A Costco-exclusive variant of the Hisense QD6N Series that uses Amazon's Fire TV OS.
Run it in "store" mode and it is as dumb as a rock. I have it connected to a mini-PC where it serves as a large 4K HDMI display and nothing more.
I use a Hauppauge USB tuner connected to the PC for viewing and recording over-the-air broadcasts and hard wired ethernet for streaming --- all fully under *my* control.
The only reason for a "smart" TV is because it's nearly impossible to find any alternative at a similar price point.
One additional note on this model, it needs to be configured to automatically select HDMI-1 on power up. Otherwise, it will display "No signal" until you select one of the 3 HDMI ports.
With this minor adjustment, this cheap QLED TV quietly powers up in "store" mode without any connection and acts just like a "dumb" video display. No "activation" required and any "smarts" are out of sight and out of mind.
Run it in "store" mode and it is as dumb as a rock. I have it connected to a mini-PC where it serves as a large 4K HDMI display and nothing more.
I use a Hauppauge USB tuner connected to the PC for viewing and recording over-the-air broadcasts and hard wired ethernet for streaming --- all fully under *my* control.
The only reason for a "smart" TV is because it's nearly impossible to find any alternative at a similar price point.