result for 4k projector $11,000. First result for 100" 4k TV screen $250,000. You're welcome to do the research and prove me wrong, but inch to dollars, projectors are less expensive.
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Perhaps he doesn't want a 100" TV. A projector can project at any size, so yes if want a really large screen go for a projector, if you are actually on a budget, which judging from the question he is, then go for a much smaller screen 4K TV, I am sure you could find for well under $11,000.
But you knew that, didn't you.
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Volume matters. (Score:5, Insightful)
You may actually have to pay more for a large screen without all the WiFi and stuff because the production volume for them is a lot smaller.
Live with the fact that you get "extras" for almost no cost.
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And then don't connect to WiFi if you don't trust the extra "features"
Are there displays that don't work as a basic display without a WiFi connection (for whatever contrived reason)?
Given the value of spy data, this isn't an impossible "feature" to implement.
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I have heard that there are. There's a post above about a guy who won a TV in a raffle and can't use it because he can't put it on the net to accept the TOS.
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If you need to connect to a media server on your LAN (over a cable or wireless), make sure your router won't allow any packets between the TV and the internet.
I know! We could connect it using one of those $10,000 directional audio ethernet cables. It won't allow packets from the TV to the internet, just the other way around.
What I did when I was in your boat... (Score:2)
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Same here. I picked up a 60" LCD TV that had a smattering of "smart" features, and I never use them. Simply don't allow your TV to be hooked up to your internal network. Besides which, the built-in stuff is typically horrid (badly designed, terrible performance), and some companies actually have the gall to show ads when you're using the smart features - not to mention the latest gaff of sending your private conversations out over the internet. Screw that.
BTW, you'll often find that TVs are sold in seve
Re: What I did when I was in your boat... (Score:2)
Not always an option. Others have posted about the newer crop of TVs displaying warning/error messages for up to a minute on power up if they can't connect to the internet, and one guy mentioned a TV that won't work at all unless connected so you can accept the TOS.
I'd go with a projector (Score:4, Interesting)
You can buy black projector screens around 100" for about 500 dollars or so. And that means you can watch your projector with the lights on.
Dumb, not stupid. (Score:5, Informative)
The word is "dumb."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Remo... [tldp.org]
http://gizmodo.com/5887808/eve... [gizmodo.com]
Seiki (Score:5, Informative)
Their 65" 4k (30hz @ 4k resolution) [amazon.com] is now on Amazon for $999. The 39" has worked just fine for me, so I imagine the 65" is comparable in terms of quality. (It does have 4 stars on 600+ reviews)
Seiki +2 (Score:5, Informative)
I also second the Seiki 39". Got mine from Amazon.com when it was $400. Now it's 2/3 of that.
On my NUC it actually uses the 4K resolution but I rarely use it as a monitor because of the low refresh rate (15Hz) at that resolution.
It is an AWESOME TV!!! I have it hooked up to
- Roku3
- Google Chromecast
- Amazon Fire Stick
If I had to find downsides it would be
- no "discrete code" to switch to a particular input. One selects "source" then scrolls up or down from the current source to the eventual source input. This makes things tougher for scene-remotes.
Ehud
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I've got some Seiki 4k TVs, and I'd agree that their good for the money and have minimal features like the OP asked for. The 39" and 55" work out of the box perfectly with the HDMI port on an Apple MacBookPro.
There's one glaring problem I've had though, and that's with the built-in sound. The volume control responds to almost any input on a Charter cable box remote, usually by raising the volume. I have to keep punching it back down as I use the remote. Since the OP doesn't want sound, it might be OK for hi
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Re:Seiki (Score:5, Funny)
FINALLY! +1 tinnitus!
If you don't authorize it, it can't divulge info. (Score:5, Insightful)
You don't need to buy a dumb TV. All you need to avoid is plugging it into a network.
If you don't plug your home theatre equipment into your network, it can't call home. Done.
Re:If you don't authorize it, it can't divulge inf (Score:5, Interesting)
This is where Comcast building wifi hotspots into their cable modems becomes pretty damned insidious - how long until devices like this are "pre-authorized" to automatically connect to the mothership through any available wireless connection?
