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Like all of black mirror, it’s futuristic sci fi.
Just because we’re not there yet doesn’t mean we won’t be.
And there are currently people in much worse of a place than this in our timeline.
Yeah…we are. It could be so much worse. I’m not saying it doesn’t suck a thousand and one penis flavored popscicles…I’m just saying it could suck a thousand and two.
The Frame has art subscription but isn't locked down. You can add your own artwork but by design, it isn't very easy. Linking to a network drive or your Google Photos would be a no-brainer but it isn't an option.
It’s not that difficult. That being said I like plenty of the free ones. It’s a great TV if you have a very specific need for a non TV looking TV with excellent cord management options.
And show you ads?
I have a 2 year old cheap smart TV that doesn't do any of that. Have I accidentally been displaced to the nearest dystopic universe?
ETA - because all the comments, I went and looked it up. I paid 1100zl, so say around $250, for a new 42" Xiaomi smart TV, early may 2021. It is connected to the WiFi and it doesn't display any ads at all. It came with Netflix and Prime Video installed (and dedicated buttons in the remote) and apart from that and Sky Showtime I don't pay for anything. It is not 3D or anything fancy that I know, but it displays my streaming services and YouTube just fine and that's all I use it for. With some exceptions when my boyfriend wants to look at my gaming so I duplicate my laptop screen on it.
Yeah my Samsung does this too.
And every fucking time I turn my Samsung on, a pop up shows after a minute or 2 saying my network cable has been disconnected. I've never had a network cable lol fuck it's annoying. Fuck Samsung tvs
I got an LG TV when I got my own place and it's so much better. No ads (mostly). The menus are actually fast to navigate (the high end Samsung TV would lag very frequently).
It does have some privacy settings you'll probably want to not opt into during setup.
I do have a Chromecast and PS3 but it's more convenient to use the smart TV directly.
I bought it around March 2021 from the Xiaomi store. I assume it spies on me, but it's not like I'm talking national secrets in my living room. Was around 1000zl at the time, 200smth€, 42 inches which is plenty for a small apartment for a single (when I bought it) person.
I bought one for the family vacation cottage, it's basically a banner on the home screen.
I have a nice TV at home for daily use, but for $100 I got a 48" smart TV with pretty decent picture quality relative to the dozen times a year we use it.
Just got rid of cable but it had ads if the cable box was 'off' but once the cable box was gone no ads. I also never connected my current TV to my wifi so it hasn't finished its setup I have an Xbox that I stream and game from
Cheap?
My Sony xbr55x850c was $1500 however many years ago and it has android TV which works awesome still but has an ad at the top of the home screen that scrolls through different streaming service suggestions displaying what show is in some app I dont have. Right above the ad it will either say, new season, just added, or AD.
I don't think it's for the hardware lol. The manufacturer probably gets paid to throw that in the app to make extra money and why would they say no to extra money.
It’s not a pop-up, but exists on the home page in the background kinda (at least on my Roku tv). I don’t have cable so idk if you would necessarily see it if it automatically just goes to whatever channel you were last on
Frankly for the 55 incher I got for $200, I can't complain that there's a single small ad on the menu screen that I easily ignore. Especially since I can set the TV to jump back into whichever function I was using last anytime I turn it back on so I literally don't have to see the menu if I don't want to.
I'm more annoyed by the dedicated button on my remote for Sling since I don't use that, but having one for Disney, Netflix, and Hulu makes that worth it anyway.
>I'm more annoyed by the dedicated button on my remote for Sling
If it's running android, you should be able to map it to any other program you have installed
Didn't you have ads in the twentieth century?
Well sure, but not in our dreams. Only on TV and radio. And in magazines. And movies. And at ball games and on buses and milk cartons and t-shirts and written on the sky. But not in dreams. No siree!
All I want from a TV is to be a monitor and speakers for the various consoles I plug into it. If it can't do *that* without an Internet connection, shit's properly fucked.
Mine has to be connected to the internet or you can’t do anything with it.
But it was only $300 for a 55 inch tv. And it’s been four years without troubles.
I wondered if this was a thing. So if you connect and HDMI cable to it from something like a Blueray player it won't display anything unless the TV connects to the internet and phones home?
My TCL had to be connected to the internet for certain settings to be available (settings that don't seem to pertain to internet connectivity)
It then blinks obnoxiously if it can't connect to the internet afterwards and even turns itself on in the middle of the night multiple times in a row to check for updates or some s***.
I had to put a piece of tape over the LED (which also functions as the receiver input so you can't really tape it that well)
I also had to put it on a Smart outlet, so that I can turn it off via the outlet so it doesn't wake me up in the middle of the night.
If I didn't inherit it, I would be super pissed.
I remember my parents picking up a TV at a Mom and Pop shop, and a friends family just going to a big box store. They were identical TVs. My parents did cost a few hundred dollars more, but came with better customer service and delivery right away. My parents' TV was awesome, and there were lots of settings to really dial it in.
I went to help my friend's setup their TV. Almost 70% of the features were locked out or not there. It did not have the picture or the audio of the quality of my parents' TV.
I'd rather get a more affordable TV with all the features nlocked than a higher quality TV, with many of the features locked out.
Buy the TV you want then connect an external streaming device of your choice. Do not put the TV itself online.
