Instead of buying a TV, look for a digital signage display. It’s a TV, but with none of the “smart” crap on it.
Alternatively, just don’t hook your device up to the internet.
Anon buys a TV without researching
Submitted 4 weeks ago by Early_To_Risa@sh.itjust.works to greentext@sh.itjust.works
https://sh.itjust.works/pictrs/image/1662a538-c1ec-4a93-b9af-e2d675e76615.png
Comments
slumlordthanatos@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
renzev@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
This is good advice, but I really wish we lived in a world where consumers could bond together and get laws passed that make this type of crap illegal so that buying TV’s (or any type of appliance for that matter) didn’t involve having to do research on weird non-consumer hardware just to have a nice experience.
grue@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
In other words, you wish we lived in a democracy instead of a plutocracy. 'Cause that’s exactly how it’s supposed to work. This thread is squarely about the FTC failing to do its goddamn job, because this should not be legal.
Dkarma@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
We can you idiots just keep voting Republican
SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org 4 weeks ago
Just look at the printer situation. It’s gonna get worse. Much worse.
MadBob@feddit.nl 4 weeks ago
We do have that in other countries (so in this world), and you’re going to laugh, but the Dutch one is literally called the Consumentenbond.
shasta@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
They cost like 5x more because they’re marketed toward businesses. samsung.com/…/65-bht-series-qled-4k-uhd-hdr-pro-t…
ikidd@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
dodgy_bagel@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 weeks ago
My understanding is that TV prices are subsidized by bloatware. No bloatware, no subsidy.
BarbecueCowboy@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Plus side there though… Like most devices marketed towards enterprise, once they hit the used market, the price drops dramatically. You can get a pretty good deal on a used one.
notthebees@reddthat.com 4 weeks ago
There’s other business oriented tvs that aren’t just for signage. It’s more for conference rooms.
Honytawk@lemmy.zip 4 weeks ago
They are also capable of running 24/7 without ever overheating, no matter the location. And have extra software specialized for signage.
It isn’t just a marketing gimmick.
Ibuthyr@lemmy.wtf 4 weeks ago
Or just don’t buy Samsung. Never had this kind of trouble with any other brand except Samsung. Because of this, I’ll never ever buy another Samsung product.
Honytawk@lemmy.zip 4 weeks ago
The smart stuff isn’t the issue. It is all the connected shit.
There are plenty of smart TVs that you just don’t have to connect to the internet. Then it can’t download ads, be laggy or reboot because of updates, send all your data to the manufacturer, …
Just connect a small PC over HDMI like you would a dumb TV, and other than the slow boot it will work the same.
I can recommend TLC as a TV that doesn’t require an internet connection. But I would steer clear of ever connecting it to a network, the remotes have microphones in them.
lud@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
My Samsung tv also has microphones for voice control.
merc@sh.itjust.works 4 weeks ago
There are plenty of smart TVs that you just don’t have to connect to the internet
AFAIK many of them will continue to nag you to connect them to the Internet if you don’t do it. Those nags can be just as bad as ads.
Bytemeister@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Take a crayon, jam it in the pinhole for the mic, then scrape the excess off the surface. Problem solved.
Empricorn@feddit.nl 4 weeks ago
I’ve seen this advice over and over and I have to ask: does it really compare? Gaming for me is all about frame rate, and no I’m not a competitive gamer or anything. What’s the response time on those “digital signage” models designed to show static good menus 24/7 for a decade. I’m sure they don’t have a “game mode”, what’s the refresh rate? If you’re going to literally pay more for a display sold to corporations, these need to be considered. Personally, I got a good TV and just never connected it to the Internet…
bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 4 weeks ago
Not as bad as this, but when I moved to a new town I got a free big TV with my new ISP. I was going with that ISP anyways so a free 4k HDR TV on top was a nice bonus.
I wish I had gotten some other bonus. Viewing angle is atrocious and it is impossible to get rid of the input lag (no there isn’t a gaming mode or similar) so no games with precise timing can be played.
