OK, internet.
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OK, internet. Time for me to admit something and then solicit your advice.
Admission: I have not purchased a TV in well over 20 years now. I haven't owned a TV for at least 15 years.
While - yes - I have lived with folk way back in Philly who had one every so often, the last TV that I *purchased* was literally a CRT with a tube. Tarah and I didn't have a TV at all for the near-decade that we were married.
Your Advice: Is there a decent resource that you folk trust when it comes to evaluating privacy concerns about modern TVs? The only thing I know is that, if I acquire a new set, it'll be a "frame" TV (thin bezel, matte finish) since 99% of the time it will serve as art on the wall. I do not have any streaming subscriptions and would likely just play media from my Synology or watch YouTube.
Are modern smart TVs all universally horrible from a privacy perspective, like modern cars? Are any TVs decent about not phoning home out-of-the box? Are some frame TVs able to be modded for privacy or are some able to be wrangled into behaving if I block a lot of well-known stuff at my firewall?
Right now the only thing I have done is walk past the Samsung frame TVs at Costco and say, "Yeah, those seem nice. Sure."
If anyone wants to point me at a resource or list of the best vs the worst that are out there when it comes to finding one that isn't a 1984 Telescreen, I'd eagerly read said research.
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R relay@relay.infosec.exchange shared this topic
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OK, internet. Time for me to admit something and then solicit your advice.
Admission: I have not purchased a TV in well over 20 years now. I haven't owned a TV for at least 15 years.
While - yes - I have lived with folk way back in Philly who had one every so often, the last TV that I *purchased* was literally a CRT with a tube. Tarah and I didn't have a TV at all for the near-decade that we were married.
Your Advice: Is there a decent resource that you folk trust when it comes to evaluating privacy concerns about modern TVs? The only thing I know is that, if I acquire a new set, it'll be a "frame" TV (thin bezel, matte finish) since 99% of the time it will serve as art on the wall. I do not have any streaming subscriptions and would likely just play media from my Synology or watch YouTube.
Are modern smart TVs all universally horrible from a privacy perspective, like modern cars? Are any TVs decent about not phoning home out-of-the box? Are some frame TVs able to be modded for privacy or are some able to be wrangled into behaving if I block a lot of well-known stuff at my firewall?
Right now the only thing I have done is walk past the Samsung frame TVs at Costco and say, "Yeah, those seem nice. Sure."
If anyone wants to point me at a resource or list of the best vs the worst that are out there when it comes to finding one that isn't a 1984 Telescreen, I'd eagerly read said research.
@deviantollam "play media from my Synology or watch YouTube."
Wouldn't a large monitor serve just as well for this? No worries about it phoning home with one of those?
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@Stellar if one exists with a matte screen then i'd be interested potentially
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@deviantollam "play media from my Synology or watch YouTube."
Wouldn't a large monitor serve just as well for this? No worries about it phoning home with one of those?
@phlebas my needs are:
1. matte finish
2. small-ish bezel
3. ultra thin size on wall (not protruding more than an inch or so off the wall)
Frame TVs often have a "control unit" type box that is mounted far below or (in my case) on the other side of the wall itself. If a computer monitor like that exists, i'd be potentially interested
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OK, internet. Time for me to admit something and then solicit your advice.
Admission: I have not purchased a TV in well over 20 years now. I haven't owned a TV for at least 15 years.
While - yes - I have lived with folk way back in Philly who had one every so often, the last TV that I *purchased* was literally a CRT with a tube. Tarah and I didn't have a TV at all for the near-decade that we were married.
Your Advice: Is there a decent resource that you folk trust when it comes to evaluating privacy concerns about modern TVs? The only thing I know is that, if I acquire a new set, it'll be a "frame" TV (thin bezel, matte finish) since 99% of the time it will serve as art on the wall. I do not have any streaming subscriptions and would likely just play media from my Synology or watch YouTube.
Are modern smart TVs all universally horrible from a privacy perspective, like modern cars? Are any TVs decent about not phoning home out-of-the box? Are some frame TVs able to be modded for privacy or are some able to be wrangled into behaving if I block a lot of well-known stuff at my firewall?
Right now the only thing I have done is walk past the Samsung frame TVs at Costco and say, "Yeah, those seem nice. Sure."
If anyone wants to point me at a resource or list of the best vs the worst that are out there when it comes to finding one that isn't a 1984 Telescreen, I'd eagerly read said research.
@deviantollam Take a look at Digital Signage Displays! Almost no to none smarts and definitely no ads inside. NEC makes pretty decent ones.
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OK, internet. Time for me to admit something and then solicit your advice.
Admission: I have not purchased a TV in well over 20 years now. I haven't owned a TV for at least 15 years.
While - yes - I have lived with folk way back in Philly who had one every so often, the last TV that I *purchased* was literally a CRT with a tube. Tarah and I didn't have a TV at all for the near-decade that we were married.
