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by jstanley 1380 days ago
What does this get you over connecting up an old laptop to a TV screen and controlling it with a bluetooth keyboard?
3 comments

To add to this, if you use an over the top box (eg Apple TV, game consume, laptop), you don’t really need anything more than a display. All the smarts just add lag and add GUI items that can be buggy. My Samsung takes like 20 seconds between power and and display content simply because it tries to load the smart GUI, and times out on network connection (which doesn’t exist).
A much cleaner implementation that doesn't clutter the room with cables and an old laptop. Added bonus that I wouldn't have to explain how it works to each guest that tries to use it (assuming that the UX resembles other TVs people have used).
But people have used computers before. It works exactly the same as a computer. I think it's much easier than using typical smart TV interfaces.

It has the added bonus (over typical smart TV interfaces) that typing text becomes much faster. You can use the web browser as a web browser. You can use uBlock origin. You can have several tabs open at a time and switch between them at a sensible speed. It's so much better than a smart TV.

You don't need the room cluttered with cables, you can put the laptop in a cabinet underneath the television.

Even better, get a tiny computer and use cable ties to secure it to the TV mount (or velcro to the back of the TV). No wires will be seen.
Most new TVs are smart TVs so even if you do this you are still running on like Samsung have been caught screen capturing your TV and phoning home for advertising.
Your TV can't phone home unless you give it internet. Haven't heard of them shipping with mobile network access yet.
But when everyone keeps buying ""smart"" TVs and accepting the spyware, pretty soon they will start shipping with baked in 4G chips, and there will be no other option. Vote with your wallet by never buying a smart TV under any circumstance. They are cheaper than actual TVs because the data collected is so lucrative - buying one is implicitly supporting that slimy business model, even if you don't connect to WiFi.
Don’t even need 4G chips, just a regular ol’ wifi/bluetooth module thanks to stuff like Amazon Sidewalk: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/devices/introducing-amazon-...
Love how the illustration shows houses directly on the road with no sidewalk.
There are no non-smart/"actual" TVs. Find a 55" OLED that doesn't have "smart" features.

I mean personally I don't care so long as I don't see ads, but the advice you're really giving is "don't buy a TV". Can't say I disagree though.

And that's what the Amazon Sidewalk mesh is for
How would they phone home without your help? If you're going the route suggested above then it would make no sense to bother putting your Samsung TV on the WiFi
Or just simply block their connection with a PiHole.