[soylentcola]

Sure, and I tend to agree. It's the same reason I was never interested in an all-in-one desktop computer where the actual computer is integrated into the monitor. I want to be able to upgrade or swap out one without binning the whole thing.

That said, I was recently in the market for a new TV and the models with the best image quality in my price range didn't offer a non "smart" version for less money or even the same price. As a result, I've got a TV with AndroidTV built in and it's actually a lot nicer than having to cast everything from my phone or PC to Chromecast (although that functionality is also built in).

Now, granted, when the AndroidTV bits become outdated as they surely will before the actual display does, I'll be back to plugging external devices into it but for now, there's definitely a lot of benefits to plugging that ethernet cable into the back of it.

[kennydude]

I'm living in a furnished flat and the fact my "smart" TV takes 30-40 seconds to boot up is bizarre. I don't think I remember the huge CRT things taking that long.

I personally think they should just bundle something like a Fire TV stick or Chromecast with the TV

[lucaspiller]

I had a Philips "smart" TV that did the same. Even switching inputs was about 10 seconds (if I was lucky).

My next TV will be as 'dumb' as I can find, at the moment off-brand TVs you get in supermarkets still seem to fit that bill.