Imagine if a Samsung TV automatically phoned home through your neighbor's Comcast wifi/modem link not because you enabled it but because Samsung had paid Comcast to allow its devices through. And of course this behavior is on by default and block it, thanks to some timely lobbying, is now a violation of the first amendment (or something equally deranged-but-feasible vis-a-vis corporate personhood).
Own your own cable modem (Score:2)
This is where Comcast building wifi hotspots into their cable modems becomes pretty damned insidious - how long until devices like this are "pre-authorized" to automatically connect to the mothership through any available wireless connection?
Agreed but then that's part of the reasons why I own my own cable modem> It does not have built in wifi so Comcast can't pull any hijinks and it costs me less since I'm not paying any rental fees. Also fortunately I live far enough away from my neighbors that no wifi signals but my own are within range of my house.
Re:If you don't authorize it, it can't divulge inf (Score:4, Interesting)
Or if they put in a cell-phone data link, like the non-Android Kindles (and some Android Kindles) and preauthorize the data services.
Re:If you don't authorize it, it can't divulge inf (Score:4, Funny)
Yeah, because disabling it in SOFTWARE makes it impossible for the tv to activate it when your not looking right?
If you want to be totally safe, you need to cripple the hardware itself!
1. Take large roll of aluminum foil
2. Wrap TV carefully, don't allow any gaps
3. Take a small piece of foil, roll it up to look like a wire, tape it to the bigger piece (use duct tape here), and push it into the GROUND line of your wall outlet.
4. The GROUND line, stupid.
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We're making a Faraday cage here. Bonus points - You don't have to watch '50 Shades of Grey'.
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The electronics won't appreciate the ventilation slits being covered. Why not make the Faraday cage out of mesh/screen?
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Yeah, because disabling it in SOFTWARE makes it impossible for the tv to activate it when your not looking right?
If you want to be totally safe, you need to cripple the hardware itself!
And how hard is that? In my home, the wifi is encrypted so if the TV connects via wifi, I simply don't give it the key. If it connects via ethernet, I disconnect the ethernet cable. It's not too hard to prevent the TV from phoning home.
As for the original question, at this time it doesn't seem like there are too many options for this. I bought a "smart" tv several years ago, I thought it would be helpful since I wanted to be able to stream Netflix without getting a third-party box. The interface is ter
already answered (Score:2)
unbundled hardware is expensive because it's expensive to make. Bundled features such as a tv tuner, voice monitoring, tivo, etc., aren't value-added consumer perks, they're incentives for the consumer to part with their privacy and in some cases, their hard earned on an ongoing basis through channel subscriptions and TV licensing. Without those ongoing incentives, there is little to persuade retailers to sell you the hardware. I found the same with laptops. No retailer wanted to sell me a laptop without Wi
Just disable the wifi (Score:2)
Either in the settings by turning it off, or by putting bogus login information in. Or you can block the TVs MAC address at the router.
No wifi, no networking, no smart functionality.
Sentence too mangled! (Score:2)
The second-to-last sentence of the post is so mangled, I have no idea what you are saying (asking?).
"Computer monitors" fit the bill but are almost all 55") LCDs in the sub-$3,000 range anymore?
NEC's professional displays (Score:3)
I don't know why you care, since you can always just not use the smart features, but if you insist you must not have them professional monitors fit the bill. NEC makes the ones I generally spec out. Very well built, high brightness, rated for 24/7 operation, etc. You pay for it, of course, since they are commercial grade rather than residential grade.
Smart TVs are Telescreens (Score:2)
A Telescreen [wikipedia.org].
Please stop calling them a Smart TV. That implies something positive about them over ordinary TVs. Also don't qualify dumb TVs as dumb. It is actually smart to prefer an ordinary TV. Let's put the negative focus on Smart TVs, or rather Telescreens, as it should be.
I'll take the "smart" part in a separate box thank you. This allows competition from any vendor. The 'smart' box becomes obsolete much sooner than the TV and can be easily a
Nope! (Score:2)
Samsung has Stupid TVs as well. (Score:2)
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Is it just me? (Score:5, Interesting)
I have EXACTLY the same issue with cars.
I really don't want (to buy, maintain, or the extra weight, complexity and/or immediate outdatedness of) LCD touchscreens, navigation, parking aids, multimedia systems, blind spot monitors, voice control, OnStar, 57 airbags, hybrid technology, my car connecting to its manufacturer, etc etc.
