this post was submitted on 31 Jan 2026
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You can't really find a dumb TV anymore. I might see how big of a monkey I can find when I'm ready to upgrade, but I doubt I'll find one big enough and cheap enough.
I hooked my computer up to the HDMI and have used that as my primary interface.
It's not perfect, but it screens out 95% of bullshit
That doesn’t, unless you’ve blocked your TV from network access, because they use ACR - Automated Content Recognition - that literally scans what is being displayed over your hdmi port and then sells it off to advertisers.
I think you missed the part where the TV doesn't have access to the network.
And wait, no you’re thinking of a different thread. This thread mentioned no such thing.
They can connect to open WiFi spots and just ignore the fact that you didn’t connect it.
Just don't give the TV your wifi password, boom dumb TV.
That won't save you anymore. My boss bought a smallish smart TV in contravention of my explicit instructions for use as a CCTV monitor because it was "cheap." It nags you on power up with a popup whining about not being able to access the internet, and if you don't feed it your Wifi password it will subsequently display that same popup every 30 minutes or so requiring you to dismiss it again. And again. And again. Apparently the play is to just annoy you into caving and letting it access your network.
Instead I packed it up and returned it. Fuck that.
If you are at a business you should have an access point or router that is capable of blocking specific devices from WAN access. But I would create a new segmented network, block that network from WAN access entirely, put it on its own VLAN, and then connect the TV to that network.
I'd assume it nags whenever it can't connect to the home server, and just says "network".
So when they go out of business any remaining units will nag forever.
You can use your router or access point tools to check what address it’s trying to resolve and then set up a redirect to a device that can respond with a fake response.
I'm not going through all that BS just to reward the manufacturer with a sale. It went back, fuck 'em, and I replaced it with a normal cheap computer monitor which is what I told him to buy in the first place.
At that point, you've put multiple man-hours into analyzing the response required to placate it, and it isn't a "cheap" device anymore. Easier to return it.
Unless they require a digital signature
Depends on the signature.