Supposedly, the Spectre 55 inch is 4k and dumb as a rock: https://www.sceptre.com/TV/4K-UHD-TV/U550CV-UMR-55-4K-UHD-TV-product959category1category73.html
this post was submitted on 31 Oct 2023
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I have an older model of this Spectre. Can confirm it looks fantastic for the price and no smart features .
I paid $200 for mine. Do not buy the Walmart version. Also this seems overpriced for this unit
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How about projectors? They're stupid as shit.
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Does it bother anyone else to pay for all that "smartness" and then figure out how NOT to use it?
How can consumers fight back against this bullshit?
You arenβt paying for the smartness. You are actually getting a subsidized TV that should cost a whole lot more but is being sold for cheap since it is also a data collection device.
Non smart TVs are more expensive than their smart counterparts.
The only answer is to never give your smart tv access to your network and to use an external device for streaming.
This is exactly what I do, my TV never connects to my network.
Youβre right. What you really need is a tv that reacts less bad to being online. Itβs a shame Logitech killed the Harmony because dumbing down your tv successfully generally requires a universal remote.
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It bothers me a LOT!
Especially when I don't even use the smart shit, basically use it as a glorified monitor and the thing pops up a message "Our terms and conditions have changed". I cannot use my fucking TV till I accept the new terms and if I refuse, the TV just turns off.
It's such bullshit! I own the TV, how can you change the terms and conditions after the fact? Can I change the terms and conditions? I know I paid $1000 for this TV, but I changed my mind, can you please give me back 250$. I altered the deal, pray I don't alter it any further.
Same with my goddamned piece of shit phone. Here is a new software version, it will remove 3 features you love and use every day, drains your battery twice as fast and makes the whole thing slow. You can maybe hack shit till it doesn't update automatically and only occasionally bugs you about it. But then you don't get any security updates or compatibility fixes, so that's not really a good option either. So you buy a new device every 2 years, even though it was perfectly fine.
I know the EU is working on it, but I can't wait for the day manufacturers are forced to provide at least 5-7 years of security/compatibility updates for devices, without also bundling feature updates. And be legally bound to the terms and conditions at the moment of sale, no changing the deal after it's done.
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It bothers me it's so hard to find one that doesn't include it, but it doesn't feel like it's bloating the price to me, if that's what you mean. Besides the insistence on the smart shit, TV's have constantly been getting better, bigger, and yet still cheaper.
It's unfortunate, but if anything the smart features are part of why they're staying so cheap. The TV costs the same to make no matter what, but when every company under the sun is paying a fee to have their app baked into the tv, you don't have to charge the end-user as much to make the same profit. Not to mention the treasure trove of data you can collect(and sell) from the ones who connect it to the internet.
This happens everywhere now.
We had the garage doors replaced, and replaced the openers since they were also a couple decades old and a small part of the total cost. Every damned opener that wasnt bare-bones had smart features. Camera, motion detection, wifi... of course, none of it to any sort of standard, and requiring a special app and account with the vendor. Smart devices are fine - I want smart, to some standard like zwave - but I'll be god damned if I'm going to make an account with Genie so they can track and sell my garage door use.
Same thing with the dishwasher. The house being as old as it is, all the devices are hitting planned obsolecense at the same time. All the new dishwashers that have any decent features are smart. Again, with some shitty bespoke app, and requiring an account. This time, I got the damned thing and just haven't installed the app or configured the wifi on it. Maybe it's talking to one of the neighbor's unsecured wifi networks; I guess I can live with that.
We got lucky on the refrigerator (this time, something inside broke and leaked water into the underfloor for a week before we caught it). We got a model that had everything we wanted and didn't have wifi.
I read an article a few months ago about a conference where all these companies are bitching that people are buying these things and not connecting them; with any luck, they've been losing money on them and will stop adding smart features to everything. But I'm not holding my breath.
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Got a Sony Bravia OLED and it's set up as a dumb TV, turns on instantly + I never see the Smart TV UI, not even a logo.
What I did was decline everything at setup, hook up to the Internet via Ethernet once to update, unplug Ethernet and set it to turn on to last input.
That's just a smart tv acting dumb. Or a smart TV that was taught wrong, as a joke.
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Yep, the new Bravias with Android TV or whatever give you a choice as a part of the first time setup that essentially disables all the smart features. I had the same experience.
I researched this recently - here's what I found:
Vizio P65-F1
TCL 65R617
Sony x900e
Hisense H65M7000
Sony KDL-65W855C and Samsung UE65H6400
Sceptre U650CV-U
Sceptre, Supersonic, SunbriteTv, outdoor TV's, and Caixun have non-smart Tv's
https://www.tomsguide.com/how-to/how-to-buy-a-dumb-tv-and-why-youd-want-to
Look into commercial displays.
