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> TV: just don't buy an actual TV. Buy a monitor and hook it up to a Linux box with something like Kodi. You can hook up your cable box if you have that or stream from Netflix and such. Sure, even Netflix makes it hard as you can't get 5.1 surround but I'll take that and 2.0 -> 5.1 upmix over buying a Smart TV any day!

I've looked into this, but this option is really not great, either:

- Large Monitors are unavailable or (if you use business monitors) a lot more expensive and usually don't have latest panel tech.

- You'll loose surround sound and also 4K on most platforms

- The integration is usually worse (you'll have to start more devices, if you're lucky CEC decides to work)

- Good luck with HDR

I personally settled for a SmartTV behind a PiHole-equivalent, but an Apple TV or an Android TV combined with an offline smart TV are good contenders, too. Unfortunately, there's really no silver bullet right now.

I looked into it too ;)

    - Large Monitors are unavailable or (if you use business monitors) a lot more expensive and usually don't have latest panel tech.

Agree, monitors in regular TV sizes are way more expensive than the largest 'cheap' monitors. But I'd rather make a decision between paying $300 CAD for a 32" monitor that is 'large enough' but not huge or a ~43" monitor that is way larger, has 4k etc. and costs ~$1200 CAD etc. or a $500 50" 4k "generic Smart TV" in "dumb mode" than to use it as an actual Smart TV.

    - You'll loose surround sound and also 4K on most platforms

There you go, no expensive 4k monitor needed if you can't get it anyway. Surround sound I'll give you but see your sibling if you are so inclined to go the potentially unlawful but ethically probably totally OK route.

    - The integration is usually worse (you'll have to start more devices, if you're lucky CEC decides to work)

To be fair it's been a while that I've had cable and had to deal with that and that was in low-def times (so I had a cable card in the mythtv server). I don't fancy setups w/ IR switching cable channels and such but to be honest, I think it's worth it to at least try if you have to keep actual cable for some reason. Nowadays other viable options than having cable do exist if you ask me.

    - Good luck with HDR

I probably just don't know what I am missing and as long as it stays that way it's like staying on 720p and a monitor most people would think is way too small but actually totally adequate than to complain that my huge 4k one looks bad with that source material ;)

    offline smart TV are good contenders, too

Totally agree, if you're looking for a cheap huge "monitor" that can definitely be a good option as long as you stay away from the actual "features" and are fine with the other limitations.

Personally I'm on a 32" regular HD IPS panel monitor. Given the size of the living room and how far away the sofa is, this is totally adequate (I upgraded from my >>>10 year old 4:3 "I don't even remember the size of it" monitor when it finally broke!). Surround sound depends on the source. If it's Netflix the upmix is "good enough" for most of what the kids wanna watch and then there's other material too where proper AC3 is available. Most of the times I can't really have the bass turned up anyway so as not to wake the kids :P

After a good nights sleep I think I want to revise this (can't edit).

I think it's prudent not to even buy a Smart TV and use it in "dumb mode". If we do this, we are not voting with our wallet. I'm not sure how likely we would be to have a large enough effect numbers wise but one can try. If we don't try, we've already lost.

You're still voting with your wallet to the effect of the TV not being able to serve the ads that it otherwise would.

But anyway, ever since content consumption became prominent on mobile smart devices (smartphones, tablets), this battle is already lost - the TVs are merely playing catch-up with the rest of the industry.

We paid 2000 EUR for a 55" HD (1K) Sony in 2010, and would happily go down a bit in size as it's now mounted over a piano that frankly sees a lot more use than the TV. I'm completely ok with paying 1000-1500 EUR to get a 40"-50" 4K set that we don't have to constantly give the side-eye once the current one gives up the ghost. We rarely watch anything, so it might be more of a question of whether this one will outlive 720p/1080p freeview or not.

I got an LG CX tv and never hooked it up to the internet. It acts as a (very pretty) yet dumb tv like the old days.

