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Ask Slashdot: Affordable Large HD/UHD/4K "Stupid" Screens?

Posted by timothy on from the sorry-dave-can't-let-you-do-that dept.

New submitter LOGINS SUC (713291) writes Truly in the first-world problems category, I've been looking for large format (>55") HD/UHD screens for home entertainment. In light of the recent Samsung big-brother monitoring and advertisement injection concerns, does any reputable manufacturer still make "stupid" TVs? I don't want to pay for all the WiFi, apps, cameras, or microphones. I don't need it to have speakers. And at this point, I don't even care if it has the TV receiver functionality. All this stuff leads to vendor lock-in or is well on the path to obsolescence by the time I purchase the device. I prefer all of this non-visual functionality be handled by devices better suited to the purpose and I don't want to pay for screens including these widgets I have no intention of ever using, at all.

I've searched all the normal retail outlets. If I find anything, they are wildly expensive. "Computer monitors" fit the bill but are almost all 55") LCDs in the sub-$3,000 range anymore? Are projectors the last bastion of visual purity for home entertainment?

2 of 330 comments (clear)

  1. If you don't authorize it, it can't divulge info. by Jason+Pollock · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You don't need to buy a dumb TV. All you need to avoid is plugging it into a network.

    If you don't plug your home theatre equipment into your network, it can't call home. Done.

  2. No. Just don't use it. by Maxwell · · Score: 5, Informative
    I realize it's a great /. tradition to completely ignore the original question and try to dance around it with alternatives, but just ignoring it is not an option.

    For example don't user the remote control that came with it, because it has dedicated app buttons that will take 30seconds to fail to launch netflix for you, or worse, offer to walk your wife through wi-fi setup. So you need another remote too. And since they are special your universal remote won't work out of the box, so you'll need to to button to button remapping to get that to work.

    You know what would be even better than turning wi-fi off? Not having it at all...kinda of like what the OP asks for.

    To answer the OP's question you can buy commercial TV's (like hotel rooms or restaurants buy for their active menus) and they have no smart features. They are widely available at commerical type stores. Lg also makes them up to 65" (we have some installed here). Big, dumb panel. Here is their site:

    http://www.lg.com/us/commercia...

    Here's a 65" one from Staples:

    http://www.staples.com/LG-Supe...