These "features" are pretty much all literally unavoidable in all cars these days.
I ESPECIALLY don't EVER want a car that drives itself.
I wish someone would just make a new version what used to pass for a sporty car about 20-30 years ago. I.e.a simple, ergonomic cabin that uses physical controls, analog dials, a good motor and a well-sorted suspension, all without the need for any onboard computers at all. I say this as a software engineer, even I know there are some places that are better off without any technology and computers, and the car is one of the best examples I can think of.
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These "features" are pretty much all literally unavoidable in all cars these days.
True for some models, but not for all, despite what dealers want you to think. The reason that fully loaded vehicles are pushed so heavily is because it means more money for the dealerships, who can charge a ridiculous premium for each extra feature. Even worse is the practice of bundling features into a "package" with one feature you want and another half dozen that you don't. If you aren't set on a specific model and can find a dealer who is willing to work with you (none of the usual, "I can't get one of
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Of course I have. Call me strange if yuou want but I actually LIKE driving, especially on long open roads you find on roadtrips.
Wait for HDR (Score:5, Interesting)
Don't buy one now. High-dynamic-range television is coming, and a consortium of TV suppliers was announced at COMDEX recently. They will work together on coming up with a single standard for HDR. Netflix has also promised to deliver HDR content by year's end. It would be silly to buy a 4K panel that can only process rec-709 now when HDR is right around the corner.
Sceptre 55 Walmart $400 (Score:3)
Get a PC monitor (Score:2)
Maybe around 32" can be enough?
I question the need for a giant monitor (55", 65" etc.) in the first place. I don't even think they look good as you're looking at LCD motion artifacts, other LCD failings and excess brightness beamed at your eyes.
There's now a 40" PC monitor even, Philips BDM4065UC. Just what you're looking for with plenty of inputs except that according to the review I've just looked up, the scaling of HD sources is a bit crap. It shows content without processing it and has low input lag. Pe
Re:Don't forget (Score:5, Informative)
...to put on your tinfoil hat before you get out of your bed from your lead-lined walled bedroom....
It's not tinfoil-hatism when it's true. Big brother issues aside, there's a very valid point in his post: Why pay for all those extra electronics/failure points when all you want is a display device. Personally, all I want is a screen and speakers with enough ports on the back for my various systems.
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Holy cats, yes.
I run a weekend cabin rental business on the side and at least once a month I get a renter who pushed the wrong button on the TV or DVD remote that screws up everything and I have to go help them figure out how to get it back to a state where they can watch a DVD.
At the very least put a "Reset" button that can be programmed to put everything back to a particular state with one touch.
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People rent cabins to watch DVDs?
Buy some old CRT TVs, that would seem to fit the cabin experience better anyway...
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...to put on your tinfoil hat before you get out of your bed from your lead-lined walled bedroom....
It's not tinfoil-hatism when it's true. Big brother issues aside, there's a very valid point in his post: Why pay for all those extra electronics/failure points when all you want is a display device. Personally, all I want is a screen and speakers with enough ports on the back for my various systems.
Then just shop for those features and focus on making sure the panel supports CEC on/off/input-grab and you can throw away the TVs remote and forget about the "smart" features entirely after you have all your fancy stuff hooked up. If the smart wifi module breaks and you arent using it, who cares?
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I care because it increases the cost of the device, increases electrical consumption in operating the device (again, costing more money), generates extra heat which shortens the lifespan of the electronics, creates possible failure points which could cause electrical shorts/interference with other parts of the device. Then there's the software aspect, bugs which require patching, "features" which can't be turned off, slowness in turning the device on and off, advertising when no signal is present, etc.
I wa
Re:Don't forget (Score:4, Interesting)
Because those failure points will still be there in a "dumb" TV.
The TV needs a video processor and modern video processors already have multi cores with GPUs and all that. You can thank the smartphone revolution, but the SoCs used in TVs are often derived from the SoCs used in smartphones. Enough so that TV-specific SoCs can be more expensive.
So you're already talking about a TV with dual or quad core processors, 1GB of RAM, and other things. WiFi/Ethernet isn't pricey (and often bundled because most SoC vendors encourage bundling - if you go Broadcom, and use Broadcom WiFi/Ethernet ICs too, you get a break on the whole package).
