{"id":476109,"date":"2022-07-21T00:07:05","date_gmt":"2022-07-20T21:07:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/can-you-still-buy-a-dumb-tv-review-geek\/"},"modified":"2022-07-21T00:07:05","modified_gmt":"2022-07-20T21:07:05","slug":"can-you-still-buy-a-dumb-tv-review-geek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/can-you-still-buy-a-dumb-tv-review-geek\/","title":{"rendered":"#Can You Still Buy a \u201cDumb\u201d TV? \u2013 Review Geek"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a40f16e8f82d\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a40f16e8f82d\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/can-you-still-buy-a-dumb-tv-review-geek\/#%E2%80%9CCan_You_Still_Buy_a_%E2%80%9CDumb%E2%80%9D_TV_%E2%80%93_Review_Geek%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Can You Still Buy a \u201cDumb\u201d TV? \u2013 Review Geek&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/can-you-still-buy-a-dumb-tv-review-geek\/#Whats_Wrong_With_Smart_TVs\" >What\u2019s Wrong With Smart TVs?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/can-you-still-buy-a-dumb-tv-review-geek\/#You_Can_Still_Buy_a_%E2%80%9CDumb%E2%80%9D_TV\" >You Can Still Buy a \u201cDumb\u201d TV<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/can-you-still-buy-a-dumb-tv-review-geek\/#Some_Smart_TVs_Let_You_Skip_the_Smarts\" >Some Smart TVs Let You Skip the Smarts<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/can-you-still-buy-a-dumb-tv-review-geek\/#Finding_a_%E2%80%9CDumb%E2%80%9D_TV_Will_Only_Get_Harder\" >Finding a \u201cDumb\u201d TV Will Only Get Harder<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CCan_You_Still_Buy_a_%E2%80%9CDumb%E2%80%9D_TV_%E2%80%93_Review_Geek%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Can You Still Buy a \u201cDumb\u201d TV? \u2013 Review Geek&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div id=\"article-content-area\">\n<figure style=\"width: 1920px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage size-full wp-image-123628\" data-pagespeed-no-defer=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2022\/07\/1fd061f6.png?width=1200\" alt=\"A TV mounted to the wall of a living room.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-illustration\/tv-on-cabinet-modern-living-room-1081963400\">vanitjan\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Buying a new TV is a trap. You\u2019re forced to pick between thousands of different smart TVs, and they all have the same problems\u2014they spy on you, shove ads down your throat, and run slower than a snail in a pile of boogers. But there\u2019s one way to escape this trap; buy a \u201cdumb\u201d TV.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, you can still buy a brand-new \u201cdumb\u201d TV. And we\u2019re about to highlight a few options with modern features like a 4K resolution and HDR support.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Whats_Wrong_With_Smart_TVs\"><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" name=\"autotoc_anchor_0\">What\u2019s Wrong With Smart TVs?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Most people are excited to own a smart TV, and that\u2019s fine. Smart TVs give you instant access to streaming services\u00a0<em>and<\/em> cost less than their older, dumber siblings. But in our opinion, these perks are completely outweighed by both TV usability and privacy.<\/p>\n<p>Because smart TVs run on crappy little underpowered computers, they tend to stop working properly after just a few months. Everything gets\u00a0<em>really<\/em> slow, apps randomly crash, and in some cases, the TV\u2019s basic settings won\u2019t even open. You can call it planned obsolescence or pure incompetence\u2014the result is always the same. People feel forced to replace their TV earlier than they should.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe that\u2019s not a big deal; smart TVs are super affordable, after all. But they\u2019re cheap because they steal your data and shove ads down your throat. And this spying goes\u00a0<em>beyond<\/em> the smart TV\u2019s built-in operating system. Fingerprinting software allows your TV to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/fyi\/reminder-your-smart-tv-is-almost-certainly-spying-on-you\/\">identify videos from external devices<\/a>, such as streaming sticks, game consoles, DVD players, or <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/technology\/comments\/u569q5\/comment\/i50igbm\/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=web2x&amp;context=3\">even VCRs<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Corporations don\u2019t care about any of these problems. In fact, they\u2019re doubling down\u00a0because intrusive spying and advertising are so profitable. Smart TV are only going to get worse, hence the demand for \u201cdumb\u201d TVs.