What the hell sort of TV are you looking at that requires an online connection to use it as a simple display device?
That’s a serious question. I want to avoid whatever brand you’re talking about like the plague.
Unfortunately i think its becoming more a thing, so you have to be careful of future updates as some companies are realising they can put ads on your menu screen now
Not answering your question, but avoid Roku like the plague
I bought a cheap Vizio, and never connected it or let it connect to anything. All it does is power on, and go to HDMI-1. My pc it connects to does everything else.
If you're concerned about privacy on your tv, I would recommend migrating away from Roku as well.
I've seen Sceptre recommended whenever this question pops up. https://www.sceptre.com/
I've also had a lot of fun using a projector in the living room as a display (with blackout curtains on the windows) but it may require some care to make the bulb last longer. And it was a bit annoying trying to figure out how to get audio and video working for consoles/laptops. I think you might need some kind of HDMI splitter and speakers to get audio and video working properly?
Another useful search term is "Display" or "Commercial Display" instead of "TV"
These "Displays" will be TV's without any of the bloatware and spyware, but may be missing features like refresh rates, picture quality, etc.
For example here: https://www.lg.com/us/business/commercial-displays
I have a pair of LG tvs that didn’t require any activation. Might wanna take a look at those?
Definitely stay away from Samsung. All my encounters with Samsung have required some type of sign up-activation process.
I’ve seen some users here also recommend checking out monitors as tvs but I’m not well versed in that area.
While I overall like my lg tv they have some shitty things from both a tech perspective (can’t play or pass through dts audio bc of licensing bullshit though this may not be the case on newer models) and an anti consumer perspective (data collection and ads)
On the first point you can circumvent by using e-arc and avr
On the second point you have to dig through settings and make sure sales of your personal data is not enabled (it is by default and can be re-enabled with updates)
You can also block the following in your router/dns:
us.ad.lgsmartad.com us.info.lgsmartad.com ngfts.lge.com lgad.cjpowercast.com edgesuite.net us.rdx2.lgtvsdp.com us.info.lgsmartad.com us.ibs.lgappstv.com us.lgtvsdp.com ad.lgappstv.com smartshare.lgtvsdp.com ibis.lgappstv.com us.ad.lgsmartad.com lgad.cjpowercast.com.edgesuite.net ngfts.lge.com yumenetworks.com smartclip.net smartclip.com
snu.lge.com su.lge.com lgtvonline.lge.com
This will block the ads in the os as well as hamper their data collection, somewhat. The last three specifically will also block updates.
You can also root webos in some scenarios which gives you certain options to block ads in YouTube and such
On one hand don’t support TVs that do this anti consumer bullshit. On the other hand good luck buying a tv in 2024 that doesn’t pull some kind of anti consumer bullshit? Any tv with google/android tv, Roku, etc built in is just as bad or worse. Most if not all manufacturers engage in OS level data collection.
I just have my LG C1 locked down to LAN only connection, in my router settings put it on house arrest. 😂
That way it doesn’t whine about no connection and wardrive for open connections. No ads, no crap, and just works without being able to phone home.
Next “TV” Will definitely be a short throw projector or commercial display (which is the codeword for “dumb”) TV today.
Commercial displays usually don't have a very good picture quality. They are intended to be used as signs and are optimized for brightness.
A good projector is definitely the way to go if you have the room for one.
Alternative perspective: Buy the most intrusive, ad-subsidized set you can find and disconnect/block it so you get all of the benefit and none of the privacy invasion?
Ensure it works offline before buying would be my only advice here. Also don’t be surprised if it still has ads, I know android tv can have ads without connecting to the internet because it’ll have them cached from a fresh install. Adblocking on android tv is a pain because the caching of ad content can make you think it’s not working
Ugh. This is why we can’t have nice things.
You can, they just cost more.
This isn’t really true, they don’t write a separate os for the fancier TVs. The $5000 83” oled still does all this. It’s not as bad as the $75 37” lcd that’s heavily subsidized but that’s only partially because of less intrusive ads. The ads are still there, just not as much, the data collection is still there, and the tv is just runs smoother because the hardware is generally (a bit) more powerful
I think that even the most expensive TVs have the same OS and data collection
That's what I ended up doing. A dumb monitor is just fine, as long as you don't need a huuuge screen. The main thing is to find a good external speaker though that doesn't auto-sleep in the middle of one's show...
How old are they? We bought an LG TV 1 or 2 years ago and it has a lot of online features and keeps prompting me to make an account and accept various terms and conditions for their advertising or to let them listen to the microphone and such. I think it's mostly optional but they don't make it easy to opt out
To add to this, my LG C2 kept popping up a message that I could use Alexa with it if I connected it to Wifi.
To kill that message, I did. Now it pops up advertisements in that same way from time to time.
If I take it offline again, I get messages about connecting it again.
It's effectively impossible to kill ads on it.
If you have a modern router you can block WAN connections while allowing LAN connections. This is what I do and it doesn’t give me crap (and bonus, I can interface with it still with home assistant for automations).