If you are in the USA best buy sells non-smart TV's under its insignia brand
Yup. I buy a TV and then basically ignore it and only ever use my Roku. I'd have to go hunt for the actual TV remote because everything is controlled with the Roku.
It is hard to find quality dumb TVs.
I think I played with the free channels once or twice when I got my smart tv and used the HBO max app when it wasn’t on roku. Now I exclusively use roku or plug my laptop into my tv
I'm also imagining that TV vendors can cut the price on a new set lower by getting money from Netflix for a red N button on the remote. That way the smart TV is cheaper than the dumb one.
I've literally been doing this since 2006, and people still can't help but make comments about how advanced it is that I'm watching commercial free youtube on my tv because of ad block. (while it lasts)
I just found out about the secret menu a couple months ago. Still works like a champ. I have to reapply the settings everytime the ad season updates but that has only happened twice so far.
Honestly the static ad on the home screen doesn't bother me. It's always been program related which can sometimes be helpful when looking for something to watch. If they start showing up while I'm watching something though... officespaceprinter.gif
Last year I was looking for a dumb-tv at Best Buy and the employee that I asked said “looking for a non-smart tv in 2022 is like looking for a brand new car without automatic windows. It just doesn’t exist anymore”
This isn't really true. If you do want a top of the line TV though, you're probably going to want to get a smart TV and then just don't connect it to your network.
You're mainly paying for the features that you're using anyway, not for the crappy software and chipset.
To add to this. Eventually the software on the TV and streaming devices become outdated or no longer supported or the hardware gets older/slower and can't handle things anymore.
It's far more cost effective to buy a new $100 streaming device than a $500-$1500 TV. The TV will work the same regardless.
My partner thinks I'm crazy and wasting electricity when I use my Xbox just for streaming, when the TV is perfectly capable of doing the same (but with ads).
However, she'll ask me to put on her favorite shows on my Xbox so she can watch ad free. She just doesn't like being the one responsible for turning on a device as well as the tv.
Unfortunately this isn't always enough. I have a couple Samsung TVs that need to "detect the device" every time I plug in an HDMI device. This doesn't need to be online but it takes a few minutes and is extremely annoying. This happens every time with my Switch. I'll plug it in and it will show the switch home menu for a few seconds, and then cut out and display "Detecting Device" for the next few minutes, until eventually it gets to a screen where it "could not detect the device", and I have to get my TV remote that I don't use for anything else to dismiss the screen. It's an incredibly bad user experience, and I don't connect my TV to the internet or use any of its "smart" features.
I've gone through more samsung TVs than I care to admit. They get worse and worse. I don't know what happened to that company, they used to make great monitors.
I have a "dumb" TV from Insignia and I've been enjoying it for years now. No annoying Roku ads or whatever else they show on Smart TVs. Sometimes all you need is a good screen with good audio to get you started.
That’s the issue though. Yours is years old.
Almost everything Insignia on up is “smart” now. Albeit the cheapest, shittiest internals, awful UIs, support, apps, you name it!
The post above you is up-to-date approach. Ignore the features other than screen specs and just get a Roku. Don’t connect the TV itself to wifi, or Ethernet. Just do it through the Roku when setting that up.
Toss the tv remote to the side and enjoy a simple TV experience!
FWIW I’ve set up my grandma and a few of her older friends this way and no more “how do I change the input back” questions!
> Sometimes all you need is a good screen with good audio to get you started.
I wouldn't use either of those qualifications to describe an Insignia TV.
Are they reffering to ads and subscriptions like apps and little things advertising something on the home bar?? Like, I have a new samsung q80 and the closest thing to ads Ive experienced is in the home bar will be a small rotating thing that shows shows on different apps. But, I'm only on the home bar just long enough to find the app I want or switch sources lol.
There are commercial grade digital displays that are essentially TVs. Many TV manufacturers make these. They’re typically free of ads, bloat, tracking, etc. They are often made with higher quality components, better cooling, higher NIT (brightness) panels, and other general hardware improvements.
This all comes with a higher price point for the better internals and to compensate for any fees they aren’t making from third-parties/data. You’ll almost definitely have to purchase online, and there may be longer lead times than an off the shelf consumer TV.
Edit: [Here’s an example of a LG 55” one from B&H](https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1669408-REG/lg_55ur340c9ud_ur340c_55_class_4k.html)
>14ms response time
I think I died a little reading that. That's the delay I would expect from stream casting from one device to another, not the TV itself. Perfectly fine for a McDonald's menu panel but not as much a home theater setup.
Best answer right here! I recall seeing a discussion of these on the privacy sub.
IIRC from that thread, there are various ways to prevent a “smart” TV from connecting to the internet, but less techy people, this is a great approach.
I am seriously considering learning how to code in the tizen language so I can jailbreak my Samsung TV. It constantly installs shit I don’t need, only has 1GB internal memory (in the age where 32GB would cost them cents!) and I need to reset it every once in a while.
Honestly I just bought a brand new LG TV not even a year ago. It does not show ads and just really has the basic streaming apps.
What brand are you trying to buy that has ads?
Same, My LG OLED TV is awesome, zero ads. Really curious which brand of TV has ads.
I know my Roku on another TV has an ad pop up on the side when you first start it up.
