Everything is freezing and crashing (dozens of times today). The remote shit the bed almost immediately and we’ve been using a virtual remote over WiFi that sometimes has upwards of a 5 second delay. This thing requires an account to use even basic functionality and it has a whole thing in its privacy policy about using the built in microphone to just ambiently record.

Do I need to buy older used TVs to avoid getting a giant and shittier smart phone? I feel like such a boomer and I remember my dad complaining about TVs with the VCR built in being pointless because the VCR would break and then the whole TV would be on the fritz even though the screen was fine and now I totally understand my fathers’ rage and I want to throw the remote through the fucking screen but the remote shit the bed so we had to get rid of it anyway ahhhhhhbbbbbbhhhhh

  • WoofWoof91 [comrade/them]
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    i will be very sad when my early lcd tv inevitably dies
    it has a fucking SCART socket on it
    i use it exclusively for my old game consoles lmao

    to actually answer your question

    Do I need to buy older used TVs to avoid getting a giant and shittier smart phone?

    pretty much, yeah

  • AHopeOnceMore [he/him]B
    ·
    1 year ago

    Have you tried saying, "I'm loving it!" into the microphone, consumer?

  • ped_xing [he/him]
    ·
    1 year ago

    A commercial display is the way to go if you can swing it. porky-happy knows porky-happy won't stand for anything less than cycling through the advertisements for their wares 24/7/365 without any smart-crap bullshit, so if you want a tv that does what it's told, that's your ticket. I have a laptop plugged into mine and control it from across the room with a wireless keyboard and mouse.

  • chickentendrils [any, comrade/them]
    ·
    1 year ago

    There's a couple brands that make unconnected 4K TVs. I don't own/use a TV personally but know some people who prefer it that way as well. Sceptre is the one I know of first hand but there are some others I think. Weirdly I had a 24" 1920x1200 display from them over 15 years ago and it still works, has 2 dead pixels in the top left corner since ~6 years ago though.

    • chickentendrils [any, comrade/them]
      ·
      1 year ago

      To add, I did some TV set repair when I was a student. The number one thing in common when it was an electronics failure was that there was no surge protector or a very old one.

      Worth checking but I'd hope every model nowadays has an external port for extending the IR sensor (for the set's remote) and HDMI CEC so a remote for eg a Kodi box has access to the native input menu & volume.

  • Eris235 [undecided]
    ·
    1 year ago

    I've always used TV's as my main monitor, despite the display delay. But after the last TV I got died recently, I was fed up enough with the 'smart tv' bullshit I got an actual monitor this time. Smaller than I'm used to, but just, the thing actually works without trying to connect to wifi and shove ads down my throat

    • blobjim [he/him]
      ·
      1 year ago

      you can always get a business TV, those are dumb TVs but they're more expensive and there's fewer options.

  • Alch_Fox
    ·
    edit-2
    11 months ago

    deleted by creator

  • came_apart_at_Kmart [he/him, comrade/them]
    ·
    1 year ago

    smart tvs are total buttcheeks. I got into projectors years ago. great ones are pricey, but lots of "totally good enough" options exist. projected on a wall painted with matte/flat Behr interior "Silver Screen".

    • sexywheat [none/use name]
      ·
      1 year ago

      I got into projectors years ago

      I had never even considered this.

      Ok so I am looking at projectors right now. Some of them are like $200 and others are like $2000 and the expensive ones say they are "smart" projectors - what should I be looking for in one of these things?

      • familiar [he/him]
        ·
        1 year ago

        Make sure it has an adjustable lens (manually adjustable, not digital) to focus the image, and adjustable keystone. Grab a cheap one first to see how it works for you and the room you want it in, and upgrade later.

        You'll probably want to invest in some external speakers of some sort.

  • Sickos [they/them, it/its]
    ·
    1 year ago

    If you look around a bit you can still buy dumb tvs. They're slightly more expensive than the bargain bin smart tvs because they're not ad-subsidized, and the picture quality is nothing to write home about, but they just do tv shit and nothing else and it is SO NICE. So nice.

    • blobjim [he/him]
      ·
      1 year ago

      They're labeled "for business". Some don't have physical controls so you have to use a remote, but yeah.

  • familiar [he/him]
    ·
    1 year ago

    I don't care if my "smart TV" has features, since I just use a $30 Roku stick in the back.

    The streaming sticks are nice because they are hardware-consistent, and inexpensive. I do have some issues with it (mainly DRM, but it works after I restart the device), but it doesn't lag or anything. My smart TV stopped getting updates years ago (cause Netflix/Hulu doesn't want to update their app for Roku, Fire Stick, and like 5 smart TV brands).

  • newmou [he/him]
    ·
    1 year ago

    Yeah no one was selling your dad’s specific digital footprint. It’s all worse now

  • D61 [any]
    ·
    1 year ago

    Shitty laptop with a monitor port and large computer monitor with wireless keyboard/mouse? (Though I don't know where you'd get local stations streaming off of the top of my head.)

    Pretty much what I've slowly evolved into watching "TV" on.

  • kristina [she/her]
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    dont update your tv, dont let it connect to the internet. they have planned obsolescence through software

  • Yurt_Owl
    ·
    1 year ago

    Second hand plasma TVs might be a good bet? Since they still look pretty good and don't have any of the smart shite.

    I managed to get a 2021 TV with smart stuff but i never connected it to the internet nor even accepted the t&c so it acts entirely as a dumb TV and it seems fine. Its a decent TV i can go find the model number if ur interested.

      • familiar [he/him]
        ·
        1 year ago

        I think they are susceptible to burn-in more than modern TVs as well.

      • Jennifer [she/her]
        ·
        1 year ago

        Yeah as a plasma screen TV owner that's the downside along with burn in, but the picture quality is really good

  • Jennifer [she/her]
    ·
    1 year ago

    So a while back I bought a Samsung plasma screen off some cop on Craigslist for 125 dollars. 55 inch, not smart, 1080p but the picture quality is great and I've used it as a gaming monitor in the past and now as a TV. Since it's not smart, it's kind of fool proof. I love the TV and I recommend getting a not smart TV or just getting something to hook up to it. I recommend something like this unless you're going to spend upwards of 700 dollars on a TV.