Your Advice: Is there a decent resource that you folk trust when it comes to evaluating privacy concerns about modern TVs? The only thing I know is that, if I acquire a new set, it'll be a "frame" TV (thin bezel, matte finish) since 99% of the time it will serve as art on the wall. I do not have any streaming subscriptions and would likely just play media from my Synology or watch YouTube.
Are modern smart TVs all universally horrible from a privacy perspective, like modern cars? Are any TVs decent about not phoning home out-of-the box? Are some frame TVs able to be modded for privacy or are some able to be wrangled into behaving if I block a lot of well-known stuff at my firewall?
Right now the only thing I have done is walk past the Samsung frame TVs at Costco and say, "Yeah, those seem nice. Sure."
If anyone wants to point me at a resource or list of the best vs the worst that are out there when it comes to finding one that isn't a 1984 Telescreen, I'd eagerly read said research.
@deviantollam get some huge screen that isn't a TV from wherever you want and plug a Chromecast or some compute stick into it.
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OK, internet. Time for me to admit something and then solicit your advice.
Admission: I have not purchased a TV in well over 20 years now. I haven't owned a TV for at least 15 years.
While - yes - I have lived with folk way back in Philly who had one every so often, the last TV that I *purchased* was literally a CRT with a tube. Tarah and I didn't have a TV at all for the near-decade that we were married.
Your Advice: Is there a decent resource that you folk trust when it comes to evaluating privacy concerns about modern TVs? The only thing I know is that, if I acquire a new set, it'll be a "frame" TV (thin bezel, matte finish) since 99% of the time it will serve as art on the wall. I do not have any streaming subscriptions and would likely just play media from my Synology or watch YouTube.
Are modern smart TVs all universally horrible from a privacy perspective, like modern cars? Are any TVs decent about not phoning home out-of-the box? Are some frame TVs able to be modded for privacy or are some able to be wrangled into behaving if I block a lot of well-known stuff at my firewall?
Right now the only thing I have done is walk past the Samsung frame TVs at Costco and say, "Yeah, those seem nice. Sure."
If anyone wants to point me at a resource or list of the best vs the worst that are out there when it comes to finding one that isn't a 1984 Telescreen, I'd eagerly read said research.
@deviantollam I fear none of the major television brands can be trusted with an Internet connection.
Ars Technica wrote on this recently, suggesting practical options for separating the display and the smarts:
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/12/the-ars-technica-guide-to-dumb-tvs/
( I'm looking forward to the release of the Steam Machine for providing a platform to run the smarts on:
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OK, internet. Time for me to admit something and then solicit your advice.
Admission: I have not purchased a TV in well over 20 years now. I haven't owned a TV for at least 15 years.
While - yes - I have lived with folk way back in Philly who had one every so often, the last TV that I *purchased* was literally a CRT with a tube. Tarah and I didn't have a TV at all for the near-decade that we were married.
Your Advice: Is there a decent resource that you folk trust when it comes to evaluating privacy concerns about modern TVs? The only thing I know is that, if I acquire a new set, it'll be a "frame" TV (thin bezel, matte finish) since 99% of the time it will serve as art on the wall. I do not have any streaming subscriptions and would likely just play media from my Synology or watch YouTube.
Are modern smart TVs all universally horrible from a privacy perspective, like modern cars? Are any TVs decent about not phoning home out-of-the box? Are some frame TVs able to be modded for privacy or are some able to be wrangled into behaving if I block a lot of well-known stuff at my firewall?
Right now the only thing I have done is walk past the Samsung frame TVs at Costco and say, "Yeah, those seem nice. Sure."
If anyone wants to point me at a resource or list of the best vs the worst that are out there when it comes to finding one that isn't a 1984 Telescreen, I'd eagerly read said research.
@deviantollam it’s hard to find a quality display without the privacy nightmare that is the modern Smart TV. However, if you use it for local playback only, you don’t ever have to connect it to the internet. Keep it offline & it won’t matter how much info it tries to collect, it’ll never be able to send it home.
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OK, internet. Time for me to admit something and then solicit your advice.
Admission: I have not purchased a TV in well over 20 years now. I haven't owned a TV for at least 15 years.
While - yes - I have lived with folk way back in Philly who had one every so often, the last TV that I *purchased* was literally a CRT with a tube. Tarah and I didn't have a TV at all for the near-decade that we were married.
Your Advice: Is there a decent resource that you folk trust when it comes to evaluating privacy concerns about modern TVs? The only thing I know is that, if I acquire a new set, it'll be a "frame" TV (thin bezel, matte finish) since 99% of the time it will serve as art on the wall. I do not have any streaming subscriptions and would likely just play media from my Synology or watch YouTube.
Are modern smart TVs all universally horrible from a privacy perspective, like modern cars? Are any TVs decent about not phoning home out-of-the box? Are some frame TVs able to be modded for privacy or are some able to be wrangled into behaving if I block a lot of well-known stuff at my firewall?