So now we have a big living room TV that is too good to replace with something better but bad enough to be a little bit annoying.
BananaTrifleViolin@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
It really doesn’t sound too good to replace? It sounds like you got free junk, and haven’t actually bought a TV yet?
bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 4 weeks ago
Don’t have the budget anyways. And it’s good enough for the wife and kids, they don’t see any issues. And by now I’m disabled and can’t get into living room anyways.
Honytawk@lemmy.zip 4 weeks ago
Give it to your parents or some other older people who would use it just as a TV and buy yourself a decent TV.
Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
I usually just assume that free shit given away as part of some other sale is going to be bad or shit quality. They probably bought a big batch of them for real cheap because they weren’t selling so great in stores and eventually someone decided to just get rid of that inventory maybe at a loss.
ICastFist@programming.dev 4 weeks ago
Trade in for something slightly “worse” then?
weker01@sh.itjust.works 4 weeks ago
Why not sell it?
UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Oops, stepped on another $1200 landmine did you? Should have researched where you put your foot. Everyone knows this neighborhood is littered with landmines. No, there’s nothing we can really do about it except hand out these exhaustive charts and navigation tools. Of course they need to constantly get re-updated and are themselves periodically hijacked by the pro-landmine industry to turn into a second-tier grift. But that just means you have to research who you research for your TV research.
Don’t worry, you’ll get it eventually. God gave us two legs for a reason.
Hackworth@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Four legs good, two legs BETTER!
ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
First rule of smart TVs: if you really have to buy a smart TV, then never connect it to the internet!
Zacryon@feddit.org 4 weeks ago
I’ve read at some other post that some smart TVs won’t work at all if you don’t connect it to the internet.
Read with caution, I haven’t verified this.
winkerjadams@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 weeks ago
Back to the store it goes then
Acters@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Amazon fire TV requires an Amazon account to use basic features and they intentionally tell you they lock “certain” features
starman2112@sh.itjust.works 4 weeks ago
I’ve also heard people say that they’ll connect to any open wifi networks. People make up a lot of stuff. Just don’t tell your display device how to send any 1s or 0s to any server outside your home, and you’ll be fine
chiliedogg@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Some of them use wifi for the remote too.
Honytawk@lemmy.zip 4 weeks ago
Indeed, I remember people complaining about Roku for that.
My TLC hasn’t done so up until now.
Valmond@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Like those single player games…
JovialMicrobial@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
I lobotomized our TV after making the mistake of connecting it to the internet when we first got it.
The ads slowed down the menu to switch sources so much it actually angered me. No more internet for you, you get to be a dumb tv forever now.
mlg@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Looked at the CES reveals and aside from some minor improvements, its nothing but overloaded AI crap.
Even on TVs from 10 years ago, the first thing you had to do was turn off the stupid auto frame generation, smoothing, lighting, and other effects so you can actually enjoy your content in original detail and correct FPS.
Cataphract@lemmy.ml 4 weeks ago
It took me way too long to figure out what was going on with those settings. One of my relatives tv’s was like this back in the day and at first I thought it was just their “HD” setup which made me completely write off getting anything HD because of the fake look like a soap opera. It wasn’t till I was gifted a blue-ray player that I realized their tv just had horrible “enchancement” shit.
Dasus@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Well yeah, minor improvements really stack up.
A friend is buying a TV or a screen for console gaming anyway and man, the TV’s are actually pretty decent for gaming nowadays. I haven’t checked out any for several years.
I bought a UHD LED tv in like 2016 and what a POS it is compared to these modern models. I mean I haven’t had it for years gave it to my sister but still.
I thought they looked pretty damn nifty. And AI isn’t a curse word when it comes to everything. I get being annoyed at the marketing, I am too, but, like isn’t Nvidia DLSS AI? That’s shit’s actually good.
autriyo@feddit.org 4 weeks ago
DLLS and similars are nice for running newer games on outdated hardware.