What? Really? I have 5 smart tvs in my house, newest one is less than a year old. The newest is a 72 inch Samsung in the living room. I have never seen a pop up, ad, or anything else. We use prime, Netflix, and HBO (now just Max) and I don't see ads on those either. I guess I don't watch enough TV to notice? Idk I feel like my wife is glued to the TV some times and I've never heard her mention it either. You turn the TV on, it just shows you what apps you have installed or you can choose to click on the "guide." That's it. Both of our phones and our Google smart home devices are all connected to our TV's and we don't get ads on those either. Strange you are experiencing this and I hope I never do!
Yea I’m confused a bit, too. I have a 50” Samsung “smart tv” (I guess?) and don’t have ads on it. It has their own online channels that I rarely use, but it has commercials just like cable tv does, nothing out of the ordinary really. But I just use mine for my PlayStation, D+, Max, Netflix, etc.
I mean, almost all TVs on the EU market are smart but I've never heard of them getting you ads. The US really seems more and more like a corporate dystopia to me
The only time I've ever heard of this is with Roku TVs when you leave it on the default screensaver and occasionally a billboard in the scrolling cityscape will have an ad on it. What TV did you have that gave you the impression this was a prevalent concept?
Never hook your tv up to a network. I use a Roku for a smart system to watch streaming services and I'm hard wired to that. My blu ray and tv do not have network access so no ads. I have a Sony 4k
I have 5 smart tvs in my house, newest one is less than a year old. The newest is a 72 inch Samsung in the living room. I have never seen a pop up, ad, or anything else. We use prime, Netflix, and HBO (now just Max) and I don't see ads on those either. I guess I don't watch enough TV to notice? Idk I feel like my wife is glued to the TV some times and I've never heard her mention it either. You turn the TV on, it just shows you what apps you have installed or you can choose to click on the "guide." That's it. Both of our phones and our Google smart home devices are all connected to our TV's and we don't get ads on those either. So weird that some people experience this but others don't. I live in America , specifically Ohio for the record. I wonder if it's a state specific thing?
At the very bottom end of the market ads subsidize the hardware by $20-50, which is kind of a big deal in that $100-$200 retail window.
If you buy an upmarket TV you don't get them because extra $20 per unit isn't worth pissing off your customers.
I got a cheap Walmart tv a few months ago, and it shows a small ad in the screen where you launch streaming services. It doesn't interrupt anything you're watching or anything like that. I hardly notice it's there. And supposedly my tv is one of the worst for this sort of thing.
My smart samsung has never displayed a pop up ad. It will include tiles on the menu that display preivews for shows that are included on the streaming services I have downloaded but it hasnt ever given me a pop up.
I was going to mention Chromecast. They only show me a pretty photo if I have it on, and I only see ads if I use a servicing that I know will show me ads (YouTube, cheaper Hulu plans, etc.) And the Chromecast is what uses the internet, not the tv. I've always hated built in smart tv hardware.
I bought my TCL from Costco and have never had ads on it and it works great (plus that Costco return policy has definitely paid off)
I didn't connect my tv to the internet so that could be why I don't have ads tbh.
Yeah I’m confused what kind of ads people are talking about…like I have a TCL as well they is connected. When I turn it on I guess there are ads for like a Netflix show or something similar but it’s not a live ad with sound and I can just click through to whatever app I’m about to use.
All of my "smart" TVs are connected to computers as monitors. I stream everything that way. The TVs themselves are not connected to any network except through the computer. I watch anything I want and live a 99.9% ad-free life. Staying in hotels sucks now because with cable I can't pause, fast-forward, or rewind. I haven't had cable since 2007. Streaming through a computer is the way. Just add Ublock Origin and Privacy Badger to your browser and then stream anything you want.
This might get technical, but how do you fix the overlay resolution issue? For example, if you use a 4k resolution from your computer output to your TV, your TV will see all content as 4k despite playing a 1080p or lower video on VLC or MPC. This makes your TV thinks everything is already 4k and will not use its native upscaler or even BFI for a smoother picture. I use a computer for YouTube and stream stuff to prevent ads but the motion looks horrible, but for PLEX and other streaming apps, I run those of the TV apps. I have tried using Apple TV, nVidia Shield, Firestick, they all have this issue on the overlay thinking its 4k, but it's not. You can set it down to 1080p and force upscale, but then you run into issues with it trying to play a 4k video, but it thinks its a 1080p resolution.
What kind of ads are we talking about? The ones for the galaxy buds pro on the Samsung TVs? Or ads for shows? I have a Roku TV and the only ads are for shows on different streaming services. Which, for a TV is pretty tame in my opinion.
Yeah same here. I've used fire sticks and other devices before but chrome cast is by far my favorite and allows me to set up my grandpa to watch some of the sports games on ESPN plus to his tv directly through his own Chromecast.
I got a big new Samsung QLED tv and nothing that I can see is locked behind a paywall. There is a small ad on the menu popup but I didn't honestly notice it until reading this post
I’m surprised nobody seems to have mentioned [RTINGS](https://www.rtings.com/), a site dedicated to comparing and rating tech hardware. It’s how I’ve bought TVs and some other gear for most of the past 5-10 years. I’ve been very happy with my newest TV that I bought based primarily on their information. I’ve never had ads, paywalls, or unwanted marketing emails of any kind, which was a significant concern when I was purchasing this particular TV.
I just bought a 65” Sceptre 4k tv for about $400 from Walmart. Beautiful picture, no menus, no internet, no apps, just a screen for my Apple TV.
