It's just insidious though isn't it? There's a scare that we might have internet connected energy meters. You end up with dozens of devices that have connectivity and you don't actually know what they do. I have a satellite box, that I manually connect to the internet every once in a while for on demand services. But I have no idea what information it sends back. Could send back my entire viewing history for all I know. Or rather it might be collecting and storing data to later send.
I noticed my satellite box trying to pull a web page from my computer. Malware is another problem.
I noticed that TVs nowadays come with an HDMI connector for their video (and audio) input. Could a computer monitor with speakers serve in place of the TV?
I suppose that leaves the problem of not having a remote control for the 'TV'. However, if the inputs are from a cable-tv box or a media-box, they should have their own remote controls anyway.
Is there some simple reason to avoid doing this, which I overlook because of my ignorance?
Projectors have gotten much cheaper in the past few years (I used to look in awe at some of the incredible creations on the now-defunct lumenlabs forum at the DIY creations people would build because of the high projector cost back about 10 years ago). You can buy a very capable 1080p projector for €450-500 or so. You can build a high quality DIY screen if you're so inclined too. It's a bitch to setup, and you have to hide the power and HDMI cables somehow, but the experience is unbeatable.
They already have. I couldn't find a high end dumb TV last year.
I've used no features of my smart TV because ARC is awful and everything's (Kodi box, Sky and Chromecast) plugged into my home theatre system, so the TV's speakers are disabled.
Smart TV, however smart, won't be as good as a £30 Chromecast in a couple of years.
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The only answer is to disassemble every new TV, and disconnect the microphones and cameras.
Perhaps I can make a business out of this service.
Why not just spend your money on a TV without mic and camera? My lg smart tv have neither.
It's just insidious though isn't it? There's a scare that we might have internet connected energy meters. You end up with dozens of devices that have connectivity and you don't actually know what they do. I have a satellite box, that I manually connect to the internet every once in a while for on demand services. But I have no idea what information it sends back. Could send back my entire viewing history for all I know. Or rather it might be collecting and storing data to later send.
I noticed my satellite box trying to pull a web page from my computer. Malware is another problem.
I presume sometime in the not too distant future, all TV's will have cameras and mics.
I noticed that TVs nowadays come with an HDMI connector for their video (and audio) input. Could a computer monitor with speakers serve in place of the TV?
I suppose that leaves the problem of not having a remote control for the 'TV'. However, if the inputs are from a cable-tv box or a media-box, they should have their own remote controls anyway.
Is there some simple reason to avoid doing this, which I overlook because of my ignorance?
50"+ computer monitors are rare (at least where I live).
Go for a projector then, that works pretty well for us.
Old games filling the whole wall is pretty jarring at first, but surprisingly you also get used to that.
Projectors have gotten much cheaper in the past few years (I used to look in awe at some of the incredible creations on the now-defunct lumenlabs forum at the DIY creations people would build because of the high projector cost back about 10 years ago). You can buy a very capable 1080p projector for €450-500 or so. You can build a high quality DIY screen if you're so inclined too. It's a bitch to setup, and you have to hide the power and HDMI cables somehow, but the experience is unbeatable.
I wonder if dumb TV's will disappear before long?
They already have. I couldn't find a high end dumb TV last year.
I've used no features of my smart TV because ARC is awful and everything's (Kodi box, Sky and Chromecast) plugged into my home theatre system, so the TV's speakers are disabled.
Smart TV, however smart, won't be as good as a £30 Chromecast in a couple of years.
I got one from Aldi around Christmas, maybe they were just clearing stock?