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?
I’m honestly shocked that nobody has mentioned mesh networks. It might also just scan for any unsecured network it can connect to without informing you in any way. Not connecting your TV to your WiFi is not nearly enough to preventing it from phoning home. You need to open the TV and ground the antenna(e) to physically disable the wireless capabilities. Even then, there may be other antennae hidden under or inside components you can’t disassemble.
Short answer: No. Your smart TV is smarter than you are.