You can make any smart TV dumb. Just disable the network on it and use your own streaming device (Roku, Chromecast, Fire TV, etc.).
this post was submitted on 07 Jul 2023
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Yup. My family bought me a new TV to replace the one I've been using for 15 years, and they keep telling me how great it is that I can get movies and TV shows for free, and I can sign in to all the streaming services right from my TV!
I don't have the heart to tell them that I'll die before this TV connects to anything other than an HDMI cord
Do research on smart devices before you decide to use one. Fire TV is filled with ads. Roku that’s built into TVs have ads; not sure about standalone boxes.
Also, some smart TVs have ads downloaded locally so they can be played if they don't have an online connection (they usually rotate them when you update the TV). Make sure they don't have those before buying one!
My Roku stick doesn't seem to have ads. But I recently switched to a Google Chromecast TV and like it the most. Better interface and more features than Roku (e.g. Bluetooth). The one thing that's worse is the remote.
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I went on that journey a couple years ago. What I ended up buying is technically considered "digital signage" rather than a TV. Basically zero bloat. You may have to pay a little extra but I don't recall it being that much. Pretty sure I got it here.
Yep, a commercial display is what OP is looking for. You won't get fancy stuff like high framerates or digital audio processing, and they cost a bit more as many of them are meant to be on 24/7/365, but there are no apps installed. They'll have network connectivity, but only so you can manage them.
Be careful when buying commercial displays for digital signage, some do not have speakers built in, though they should still have a 3.5mm and/or optical out and you can always strip the audio from an hdmi cable.
Quite right. I did get one with speakers, but they were even worse than I expected. I bought a sound bar to go with it. There are also a few quirks that remind me it's a commercial display. Like there's no power button on the unit. I have to use the remote. I suppose one wouldn't want their signage turned off by randos.
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Pretty hard to come by, imo just disconnect the TV from internet entirely and don't use its garbage smart TV functions.
Don't bother using the TV, get a separate box. Even Google TV shoves recommendations down your throat.
Hate to say it, but the Apple TV is probably the most debloated system out there. It is more or less the easiest way to get just a grid of apps.
Are there any decent TV Boxes out there? Nvidia shield is what I use now, but I had to switch to a 3rd party launcher to avoid recommendations. I have a feeling I may end up with a PC hooked up to my TV at some point in the future.
Well, you have one of my recommendations of a Shield with a 3rd party launcher lol. My other would be an Apple TV.
Maybe it is because I have a pihole but I never notice the recommendations. I remapped the Netflix button to plex and barley spend any time on the launcher
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I have to agree. Every time I’m at someone’s house I’m reminded of how bad the ads are on every other service/platform and it makes me glad to have that Apple TV. We’ve had it for a long time and it still chugs along just as well as it did on day one!
Pricey but worth it!
The Apple TV’s only real competition is the nVidia Shield which is actually more expensive.
Unfortunately the majority of these devices are subsidized by ads and data gathering and most people care more about price than experience.
Shield has ads now, too. Even though I blocked the domains, it just keeps showing the same ads from when I first installed it. I am so sick of them. 
Considering how much it costs, that sucks. You might be able to replace the launcher, I did that with the built in Google TV interface on my Sony TV for a while. The only problem is that it wasn't reliable and somehow ran slower, even though it had no ads.
The Apple TV has ads in the TV app, but I never use it since so many services don't integrate with it. I also just don't find the concept that useful. I don't need all my services available in one app. I'm fine with just having a grid of apps I jump between.
Get a commercial display instead of a "smart" tv and then hook your smart device of choice in
Totally agree. Though typically commercial displays aren't really built for home use so they may take some tweaking to get them to look good at home. The good news is if you get something like a NEC commercial display they usually have easy to access and very detailed calibration menus. Also they'll have tons of ports and even legacy ports like VGA so they'll be super flexible. But above 50" the prices go up a lot.
Plug a computer into it. There are little machines that you can hide behind the TV, if that's what you want. Not only will you not get ads, but you also won't get ads with stuff like YouTube if you use an ad blocker.
I think lg was quite good. It's full of ads but if you don't sign in you don't get them. Lose some functionality but it's not terrible. Not sure about anything else
There is a "apps mode" on Google Chromecast with Google tv - that takes out all the recommendations and stuff and just shows you the apps, fwiw.
It still shows adverts on the homepage though.
Not if you install a custom launcher.
Holy crap this changed my life thank you!
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Maybe you can consider using a computer monitor as a tv if you can find one large enough.
Not really. TVs are subsidized by ads and data collection, so they all have this crap. The more reputable brands do have better UX and may let you opt out of some of it, but not all.
My recommendation is to buy the TV with the best hardware features that you want. Once you get it, connect it once via Ethernet and update it to get all the most up to date features and fixes. Then disconnect it from Ethernet and connect a smart TV box like Apple TV or the nVidia Shield and use that.
Your experience will be better, the UI will be simpler, and you don't have to worry about all the ads and spyware.
all the most up to date features and fixes
Genuinely, what features and fixes could a TV possibly get from the internet besides applications that require an internet connection? If you're using an external device to watch your stuff, why would you need to update your TV?
For my Sony TV, updates have improved performance if I bothered to use the built in Android TV interface and it enabled 4K variable refresh rate support for things like the PS5.
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Definitely not the case with Chinese products. Cheap is king
What do you mean?
This is a great tip, thanks!
I was in the same boat as you. It doesn’t sit right with me having all the smart stuff enabled even if I’m not using it. There’s plenty of concerns there. I ended up getting a smart tv, using an Apple TV plugged into it, and turning off the WiFi on the tv itself. When I want to update it, I can. Otherwise, you can look for TVs marketed towards businesses. Like the ones that get hung up to display menus and stuff. That was the only avenue I found where the smart stuff wasn’t baked in. They’re expensive though.
A few years ago I got a Sceptre UTV 55" U558CV-UMC on Amazon. It was about $250 and has been pretty good! Probably out of stock now but there may be a similar one available.
I got a Vizio a few years ago because they don’t require you to connect it to the internet at all. I just use a separate set-top box with it.
My newish Sony has a basic mode where it just functions as a tv. No smart bs. Picked that at setup and never looked back.
Nice! Which model is that?
A80J. The “cheaper” oled model. Watch for sales next week during prime day.
I have an older smart TV but I am just using an old Steam Link to stream a desktop with adblockers.
Get one with a good panel and ignore the "Smart" part. Better use something like a Fire TV Stick.
Firesticks are also full of ads and tracking. It'd be more ideal to use something like a Raspberry Pi or building an Android TV box instead as a media client.
I can recommend the Apple TV. Even the android TV ones have ads now (looking at you shield tv!).
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This is the answer, dongle love all the way!
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