A Dumb TV for Consumers
ironcast.tv
ironcast.tv
>The menu and remote has been replaced with the Iron Cast App, where your can create profiles and settings for any mood and atmosphere. You can choose between our carefully constructed profiles or simply create your own.
These two things seem at odds, the first thing everyone does is shovel in their own app.
It's also hard to consider dumb when it requires a smartphone to even use.
RIGHT?!? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.
Remotes - I find that I want one simple remote for 90% of the time. Having vendor specific remote apps in my phone is vastly better than having three of four separates on the rare occasions I need to tweak something. I prefer the apple remote to harmonys et al.
Until three years later when the app isn't being updated anymore, or the vendor removed all the functionality you used (hello Sonos)
Ideally vendors would open source code like this. Not sure why they so seldom do. Some cultural corporate thing I guess. This is something we as consumers are always vulnerable to, the more "smarts" are built in to products.
Here you go: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/insignia-55-class-led-1080p-hdt...
- only 1080p, which might still be fine
- Insignia is exclusive to the US and north American market.
I think that in reality you don't even need to use the app. The TV should be powered on/off by your AV receiver or Apple TV or whatnot using HDMI-CEC.
It'd also be nice if it was compatible with universal remotes.
Aside from the 'is the app needed' debate, this TV is almost perfect for me. I hope there are plans for an HDR or extended gamut display too.
open-source
there might be hope. It is not mentioned how the app would connect. It could be something local like bluetooth, or something more pernicious like wifi or ethernet over hdmi.
Who knows, it it might solve the problem current TVs have with spotty hardware control via "standards" like HDMI-CEC.
He had to wait for the ad to finish to do that. SmartTVs are bullshit
These days I use the apple tv remote and CEC let me control volume in my AV-processor as well as power on/off.
The remote for my projectors and TV’s for the last 15 years never left their packaging.
But, I’m probably a target for this product as I have not had or used linear TV for 20 years.
Looked that little gem up: "Scandinavian design represents a design philosophy that's characterized by functionality, simplicity, and clean lines."
Functionality and simplicity... that's already what a weld is... it's extremely functional and simple, melted metal to join metal. Clean lines? As in a welder who can do their job? I mean... duh? Really feels like someone saying "atm machine" and trying to make it seem like they art holy than thou.
I really hope they don't understand what "iron" means. Because an iron back tv... god have mercy on your spine when carrying that shit. Tvs don't have to double as barricades in case of a shoot out with the cops at your house. Tvs don't have to be sturdy. They're not gym equipment. You put them somewhere and they stay there like a glass vase. You look at it, not fondle it. Now, if it was really a Scandinavian inspired device... made of viking axes that have tasted blood... or get enough of these and they snap together to make a long boat. That's Scandinavian. Not "simple and functional clean lines". Bauhaus pre-dates that and whatever the Japanese call their style of design pre-dates that even more. Chill, ya' ain't the first. Stop making up silly names to feel special about your snowflake selves.
No remote... that's the problem with newer tvs that it's "solving"... by making the same mistake? The fucking remotes are useless and do the "handy little mobile app" which is always trash. Tactile people. Tactile. Smooth surfaces suck when it comes to remotes.
One HDMI... and they feel high and mighty for it... fuck you and your Apple design principles. Along with anything else they stand for. I bet they'll release a tv stand that costs a grand as well.
Why? Why are people doing this? This is crazy. It's crap like this where I go "Don't fix global warming, let's burn more coal! Humans need to learn the hard way of their mistakes."
It's the morning and I already need a drink...
A true dumb tv: no boot time because all it does is take a signal and spit it out. 3 HDMI ports minimum. Blueray player, a streaming device and game console. A real fucking remote that fits in my hand comfortably and the buttons stick out of the plastic so I can feel them and never have to look down. Extra points if they make one with Cherry MX keys. That'd be cool. Don't know if it's practical, but I'd definitely give it a try. And the inputs have separate buttons. None of this cycling crap with just a single "input/source" key.
