Ask HN: Non-Smart TV Recommendations?
5 behnamoh 7 8/22/2025, 12:21:12 AM
I don't want a trojan horse in my living room, I want a good ol' TV that's good at just being a screen. No "smart" features but great image quality.
PS: I'm also open to smart TVs that can be "jailbroken" or severely restricted to remove all their "smartness".
My use case: Watch shows streamed from my laptop via HDMI, play games, etc.
Most TV's won't freak out if they lack an internet connection and are still fully functional (outside of services that require internet), and many can be updated via firmware on USB thumbdrive over sneakernet.
This is also more futurepoof - I have a relatively ancient (in TV timelines) Vizio that is so old that none of the apps were working with modern services (and even when they worked the were slow/laggy), so I just unplugged ethernet and drove it from other HDMI sources.
If you do want streaming apps, Bluetooth, wireless sharing, etc, you can buy a plugin box/dongle. E.g. a Chromecast, Google TV, or a full-blown AVR.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sceptre-50-Class-4K-UHD-LED-TV-U5...