Ask Slashdot: Why Do You Want a 'Smart TV'?

Reader kheldan questions the need for a Smart TV (edited for clarity): Yesterday we read about how Samsung is planning on 'upgrading' the firmware in its smart TVs so that it could inject ads into your video streams. This raises the question yet again: Why do you even need a 'smart TV' in the first place? We live in an age where media-center computers and DVRs are ubiquitous, and all your TV really needs to be is a high-def monitor to connect to these devices. Even many smartphones have HDMI connectivity, and a Raspberry Pi is inexpensive and can play 1080 content at full framerate. None of these devices are terribly expensive anymore, and the price jump from a non-smart TV to a smart TV makes it difficult to justify the expense. Also, remember previous articles posted on the subject of surveillance many of these smart TVs have been found guilty of. So I put it to you, denizens of Slashdot: Why does anyone really want a 'smart TV'?

Comments

I don't

[coldsalmon]

I don't even want a regular TV. I watch Netflix on a 25" monitor that I plug into a laptop.

Re:I don't

[TheGratefulNet]

you can ONLY buy smart tvs, beyond a certain size or quality.

last year this happened. anything over 37", iirc, was 'required' to be smart.

I got my vizio at costco (for peace of mind) and while its 'smart' I never gave it access to my network, wired or wifi. the as-shipped firmware is buggy but all updates after that trade one bug for another, so I'm not interested in flashing it.

I can't imagine ever WANTING to connect a wholly untrustable closed-source network node like a 'smart tv' (or even blueray, and so I refuse to suppor the bd standard) to a network of mine.

my content comes from non-paid sources. which means, it is commercial free and de-bullshitted.

the entertainment industry can go fuck itself. I'm not playing by their rules. let the unwashed idiots do that. folks here generally know how to manage network nodes that can't be trusted. we simply don't connect them to any network.

and things will only get worse, too. yet another 'war' on consumers by content pigs. fuck them. pirate bay still lives on.

Re:I don't

[NotDrWho]

Slashdot is obviously challenging us with a trick question. The correct answer is "You don't. You want to buy a dumb TV and let the "smart" reside in the boxes you attach to it, boxes that perform much better and can be more easily and cheaply upgraded in the future."

Of course, Samsung and the TV industry masturbate to the idea of TV's being regularly upgraded like cellphones. They got addicted to all that phat cash they made when people moved from SD to HDTV and so now they're throwing everything at the wall to keep us constantly upgrading. It's why they're pushing so hard on 4K, even though you would need a HUGE screen (or be sitting VERY close to it) to even tell the difference between regular 1080p and 4K. Only idiots think they need a 42" 4K TV when the huge screen at their local movie theater is only 2K.

Simple:

[Avarist]

I don't.

App Store Wars

[Austerity Empowers]

Consumers want a Roku/Fire/Mythbox/AppleTV-like function that lets them play video on their TV with a convenient UI. They don't especially want a smart TV, although boy wouldn't it be nice if we could eliminate a box... dream on.

However TV makers, long under the knife of commodity bottom diving, would like to get a piece of the higher margin smart-device business. It is they who are forcing their lousy smartTV functions on us. We all know better: they are very slow, they end up being unsupported after a year, they rarely support all the apps that a user may want, and it takes 60s for your TV to "boot up" as a result of the cruft. They are forcing this crap on us in the hopes that we'll find it "good enough". It's not making them any money, so I expect it will eventually be dropped, I don't know anyone who bought a TV because of its "smart" functionality.

I want not to have one

[linuxwrangler]

I want a TV that specifically does NOT have those "smart" features.

Putting a EULA-requiring TV with a camera, microphone and internet connection in the bedroom. What could possibly go wrong?

Why do you want a TV in the first place?

[fraxinus-tree]

TV is soooooo 20th century.

I don't

[the_skywise]

I know it's weird but I just want this unitasking display that does ONE THING GOOD - Generates a purty picture with good resolution and color depth and supports the current HDMI standards and maybe displayport. I don't want or need to play angry birds on it or skype on it or any countless numbers of apps that I'll use my computer or iDevice to run and I certainly do NOT want it networked (unless you're going to allow me to update the HDMI controllers - which you guys never do anyway preferring to make me buy a whole new display)

YOU. SELL. TVs!!!

That's the extent of your access into my life!

Why a TV at all?

[Archeopteryx]

A computer monitor makes a great dumb TV. I use a Raspberry Pi with one as a media center.

Smart for Who?

[DidgetMaster]

Everyone wants a 'smart' device until they realize that all the smart logic is designed to take control away from the user and give it to someone trying to sell you something. Your device (phone, tv, home security system, appliance, etc.) becomes an another avenue to push advertising at you or sign you up to some subscription service. That might be something you actually want. For the rest of us, it is just annoying chatter that we want to turn off.

Fewer Remotes!

[burhop]

I mean, I have a remote for Roku, one for the TV, one for the cable box, one for the dedicated skype device, one for Bluray, one for the speakers and two not-as-universal-as-I-thought remotes. Sure, 4K on 60 inches with some apps was what I thought I wanted but being able to sit down and turn on Netflix with a single remote? Priceless.

Re:Netflix 4K only on Smart TV

[AmiMoJo]

As usual, The Pirate Bay and Kickass Torrents have Netflix shows in 4k. Their DRM only serves to drive away paying customers.