I hope everyone reading this knows that you can just not connect a “Smart” TV to the internet. Leave it as a “dumb” TV.
Get a separate device like a Roku or AppleTV or Amazon Fire or whatever. The garbage hardware that TV manufacturers slap inside a TV so they can advertise its “smart” features will always be inferior to a purpose built external device.
To say nothing of the security implications of having an unpatched probably unsupported IoT device running on your network for years.
I have a Samsung Q80T that I run unconnected and it works just fine and ad-free. It’s still clunkier/more frustrating than it should be thanks to it still trying to be “smart”, however it’s mostly benign. The second you connect it to the internet though, it downloads all the ads and sponsored apps that clutter up the entire UI, and the only way to get rid of them is factory reset it and keep it offline
Yes. This absolutely infuriates me. I use my Xbox or my laptop connected via HDMI to provide these applications that I want to use. I never set the TV to use WiFi or even connect to the internet at all. You couldn’t pay me to use the UI that half those shitty brands have.
Tbf, of the big manufacturers, Samsung is the egregious offender. As long as you avoid them in particular, the UX on the other brands are okay. But ofc, using a streaming player is highly recommended.
This is super interesting, as I have both a Samsung and Sony that I bought in 2018, and Sony’s Android UI is by far more laggy and intrusive than Samsung’s.
Both have never been connected to the internet, but my Sony tv will not shut up about not functioning “optimally” without wifi, tries to constantly load sponsored content on the homescreen, and has giant built in Netflix, Google Play and Google Voice buttons on the remote. The Samsung TV asked me for the wifi at setup (I said no), and now just asks what input I want to display from when I turn it on.
I have no other Samsung devices, but from what I hear, Samsung UI across all their tech seems to have shit the bed the last couple of years. I wonder what changed.
I hope everyone reading this knows that you can just not connect a “Smart” TV to the internet. Leave it as a “dumb” TV.
Get a separate device like a Roku or AppleTV or Amazon Fire or whatever. The garbage hardware that TV manufacturers slap inside a TV so they can advertise its “smart” features will always be inferior to a purpose built external device.
To say nothing of the security implications of having an unpatched probably unsupported IoT device running on your network for years.
I thought new TVs basically refused to function until you connect them to the internet to go through all that?
My plasma TV is about 10 years old and I’m scared thinking about it dying.
I have a Samsung Q80T that I run unconnected and it works just fine and ad-free. It’s still clunkier/more frustrating than it should be thanks to it still trying to be “smart”, however it’s mostly benign. The second you connect it to the internet though, it downloads all the ads and sponsored apps that clutter up the entire UI, and the only way to get rid of them is factory reset it and keep it offline
Thanks.
Maybe some of the cheap ones or the newest ones? I have a few TVs that are “smart”, Sony and LG, they didn’t complain.
Thanks.
Yes. This absolutely infuriates me. I use my Xbox or my laptop connected via HDMI to provide these applications that I want to use. I never set the TV to use WiFi or even connect to the internet at all. You couldn’t pay me to use the UI that half those shitty brands have.
Tbf, of the big manufacturers, Samsung is the egregious offender. As long as you avoid them in particular, the UX on the other brands are okay. But ofc, using a streaming player is highly recommended.
This is super interesting, as I have both a Samsung and Sony that I bought in 2018, and Sony’s Android UI is by far more laggy and intrusive than Samsung’s.
Both have never been connected to the internet, but my Sony tv will not shut up about not functioning “optimally” without wifi, tries to constantly load sponsored content on the homescreen, and has giant built in Netflix, Google Play and Google Voice buttons on the remote. The Samsung TV asked me for the wifi at setup (I said no), and now just asks what input I want to display from when I turn it on.
I have no other Samsung devices, but from what I hear, Samsung UI across all their tech seems to have shit the bed the last couple of years. I wonder what changed.