dumbest reasonable TV

[Green Tiki]

I'd like to buy a dumb TV, but from what I understand, the selection of decent ones is paltry. (Yes, I understand that TVs are cheaper because they are subsidized by the smart apps that collect and sell your data, so buying the dumbest TV will probably not save me any money.)

Dealbreakers for me would be anything with a camera and microphone, and anything that requires an internet connection. If there are just a bunch of features that don't screw up the menu navigation (which I will largely ignore anyway for my satellite box interface), and I don't have to connect the wifi to download forced updates, that's fine.

I have no idea what any of the acronyms mean, but I've got a Dish Hopper and PlayStation 3 that I will probably one day upgrade to a PS5 or a Nintendo Switch. I don't do Blu Rays and I don't care about home theater sound (blasphemous!). I suppose I'm somewhat interested in being prepared to deal with PS5 output or some kind of HD output that's superior to my old dumb TV, but I have no idea what it had. Best guess is whatever the most rudimentary HD available about 5 years ago was.

The primary limiting factor is the space where I can put this thing, which is about 46" wide.

I suppose I wouldn't object to a built-in Roku, but I don't want Google in my machine, in any capacity. And a bunch of HDMI inputs would be nice.

Any suggestions (other than maybe "go back to the cave and watch the campfire all night long, old man"?). Any resources I should be looking at?

Are the Sceptre TVs any good?

Thanks!

EDIT: As an example, this guy looks pretty reasonable. It's got the magic characters "4K" and "UHD" and those seem important. I'm guessing maybe "LED" means it doesn't use a lot of power? That would be good. 4 HDMI ports. Also looks pretty dumb and would fit in the space.

Is there anything criminally lacking in this device? Some new thing that you're a fool to not get because it will obsolete the day after you buy it?

 

[arlo]

A computer monitor with HDMI inputs is about as dumb as you'll probably find out there. So dumb you have to get off your butt to turn it on and off and switch inputs.
If all you do is use your TV to watch HDMI inputs you do know you dont have to hook up Ethernet/Wifi dont you?
They still work just fine.

 

[navychop]

I have a low opinion of Sceptre TVs.

It sounds like a UHD would be of no value to you. HD would serve fine.

I suggest looking for used TVs. My MBR TV is many years old, HD only and has NO “smart” features. Serves me well. But many people will be unhappy with such and be happy to sell them off.

Check Goodwill, the Salvation Army, pawn shops and Craig’s List. Some church and business locations have bulletin boards with buy/sell sections. Maybe there is a local trader magazine in your area. If the ink doesn’t run under the sea!

 

[radio]

Respectfully asking, why not choose a TV for it's video performance and just ignore the "smart" side? The advances in quality of picture have been great in the past few years, and you don't need to turn on any of the included apps, nor connect it to the web to enjoy over the air reception. Roku is an excellent source for free TV services, however... and if they collect what you watch, who cares? Pluto TV, Crackle, and other free commercial-supported services have brought back many classic shows and movies, providing a "local syndication feel" with a fairly wide program selection. The fact that someone may want to watch Mr. Ed 24/7, or Star Trek, or whatever doesn't put them at risk for any invasion of privacy.

Sceptre, as far as I can tell from owning a small one which I use in my workshop is a lower-end performer amongst the Sharp and LG sets in other parts of my home. Tthe Sceptre's smaller screen that I use is not good for viewing off-sides even a bit as I walk around at the bench....and the TV is slow to respond to it's original remote even with fresh batteries, and it's picture is simply, "meh." However, the TUNER for over the air in this little beast does quite nicely, outperforming some others I've owned and used on the same antenna. It is possible, however that this brand may be made by more than one manufacturer year to year, and model to model, even size to size....so rating the brand itself may not be easy, nor accurate.

Good luck in your search. It sounds like prioritizing your true needs will help you better hone-in on the set that will best perform to your specific standards. And, if nobody has said this, welcome to Satelliteguys!

 

[Green Tiki]

OK, yeah, I don't want it so dumb that it doesn't have a remote. Good point there, thanks, that rules out an option for me.

I honestly don't care that much about picture and sound quality, within reason. I obviously care if there's some new format the comes out and the thing won't even play it. Maybe I want to go one generation ahead of what my current tech requirements are to build in some capacity?

Maybe that doesn't make sense, because whenever I buy a new input device, I'll probably get the newest version so it won't stop working or have a sluggish interface I can't cope with in a couple years.

Maybe I should go about it the other way...what brands do you guys recommend? Last time I asked my a/v friends, they told me to get a Samsung, but that's the model that died and I don't really want to reward the company by buying another one.

