TV companies really, really don’t want you to have one
- Yes, your smart TV is actually watching you.
- TV companies make millions of dollars by selling data.
- “Stupid” televisions are often inferior to ad-supported smart models in terms of technical data.
Glenn Castens-Peters / Unsplash:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/glenn-carstens-peters-EOQhsfFBhRk-unsplash-cc036517d726430790420c3f6b54ea8c.jpg)
If you’re worried about your smart TV spying on you, why not buy a “dumb” TV that only shows one picture, no internet, no streaming, nothing? Sounds good, but have you actually tried it recently?
Every 10 years I would buy a TV and plug it into my cable box at home. TVs now try to handle as many connections as possible with questionable user interfaces and more questionable privacy practices. It’s not that you can’t get a plain old dumb TV, it’s that they’re post-mortem, relics of earlier times like film cameras and cassette players. And I don’t think it will get any better.
“If I had to ‘force’ buy a smart TV, I would do my best not to buy it until the seller agrees to ship it with a preset that respects my privacy. A manual that guides me to do the same.” Multimedia journalist Stacy Harris told Lifewire via email.
play stupid
Why do you want a dumb TV? After all, with a smart TV, you can access everything from YouTube to Netflix to Apple TV+ from the same remote. Just connect to WiFi and you’re done.
While great, this TV is also a hole in security and privacy. Samsung TV, for example, was caught spying on viewers in 2015. Smart TVs record button presses and other interactions, as well as sound from the living room.
“If I buy a smart TV by force, I will do my best to outperform it”…
TV manufacturers like to collect this data for the same reasons Facebook mines your personal information. That’s profit. Facebook uses this information to sell targeted advertising, but smart TV manufacturers simply sell directly.
Smart TV maker Vizio earned $38.4 million in a quarter from view data and advertising sales alone. For comparison, his device (like a real TV) brought in $48.2 million. To make matters worse, data sales are growing faster and will soon make up the majority of revenue.
This is the main reason you can’t buy a dumb TV.
not that smart
To avoid this outrageous level of surveillance, smart buyers can opt for plain old TVs that only display images from the source they’re connected to. This could be a cable box or Apple TV device. Not only will you protect your privacy, but you will also enjoy a better experience. If you haven’t studied remote control yet, just changing channels on your TV can be a nightmare.
The problem with buying a non-Smart TV is that there are relatively few models available because manufacturers don’t want to make one. Karl Bode of TechDirt tried it and found it difficult to find dumb TVs that can have a big screen, good connections, or great pictures, but generally high-quality specs.
Compulsive Photos / Unsplash:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/possessed-photography-HWhR6lbn5xU-unsplash-0892b592578545c3890bcb39dd84db15.jpg)
And there is a price. Smart TVs are cheap because TV manufacturers want users to buy them.
“If people really do everything they can to protect their privacy, [a] Non-Smart TV, if commercially available. But most of us want to take the risk to enjoy the benefits of having a smart TV at home,” James Fyfe, founder of automation company Portant, told Lifewire via email. “If you’re just looking at a screen, a large computer monitor would be a great alternative. can. But given the few available ports or the difficulty of finding one with built-in speakers, it’s not a good choice.”
Can you protect yourself?
It’s still possible to buy a stupid TV or replacement device. Samsung, Scepter, and Westinghouse make some, but buying one can be difficult. You can buy a computer monitor, but it’s about 32 inches tall, has no input, and the speakers are weak.
“If people really do everything they can to protect their privacy, [a] If it is not a commercially available smart TV.”
Another option is commercial screens, such as those used in stores and restaurants to display advertisements, information, and menus, but may not be optimized for picture quality and you’re almost certainly paying more than an effective ad-supported smart screen. TV
The last option is to buy a smart TV and not connect to Wi-Fi. But even then, you still have to deal with a terrible user interface.
After all, you might be better off watching the show on your iPad.
More information
Why It’s So Hard to Buy a ‘Dumb’ TV
TV companies really, really don’t want you to have one
Yes, smart TVs really do spy on you.
TV companies make millions selling your data.
