2y ago

Good dumb TV for my living room media center?

Just had my old dumb LG TV die after 9 years of working just dandy. I lack the desire to root around for a dead capacitor so I am currently in the market for an approximate replacement to act as the display for my Linux media center in my living room. I figure this is the right crowd for finding a non-invasive TV so my Linux machine can be the brains. I trust modern Tvs less and less.

Desired features

        55"
    Non terrible audio
    As dumb of hardware/software as reasonably achievable

21 comments

If you really want a true dumb TV, you should look into the commercial TVs
Personally I just get any TV and don't connect it to the internet. I disable any popup interfaces/home menus as much as I can on the TV so I just turn it on and it goes to HDMI1 and that is all the TV's interface needs to do.
I also disable alot of the picture altering features as well. My LG TV has some true motion crap that just made everything a little bit off.
For the most part the handful of TVs I have tried just work.
- This is what I do. My Samsung TV can be set to turn on to a specific input, and the "smart" features never get in the way; similarly, it remains permanently disconnected from my home network.
  
  I've heard of them searching for open wifi networks and using them. If I had one and cared, I'd bet the wifi card was removable like in a laptop, and I'd open it up and remove it.
  But I own a dumb old CCFL TV that I got for free, and I'm going to use it until I can't any more.
[Thankfully i've not needed to buy new TV yet but i've been collecting ways to buy all appliances dumb]
Scepre https://www.sceptre.com/TV/4K-UHD-TV-category1category73.html.
Commercial TV (search for commercial signage TV, or even dumb commercial tv) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V9ZYV7Q
Or monitors but it may get very expensive
I believe the term you want is "digital signage". Be prepared that they can cost twice as much as a regular "smart" TV.
I've been looking for a TV for awhile now, and I've found that there aren't really any practical dumb ones. There are a few models, but they're more expensive and have lower specs, cheaper panels, fewer menu options, etc.
Overall, the smart TVs are going to be cheaper/better because the company plans to make money on target ads, data mining, etc. Just don't connect it or enter a wi-fi password. Sadly that's where we're at now.
55 inch 4K Scepter TV + Saiyin soundbar and subwoofer. I bought this setup about a month ago for less than $400 and it's been pretty good so far
IF you have the space, go for a projector. I got a nice short throw 1080 Benq with a decent 120 inch screen. And wow, it's incredible. It's amazing for shows, movies, and games. I paid 800 total for everything. There's everything from 200 dollar to 5k dollars, depending on what quality you want.
Dead caps are easy to spot and easy to fix. You can gimme your old TV :)
Look on Craigslist or similar if you really want something truly dumb and affordable.
You’d probably be best checking out review on rtings.
TCLs have phenomenal value for panel quality and price, and what you can get for the money just keeps increasing.
Buy a nice TV
Give it a static IP
Firewall it off from the internet
Voila!
Edit: Make sure it cant call UPNP on your router or any such tomfoolery
Really the best options I have found is to get a device running android tv which has the dumb tv mode. That combined with either not connecting it to wifi or using a pihole for any residuals is probably the most practical option.
i searched for 55 inch dumb tv on amazon and found this: https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Business-Software-Speakers-LH55BETHLGFXGO/dp/B08651PB1J/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=3CGW6YLKH5VBI&keywords=dumb+tv+55+inch&qid=1688732714&sprefix=dumb+tv+55+inch%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-3
not sure how much you're wanting to pay, but this doesn't sound too bad. I'm looking to upgrade soon myself. I have a 40 inch dumb 1080 Element TV. It works well still, but wanting bigger and 4k. I'll probably move the one i currently have to my son's room.
edit: there are some better deals I think. That was just one of the first links. It's only 60hz, you might find one that's 120hz for not much more.
I'd search an used and old one if i was you

21 comments