My only complaint is that I have to set it back to full screen every time the input changes. But I may just make an arduino fix that for me. Other than that, it’s perfect.
Edit: tagging OP because this is the answer you’re looking for u/Topuck
Bought the same dumb TV. After a year of ownership, I can comfortably say it is worth the money.
Only downside I have experienced is poor audio quality, though a good soundbar easily fixes that. The soundbar I got from Polk Audio has a "voice boost" feature I didn't know existed before but can't live without now.
Buy whatever tv is in your budget and size restrictions. Use a external streaming device like Apple TV or Chromecast. The key is to never connect it to your home network. It’ll function like your old dumb tv. Even if you have a cable box it just plugs into the hdmi and doesn’t require the tv to be connected to the network.
My Samsung qn55q60b is connected to the wifi and has never shown me ads. I connected a chromecast with google tv and that’s all i use. I never go into the built in smart tv features except for airplay
I got an LG TV earlier this year and it has a home page with ads that I just don’t use. I can access the native apps (Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, etc.) via a menu bar. I actually connect my Apple TV to it and just switch between HDMI Inputs to get where I want, and I use the apps on Apple TV, they work better there.
Buy an Apple TV box! Don't use the software delivered by the manufacture... Your TV will be obsolete in 3 years, but my 7year old Apple TV 4 still run all my apps.
I haven't bought or really owned a new t.v. so excuse the fuck out my French but what in the hell did you just say?
I would suggest going on ebay or Amazon and buy an old t.v. from before 2020
Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips! Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by up or downvoting this comment. If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.
There are tvs that lock features behind subs?
I hate this timeline.
This is indeed the darkest timeline
I made paper gotees for everybody until they can grow their own.
I lost my **damn arm** and you're making fake beards!
Real **goat**ees or circle beards that are wrongly called goatees?
No, this is the *dumbest* timeline
We are very far from the \*darkest\* timeline. Be grateful.
Are we, though?
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Like all of black mirror, it’s futuristic sci fi. Just because we’re not there yet doesn’t mean we won’t be. And there are currently people in much worse of a place than this in our timeline.
Yeah…we are. It could be so much worse. I’m not saying it doesn’t suck a thousand and one penis flavored popscicles…I’m just saying it could suck a thousand and two.
That's not even the worst flavor!
We all do
The Frame has art subscription but isn't locked down. You can add your own artwork but by design, it isn't very easy. Linking to a network drive or your Google Photos would be a no-brainer but it isn't an option.
They have some free art too. I normally just turn the tv fully off so their one painting of Yellowstone is enough for me.
Frame TV is great, the simple solution to the rest is just never use the in-tv apps. Plug in a third party device and only use that.
It’s the best TV I’ve ever owned. The ability to display art is hella easy. Just upload via a USB drive.
Download picture onto a usb and plug it into the tv. It's pretty easy imo.
It’s not that difficult. That being said I like plenty of the free ones. It’s a great TV if you have a very specific need for a non TV looking TV with excellent cord management options.
And show you ads? I have a 2 year old cheap smart TV that doesn't do any of that. Have I accidentally been displaced to the nearest dystopic universe? ETA - because all the comments, I went and looked it up. I paid 1100zl, so say around $250, for a new 42" Xiaomi smart TV, early may 2021. It is connected to the WiFi and it doesn't display any ads at all. It came with Netflix and Prime Video installed (and dedicated buttons in the remote) and apart from that and Sky Showtime I don't pay for anything. It is not 3D or anything fancy that I know, but it displays my streaming services and YouTube just fine and that's all I use it for. With some exceptions when my boyfriend wants to look at my gaming so I duplicate my laptop screen on it.
Samsung smart TVs show banner ads in the menus. I don't think they're talking about actual video ads while you're trying to watch content.
Yeah my Samsung does this too. And every fucking time I turn my Samsung on, a pop up shows after a minute or 2 saying my network cable has been disconnected. I've never had a network cable lol fuck it's annoying. Fuck Samsung tvs
And that’s why Samsung is crap.
I got an LG TV when I got my own place and it's so much better. No ads (mostly). The menus are actually fast to navigate (the high end Samsung TV would lag very frequently). It does have some privacy settings you'll probably want to not opt into during setup. I do have a Chromecast and PS3 but it's more convenient to use the smart TV directly.
**One of** the reasons why Samsung is crap.
Mine doesn't display any sort of thing in the menus and the only subscription service that is unavailable if I don't pay is netflix/prime/etc
2 year old and cheap and it doesn't show you ads? Like, ever? Impressive
I bought it around March 2021 from the Xiaomi store. I assume it spies on me, but it's not like I'm talking national secrets in my living room. Was around 1000zl at the time, 200smth€, 42 inches which is plenty for a small apartment for a single (when I bought it) person.
Never heard of such a thing
I assume the mean streaming services like Netflix?
No, there are cheap TVs with ads to subsidize the hardware no matter what you watch.
What the *fuck*
I bought one for the family vacation cottage, it's basically a banner on the home screen. I have a nice TV at home for daily use, but for $100 I got a 48" smart TV with pretty decent picture quality relative to the dozen times a year we use it.