This is the answer every time this question comes up. You pay more because it doesn't generate revenue by spying on you, but it doesn't have all the bullshit cause it's meant to be on during all biz hours showing store promos and the like.
I'm rocking a 4k ViewSonic display. Nothing smart about it.
If it's not been mentioned, you want Commercial Displays, or Large Format Displays. Much more expensive generally for less features, but many are explicitly non-smart.
https://www.cdw.com/content/cdw/en/products/computer-monitors-displays/large-format.html
If you connect your device to a compatible hdmi port and turn on the device first, it should turn on your tv to that input straight away. Boot times should be nearly instant unless you do a full restart of the smart tv.
Almost every TV doesn't have smart functions if you don't connect them to your network.
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I hate "smart" TVs too, unfortunately I have one but I just never connected it to the internet. I only use the HDMI input to connect it to my HTPC running Linux and Kodi, it's an awesome setup.
I got a Vizio 4K and refused to give it my wifi access. it boots in maybe 5 seconds and the only issue is the time displayed on screen is way off. otherwise fully functional with no smartness. and it restarts using the same input as when it was last used.
I did the same thing with Vizio and it eventually would randomly turn off, or sound wouldn't work or something, you'd call support and they'd tell you that you have to update it. It doesn't make any sense, but I did it and it would work find for awhile again. Thr tinfoil hat in me says they do that to get whatever info they have stored on you.
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Almost every smart TV I have played with you can set them up to just go to an HDMI input and turn off any "home" menus screens. You also can usually skip any Network setup.
I have played with LG, Vizio, Samsung and Sony TVs all have had options to do this. (But this has been over the last 1-7 years).
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Isn't that basically just a monitor?
While I get what you're saying, there are some differences between TVs and monitors that may be relevant to OP.
TVs have tuners built into them, if they need to receive overt the air or cable signals.
TVs have remote controls where monitors typically don't.
Large TVs are hella cheap compared to monitors of the same size.
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With an IR remote and built in speakers.
So basically no.
My Samsung boots fast, goes straight to whatever input I left it on, and doesnβt have smart functions because I donβt have it on the network and never accepted the license for them. I update the software occasionally and then disconnect it again.
Itβs older though. Iβd try and see if you can play with one somewhere and if theyβll let you reset it to factory.
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I have found some. The key is to look for either outdoor televisions or ones designed for commercial use, such as those used for restaurant menus at the counter.
Outdoor televisions usually aren't very good besides being bright and weather resistant.
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I'm going to assume because you said your shopping for a 4k telly and havent set a set amount that you got the money to afford something decent in that case look at getting a used commercial or large format display I found this for Β£380 which may interst you or prehaps just buying a smart telly and not connecting it to the Internet
I need to get non-smart TVs for work and usually end up buying Sceptre TVs. They do everything you're asking, but I don't live with them day-to-day so I'm not sure what they're like in that regard.
The latest tvs the boot pretty fast, when you turn them on for the first time just don't agree to the policies and it'll be a dumb tv.
The other option is a computer monitor.
My Sony TV allows for a default input on boot. Wish it allowed a default App on boot...
I got an LG C3, never plugged in the ethernet cable and changed the song so it starts on that last active input.
I did have to enter my postal code though, which is H0H 0H0.
Post code can be used to adjust settings for regional differences with broadcast tv reception
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If there are none, does anybody know a tv that boots fast(less than 30 seconds) and displays an hdmi input by default without the need to choose the input from a menu.
I have a Phillips 4k "smart tv" I keep in "dumb" mode at all times. https://www.usa.philips.com/c-p/65PFL5766_F7/5700-series-4k-ultrahd-led-android-tv-with-google-assistant
Just never ever connect it to the internet, and keep it on HDMI 1.
The TV is even smart enough to detect when there is a live signal on HDMI 1 and it turns itself on automatically. This might be a feature of my stereo having an ARC out HDMI line.
I have all my game consoles, google chromecast, etc etc connected to my stereo, then stereo out connected to the TV's HDMI 1. When I turn anything on it "just works". No menus, no inputs, it just flips on and displays HDMI 1 and keeps its mouth shut lol
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Look for a commercial grade television set. For example, on Best Buy, search for 'Television' click the 'Non Smart' option and you will get 38 choices to peruse. BTW, commercial grade is more durable with a longer warranty. Good luck!
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