 

[Howard Simmons]

You say you could live with a Roku but not Google. Roku collects data just like any other company.

 

[Green Tiki]

I don't want to get into a religious fight here, but Google is not like any other company. At any rate, I probably wouldn't use the Roku, I just find it the least objectionable thing to have on a system, if there absolutely must be one.

Really all I want to know is what's a good roughly 50" TV and do I care about whatever HDR and such are? I know OLED is somewhat dicey even with the bleeding edge guys, so I know that's one acronym I can ignore.

EDIT: Come to think of it, maybe my most important quality is reliability. Continued functionality is the only reason I really care about new tech. If it's going to stop working when Dish comes out with the Hopper 4 or something, I obviously don't want that TV. But I'm not so married to the dumbness that I want a TV from Goodwill, because even more than the cost, I care about not buying another TV for as long as possible. I just hate this process.

 

[arlo]

Looking back at the original subject. Look. The cheap no name TV's out there consider as "kit tv's". Ones made from components compiled from different manufacturers put into a nice injection molded housing. I work on audio equipment, computers, you name it. I'll work on my friend's gas stove controller. Have!
Again, sir. You DONT have to hook a new smart tv up to the internet.

In the case of many by name brand manufacturers there may be an update that addresses bugs, glitches, or enhancements in firmware. Case in point is Sony and Dolby Vision.
But. You must also know that IF you want to use the apps on an Android smart tv or add more or be able to update them...you CAN make a dummy stagnant Google account. Or a dummy "any" email account associated with free apps.

Another thing. Smart tv's are notorious for crappy sound quality. An al cheapo set of computer speakers, or a proper sound bar is almost mandatory. Seriously.
In the beginning of OLED tv's I was 100% against them. But looking at different reviews all over people are praising them more than condemning them. Your choice. I don't have one. But these days they are looking tasty.

You want reliability but you want cheap. Good luck with that. All of my Sony's from the old projection with 1 HDMI input to the "new" one 2 years old work like a peach. GOOD surge protectors on all of them. Not wally world specials.
Reliability? Maybe you should consider a Square Trade plan. It costs a few bucks. But so does your car insurance even if you never wreck because you're a good driver.....what about the other dude?
You can control the cat peeing on top of your tv.....but a lightning strike? Nope.

Know what? Do like I do. Set a budget. Choose a tv. Questions on specs or particulars? Come back here.
Read reviews. No reviews? Beware. A 50" rip-chow-ching on sale down the street? Probably better look again.
Sanyo, Sony, Vizio is good!, LG. Do you think Westinghouse makes their own guts? Probably not. They made good fans. The ones that told you straight up if you stick your finger in the blade, you'll come back with a nub!

A lot of your worries of if it will quit working. Like when they shut the lights off of NTSC when ATSC was put into effect. Your tv will still work. You probably wont get all of the enhancements offered in the new signal, but your tv will continue to work. My 4K tv gets Gunsmoke reruns in black and white in 4:3 and Sanford and Son just fine.

Don't really know what else to offer you for every day Joe info.

 

[Green Tiki]

Thanks, arlo, that was some helpful perspective. I actually don't care much about the price and am willing to spend more to get a dumber box.

I didn't realize Vizio was considered good. I'd purchased a couple a long time ago and they both made infernal buzzing noises when they were on and by the end, they were pretty finicky about deciding to work at all without switching them off and on a few times.

I purposely bought the Samsung last time because someone told me it was a good name brand, but it had a much shorter lifespan than the crappy fat tube boxes we all had ages ago.

Will check out Sanyo and Sony and maybe read a lot of reviews before I can be convinced Vizio is an option again.

Are you saying LG is no good? Fewer options makes my choice easier, to feel free to overstate how much they suck!

 

[navychop]

LG OLED are quite good. Wanna?

vizio has become decent.

 

[Green Tiki]

If I'm stuck going the smart TV route, which is the least intrusive system or platform?

I was reading about a Roku-based TV, and while it is the standard that seems most appealing to me, you actually need to set up an account out of the box or the TV doesn't function, and it boots to a startup page instead of turning on like an actual television. That would drive me insane, so that's a dealbreaker for me.

Do most smart TVs behave like regular televisions (until you accidentally hit the mystery button on the remote)? I've seen systems with unintelligible menu systems and I don't want to ever see those. I would probably give you professionals hives, since I don't care how black the black is or how bad the sound quality is as long as I can understand what people are saying, so I probably wouldn't even see those menus during the setup procedure.

I might even suck it up and use the smart features, as long as there's no microphone or camera.