<\/p>\n<p>Despite this demand, there aren\u2019t any \u201cdumb\u201d TV categories on the Amazon or Best Buy websites. You can\u2019t walk into a Walmart and ask for a TV without Wi-Fi connectivity, and an internet connection is often required to even set up a TV.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"You_Can_Still_Buy_a_%E2%80%9CDumb%E2%80%9D_TV\"><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" name=\"autotoc_anchor_1\">You Can Still Buy a \u201cDumb\u201d TV<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure style=\"width: 1920px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-123676\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2022\/07\/a0c001ba.png\" alt=\"The Samsung BET-H, a &quot;dumb&quot; TV for businesses.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bhphotovideo.com\/c\/product\/1573437-REG\/samsung_lh55bethlgfxgo_bet_h_series_55_crystal.html\/specs\/BI\/22163\/KBID\/28708\/SID\/rg123627\/DFF\/d50\">Samsung<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It takes a bit of digging, but you can still find and purchase \u201cdumb\u201d TVs. And I\u2019m not talking about the ancient flatscreens at your local Goodwill\u2014I\u2019m talking about new 4K TVs that are reasonably priced and don\u2019t totally suck.<\/p>\n<p>The best and easiest option is <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/goto.walmart.com\/c\/156932\/566719\/9383?subId1=rg&amp;subId2=123627&amp;sharedid=&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2Fseort%2F44829924\">Sceptre\u2019s 50-inch 4K TV<\/a>, which is totally devoid of any smart functionality. Sceptre is a Walmart brand, of course, so this isn\u2019t a high-end TV. But it only costs $308, it won\u2019t spy on you, and it has a decent\u00a015,000:1 contrast ratio. (The speakers kinda suck, but you can solve that problem with a cheap soundbar.)<\/p>\n<p>Sceptre sells a couple of other \u201cdumb\u201d TVs, including a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/goto.walmart.com\/c\/156932\/566719\/9383?subId1=rg&amp;subId2=123627&amp;sharedid=&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2FSceptre-40-Class-FHD-1080P-LED-TV-X405BV-FSR%2F683540269\">40-inch 1080p model<\/a> and a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/goto.walmart.com\/c\/156932\/566719\/9383?subId1=rg&amp;subId2=123627&amp;sharedid=&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2FSceptre-55-Class-4K-UHD-LED-TV-HDR-U550CV-U%2F46784939\">55-inch 4K unit with HDR support<\/a>. But again, none of these models are high-end.<\/p>\n<p>If you want something more robust, you could always buy a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bhphotovideo.com\/c\/buy\/Flat-Panel-Displays\/ci\/16073\/N\/4205668456\/BI\/22163\/KBID\/28708\/SID\/rg123627\/DFF\/d50\">commercial TV<\/a>\u2014the kind of thing they use at sports bars and department stores. Several commercial TVs, even some <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bhphotovideo.com\/c\/buy\/Flat-Panel-Displays\/ci\/16073\/N\/4205668456\/BI\/22163\/KBID\/28708\/SID\/rg123627\/DFF\/d50\">4K models from Samsung<\/a>, lack any internet connectivity. My only suggestion is to look at the specs before you buy a commercial TV. Some models are\u00a0<em>really<\/em> nice, while others have obscenely low refresh rates or a ton of input lag. (Ideally, you want a refresh rate of 60Hz or 120Hz and a response time lower than 30ms).<\/p>\n<p>And if you don\u2019t need a\u00a0<em>huge<\/em> TV, you could always buy a computer monitor. But you\u2019ll probably want to buy a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/VersionTECH-Soundbar-Wireless-Bluetooth-Cellphone\/dp\/B07X4TYYNB?tag=reviewgeek-20\">soundbar with a remote control<\/a> if you go down that route.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Some_Smart_TVs_Let_You_Skip_the_Smarts\"><\/span>Some Smart TVs Let You Skip the Smarts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2021\/02\/2fc30b83.png?width=1200\" alt=\"A Hisense TV asking if the user wants to set up &quot;basic TV&quot; mode.