“Dumb” TVs are often worse, specs-wise, than ad-funded smart models.
Glenn Carstens-Peters / Unsplash
If you’re worried about your smart TV spying on you, why not just buy a “dumb” television that does nothing but show a picture—no internet, no streaming, no nothing? Sounds great, but have you actually tried that recently?
It used to be that you’d buy a TV once in a decade and hook it up to whichever cable boxes you had in your home. Now, the TV wants to take care of as much of that connectivity as possible, with questionable user interfaces and even more questionable privacy practices. It’s not that you can’t get any plain old dumb TV, it’s that they’re an afterthought, a relic of a previous age, like film cameras or cassette players. And it’s unlikely to get any better.
“If and when I’m “forced” to buy a smart TV, I will do my best to outsmart it by purchasing it only once the seller agrees to deliver with presets preserving my privacy, or I have “instructions for dummies”/a manual that instructs me on how to do same,” multimedia journalist Stacy Harris told Lifewire via email.
Playing It Dumb
Why would you want a dumb TV? After all, a Smart TV lets you access everything from YouTube to Netflix to Apple TV+, all from the same remote. You just hook it up to your Wi-Fi, and you’re done.
While that’s great, those TVs are also a huge security and privacy hole. For instance, Samsung TVs were caught spying on viewers back in 2015. Smart TV sets record your button pushes and other interactions and also record the audio from your living room.
“If and when I’m “forced” to buy a smart TV I will do my best to outsmart it…”
TV makers like to gather this data for the same reason Facebook mines your personal information: profit. Facebook uses this information to sell targeted advertising, but smart TV makers just sell it directly.
Smart TV maker Vizio made $38.4 million in a single quarter just from selling view data and ads. For comparison, its devices (the actual TVs, etc.) made it $48.2 million. Worse, the data sales are growing faster and will soon make up the majority of its revenue.
That, right there, is the number one reason you cannot buy a dumb TV.
Not So Smart
To avoid this absurd level of spying, the smart buyer might opt for a plain old television that does nothing but show pictures from whichever source you connected to it. That might be a cable box, or it may be an Apple TV unit. Not only will you protect your privacy, but you’ll also enjoy a better experience. Just trying to change channels on a TV can be a nightmare if you haven’t yet studied the remote.
The problem with getting a hold of a non-smart TV is that manufacturers don’t want to make them, so there are comparatively few models available. TechDirt’s Karl Bode tried, and found that while you could have a big screen, or a good connections, or a great picture, it was hard to find a dumb TV with generally high-level specs.
Possessed Photography / Unsplash
And then there’s the price. Smart TVs are cheap because TV makers want you to buy them.
“I think if people really go out of their way to protect their privacy, then it’s possible that they’ll purchase [a] non-smart TV if it’s available on the market. However, the majority of us would rather risk it just to enjoy the benefits of having a smart TV in our homes,” James Fyfe, founder of automation company Portant, told Lifewire via email. “A big computer monitor could be a great alternative if you’re only looking at the screen. But if you consider the fact that it has less ports available or that it’s difficult to find one with a built-in speaker, then it’s not a good option.”
Can You Protect Yourself?
It’s still possible to buy a dumb TV or alternative device. Samsung, Scepter, and Westinghouse make some, but finding one to buy may be tricky. You could buy a computer monitor, but those tend to top out around 32-inches or so, lack inputs, and have weak speakers.
“I think if people really go out of their way to protect their privacy, then it’s possible that they’ll purchase [a] non-smart TV if it’s available on the market.”
Another option is a commercial screen, the kind used in stores and restaurants to show ads, info, and menus, but they may not be optimized for picture quality, and you’ll almost certainly pay more than you will for an effectively ad-subsidized smart TV.
The final option is to just buy a smart TV and never, ever connect it to your Wi-Fi. But then, you’d still have to deal with the awful user interface.
In the end, it might just be better to watch shows on your iPad.
#Hard #Buy #Dumb
Why It’s So Hard to Buy a ‘Dumb’ TV
TV companies really, really don’t want you to have one
Yes, smart TVs really do spy on you.