 

[arlo]

Lets see here. Initial setup. I haven't performed a factory reset in forever.
Your satellite receiver plugged into the tv. Select Input> HDMI 1 and watch tv. If you have a Fire device plugged into HDMI 2 and want to watch it....select INPUT and scroll down to INPUT 2. Easy.
I'm not sure of mandatory account info. needing to be put in to any smart tv.
Initial setup might prompt you to scan for OTA channels.....etc. Or select Skip. Skip it all for heck sakes.
You might go to YouTube and search for a general TV you may be interested in and watch a few <Your TV> Initial Unbox and Setup videos.
Usually any prompts during setup can be cancelled.
I sense a little Soviet era apprehension of the whole 2020's smart tv thing. You don't have to associate anything at all with most anything on your new tv. You can watch YouTube videos all day long w/o entering credentials right on it.
You know what? For giggles why don't you go grab the cheapest smart tv you can carry home and try one out.
Stuff it back in the box and take it back in a few days. We love open box specials. Don't spill any Cutty on it!
Refuse, cancel, skip, perhaps later every prompt you may get. The thing BETTER at least work on the HDMI ports.
If I turn my tv on and it was last on HDMI 1 for the sat receiver, that's where it is now.
I don't know about mics or cameras on these things. Addons maybe. Built in? So don't choose one if it does.
But you WILL want an outboard set of speakers or sound bar. Trust me. Oh, the "Mystery Button" is usually called Home. If you turned it off on the home screen, thar she blows when you turn it back on.
If it was on your sat receiver and it was on HBO and the tv was getting the signal on port HDMI 1.....thar she be!

 

[Green Tiki]

I can handle simple input swapping, I was just concerned with multiple levels of menus for simple tasks. That was what I saw on my friend's smart TV who must have been constantly accidentally pressing the "Home" button which required multiple escapes to get back to regular functionality. There was a lot of swearing when simply trying to change channels or switching from game to set-top box.

I am pretty discouraged about finding any decent televisions without Amazon or Google built into them in some significant capacity. It's not just phoning home, I actively don't want to support any form of Google or Alexa. I know I can leave it disconnected, but built-in Alexa means a microphone and I don't care if it's connected to anything or not, I do not want to support that tech.

Of course, I'm doing my comparison "shopping" on Amazon, so that could have little something to do with the prevalence of Alexa tech.

I might be stuck getting a Craptacular 9000 at this rate, but I'm getting so frustrated with my options, I'm not sure I care. I doubt it will be worse than my old television, so it will be a relative upgrade for me. As long as I never go over to you guys' places, I will be happy not knowing what I'm missing. Unless the sound quality is actually worse than the old dumb TV I'm replacing, I promise you, I do not care about external speakers.

Come to think of it, I suspect you guys think the same way about audio tech as I do about smart tech. I saw a comment on this forum along the lines of "who buys a television and even uses the crappy built-in audio"? I feel the same way about the other junk in the box. If I want a Roku or whatever other box, I'll buy it separately and the TV doesn't need to know anything about it other than what the box wants it to display.

This all feels very much like when I'm at the store, trying to explain that I don't need that plastic bag for one small item, and the clerk takes my item out, crumples up the bag, and throws it in the trash. It's not just that they're doing the exact opposite of what I want while at the same time thinking they are providing good service, it's that they are so baffled by my motivations that they must never encounter others who want the same thing.

 

[arlo]

Well one thing is I do use an Amazon Fire Cube. It has many of the applications in it that the Sony has.
The voice interface Alexa sits there idle until you address it "Alexa" and then "do something".
Without touching the remote I can say Alexa turn the tv on. Or Alexa change tv to HDMI 2.
But it does require an Internet connection.
Also there is a thing called CEC in the tv guts that will change inputs just by pressing the appropriate button your <Dish?> remote. Fire up the PS and the input changes for you.
BestBuy has a forty-something inch 4k monitor with remote on sale for 600 bucks I just saw.
That's about as points and condenser as you're going to get for a display.
Go ahead dare me. I'll do a factory reset on my Sony and post a YouTube video on what it takes to get it working bare minimum as if I never ever intend on using the smart tv side of it.
But then again you can do the same thing by going there ('Tube) yourself to see what is involved for others.

