Don’t forget enshittification. I use my TV less and only streaming but am really frustrated by ever more intrusive ads and surveillance. Sometimes I’m just too annoyed to turn on the big TV.
Mine is only 3 years old, but I can definitely see not bothering to get a new one when it’s old, unless they start making dumb TVs again. There are plenty of screens in the house and done of them are less annoying to use
Absolutely. Dumb TVs going forward. Unfortunate that the best screens like those made by Samsung are ruined by surveillance and hardware that can't run the "smart" OS for more than a few years without eventually running like dog shit.
Nothing prevents you from using your Smart TV in the same way as a dumb TV. Just don't connect your TV to the internet and use a third-party device via HDMI.
Many, even when offline, will constantly pester you to connect to a network, or will attempt to connect to any open one it finds.
Some have offline, non-targeted ads from factory.
There have recently been trials of Amazon-powered TVs automatically linking to any Echo devices it can find and using it as a bridge to get internet. I'm unsure if that's something they're actually going to go ahead with right now though.
I haven't had TV at home for over 7 years now. Never miss it. I thought most peoole would do the same but surprised to see everyone still cares about watching TV broadcasts for some reason. The internet is much better.
4K came out in 2012 and 8K just isn't that popular, in part due to content issues but also people's eyesight. If you don't need a new TV now, why would you buy an upgrade?
The Roku that I purchased 6 years ago just bricked itself until I agreed to forced arbitration. This, of course, has nothing to do with the data breach they just announced.
Agreed. You shouldn't have to trust that some third party software built into your TV won't abuse your trust and shut everything down until you do what it's owners want.
I've got an external Roku and if it starts being a dick, I can just unplug it and toss it in the trash and I still have a working TV.
I bought a 65" TV in 2013. It's good enough for me. I don't need 4k at home. It got zapped after 9 years, but there were tons of power supply boards on eBay for $40 each. Turns out a lot of people break the display and sell the other parts.
And it should stay that way. I don’t want another product with planned obsolescence.
They could only try to end your TV by not supporting its apps because of its age, but luckily you can just plug a computer or a console on it to get all the apps you need.
Still, for now, I enjoy using my TV apps with an alternate launcher like Flauncher instead of the normal Android one.
Is it just that we have in the last few years reached the threshold for large TVs to have come down in price and up in quality for them to be worth the purchase - but also the incentive to get a new tv to have a bigger/higher quality picture isnt worth the upgrade (or just your satisfied with the product you have).
And then factoring in that practically worldwide inflation and cost of living is out of control and people sure can make do without a fancy TV when instead they can have food and pay their rent.
Next article "is streaming dead? We keep putting up prices and consumers are dropping subscriptions!"
Yesterday I was in an electronics store and saw a 65" 8K TV and a 65" 4K TV. The difference in image clarity is almost imperceptible even if you get up close. Maybe 8K will be useful for huge TVs like 85" or more.
It's not just the technology. Why buy a TV when the subscriptions cost a fortune and the shows are crap? We have the Internet now, and watch less TV than before.
I bought a tv like 8 years ago, the day the warranty went it got issues.
Some annoying bullshit (according to google) has to do with magnets and they are all visible now, it looks like shit but i really don't give a damn as i rarely care for what is on as long as it's making sound i don't need to hear the neighbours.
All i could think was: it still works, fuck this company i'm keeping it.
Especially be sure to avoid anything with ACR (automatic content recognition). If it detects you're watching content from an unapproved source, it will bug you to watch it on that approved source such as a streaming service. It's just a software update, or a congress bill away from reporting anyone who watches pirated content on their TV. So just beware.
Based on this dip, what do we think the industry will try to push on us to get us to upgrade? Are we see them start to push 8k content or 3D again or "smarter" tv's?
Make more dumb TVs and my interest in buying a new one goes up significantly. Im actively avoiding buying a new one even though I have to furninsh a good sized living room and all I have right now is a bit small for the space. It'll still work.
You can always just not use the smart features, and if you do want them, pick up a chromecast to plug into it. Walmart's one is like $20 and holds its own against the more expensive ones.
There are tons of dumb TVs out there but they're more expensive because the ads and data harvesting subsidizes the cost.