Sadly it also enables studios to cheap out on optimization, you shouldn’t need upscaling for 1080p medium on a new GPU.
relic_@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
Feel like I’m the only one that likes the soap opera effect to some extent 🙈
Belgdore@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
It’s fine for tv, but it causes input delay for video games.
1ns1p1d@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
My wealthy coworker buys top-of-the-line, really expensive TVs, and then just leaves all that shit turned on.
jaggedrobotpubes@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
If that’s real, then it’s full refund or terrorism upon both the vendor and manufacturer.
Rin@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
orand
synapse1278@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
My current TV has started to die. It’s developing a purple spot that starts to be very distracting. I am not excited about researching a new model that doesn’t pull out this kind a shit on me. I don’t intend to ever connect it to the Internet. My current TV is nothing more than a big display for my NVIDIA shield TV and the next one will be the same.
theangryseal@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Sceptre makes a decent dumb tv.
I have one. I like it. 4k. Good enough for me.
zod000@lemmy.ml 4 weeks ago
I got their 1080p 43" “dumb” model for $150 not too long ago. I wouldn’t choose it for my main living room TV, but it is perfectly fine for what I needed it for and they can’t retroactively make it worse like the Roku tv it replaced.
eluvatar@programming.dev 4 weeks ago
This is where I would go to research a new tv www.rtings.com
qx128@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Check out “commercial” TVs. These are TVs for businesses (e.g. displaying a menu at a restaurant). They typically don’t have the “smart” features. You have to look for them specifically.
Master@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Doesn’t the Shield use Google Android? That box is also spying on you.
EncryptKeeper@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
The Nvidia shield ships with the exact same OS as many of these smart TVs
hactar42@lemmy.ml 4 weeks ago
I bought a 70" TV back in 2015 and it worked great until a couple of months ago when the screen suddenly went black. No amount of resetting or messing with it would fix it. Ended up ordering a new main board for around $125. Installed the new board and the TV works again. In fact I’m convinced the picture actually looks better.
During my research I found a lot of information about LED TVs. They basically only have 4 parts. A main board, LED backlight, LCD controller, and T Con board. From what I heard purple screens are often a cause of bad cables or the T-Con board. They are not complex, so if you are comfortable removing the back and messing with ribbon cables, then you can easily replace any part. Just try searching your model number on YouTube.
If you do go this route beware, there are a lot of places that say they have the boards, but they’re really just a repair service. I was able to find a replacement board at shortcircuitsolution.com.
Rubanski@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
Verification can when?
glitchdx@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
I just bought this dumb tv. Couldn’t be happier.
www.amazon.com/dp/B01CJV6722?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_f…
It’s not a good tv, but it’s the biggest one I could fit on my desk and it has absolutely no “smart” features.
hardaysknight@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Just don’t connect smart TVs to the internet. That’s all you have to (not) do
RedditWanderer@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
I needed a second t.v for the basement and i decided to just not buy one.
I had an old mini projector I repurposed and there a nice tv upstairs/phones for anything else.
Cant wait till “minimal” stuff becomes the trend.
MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml 4 weeks ago
What? They’re all the same bad or will get bad in the foreseeable future. Only thing that matters is the screen technology and the specs of your external media center.
archomrade@midwest.social 4 weeks ago
I’m getting from context that this is a smart tv displaying an advertisement, but what the fuck is it even advertising here? A baseball game? Why is the countdown to-the-hour? Why does the player look like a drawing instead of a photo? Why is it specifically that player and not just 'dodgers game tomorrow!"…? It almost looks as if it’s an in-game notification for an MLB-Manager game.
If it were a burger-king commercial I’d be upset, but the inscrutability of this as an ad at all actually infuriates me.
bitjunkie@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Anybody else have a weird level of fixation on the baseball player and the game character being in the same pose? Like, “maybe it’s watching” kind of fixation?
twinnie@feddit.uk 4 weeks ago
I can’t believe this is real. I’ve just bought a relatively cheap Samsung smart TV and it’s got nothing close to this. I would hardly even say it’s got adverts since it’s mostly just recommendations from my apps in the same way they all do now, I don’t think I’ve actually seen it try to sell me anything or get me to watch something that wasn’t free.