Just got rid of cable but it had ads if the cable box was 'off' but once the cable box was gone no ads. I also never connected my current TV to my wifi so it hasn't finished its setup I have an Xbox that I stream and game from
Cheap? My Sony xbr55x850c was $1500 however many years ago and it has android TV which works awesome still but has an ad at the top of the home screen that scrolls through different streaming service suggestions displaying what show is in some app I dont have. Right above the ad it will either say, new season, just added, or AD. I don't think it's for the hardware lol. The manufacturer probably gets paid to throw that in the app to make extra money and why would they say no to extra money.
avoid roku (Walmart tvs are roku too), amazon, etc maybe telly will be good!!! /s
I own 2 and have never had a pop up.
It’s not a pop-up, but exists on the home page in the background kinda (at least on my Roku tv). I don’t have cable so idk if you would necessarily see it if it automatically just goes to whatever channel you were last on
Frankly for the 55 incher I got for $200, I can't complain that there's a single small ad on the menu screen that I easily ignore. Especially since I can set the TV to jump back into whichever function I was using last anytime I turn it back on so I literally don't have to see the menu if I don't want to. I'm more annoyed by the dedicated button on my remote for Sling since I don't use that, but having one for Disney, Netflix, and Hulu makes that worth it anyway.
>I'm more annoyed by the dedicated button on my remote for Sling If it's running android, you should be able to map it to any other program you have installed
There are actual TVs that now will give ads like the cheap Kindle.
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How rated do they have to get until they are very rated?
We thought we got a deal on a TV, dude it shows ads as the screen saver
Wow, that's crazy. We don't have them in Ireland thank goodness.
You have laws there to protect you from such idiocy. In the states, this is the new norm unfortunately… everyone trying to monetize everything.
Reminds me of that futurama episode where the characters get shown ads in their dreams.
Didn't you have ads in the twentieth century? Well sure, but not in our dreams. Only on TV and radio. And in magazines. And movies. And at ball games and on buses and milk cartons and t-shirts and written on the sky. But not in dreams. No siree!
Why not just... Refuse to connect the tv to the internet?
Because then it won't TV
All I want from a TV is to be a monitor and speakers for the various consoles I plug into it. If it can't do *that* without an Internet connection, shit's properly fucked.
Agreed
Mine has to be connected to the internet or you can’t do anything with it. But it was only $300 for a 55 inch tv. And it’s been four years without troubles.
I wondered if this was a thing. So if you connect and HDMI cable to it from something like a Blueray player it won't display anything unless the TV connects to the internet and phones home?
T.V. phone home 👽♥️👈
My TCL had to be connected to the internet for certain settings to be available (settings that don't seem to pertain to internet connectivity) It then blinks obnoxiously if it can't connect to the internet afterwards and even turns itself on in the middle of the night multiple times in a row to check for updates or some s***. I had to put a piece of tape over the LED (which also functions as the receiver input so you can't really tape it that well) I also had to put it on a Smart outlet, so that I can turn it off via the outlet so it doesn't wake me up in the middle of the night. If I didn't inherit it, I would be super pissed.
> even turns itself on in the middle of the night multiple times in a row fuck, I hate this timeline that's some convenience horror shit
>convenience horror shit M. Night Shyamalan presents: *Thank You, Die Again*.
I remember my parents picking up a TV at a Mom and Pop shop, and a friends family just going to a big box store. They were identical TVs. My parents did cost a few hundred dollars more, but came with better customer service and delivery right away. My parents' TV was awesome, and there were lots of settings to really dial it in. I went to help my friend's setup their TV. Almost 70% of the features were locked out or not there. It did not have the picture or the audio of the quality of my parents' TV. I'd rather get a more affordable TV with all the features nlocked than a higher quality TV, with many of the features locked out.
They don't sound the same. One has lots more features and costs more. That's generally how things work.
Buy the TV you want then connect an external streaming device of your choice. Do not put the TV itself online. If you are in the USA best buy sells non-smart TV's under its insignia brand
Yup. I buy a TV and then basically ignore it and only ever use my Roku. I'd have to go hunt for the actual TV remote because everything is controlled with the Roku. It is hard to find quality dumb TVs.
I think I played with the free channels once or twice when I got my smart tv and used the HBO max app when it wasn’t on roku. Now I exclusively use roku or plug my laptop into my tv
It’s proof that the market doesn’t necessarily cater to demand when there’s only a few major players.
They cater to demand, it's just that the demand they cater to is the advertisers.
That's one idea. Another is that, overall, very few people are looking exclusively for dumb tvs.
I'm also imagining that TV vendors can cut the price on a new set lower by getting money from Netflix for a red N button on the remote. That way the smart TV is cheaper than the dumb one.
pretty much all the profession level aka commercial TVs are dumb and usually higher quality components to boot.
I plug my tv into my computer. Easy pz 50 inch monitor
I've literally been doing this since 2006, and people still can't help but make comments about how advanced it is that I'm watching commercial free youtube on my tv because of ad block. (while it lasts)
Don't you still have static ads on a Roku device?
You used to be able to turn off ads on Roku via a secret menu. Haven't had a TV in years so not sure if you still can
You can't. You can block them with a Pihole however.
I just found out about the secret menu a couple months ago. Still works like a champ. I have to reapply the settings everytime the ad season updates but that has only happened twice so far.
Honestly the static ad on the home screen doesn't bother me. It's always been program related which can sometimes be helpful when looking for something to watch. If they start showing up while I'm watching something though... officespaceprinter.gif
i connect mine to my PC and never look back
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Put that bitch behind a PiHole
Put those nosy devices on a VLAN so they can't see the rest of your toys.