An Nvidia shield handles all the streaming, kodi handles local files etc, all the media that I could possibly need.

4k is handled by default out of the box.

Surround sound is handled by an AV receiver. (Atmos surround is available if I wish to further upgrade the 7.1 speakers).

It can be done. Granted, it’s not cheap and installing all these devices can be painful, but still.

I have bad news for you. Even if the TV is not connected to your WiFi, it could still get into the network over other devices connected via HDMI with HEC [0].

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI#HEC

Although it could be a general concern, it unlikely to affect me.

Since all the HDMI connections are via a (slightly older, non-connected) AV receiver, its almost impossible for this to affect my setup. But it's indeed a sleazy move by those setting the HDMI standards.

Have there been any devices confirmed to use this yet?

I'm getting so tired of these constant battles with the devices I paid for.

> Netflix makes it hard as you can't get 5.1 surround

Then get it from *ahem* elsewhere, you've paid for access to that content in that quality, if they can't provide that… Maybe if enough do that they'll fix the problem, so they can start tracking your use of the content again when you return to consuming it their way.

> TV: just don't buy an actual TV. Buy a monitor and hook it up to a Linux box with something like Kodi.

I simply bought a non-smart TV. I just made sure it had a number of HDMI ports. I plug my various media sources into the HDMI ports.

A "smart" TV must be the most un-smart TV possible - you're stuck with whatever's there. The "smart" part (say, a Pi or a Chromecast or both) must be detached from the display device (the TV), not a part of it.

"smart" TVs remind me of back when I bought a webcam with integrated Skype, for my old parents. It did make it easy for them to skype with their grandchildren, using the TV. But of course Skype, or MS at the time, plugged the pull on the version of Skype used by the webcam and then it became a brick. Never again.

the problem is, non-smart-TVs are twice as expensive. you can buy a smart tv and never connect it to the internet, though.

5G modems in every TV are just around the corner.

That may be changing, but when I bought my 49" non-smart TV a few years back it was quite a bit cheaper than the same-size smart TVs. It wasn't that long ago, but a quick check at the same shop shows only "smart" (read: stupid) TVs. Unfortunately. As the price for the non-smart TV I bought was lower than the equivalent "smart" version I believe we'll be paying for a feature we don't need.

you're looking for 'digital signage displays' (expensive) or a 'video monitor' (seriously expensive for anything tv-sized, if it exists at all).

Smart TVs are equally expensive, you just pay with your sanity and data instead of bucks.

Not if you only use them as a dumb terminal.

Just make sure to buy one that doesn't "helpfully" connect to nearby passwordless Wi-Fi networks.

Argh, a typo there.. read "pulled the plug" (too late to edit post)

  > Games: Kerbal Space program sounds fun. Lots of mentions on HN. Apparently after some company bought them up changes of this sort have been made.

The changes to Kerbal are in Kerbal Space Program 2, not the original KSP. I highly recommend KSP, go ahead and get it. KSP 2 will have better graphics and add some new capabilities to the game, but honestly you could play KSP for years (I have) and not get tired of the graphics or what the game offers. To me KSP 2 seems like a competing game, not a replacement.

That would be sweet if I mixed this up! Will have to look into it. Thanks!

Nope, not mixed up. Redshell apparently was added in KSP 1.4 by Take Two. After an uproar in the community it was removed again but personally this is something that's just too big of a thing to dismiss. Not changing my mind.

Reference: https://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/201762...

Thank you. I had not head of Redshell, and I thought that you were referring to features being removed. I'll now be very wary to see if spyware like this is installed again.

For TV, get a short throw projector. It’s a dumb screen, and it’s fun to play retro games projected on the wall

for best results you really want a screen and if the top end is close to the ceiling, you want to paint that black, too.

You missed the step where you hit the internet to spread that sweet smug sanctimony.

What is the gps app? Give it a shout-out.