Basically, TVs have gotten to the point where thanks to smartphones, they're swimming with CPU power, already run Android or Linux, and are sitting there as required pieces for the video processing chain. "Smart" features are merely software items that are trivial to add on because they come "for free".
Plus, it's one of the few ways to get Netflix in 4K. Netflix doesn't support 4K on PCs.
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The problem with this argument is that there isn't really a price difference between smart and dumb TVs anymore. While the failure point argument is valid, I wouldn't worry too much about it. If you never use the smart features then those parts are not going to have a high failure rate.
More importantly, if you do buy a smart TV and chose not to use its features you will want to make sure you spend some time with the remote in the store. You'll want to either check it out in a store that doesn't have wifi or
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You might not use the features, but they might be active all the same, and snooping on you. Even if you have not configured them or think you have turned them off.
Re:Don't forget (Score:4, Interesting)
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Maintaining inventory isn't cheap on such a large and expensive item.
Re:Just don't connect to a network (Score:5, Interesting)
A friend of mine got a TV (can't remember the brand) from a raffle. he doesn't have internet, and the tv will NOT let him use it if he isn't connected to the network to agree to the TOS.
This is where we are heading......
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I would assume that this is a "one time" thing... even still, how can you expect everyone to have an Internet connection? This is America after all....
Re:Just don't connect to a network (Score:5, Informative)
The manual directs you how to bypass this. He's using an LG TV.
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4G as in cellular? Pop out the SIM. Sorted.
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Turn on 3D mode and you can tilt your head to see behind the "SIM Card Error! Contact Support Immediately!" popup in the center of the screen.
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uh, I would say "yes you do", but there again I only live here, the fuck do I know?
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Slashdot already covered the hacking your TV through the TV signal previously. Tell me you are going to block TV signals as well (OTA, cable box, etc)?
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Oh yeah, when some dumb shit company who's core business is putting those retards into cubicles bought it.
head to http://soylentnews.org/ [soylentnews.org] and be happy
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They aren't manditory.
And yet I'd still have to pay for them to be there, which is a giant rip-off.
Also, not all "smart TVs" will allow you to turn their "smart" features off. The one my parents have pops up a "network connection unavailable, please select from available wifi networks" warning that lasts for a minute every time you turn it on, if you aren't connected to the internet, and has exactly zero options for disabling any of the features, including the ones that wouldn't work anyways because they connect to services and
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The most secure web server is the one that's not even installed.
Then it's not a web server, is it?
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Can I get a "smart tv" with a user replaceable OS? I'd rather load an interface more suited to my needs (something like Kodi) that I can upgrade/maintain on my timetable.
Sure you can, it's called a dongle. What you really want is a dumb tv and then plug in your choice of roku, google, amazon, etc..
I agree with the OP and wish TV manufacturers would stick to what they are good at and just produce dumb tvs. If they feel the
need, then sell them with a free roku stick, amazon stick, etc... but stop trying to develop an inhouse solution that will almost
always be subpar to what a 3rd party can offer.
No. Just don't use it. (Score:5, Informative)
For example don't user the remote control that came with it, because it has dedicated app buttons that will take 30seconds to fail to launch netflix for you, or worse, offer to walk your wife through wi-fi setup. So you need another remote too. And since they are special your universal remote won't work out of the box, so you'll need to to button to button remapping to get that to work.
You know what would be even better than turning wi-fi off? Not having it at all...kinda of like what the OP asks for.
To answer the OP's question you can buy commercial TV's (like hotel rooms or restaurants buy for their active menus) and they have no smart features. They are widely available at commerical type stores. Lg also makes them up to 65" (we have some installed here). Big, dumb panel. Here is their site:
http://www.lg.com/us/commercia... [lg.com]
Here's a 65" one from Staples:
http://www.staples.com/LG-Supe... [staples.com]
No. Just don't use it. (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
He wants a 4K display, though, and most (if not all) of the TV's on that site are 1080p.
I'd imagine that it will still be awhile before we're going to have commercial grade 4K displays, since they aren't commodity parts yet.
Re: (Score:2)
Seiki 39" UHDs are cheap and can work just fine for text display.
Re: (Score:2)
As I said on the bottom of the thread there's Philips BDM4065UC. It's an actual monitor, or a TV turned into an actual monitor so at the least you know you can have the pixels transmitted at RGB, get 60Hz and have no processing.