Also, having more than one input means you have to provide an interface to select between sources, which in my experience leads to "grandma, find the INPUT button" "..er the SOURCE button" "It must be somewhere on the back of the TV or on the remote"
I call bullshit on that. I know most people just use 2, but plenty use 3. You're using the same argument that Apple used to kill the headphone jack, that led to other phone manufacturers to follow suit. You don't have data on it and you're working within your own bias.
(Really iron back? Welded? That sounds incredibly heavy and just why??)
So buy one of these good deals but don't plug it into the the net. Just get a NUC that you control and use that with one of the 3 or 4 HDMI ports you have.
You get a good deal on the TV, no one is listening to everything that's said in your living room and with a long range (eg Marathon) mouse you have all the remote control you need.
Wishes: HDR.
A much larger size, like 85” class or whatever size is currently practical to manufacture.
An open standard for the app/control protocol in case the company goes under.
Perhaps doing a cheaper entry screen first is a resonable start, but I’d also like to see something bigger.
- We embedded the Iron Cast Hub inside the TV, giving the Iron Cast TV 3 HDMI ports.
- We updated the specs to reflect HDR, VESA and Embedded Wall Mount.
- We changed the audio from analog to digital in both TV and Soundbar.
- Finally, the biggest change, we added our Iron Cast Orb, for our dear fans of analog control.
I might have to get one just to support this venture.
Normally when you strip things away, you make things cheaper than the competition... not hike the price up by an extra $150 from the leading brand name.
If this tv was dirt cheap, I'd have no issues with it. It makes sense. As is... no and their air of superiority they have is the real thing everyone is angry about.
The only alternatives to this would be commercial screens, and they cost a tonne! For some reason, selling a non-smart TV is more expense... so - somewhere in all that smarts, you’re the product, I guess.
We bought one of the last "non-smart" TVs available in the store just a few years ago and one of my great (arguably ridiculous) regrets is that when we went on the road this last time, we sold our place furnished, giving up that beautiful, giant, "dumb" TV to buyers who I'm sure don't appreciate its value.
Look, I'm against the tracking culture we're in. I refuse to get IoT anything and I don't do the whole home automation crap. But I find it dumb when someone says "I don't want a TV that has a mic in it and sends my data... Alexa, turn on my Apple TV and stream Stranger Things from Netflix."
Seriously... A lot of the same people have an Alexa/Google home/whatever. IoT devices throughout their home. Streaming boxes that only use voice commands. Yet they complain about smart tvs sending their data... Almost as bad as making a movie about aliens that die from touching water and they decide to invade a planet that's 70% covered in water and regularly has water fall from the sky.
Apple, Google, and Amazon encrypt their data in transit, I have an ongoing customer relationship with them and I keep abreast of their privacy policies. I’m not happy, but I generally know what they’re doing with my data.
Not so with my flippin’ toaster or my computer monitor. And TV manufacturers have a very bad reputation when it comes to shipping everything they can get unencrypted back to home base.
Encryption is just the sedative they give you before they do execution by lethal injection. There should be no data collection, by anyone. Don't pretend that "Oh, we encrypt your data that we take from you, for your benefit. Because we care."
They all need to stop collecting data and selling it off. FAANG and more. All of them. I'm fine with collecting anonymous view count/length of programs. That technically can benefit the consumer since it helps justify producers on what shows/movies to fund. Beyond that, there's no reason a single bit of voice data or transcript should go over the internet. No searches or anything IDing at all. No matter how secret squirrel they go about it.
What's the point, besides hipsterism?
This TV caters to someone who has an apple tv, some gaming consoles etc hooked up to an AVP/AV-receiver.
It’s a user that have no proper TV alternatives, besides projectors, these days. Other than reeeally expensive commercial screens.
Ironically smarter => stupider
Having remote functionality in an app is way better than an additional remote that will be lost as it is so rarely used.
I have my apple remote, don’t want nothing else.
I have external speakers, I never use the speakers in my TV. I have a streaming device, I never use the streaming features built into my TV. My streaming devices have their own remote controllers which interact with the TV using HDMI-CEC, I don't use my TV's remote controller.
