Instead of ‘splurging’ on a dumb tv bc they’re more expensive now thanks to the data sompanies sell off of smart tvs I was considering getting a smart tv and dumbing it down. Is the way to do this never connecting it to the internet? And is that the only way?
This might not be the best advice if money is an object, but some LG OLEDs can be rooted simply by visiting a website:
http://rootmy.tv
So you get a top-quality screen and complete control over the software.
Personally, I’ve never connected my LG OLED to the internet and it works just great.
I have an lg tv that I route through a pihole that blocks most stuff. I wasn’t going to connect it to the internet, but it had airplay support. I think I’m using this list: https://github.com/TheShawnMiranda/LG-TV-Ad-Block
Why not just set up a static IP on the TV and a rule on your router to prevent it from talking to the internet? That way it has LAN access but not WAN. This will allow airplay to work, but keep your TV dumb.
I do this to all of my smart devices.
I know people don’t like Apple, but I use an ATV on all of my TVs, leaving the TV itself “restricted” from WAN access.
If you dont mind me asking - what do you use your TV for?
If it’s a gaming, or watching movies off your home server, that makes sense.
Even if you want streaming, don’t use the TV’s apps. Use a Chromecast or attach an entertainment PC to it. Chromecasts can be replaced for cheap, PCs can be upgraded. Neither is true of a “smart” TV.
A lot of the people making the suggestion are paying for a box. It might look the same as the built in Android TV a lot of the time, but you can have something that doesn’t choke loading apps as often, or a box you specifically chose for better support or more ability to modify the base Android.
(Yeah pirates are also part of the picture, but I have and use both of an nvidia shield TV and an Apple TV instead of the awful built in smart nonsense. TVs would be better without the extra overhead, but not connected to the internet plus a separate smart box is a lot better IMO.)
I’ve got a cable DVR and a Raspberry Pi running LibreElec plugged into it.
I’ve only experimented a little with gaming since I don’t own a console and my PC is in another room. I had the whatever the Steam software is installed on the Pi for awhile, so I could stream games from the PC.
Me too. Basically I just use a Chromecast for everything. I also have a Linux PC hooked up to the TV but that’s just not very convenient to use while lying on the sofa.
I have a Linux pc hooked to the TV and it’s very convenient to use while lying in the sofa. In fact that’s all I use the TV for. And the reason I am interested in this post, as my 12 years old dumb TV will kick the bucket on day it the other.
The pc is my server/nas and runs kodi in a container that outputs to the TV. It has no keyboard nor mouse, but I do have a remote controller that I had lying around from an old android TV box. Basically you turn the TV on and kodi is there waiting with all my movies, series, and iptv to choose from. With a great remote controller that works beautifully with kodi.
The remote is a minix neo a2 I have had for years. Highly recommend it. If it dies I’ll do a quick research to see if there is something better this days, but I’d be keen to buy another one straight away.
This doesn’t work on the latest firmware FYI.
I use this to run an instance of Hyperion on the tv to run leds on the back of it, that dynamically change color to match the show. Since it’s native on the tv it works in jellyfin or my pc hdmi cable.
For me running jellyfin in the tv works so well, it’s worth giving it network access.