You know what. I'm nosy. I'm also tekkie. In many stores I've been to like Staples, BestBuy I see the poor non-tech savvy people with a sales person just getting more and more confused. I butt in. "Excuse me. What do you use your computer for?".....Reply: "Ohh Facebook. My email. Pay bills. Maybe Skype to the kids".
I explain that they don't really need the monster laptop for web browsing, simple Skype. No email application like Outlook or Thunderbird.....I ask that too. Do they need Microsoft 365?? Or a ton of built in crap ware like HP and Dell has. And do they realize that in a few years they will need a new battery. Which are no longer 200 bucks but more like 40.
Or my biggest irk. Inkjet printers. I see someone avidly looking at the on sale crapatron inkjet and looking a little confused. I tell them that they could get away from cartridges going bad at half a tank or smearing pages when not used for weeks by going to a laser printer that will set 6 months, a year and print perfect on demand.
I know I got on a tangent here, but I feel like you're the kind of guy who doesn't buy a car or SUV for the Navi unit or that it has Taco Bell fart wafter vents built into the seats. But it might, and you never have to use them.

 

[DRCars]

Since you dislike Google try DuckDuckGo and search for non smart TV or go to Amazon and search for same thing. You'll get some smart TVs too but ignore them. They are out there and aren't as cheap as the data assimilation supported TVs. Some brands that you may not have heard of others you probably have.

Here is one such link from DuckDuckGo search:

Top 10 Best Rated Non Smart TVs 2023 - Tade Reviews & Prices

With the advancement in technology, companies intend that every device or appliance they produce has some leeway to the internet and this is same for televisions. Although the idea of having your television connect to YouTube, Netflix, and other movie sites is good but is it necessary to spend...

tadesite.com

Some are 2017, 2018 models new in box at Amazon.

 

[navychop]

Green, are you opposed to buying a used TV? Plenty out there, even at landfills.

 

[arlo]

Since you dislike Google try DuckDuckGo and search for non smart TV or go to Amazon and search for same thing. You'll get some smart TVs too but ignore them. They are out there and aren't as cheap as the data assimilation supported TVs. Some brands that you may not have heard of others you probably have.

Here is one such link from DuckDuckGo search:

Top 10 Best Rated Non Smart TVs 2023 - Tade Reviews & Prices

With the advancement in technology, companies intend that every device or appliance they produce has some leeway to the internet and this is same for televisions. Although the idea of having your television connect to YouTube, Netflix, and other movie sites is good but is it necessary to spend...

tadesite.com

Some are 2017, 2018 models new in box at Amazon.

Jesus! Unless I haven't had enough coffee all of them are dated and 1080p. No 4k? wow.
I have no more. I simply LOVE my Sony XBR55X930E. It does as much or little as I want it to.
But even ALL of the best of the best new tv's have sucky speakers, even if they try to make them good.

 

[navychop]

Actually, the speakers on my Sony 900 are so good I’ve never bothered to back feed my HT from it. But I only use it for free YT anyway.

 

[Green Tiki]

I use DuckDuckGo exclusively. I work in the tech industry, so my refusal to use Google doesn't come from not knowing what they're up to, it comes from knowing too much.

I had found another article which included dumb 4k TVs and that's how I started looking at the Sceptre. Other than never hearing of the brand before, it does sound like what I'm looking for. 4 HDMI ports, and Amazon has a good return policy (if it's broken out of the box, anyway). If I want a Roku (or whatever), I can pick one up on my own and not be married to whatever aging apps are polluting the underpowered tech inside the TV. I read more about the Roku-native smart TVs, and even Roku fans get fed up with the sluggish built-in app and end up buying a standalone unit that plugs into the HDMI port.

Speaking of Amazon, I might have been too dismissive about the Alexa sets. Some have no microphones and are merely compatible with Alexa, presumably through communication with another device via wifi. That's not nearly as bad. Alexa listens to everything you do 24/7, however, so built-in Alexa is a dealbreaker. (It has to listen the entire time, because it has no idea when you're going to say "Hey, Alexa".)

Same thing with some of the "Chromecast" sets. They merely speak the protocol, but don't necessarily have Google guts inside.

What I really wish Amazon would do is let you do a NOT search on things. For example, you can search for "smart" or "Alexa" but not "not smart" or "no Alexa". That would make things very clear, very quickly.

I don't really want a used set, since I'm hoping to not have to do this again for a long time and I don't want something with a head start on dying...although I realize this is counterproductive if the thing I settle for is off-brand trash. And I'm not wild about generating more refuse to haul to the hazardous waste dump.

I'm actually an early adopter of efficiency tech. My aging Prius is finally ready to be replaced by a Tesla, but I'm waiting for the pandemic to end and I have to start driving into work again. Hardly seems fair to get a brand new car and drive it 12 miles a week. I've been getting 50 mpg for over a decade while all the car companies were still moaning that it couldn't be done and crowing about "amazing" mileage like 32 mpg in their ads.

Anyway, now I'm rambling too...

 

[arlo]

Wireshark an Alexa device and look at the packets before Alexa is unlocked with "Alexa".