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What is least terrible SmartTV OS for privacy? (slrpnk.net)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/privacy@lemmy.ml
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My parents are getting a new tv, and are asking for recommendation. I think all I can influence is the brand/model (not realistic to propose rpi and more complex systems). I instinctively avoid google/android and lean towards anything else open source, so probably LG WebOS.. But I had bad luck searching for more detailed comparisons. Maybe you have experience or opinions?

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[–] 37 points 2 years ago (5 children)

My advice is never use a smart tv of any kind.

Use a third party device like an apple tv or roku, hell even a bluray player with apps on it.

Then get what ever TV you like and never let it see the internet.

I personally like Visio, but any mid grade display is fine.

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  • [–] 24 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    It is getting harder and harder to find a dumb TV though.

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  • [–] -1 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    They didn't say that....they just said not to hook whatever smart TV they get to the internet.

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  • [–] 14 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    I mean, they say both things.

    My advice is never use a smart tv of any kind.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    If you want a true dumb TV, buy a commercial grade display made for digital signage. Bit more expensive, but designed for 24/7 operation and has none of the smart tv fat.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago (1 child)

    I have considered looking into this. Building one's own TV might be the move.

    Have you done it, and if so, any tips?

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago

    No, I work in corporate AV, so I'm buying higher end digital signage for most applications at work.

    NEC and Philip's I've been using lately, but they are just the cost effective ones now. LG, Samsung, Sony, all make good displays.

    Digital sign usually dont have any smart apps, and if they do you can fully disable them.

    They also have all the advanced features you could want. Serial and TCP api, multiple ports of various formats, auto on with sync detect, etc.

    For personal use, my last three have been Visio from Costco, and while it has the apps, I just never connect to the internet.

    I have seen guides online to open up a display and disable the smart elements, but that seems overkill to me.

    One thing to watch for, I've heard but haven't witnessed that many displays are getting way more aggressive about auto connecting to wifi for sharing data and updates. If someone has unsecured wifi near by etc.

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  • [–] 11 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Isnt Roku just as bad as the web TV systems? Amazon fire is bad too.

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  • [–] 7 points 2 years ago

    Yes and no. This is for parents, so ease of use is a huge factor.

    The processors in smart TVs are often crap, plus who know what updates and monitoring they are pushing on you.

    With a dedicated media device you only have one company to deal with. Personally, I use my playstation for everything, but for my mom a Sony bluray with the apps works fine.

    At the end of the day, they'll want netflix, amazon, youtube, hbo max, etc, and you get a way better experience with a media player vs smart tv. Sony is a known evil as it were, their hardware is good, and they generally don't fuck up firmware updates.

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  • [–] 5 points 2 years ago

    I got a cheapest Android smart TV and never connected it to the internet. On HDMI1 there is Amazon Firestick for the occasional Netflix use. On HDMI2 there is Kodi for every day watching. Because of how modern TVs work, both these extra boxes can be steered with the TV remote.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago

    My partner and I were gratefully surprised when we bought a cheap Hisense for their cozy space (to isolate when overstimulated and just play some games) that in the setup it offers the option for a 'dumb TV' mode with no requirement for internet. In addition you can reject the user agreements and still use the TV. It boots straight to HDMI, no pop up ads, and is snappy.

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