Terence EdenJan 6, 2024

People who rant about how terrible it is that you can't buy a non-Smart TV any more.

You know you don't have to plug the TV into the Internet, right?

I've got two. One acts as a big monitor for my laptop. The other one has a media player box & games console connected.

You're allowed to use a heavily subsidised device in a different manner from which it was intended.

Show threadCaveDaveJan 6, 2024
@Edent honestly wouldn't trust it anyway. Only a matter of time before they make you connect it for updates "for your own security" or does some other bullshit I can't even conceive of until it happen
Show threadTerence Eden
@engravecavedave
How would that even work? If it isn't ever connected, how would it know there were updates?
What bullshit do you think a disconnected appliance can do?
Jan 6, 2024 at 4:26pmFedilab
Show threadCaveDaveJan 6, 2024
Idk man. Any apple device automatically adds you to their interconnected mesh grid if you have either Wifi or Bluetooth. They even have a new feature where airdrop continues to transfer files on 4G even out of range from your friend who sent it. Amazon devices automatically do that. What if you got a Samsung TV, doesn't connect to internet but has Bluetooth capabilites on ... and it connects to other Samsung devices in your vicinity and sends it data. I don't trust these companies at this point
Show threadTerence EdenJan 6, 2024
@engravecavedave
I suggest checking your carbon monoxide alarms.
Show threadCaveDaveJan 6, 2024

@Edent will do

Edit: Look, I know it sounds incredibly paranoid and tbh I would've thought it sounded crazy myself a few years ago as well ... and it probably is tbf. We're just at a point in time where pretty much any out there conspiratorial tin foil hat surveillance theory that would've been laughed at decades ago keeps being revealed to the public or found out in studies.

I'm at a point where I just wouldn't want a smart TV in my home, disconnected or not

Show threadRon BowesJan 7, 2024
@engravecavedave the simpler idea would be: it could just force you to update after X months and stop working till you do. I don't know of anything that does that though