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Ask HN: Which TV do you recommend for privacy?

23•LecroJS•1h ago
I haven’t owned a TV in years and would like one that respects my privacy. Are there any TV’s which do this well? I am looking for something in the 60”to 80”range and would like a 4k display with at least 60hz display. I don’t mind paying a premium.

I have heard good things about Apple TV as a better alternative to most smart TV native apps. Would some TV’s pair better with this than others for privacy? I don’t want the TV doing anything other than being the display for Apple TV.

I am curious what success others have had.

Comments

rvz•41m ago
My honest answer at this point is none.
liquidise•37m ago
Keep the glass disconnected from the network forever and it will solve the vast majority of your concerns.

Jellyfin is the answer if you are looking to spend a premium on a privacy-focused media experience.

nvme0n1p1•37m ago
- Buy any TV you want

- Don't connect it to the network

DiabloD3•36m ago
Doesn't work, all the spyware modules connect to open Wifi of neighbors, and soon, LTE.
nvme0n1p1•30m ago
This is repeated every time this topic comes up, but so far it's just a conspiracy theory. An urban legend. An old wives' tale. Are there any documented cases of this happening?
alserio•19m ago
probably, but I'll let gp answer. But I want guarantees that they don't do that, until them I'll consider the fact that if they can and it's profitable they will do it
nvme0n1p1•3m ago
If you want a guarantee, that's a conservative threat model and a fair position. What's not fair is GP saying "doesn't work, all the TVs do XYZ", when not a single TV in the real world has ever actually done XYZ.
smallpipe•14m ago
Amazon Sidewalk is a real life product that offers this over bluetooth
nvme0n1p1•6m ago
Just because something exists as a product, doesn't mean it exists inside your TV.
OroPla•5m ago
With TV makers having recently destroyed trust and there not being a good way for consumers to force trust it makes little difference whether they are doing it or not.

If you can't tell whether your disconnected TV is spying on you but you know that you cannot trust it, it's better to treat it as compromised.

smallnix•35m ago
Until we learn they Bluetooth beacon and do mesh to find some Internet connected LG fridge.
DiabloD3•36m ago
A large format monitor that does not connect to the Internet nor has any smarts at all.

Also, do not plug any Internet-facing devices into it, have a captive SBC that connects to a LAN server hosting (legally owned) videos.

giancarlostoro•36m ago
I just dont connect mine to the internet, hook up an Apple TV to it.
epwr•36m ago
I went and researched this, and found that basically none of the TV brands were anything but creepy on privacy.

What I’ve ended up doing was I got an LG and never hooked it up to Wifi/internet, and then use an Apple TV to watch things on.

It’s a bit annoying if I want to switch to a game console as Apple TV can’t control the TV’s input channel, but otherwise works very well.

Make sure the TV supports HDMI CEC.

smallpipe•16m ago
With Amazon Sidewalk I don't think not hooking it up to the internet is an option anymore, unless you live out in the boonies
Natfan•4m ago
> Amazon Sidewalk[0] is a low-bandwidth long-range wireless communication protocol developed by Amazon. It uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) for short distance communication, and 900 MHz LoRa and other frequencies for longer distances.

[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Sidewalk

kennywinker•1m ago
New business idea: fitted faraday cages for smart tvs
AAAAaccountAAAA•31m ago
https://www.sceptre.com/ seems to be pretty much the only remaining brand of non-smart TVs left. However, I have no experience of them.
damascus_kei•31m ago
I rooted my LG C1 and honestly I can't go back to an unrooted TV. Game streaming works so much better(I can actually install the apps). I can control everything so Home Assistant automations are much better. Internet is blocked so no nagging or ads, But they are turn off via root just in case.
3eb7988a1663•8m ago
Now I have a weekend project in the future, assuming I can find a compatible process for my hardware. Never connected to the network, but the thing makes a few ever annoying popups I would love to disable. Or at least ensure that no "helpful" guest fills in the wifi information when I am not looking.
choroid•30m ago
I recently was stressed about the same & ended up buying an LG C6, sticking it on an isolated VLAN, rooting it, then just letting it hit my NAS for jellyfin.
qubex•28m ago
I’m sticking with my 2010 Toshiba REGZA until it dies. 1080p is fine for me.
sbstp•27m ago
Don't connect it to a network, buy a mini pc and install Linux on it. Get a Logitech k400 keyboard with an integrated touchpad to control it remotely
setopt•24m ago
Personally, I used to be very privacy-conscious, but have given up on enforcing it everywhere over the years. I still care, more than most people I know in real life, but when it comes to stuff like TV's I just get whatever has the best panel for the lowest price. Last time I bought a TV, that was an LG TV running WebOS, which is not exactly the best from a privacy standpoint. Initially I used it with an Apple TV, but now I just use the native apps and try to disable the telemetry that I can in the settings panel.
alserio•22m ago
sorry to interject on your experience, but this sounds really bleak
tehlike•23m ago
I think the answer now changes with ability to root some of these tvs.

Still, might be best to run an android tv box yourself, and plug hdmi.

beej71•23m ago
I don't know how true it still is, but dumb TVs have traditionally been marketed as "commercial displays". You'll pay more and have to bring your own media, of course.
HelloUsername•17m ago
> commercial displays

These are generally meant to display (static) advertisement media, you'll have a false experience watching movies or playing games on them.

shadowAuror•13m ago
Disconnect the TV from internet and use a solution like Apple TV for apps you would like in TV. Even better is a Mini PC connected to the TV if you are savvy enough.
pyrophane•10m ago
If you are open to projectors they still make “home cinema” projectors that don’t have any smart features or connect to the internet.

I have a BenQ (710tki iirc) that is like this and I believe it meets all your stated requirements (size, resolution, etc). I’ve been very happy with it.

brudgers•8m ago
[delayed]
PaulHoule•6m ago
I shop for elite televisions at the “reuse” center, my latest score was a 2013 Panasonic plasma which is a perfectly good dumb TV hooked up to an XBOX ONE and a home theatre. Downstairs I have a big curved Samsung 4K attached to my big PC. Someday I’ll see the high end OLED that I crave.

If you have the room and price is no object you definitely want at least 5.1 theatre, both movies and TV programs sound great in 5.1. The next step up is a second subwoofer, even for music subwoofers take a load off your other speakers and reduce distortion.

u1hcw9nx•5m ago
Samsung is the worst by far. Samsung (TizenOS) does not respect even privacy opt outs. It seems like LG, Google TV OS (Sony) and Fire TV OS (Amazon) and VidaaOS at least do that.

https://allaboutcookies.org/smart-tv-tracking-privacy-opt-ou...

Never connect to internet is the best option.

j45•5m ago
Tvs can themselves have their privacy improved by never connecting it to WIFI, except, maybe for software updates, if needed (rare).

The smarts you connect to the TV can vary.

Apple Ts manage things in some good ways.

NVidia Shields are good in others for Android TV.

The Android TV platform is likely more customizable (check youtube the past few weeks) to get it how you want.

Last, but not least, some poeple may just hook up a web browser to the TV and then contain that.

thinkingkong•2m ago
I allow my Samsung to connect to my local network, but then use openwrt and refuse to allow any outbound data from any IP using the MAC address of the television set. It cant update itself and no traffic suggests it can do anything regardless of what it might be collecting. Rooting it to prevent it from connecting to other wifi AP’s is probably the only better thing.
OroPla•1m ago
Buy something used that was manufactured before ca 2018. Or get a projector that doesn't have any smart stuff built in.

Ask HN: Which TV do you recommend for privacy?

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