Who the fuck would buy a TV like this? If a company was going to introduce on-screen ads like this they’d start really small.
Sam_Bass@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
So smart TVs are now smartass TVs?
1ns1p1d@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
Is there an open-source version of Google TV and similar smart TV software? I feel like i read about one quite recently.
mavu@discuss.tchncs.de 4 weeks ago
computer monitor + sound bar?
FolknForage@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
Ads and bloat are the main reason I still use my 1080p Bravia from 15 yrs ago, which btw still looks great.
Well, that and that I have better uses for 1k usd
yournamehere@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
when i order a screen in asia to germany i pay a lot less taxes than when ordering a tv or smarttv. so buying a smartTV is kinda dumb anyways.
UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 4 weeks ago
Gaming on a TV? Wouldn’t like that low refresh rate personally
Zink@programming.dev 4 weeks ago
I’ve seen LG getting trashed alongside the other offenders in the industry in smart TV discussions. I have an LG CX65 OLED from 2020, and I’ve always seen the onboard WebOS as pretty serviceable. Have they gotten a lot worse in the last few years? And/or does it vary by product price?
There are definitely some advertising options to turn off in the menus, and with all that taken care of the only UI I use is a row of app icons that pops up. No ads anywhere, and I don’t seem to be logged into the TV with any kind of account. (Though typing this reminded me that the cheap LG LCD in my son’s room does want a login in order to update firmware)
Note I said it was serviceable, not great. The UI could be more responsive on better hardware, but it’s also convenient for my family to just be able to use the Wiimote-like motion pointer built into the remote.
debil@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Still, Dark Souls the best.
Fizz@lemmy.nz 4 weeks ago
No way, tell me that isnt real. I remember hearing a patent about being able to deliver ads over hdmi but dont tell me it actually got implemented.
carpelbridgesyndrome@sh.itjust.works 4 weeks ago
Thats not over HDMI. Its a smart TV it does it on its own.
unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de 4 weeks ago
Just dont give the thing internet access then…
wheeldawg@sh.itjust.works 4 weeks ago
Which then travels… over HDMI. I realize that’s not what you meant but technically…
arin@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
That’s the same thing to normal people. Technically it doesn’t matter which source you are on and you’ll still get the ad.
TheOctonaut@mander.xyz 4 weeks ago
Why would this need “deliver ads over HDMI”. It’s on the telly, ie the HDMI signal has already been transmitted and now the TV itself is overlaying web-derived images in one corner, the same way it will overlay the guide or whatever when you open it.
adarza@lemmy.ca 4 weeks ago
it’s inevitable. corporate greed knows no limit, knows no boundaries.
arstechnica.com/…/hdmi-customized-ad-insertion-pa…
Ragdoll_X@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
I think that’s just the plant blocking part of the TV
ddash@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 weeks ago
It’s a plant blocking the TV. If this is edited it is actually done really well.
kabi@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
I’m not sure the picture is edited, but in either case, it would be a lot easier to paste it onto a screencap of the game and open that full screen on the tv…
wise_pancake@lemmy.ca 4 weeks ago
I totally believe this kind of thing could happens, but I’d expect broader outrage if it were.
When I set up my LG tv it wanted to show promoted content on the Home Screen and the screensaver.
I never connect my TV to the internet. People jerk saying they add wireless modems to them but in reality they don’t have to, most prime leave all the telemetry and “AI” features enabled.
kitnaht@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Look up Amazon’s “Sidewalk” network. They don’t need your internet.
Goblussy@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Lmao you can tell no one on lemmy is a baseball fan. This is a meme making fun of the most recent World Series coverage where for the first time they started showing this dumb “Shohei Ohtani is up to bat in X batters” graphic as you see there
Fizz@lemmy.nz 4 weeks ago
American sports ads are wild. They will never cease to shock me.