My router is an ASUS AX5700, if it matters.
my LG is from 2021. it is a little tricky to opt out of everything because the various options are scattered in different places in the settings, but once I did all that it hasn't bothered me.
Off the commercial off the shelf "smart" TVs available, I started by looking at the OSes available. Choices were Roku, webOS, Tizen, and Google TV. I immediately ruled out Roku because of their recent changes to terms&conditions. webOS is pretty much limited to LG TVs, and I had bad experiences with LG warranties, so I ruled that out. Tizen (Samsung) was out for similar reasons, so that left me with Google TV. It's... OK. Doesn't require Internet connection to work, and doesn't nag me about it. And it came with a hardware switch to turn off the microphone. Not sure if that's a brand thing (Hisense) or applicable to all Google TV devices, but was reassuring.
Same. Got burned with a Roku, then a tv with Yahoo! TV.
Now I have a Hisense with google TV, it's not bad, no ads, apps like Netflix and Disney+ are in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.
My mic is off too 😉
I haven't gotten my shit together and researched specific models yet, but I've been looking into this a bit myself, and from what I've read, Sceptre appears to be one of the better brands for completely dumb TVs these days.
Can definitely vouch for Sceptre. Have a computer monitor from them and a TV as well. Absolutely love them both. My concern is actually tracking down Sceptre anything though. They’re constantly out of stock on their website
Most recommendations I get for TV's like this are to buy a display meant for digital signage or conference rooms. They're usually a little more expensive but also made to last. They're also mostly just dumb monitors.
I haven't gone that route yet, but it's on my roadmap. My current "TV"s are just a projector connected to my HTPC and a 32" PC monitor in a similar configuration upstairs.
I’ve heard this and while they are sturdier they generally also have worse panels from an image quality standpoint. If you’re buying a $400 60” lcd tv it probably won’t be all that different but if you’re looking for an oled level tv these panels will be noticeably worse in comparison
Another alternative is projectors. Can be impractical in many scenarios but often come with a pretty barebones OS, especially if you get a proper one and not one of the goofy portable ones they sell for $100
My solution for this is if you absolutely cannot bypass the connect Network to set up function, set up a hotspot on your phone. Let it download it's you know what 150 MB update and then turn off your Wi-Fi hotspot
You could take it a step further and set a temporary network name & password for the hotspot, and then change it back afterwards
that way you can use your hotspot near your TV in the future without worry
Easy; Don't buy a TV with Roku. Dumber smart TVs are still a hassle, but I haven't heard of one that requires activation (yet).
Anecdotally, my Samsung projector wanted me to connect it to the WiFi. I told it to fuck off and connected a Shield to it (probably going to replace it with a beelink soon). It has a large green banner across the top when I go for the menu, but I almost never do that.
My friend got the same projector, set everything up, and the fucker displays ads. Seriously, what the fuck. I'll take the green bar.
There was an article going around that explained how to disable internet connections on various smart TVs. I wish I could find it.
For TVs with Roku built in, the solution was simply to select the option for no internet connection during initial setup. If you’ve already set up your TV, you go to settings and reset it like you’re getting ready to sell the device. That puts you back to initial setup where you can skip the network connection option.
What you can’t do on the Roku tv is tell it you have internet, but then try to use some sort of firewall or network connection to block it from phoning home. The front light on the tv will blink, and when you turn the tv on it will complain that it can’t connect. You have to choose no internet on initial setup if you want it to act like a “dumb” tv.
I have two Vizio panels, a 2017 and a 2023. Neither are connected to my network. The 2017 got a couple of firmware updates via wired connection in the first year but I nixed that after an update nearly bricked it. The 2023 will turn itself back on for a few seconds occasionally (just the electronics, not the panel)... possibly looking for an open network but I have no way to verify. Neither complain about a lack of connection unless I accidentally select their streaming input.
It's been a few years since I last bought a TV, but I've been happy with my Sony. About once or twice a year I get a "software update available" message, which is weird since it has never been connected to any network, but I just dismiss it and continue my regular usage.
My LG smart TV from 2017 or so has never been connected to any network.
About two years after I set it up, it went through this phase where every time I powered it on I got a new nag popup about this app, that app, this streaming service, and that streaming service having their "support ended" after which they would no longer work. One after the other. I can only conclude that the thing had fucking suicide timers built into all of its onboard apps to deliberately pull this crap on you regardless of any other factors to try to trick or entice you into buying a new TV.
Needless to say, I did not buy a new TV. Mine has had a PC plugged into it and has since day 1, which serves it all of its content except that which is generated by retro video game consoles.
What a crock of shit.
The last time I activated a TV was in 2022. It was a Sony X85K and it didn't require a connection. I've subsequently only used it with a CCwGTV.
Before that I activated a Samsung U..7300 or something like that in 2020. That didn't require connection either. I also used it with a CCwGTV.
I just moved and wound up getting an LG C4 65", put off getting internet service, TV worked fine
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