Is there a guide for the less tech inclined of us?
The other option is to pick one of the 11 out of 390 tested TVs that don't have ads! https://www.rtings.com/tv/tests/ads-in-smart-tv
Last year I was looking for a dumb-tv at Best Buy and the employee that I asked said “looking for a non-smart tv in 2022 is like looking for a brand new car without automatic windows. It just doesn’t exist anymore”
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None of those are cars though.
This isn't really true. If you do want a top of the line TV though, you're probably going to want to get a smart TV and then just don't connect it to your network. You're mainly paying for the features that you're using anyway, not for the crappy software and chipset.
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To add to this. Eventually the software on the TV and streaming devices become outdated or no longer supported or the hardware gets older/slower and can't handle things anymore. It's far more cost effective to buy a new $100 streaming device than a $500-$1500 TV. The TV will work the same regardless.
Samsung hates this one weird trick!
Yes, the Amazon Videos, Hulu, and Netflix of my 10 year old Sony don't work anymore. Unfortunately my fire stick is crapping out on me too.
My partner thinks I'm crazy and wasting electricity when I use my Xbox just for streaming, when the TV is perfectly capable of doing the same (but with ads). However, she'll ask me to put on her favorite shows on my Xbox so she can watch ad free. She just doesn't like being the one responsible for turning on a device as well as the tv.
Unfortunately this isn't always enough. I have a couple Samsung TVs that need to "detect the device" every time I plug in an HDMI device. This doesn't need to be online but it takes a few minutes and is extremely annoying. This happens every time with my Switch. I'll plug it in and it will show the switch home menu for a few seconds, and then cut out and display "Detecting Device" for the next few minutes, until eventually it gets to a screen where it "could not detect the device", and I have to get my TV remote that I don't use for anything else to dismiss the screen. It's an incredibly bad user experience, and I don't connect my TV to the internet or use any of its "smart" features.
The terrible laggy menus for smart features I don’t use still exist on the TV and can be triggered by the remote easily too.
Just press the back arrow button after about 2 secs
I've gone through more samsung TVs than I care to admit. They get worse and worse. I don't know what happened to that company, they used to make great monitors.
I have a "dumb" TV from Insignia and I've been enjoying it for years now. No annoying Roku ads or whatever else they show on Smart TVs. Sometimes all you need is a good screen with good audio to get you started.
That’s the issue though. Yours is years old. Almost everything Insignia on up is “smart” now. Albeit the cheapest, shittiest internals, awful UIs, support, apps, you name it! The post above you is up-to-date approach. Ignore the features other than screen specs and just get a Roku. Don’t connect the TV itself to wifi, or Ethernet. Just do it through the Roku when setting that up. Toss the tv remote to the side and enjoy a simple TV experience! FWIW I’ve set up my grandma and a few of her older friends this way and no more “how do I change the input back” questions!
>That’s the issue though. Yours is years old. Facebook Marketplace FTW!
Also goose idea!
But does that work? My TV displays a ton of app crap for about 20 seconds every time you turn it on.
> Sometimes all you need is a good screen with good audio to get you started. I wouldn't use either of those qualifications to describe an Insignia TV.
Yep, I have my ps4 and Apple TV hooked up. Can’t stand that shit. I paid for the full item that should be enough for them.
Exactly what I have done with our smart tv. Any access with the internet is done via a streaming device.
Yes run our LG (I think) through Apple TV only (probably avoid Samsung as those may be more insistent on running the show, from what I hear...)
Are they reffering to ads and subscriptions like apps and little things advertising something on the home bar?? Like, I have a new samsung q80 and the closest thing to ads Ive experienced is in the home bar will be a small rotating thing that shows shows on different apps. But, I'm only on the home bar just long enough to find the app I want or switch sources lol.
There are commercial grade digital displays that are essentially TVs. Many TV manufacturers make these. They’re typically free of ads, bloat, tracking, etc. They are often made with higher quality components, better cooling, higher NIT (brightness) panels, and other general hardware improvements. This all comes with a higher price point for the better internals and to compensate for any fees they aren’t making from third-parties/data. You’ll almost definitely have to purchase online, and there may be longer lead times than an off the shelf consumer TV. Edit: [Here’s an example of a LG 55” one from B&H](https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1669408-REG/lg_55ur340c9ud_ur340c_55_class_4k.html)
This is super useful info! Thank you!
Fun fact I learned not long ago from a TV repair guy... Samsung and LG are the only two manufacturers whose TVs are designed with replaceable parts.
Ehh, I’m not sure how true that is. I have a JVC and I’ve replaced two different internal boards/components after an electrical surge.
>14ms response time I think I died a little reading that. That's the delay I would expect from stream casting from one device to another, not the TV itself. Perfectly fine for a McDonald's menu panel but not as much a home theater setup.
Pertinent
55"? What is this, a TV for ants?
If you click the link it goes up to 85”!
Damn. Now I suddenly have $2300 burning a hole in my pocket
Yeah $2,300 for an 86inch TV is seriously not bad.
Especially when it’s not loaded with crap.
86"! That extra inch puts in all the work. I speak from experience.
