Wait - how? I thought the whole reason the darn things are lower cost than equivalent PC monitors is the smart mode tracks viewing habits and seeks that to data brokers?
Every Google TV enabled smart TV I’ve seen has a built in dumb mode that’s the first question asked when the TV is first setup. It does exactly what you expect.
Do you know if this is a mandatory requirement set by Google, hence we can expect to find it on every single Google TV, or it depends on manufacturer? I cross checked some manuals from different brands and not all of them mention the "dumb mode" but maybe I just missed it. Based on my experience with Android devices, not every single Android feature is present on all devices, sometimes it's up to the manufacturer to implement certain features. I wonder if Google TV is the same.