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" data-credittext=\"Hisense\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Hisense<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If you already own a smart TV and are concerned about privacy, you can simply disconnect it from the internet or block it from your router. But this only solves the spying problem\u2014your TV will still load its operating system, which may get clunky and slow over time.<\/p>\n<p>But some smart TVs, particularly the models running <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/72305\/google-tvs-basic-mode-will-make-your-smart-tv-dumb-again\/\">Google TV software, let you skip the smart features entirely. You just need to select the \u201cbasic\u201d mode during setup. Unfortunately, this may not work for\u00a0<em>every<\/em> Google TV, and if you\u2019ve already set up a Google TV, you\u2019ll need to format it back to factory settings.<\/p>\n<p>And while it isn\u2019t the easiest option, you\u00a0<em>can<\/em> prevent a smart TV from phoning home using your router\u2019s firewall or a\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pi-hole.net\">PiHole<\/a>. This method will let you use the smart TV interface without any spying or advertisements. But you need to figure out which URLs your TV uses to perform these undesirable tasks, and of course, you\u2019re still stuck with the crappy smart software.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Finding_a_%E2%80%9CDumb%E2%80%9D_TV_Will_Only_Get_Harder\"><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" name=\"autotoc_anchor_3\">Finding a \u201cDumb\u201d TV Will Only Get Harder<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure style=\"width: 1920px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-109170\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2022\/02\/2484a7df.png\" alt=\"A woman getting mad at her smart TV.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/rear-view-woman-getting-frustrated-glitch-652914262\">Andrey_Popov\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>You can still buy a \u201cdumb\u201d TV, so long as you aren\u2019t too picky. But that will probably change over the next few years. Manufacturers can\u2019t help themselves, and frankly, I\u2019m surprised that Walmart\u2019s Sceptre brand still sells TVs without any internet-connected features.<\/p>\n<p>The commercial sector will be the last bastion of \u201cdumb\u201d TVs. Still, buying the same TV as your local Subway isn\u2019t a long-term solution to our current problem. We\u2019re dealing with greedy corporations, and it\u2019s only a matter of time before those corporations realize that the TVs used by businesses are a potential goldmine for data collection.<\/p>\n<p>Things will continue to get worse until consumers are protected by legislation. A stupid privacy policy shouldn\u2019t give manufacturers the right to spy on people, and let\u2019s be real, there\u2019s no excuse for selling TVs that crap out after a year. Millions of people upgraded to smart TVs\u00a0<em>for the smart features<\/em>;\u00a0the fact that those features break (and can\u2019t be fixed) is completely unacceptable.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>If any \u201cdumb\u201d TV manufacturers want to look super cool and trendy, feel free to contact\u00a0<em>Review Geek<\/em>. We will gladly review your non-internet-connected TV. And I promise that people will buy it, even if it\u2019s a little more expensive than a smart TV.\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\nsetTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n  fbq('init', '1137093656460433');\n  fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/123627\/can-you-still-buy-a-dumb-tv\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Can You Still Buy a \u201cDumb\u201d TV? \u2013 Review Geek&#8221; vanitjan\/Shutterstock.com Buying a new TV is a trap. You\u2019re forced to pick between thousands of different smart TVs, and they all have the same problems\u2014they spy on you, shove ads down your throat, and run slower than a snail in a pile of boogers. But&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":476110,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2022\/07\/1fd061f6.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-476109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=476109"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476109\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/476110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=476109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=476109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=476109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}