I know it's not a perfect suggestion but I agree with the other comment: buy a smart TV and never connect it to the internet. The vast majority of displays don't gain anything (outside of the "smart" features) with firmware updates. The exceptions to that are very rare.
It sucks to have to buy a streaming box on top of it but the two items combined is less than a commercial (dumb) display. Even at cost.
Though instead of a Chromecast for streaming, I'd consider an AppleTV...I'm not a fan of Apple but it's hands down the best streaming box I've used outside of a dedicated HTPC.
i connect my smart TV, along with IoT devices to an internet only group with DNS adblock. I also use an Xbox for streaming but looking at replacing it with a shield or something once my gamepass runs out.
I keep hearing people say that, but I paid thousands of dollars for my TV to still have ads. The days of if you don't pay for the product then you are the product is dead. You will pay for it and still be the product regardless of cost.
It’s sad how Apple’s strategy of “just use an actually fast CPU and make a Home Screen without ads” is a breakthrough in the industry. It shows what a fucking mess everyone else is in.
The home screen on an AppleTV has ads, unfortunately. The main thing I like about it is how responsive it is - made possible by both the hardware and software. I also really like the remote, though I preferred the one from a generation or two ago.
What I DON'T like about it is that a few years ago Apple disabled IP control unless you set it up through HomeKit. If you don't want to use HomeKit, enjoy your IR control.
Projector guy here. Once you get a taste you don't wanna go back. The tech has gotten so much better over the last 10 years and short throw projectors are a game changer.
For gaming probably HDMI 2.1 for higher frame rates, VRR, and/or 40fps with ray tracing and whatnot.
But in general…not really. I just got a new tv for these features plus it having a brighter oled panel than my last one. But at this point I imagine I’ll have this tv for years and years.
But as an answer for if there were any “killer features” in TVs for the last few years, better inputs and panel refresh rates are about the best new things outside of brighter OLEDs.
I was playing devil's advocate to that, implying they are not killer features. TV gaming is generally consoles, which are all 60fps in 99% of cases anyway.
TVs with actual new panels or features are far too expensive for people to consider, when their current ones already do the job.
The thing is, all those features are locked behind units that cost several thousand dollars. So, they're never going to see large volumes of sales or widespread adoption until they trickle into the sub-$1k and sub-$300 price points.
QD-OLED just came into the market in the past couple years and is definitely worth some hype for someone like me that was hanging onto an old plasma, but in general TV's have been excellent for ages, if you already have an OLED or higher end TV with HDR you probably don't need to upgrade for a long time.
If you've got disposable income and use the latest tech devices as a status symbol, absolutely.
If you're going the projector route, I'd say definitely. New laser projectors and screen tech is waaaaaay beyond what it used to be.
If you're a gamer (or using a TV as a PC monitor) I'd say yes, the tech here has advanced quite a bit, and 4K gaming looks really good if your hardware can support it.
If you've got a home theater setup, and are a movie buff, I'd say maybe, depending on how big of screen you want, how much money you want to spend, and how satisfied you are with your current gear. For me I don't think the latest tech improvements justify the thousands of dollars of new gear I'd have to re-buy just to get 4K/HDR and ATMOS support when most of the movies I watch don't even have good 5.1 tracks and are still on 480i or 1080p based media because they're so old.
If you're a casual viewer of movies, streaming content, and TV shows, absolutely not. Any LED 1080p capable TV that isn't trash tier is fine.
With some exceptions, enthusiasm in technology is in decline in general. We are peaking in terms of rate of progress across the board, from computer speed to smart phone innovation to TV specs. When's the last time ordinary folks got excited about a new phone release? Who cares about a TV larger than 60 inches? It's not like most people can even afford a wall big enough to put it on. Who cares about anything more than 4k on a tiny screen?
Meanwhile, the cost of living is only increasing, and consumer trust in product life support is in decline. Stories about TVs listening to private conversations, or holding your device hostage for forced TOS updates, anti-right to repair, the mountain of e-waste and micro plastics, pervasive DRM, enshitified services, subscription hardware...
Should we be surprised? No.
The only thing that gets me excited about tech any more is repairability and offline/local networking.