All the "features" built into my TV are obstacles that I'm happy to pay to have removed. Due to the speakers being built in, the TV likes to randomly switch to those instead of my external ones. The streaming apps lead to the TV having an entire operating system of its own which causes it to take longer to power on, longer for me to get to the things I want and more complex to interact with and configure.
I essentially just want a really big PC monitor. Just give me something that takes a digital signal in and beams corresponding coloured lights into my eyeballs.
My P series can be run: with remote, with app, or via the tablet it came with (also app).
It’s a barebones glorified monitor, but it works great for streaming.
It's tough to say without knowing the exact panel, but looking at the specs (55", 4k, TFT) something comparable would be around $300-400.
Source: I designed a product that helped networks package up and sell ad space based on this data. I am so not proud of this.
I wonder how many people have knowledge of shady crap like this but don't speak out because of shame or fear.
I have no idea which vendors/models currently do this, but several have been caught doing it in the wild; it’s not just theoretical. Things like pi-holes and avoiding ever ‘activating’ your smart tv can help stop it, but if you want to use the built-in Netflix (etc) app, or look for firmware updates, or use a built in Roku or similar, then you’re usually either doing something complicated (routing rules, pi-hole, etc) or giving in to your tv collecting data on you.
If I wanted to block the TV from connecting I'd blacklist the Mac address on my router, not pihole, and just unlock it to update. If they stored all my screenshots or hashes forever then I'd lose.
Even though the "smart" part is obsolete, and it's entirely used with an external AppleTV/Roku/whatever, because of the "smart" crap, it takes longer to turn on than it takes my computer to boot. They didn't bother to make it compatible with universal remotes, because those wouldn't have access to the "smart" features, so you have to suffer through their incredibly crappy proprietary remote to select between inputs. The "smart" features track you and invade your privacy.
I'm definitely willing to pay a premium for a well-made TV without "smart" crap. (But isn't that just a monitor?)
I still use my old LG dumb plasma, and there exists nothing like it on the market anymore, in terms of price/features (where no “smart” is a big feature for me).
4k TVs look nice and are cheaper than monitors of similar width.
I only use the one hdmi with ARC, and have no need for more as I have my additional ports in my AVP.
Genuine question—I mean, is TCL+Roku likely to share different telemetry due to manufacturer requirements or pricing constraints?
Ultimately, I want a dumb TV that does nothing but turn on and adjust the volume. This TV looks pretty good for me but I think it might be a bit too simple. I don't really want to hang it on the wall and it would be nice to have speakers built-in, at least so I can listen to videos before I splurge on an external speaker box.
How is any of this a good thing?
I like to think myself unique, even if I'm not to a degree of a few thousand or so.
When I get a smartphone, I won't be using it to tune into The Late Night Show.
It’s what I do, and why I’ll consider buying this as my 11 year old “dumb” plasma is starting to experience intermittent issues.
I use my hdmi switch in my AVP, so why would I want a bunch of unused ports?
I use my powered monitors for audio, why would I want crappy built-in speakers?
I absolutely do not want crappy “smart” functions in my screens firmware that already have superior apple-tv counterparts.
Etc.
Smart tv’s are cheaper for a reason. In short - I just want a big monitor. Where can I get a 50”+ monitor for at least a reasonable price?
Yet they want $599 for a kickstarter tv.
Link please?
A dumb tv has a remote and no app.
This TV has no remote but has an app.
This would be the only benefit.
If they run a web server with an API that can be used I’m perfectly happy with that though.
So, even if the TV remote stops working, any kind of universal remote can help.
dumb indeed, the consumers that is
Ditch the app and have a simple remote control, one that can be replaced when it is lost. This thing will be obsolete as soon as the app is not updated. In fact, it should ship with 3 remotes.
Two HDMI inputs that are auto switching, and the TV should auto power on and off, like a monitor. One for the “sanctioned” streaming box (Apple TV, Amazon Fire), and another for Kodi based hardware.
Buttons on the side to access all functions when the remote is lost.
Might as well be 4K OLED too.