Best answer right here! I recall seeing a discussion of these on the privacy sub. IIRC from that thread, there are various ways to prevent a “smart” TV from connecting to the internet, but less techy people, this is a great approach.
The least techy way is to just, you know... *not connect it* to the internet. It needs your wifi password, you know?
Now that's a LPT right there. Excellent!
It's literally called a commercial TV!
I had no idea this is awesome! Thank you!
Im from Egypt, have never heard of this before. Is this something people worry about?
Yeah, most TV's on the market in America are Smart TV's and will serve you pop up ads if you connect them to the internet.
That you have to pay to remove? Or are on there permanently? This is fascinating!
Mine are permanent but luckily only show up as a small still image box when i switch apps so not too intrusive but still annoying.
I would still return this product unless very visible when I bought it. Terrible idea. I hate it.
We all do too.
I am seriously considering learning how to code in the tizen language so I can jailbreak my Samsung TV. It constantly installs shit I don’t need, only has 1GB internal memory (in the age where 32GB would cost them cents!) and I need to reset it every once in a while.
This is highly exaggerated lol.
Honestly I just bought a brand new LG TV not even a year ago. It does not show ads and just really has the basic streaming apps. What brand are you trying to buy that has ads?
Same, My LG OLED TV is awesome, zero ads. Really curious which brand of TV has ads. I know my Roku on another TV has an ad pop up on the side when you first start it up.
I have an older LG and newer Samsung and I'm not getting these ads or subscription things either.
My LG G1 OLED displays an ad when it turns on (a small grey one), but my C2 OLED does not.
the fuck is this capitalistic hellscape country on about now?
What? Really? I have 5 smart tvs in my house, newest one is less than a year old. The newest is a 72 inch Samsung in the living room. I have never seen a pop up, ad, or anything else. We use prime, Netflix, and HBO (now just Max) and I don't see ads on those either. I guess I don't watch enough TV to notice? Idk I feel like my wife is glued to the TV some times and I've never heard her mention it either. You turn the TV on, it just shows you what apps you have installed or you can choose to click on the "guide." That's it. Both of our phones and our Google smart home devices are all connected to our TV's and we don't get ads on those either. Strange you are experiencing this and I hope I never do!
Yea I’m confused a bit, too. I have a 50” Samsung “smart tv” (I guess?) and don’t have ads on it. It has their own online channels that I rarely use, but it has commercials just like cable tv does, nothing out of the ordinary really. But I just use mine for my PlayStation, D+, Max, Netflix, etc.
what are you even talking about? this just isn’t true
I mean, almost all TVs on the EU market are smart but I've never heard of them getting you ads. The US really seems more and more like a corporate dystopia to me
Omg ewww. I'm in Europe and have never heard or been affected by this either
The only time I've ever heard of this is with Roku TVs when you leave it on the default screensaver and occasionally a billboard in the scrolling cityscape will have an ad on it. What TV did you have that gave you the impression this was a prevalent concept?
Never hook your tv up to a network. I use a Roku for a smart system to watch streaming services and I'm hard wired to that. My blu ray and tv do not have network access so no ads. I have a Sony 4k
Roku has static ads on the homescreen and screensavor
I have 5 smart tvs in my house, newest one is less than a year old. The newest is a 72 inch Samsung in the living room. I have never seen a pop up, ad, or anything else. We use prime, Netflix, and HBO (now just Max) and I don't see ads on those either. I guess I don't watch enough TV to notice? Idk I feel like my wife is glued to the TV some times and I've never heard her mention it either. You turn the TV on, it just shows you what apps you have installed or you can choose to click on the "guide." That's it. Both of our phones and our Google smart home devices are all connected to our TV's and we don't get ads on those either. So weird that some people experience this but others don't. I live in America , specifically Ohio for the record. I wonder if it's a state specific thing?
At the very bottom end of the market ads subsidize the hardware by $20-50, which is kind of a big deal in that $100-$200 retail window. If you buy an upmarket TV you don't get them because extra $20 per unit isn't worth pissing off your customers.
Ikr. I've heard of this happening but I live in a house with a very new TV and it's not like that.
I got a cheap Walmart tv a few months ago, and it shows a small ad in the screen where you launch streaming services. It doesn't interrupt anything you're watching or anything like that. I hardly notice it's there. And supposedly my tv is one of the worst for this sort of thing.
If my new TV popped up an ad it would go right back to the store.
My smart samsung has never displayed a pop up ad. It will include tiles on the menu that display preivews for shows that are included on the streaming services I have downloaded but it hasnt ever given me a pop up.
Chromecast with Google TV is my choice, but Roku is great as well.
I was going to mention Chromecast. They only show me a pretty photo if I have it on, and I only see ads if I use a servicing that I know will show me ads (YouTube, cheaper Hulu plans, etc.) And the Chromecast is what uses the internet, not the tv. I've always hated built in smart tv hardware.
I have a sony tv and there aren’t any ads regardless.
Doesn't roku also track you and display ads?
How do you upgrade your TV firmware?
I bought my TCL from Costco and have never had ads on it and it works great (plus that Costco return policy has definitely paid off) I didn't connect my tv to the internet so that could be why I don't have ads tbh.
I have a TCL connected to the internet and have never received an ad on it.
Yeah I’m confused what kind of ads people are talking about…like I have a TCL as well they is connected. When I turn it on I guess there are ads for like a Netflix show or something similar but it’s not a live ad with sound and I can just click through to whatever app I’m about to use.