TV companies make millions selling your data.
“Dumb” TVs are often worse, specs-wise, than ad-funded smart models.
Glenn Carstens-Peters / Unsplash
If you’re worried about your smart TV spying on you, why not just buy a “dumb” television that does nothing but show a picture—no internet, no streaming, no nothing? Sounds great, but have you actually tried that recently?
It used to be that you’d buy a TV once in a decade and hook it up to whichever cable boxes you had in your home. Now, the TV wants to take care of as much of that connectivity as possible, with questionable user interfaces and even more questionable privacy practices. It’s not that you can’t get any plain old dumb TV, it’s that they’re an afterthought, a relic of a previous age, like film cameras or cassette players. And it’s unlikely to get any better.
“If and when I’m “forced” to buy a smart TV, I will do my best to outsmart it by purchasing it only once the seller agrees to deliver with presets preserving my privacy, or I have “instructions for dummies”/a manual that instructs me on how to do same,” multimedia journalist Stacy Harris told Lifewire via email.
Playing It Dumb
Why would you want a dumb TV? After all, a Smart TV lets you access everything from YouTube to Netflix to Apple TV+, all from the same remote. You just hook it up to your Wi-Fi, and you’re done.
While that’s great, those TVs are also a huge security and privacy hole. For instance, Samsung TVs were caught spying on viewers back in 2015. Smart TV sets record your button pushes and other interactions and also record the audio from your living room.
“If and when I’m “forced” to buy a smart TV I will do my best to outsmart it…”
TV makers like to gather this data for the same reason Facebook mines your personal information: profit. Facebook uses this information to sell targeted advertising, but smart TV makers just sell it directly.
Smart TV maker Vizio made $38.4 million in a single quarter just from selling view data and ads. For comparison, its devices (the actual TVs, etc.) made it $48.2 million. Worse, the data sales are growing faster and will soon make up the majority of its revenue.
That, right there, is the number one reason you cannot buy a dumb TV.
Not So Smart
To avoid this absurd level of spying, the smart buyer might opt for a plain old television that does nothing but show pictures from whichever source you connected to it. That might be a cable box, or it may be an Apple TV unit. Not only will you protect your privacy, but you’ll also enjoy a better experience. Just trying to change channels on a TV can be a nightmare if you haven’t yet studied the remote.
The problem with getting a hold of a non-smart TV is that manufacturers don’t want to make them, so there are comparatively few models available. TechDirt’s Karl Bode tried, and found that while you could have a big screen, or a good connections, or a great picture, it was hard to find a dumb TV with generally high-level specs.
Possessed Photography / Unsplash
And then there’s the price. Smart TVs are cheap because TV makers want you to buy them.
“I think if people really go out of their way to protect their privacy, then it’s possible that they’ll purchase [a] non-smart TV if it’s available on the market. However, the majority of us would rather risk it just to enjoy the benefits of having a smart TV in our homes,” James Fyfe, founder of automation company Portant, told Lifewire via email. “A big computer monitor could be a great alternative if you’re only looking at the screen. But if you consider the fact that it has less ports available or that it’s difficult to find one with a built-in speaker, then it’s not a good option.”
Can You Protect Yourself?
It’s still possible to buy a dumb TV or alternative device. Samsung, Scepter, and Westinghouse make some, but finding one to buy may be tricky. You could buy a computer monitor, but those tend to top out around 32-inches or so, lack inputs, and have weak speakers.
“I think if people really go out of their way to protect their privacy, then it’s possible that they’ll purchase [a] non-smart TV if it’s available on the market.”
Another option is a commercial screen, the kind used in stores and restaurants to show ads, info, and menus, but they may not be optimized for picture quality, and you’ll almost certainly pay more than you will for an effectively ad-subsidized smart TV.
The final option is to just buy a smart TV and never, ever connect it to your Wi-Fi. But then, you’d still have to deal with the awful user interface.
In the end, it might just be better to watch shows on your iPad.
#Hard #Buy #Dumb
Synthetic: Vik News
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