Right now the only thing I have done is walk past the Samsung frame TVs at Costco and say, "Yeah, those seem nice. Sure."
If anyone wants to point me at a resource or list of the best vs the worst that are out there when it comes to finding one that isn't a 1984 Telescreen, I'd eagerly read said research.
@deviantollam Honestly the best way to make a smart TV privacy friendly might just be to cut the traces to the onboard WiFi antenna and plug in something that you actually control to an HDMI port. I’ve considered doing it.
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OK, internet. Time for me to admit something and then solicit your advice.
Admission: I have not purchased a TV in well over 20 years now. I haven't owned a TV for at least 15 years.
While - yes - I have lived with folk way back in Philly who had one every so often, the last TV that I *purchased* was literally a CRT with a tube. Tarah and I didn't have a TV at all for the near-decade that we were married.
Your Advice: Is there a decent resource that you folk trust when it comes to evaluating privacy concerns about modern TVs? The only thing I know is that, if I acquire a new set, it'll be a "frame" TV (thin bezel, matte finish) since 99% of the time it will serve as art on the wall. I do not have any streaming subscriptions and would likely just play media from my Synology or watch YouTube.
Are modern smart TVs all universally horrible from a privacy perspective, like modern cars? Are any TVs decent about not phoning home out-of-the box? Are some frame TVs able to be modded for privacy or are some able to be wrangled into behaving if I block a lot of well-known stuff at my firewall?
Right now the only thing I have done is walk past the Samsung frame TVs at Costco and say, "Yeah, those seem nice. Sure."
If anyone wants to point me at a resource or list of the best vs the worst that are out there when it comes to finding one that isn't a 1984 Telescreen, I'd eagerly read said research.
@deviantollam all TVs universally suck for privacy. You can do something like put it in store mode where is on boot always switches to a spesific input and have a Pi with android TV installed on it and plug an ir receiver into that Pi. That way your TV never touches the internet. I would advise getting the Pi working before you buy the TV though its a bit of a pain.
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OK, internet. Time for me to admit something and then solicit your advice.
Admission: I have not purchased a TV in well over 20 years now. I haven't owned a TV for at least 15 years.
While - yes - I have lived with folk way back in Philly who had one every so often, the last TV that I *purchased* was literally a CRT with a tube. Tarah and I didn't have a TV at all for the near-decade that we were married.
Your Advice: Is there a decent resource that you folk trust when it comes to evaluating privacy concerns about modern TVs? The only thing I know is that, if I acquire a new set, it'll be a "frame" TV (thin bezel, matte finish) since 99% of the time it will serve as art on the wall. I do not have any streaming subscriptions and would likely just play media from my Synology or watch YouTube.
Are modern smart TVs all universally horrible from a privacy perspective, like modern cars? Are any TVs decent about not phoning home out-of-the box? Are some frame TVs able to be modded for privacy or are some able to be wrangled into behaving if I block a lot of well-known stuff at my firewall?
Right now the only thing I have done is walk past the Samsung frame TVs at Costco and say, "Yeah, those seem nice. Sure."
If anyone wants to point me at a resource or list of the best vs the worst that are out there when it comes to finding one that isn't a 1984 Telescreen, I'd eagerly read said research.
@deviantollam my main advice for getting a TV is to get an old panel second-hand, ideally from family or friends who recently "upgraded". Smart TVs and those stick-type devices that go in a HDMI port and provide a smart tv interface on a generic display are a pain to deal with in my experience, filled with ads, input latency of like half a second, etc etc.
My family has my grandparents old TV and it works nearly flawlessly, even if the size and picture quality leave something to be desired. Its some panasonic LCD panel that they had for years. We mainly use it with a fire tv stick since our tv antenna got dislodged in a storm years back and nobody has been bothered to fix it, although when I use it I am generally plugging something else in (as mentioned above, ads and massive input latency are not things i am fond of).
Alternatively, I think you can get TV tuner cards that connect to a PC (via pcie or usb or whatever depending on the model) that take coax and contain radio hardware that can be controlled via the computer (either an actual tv tuner that has channel selection controlled by the computer, or a full-blown software defined radio). Im pretty sure VLC has an option to take input from these under media -> open capture device. You can then use this with a standard computer monitor which lacks all that crap at the cost of a small size (although better resolution than those old panels) and (almost always) having to physically get up to hit the power button (i have seen some computer monitors on pcpartpicker that advertise having remote controls, alternatively you could rig up a microcontroller with some servos, plus a relay to connect in parallel with the computers power button pins on the motherboard so you can do that too, plus an ir detector and any disused ir remote with a reasonable button layout. some microcontrollers can even act as a usb keyboard and mouse for controlling the computer itself, or you can get a cheap wireless mini keyboard + trackpad).