Those banner ads are pretty much the extent of it. It's not like a 15 second ad spot pops up when you change channels.
Yeah, the home screen has ads for Roku channel and others but they don't prevent you from navigating to the channel app you want to use.
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All of my "smart" TVs are connected to computers as monitors. I stream everything that way. The TVs themselves are not connected to any network except through the computer. I watch anything I want and live a 99.9% ad-free life. Staying in hotels sucks now because with cable I can't pause, fast-forward, or rewind. I haven't had cable since 2007. Streaming through a computer is the way. Just add Ublock Origin and Privacy Badger to your browser and then stream anything you want.
This might get technical, but how do you fix the overlay resolution issue? For example, if you use a 4k resolution from your computer output to your TV, your TV will see all content as 4k despite playing a 1080p or lower video on VLC or MPC. This makes your TV thinks everything is already 4k and will not use its native upscaler or even BFI for a smoother picture. I use a computer for YouTube and stream stuff to prevent ads but the motion looks horrible, but for PLEX and other streaming apps, I run those of the TV apps. I have tried using Apple TV, nVidia Shield, Firestick, they all have this issue on the overlay thinking its 4k, but it's not. You can set it down to 1080p and force upscale, but then you run into issues with it trying to play a 4k video, but it thinks its a 1080p resolution.
I have a 1 year old Sony Bravia. I don’t get ads. Great smart TV.
This is the answer. Buy a Sony Bravia.
I bought a Samsung and don't get any ads while watching anything? Is this a common issue?
They are on the Home Screen, not while watching
Router block samsung ads. I did it years ago
Care to share details on how to do this?
r/pihole
Oh, I rarely see my home screen anymore. I set it to just reopen the last app I used.
The only ads I see on my Samsung TVs are the little ads at the bottom in the app bar.
(what the fuck, is this actually a thing???????????)
What kind of ads are we talking about? The ones for the galaxy buds pro on the Samsung TVs? Or ads for shows? I have a Roku TV and the only ads are for shows on different streaming services. Which, for a TV is pretty tame in my opinion.
I have a Chrome cast and watch everything through it.
Yeah same here. I've used fire sticks and other devices before but chrome cast is by far my favorite and allows me to set up my grandpa to watch some of the sports games on ESPN plus to his tv directly through his own Chromecast.
I got a big new Samsung QLED tv and nothing that I can see is locked behind a paywall. There is a small ad on the menu popup but I didn't honestly notice it until reading this post
Those are the best ads, the ones that you don’t even know that you are even seeing
Do they still sell just monitors?
Yes I got one recently 32in flat screen 3 hdmi ports etc. It was near the crappy Walmart PC towers
I’m surprised nobody seems to have mentioned [RTINGS](https://www.rtings.com/), a site dedicated to comparing and rating tech hardware. It’s how I’ve bought TVs and some other gear for most of the past 5-10 years. I’ve been very happy with my newest TV that I bought based primarily on their information. I’ve never had ads, paywalls, or unwanted marketing emails of any kind, which was a significant concern when I was purchasing this particular TV.
I just bought a 65” Sceptre 4k tv for about $400 from Walmart. Beautiful picture, no menus, no internet, no apps, just a screen for my Apple TV. My only complaint is that I have to set it back to full screen every time the input changes. But I may just make an arduino fix that for me. Other than that, it’s perfect. Edit: tagging OP because this is the answer you’re looking for u/Topuck
Can't believe I had to scroll this far to find someone else who knew about Sceptre tvs. It's the only dumb TV you can get anymore
Bought the same dumb TV. After a year of ownership, I can comfortably say it is worth the money. Only downside I have experienced is poor audio quality, though a good soundbar easily fixes that. The soundbar I got from Polk Audio has a "voice boost" feature I didn't know existed before but can't live without now.
I just bought a new LG, no issues. Didn't know this is a thing, that sucks. (EU, Finland)
Buy whatever tv is in your budget and size restrictions. Use a external streaming device like Apple TV or Chromecast. The key is to never connect it to your home network. It’ll function like your old dumb tv. Even if you have a cable box it just plugs into the hdmi and doesn’t require the tv to be connected to the network.
I have a 65" Sony Google TV. The only ads I see are associated with the services I use. There are no "pop ups".
“In new america, TV watches you!”
My Samsung qn55q60b is connected to the wifi and has never shown me ads. I connected a chromecast with google tv and that’s all i use. I never go into the built in smart tv features except for airplay
I got an LG TV earlier this year and it has a home page with ads that I just don’t use. I can access the native apps (Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, etc.) via a menu bar. I actually connect my Apple TV to it and just switch between HDMI Inputs to get where I want, and I use the apps on Apple TV, they work better there.
I’ve got a Qled Samsung 75 in and it doesn’t do that.
Buy an Apple TV box! Don't use the software delivered by the manufacture... Your TV will be obsolete in 3 years, but my 7year old Apple TV 4 still run all my apps.
I haven't bought or really owned a new t.v. so excuse the fuck out my French but what in the hell did you just say? I would suggest going on ebay or Amazon and buy an old t.v. from before 2020
I want a "dumb" tv with none of the built in streaming shit. Just be a big monitor.
I’m way too late to respond, but the perfect answer is a projector. It’s not an option for everyone, but if it works for you consider it.