A TV set turned into a useless brick by Android malware | Hacker News Reader

A TV set turned into a useless brick by Android malware

boingboing.net

23 pointsDemiGuru15 comments

since it is near impossible to find a "dumb" tv anymore, the big lesson is to never stray from google play or amazon app store.

Can't you still treat it as "dumb?" Never directly connect it to a network. Stream to it by connecting a separate streaming device (Roku, Fire-whatever, Chromecast...).

That's my plan, if "dumb" isn't an option with my next TV.

This is actually a GoogleTV by LG, which they killed off.

I'm not entirely certain, but I think it was a reference to installing apps from the app stores rather than side -loading.

Buy a short-throw projector instead. Most have only display inputs, no network connection.

My advice:

1. Don't buy anything running Android if you're not prepared to compile your own patches for the rest of the time you own the device beyond the manufacturer's support window.

2. Don't buy a smart TV. Just don't. Buy a TV, plug something smart into it.

We just bought a new TV this past fall and I also wanted a 'dumb' TV, but there were only like 1 or 2 non-smart TVs and they both had poor screens. Seems like they days of a smart-tv being an up-sell/optional are past.

A TV is a display plus a TV tuner plus potentially other things (and in-built "smart" boxes are increasingly common other things), if you want to avoid the other things, you may need to look for a display/monitor, rather than a TV.

That said, it seems fairly easy to find new, non-smart TVs online, though they may not be popular in retail showrooms (where more SKUs mean more space and more risk of analysis paralysis, but not necessarily more sales or profits.)

The big difference between a "display/monitor" and a "TV" is not just the analog inputs, but also the remote control, built-in speakers, and often things like multiple HDMI inputs. I actually have always bought dumb TVs to use as computer monitors for this reason... TVs, while similar in price, are superior on features.

Nearly. Google for "commercial monitor" and you will find TVs with no smart stuff, but also no speakers or remote control. (Usually.) You do get a serial port, and also a price tag higher than that of a TV with all that stuff included.

Similar thing happened to me. I would have liked to buy a display intended for digital signage or somesuch, but I stumbled across a really good deal on a 60" 'smart' TV, so that's what I've got. A deal is a deal and I'm a sucker like the rest...

U should by smart tv because those models are new and has latest and greatest configs...however dont use tv's smart features. What i have done is I have hooked up fire tv and chromecast in the tv and have not even hooked the tv to my wifi.

I picked up a Vizio home theater display recently that only has google chromecast, and as far as I can tell isn't running anything else, nor any way to install additional apps (which is exactly what I wanted). Seems the best thing to look for.

Having a TV with Google software is basically the worst case scenario for buying a smart TV.

Is it possible for a consumer to buy a raw, unpackaged 40" 4k LCD panel? Like buying a tablet display to connect to a RasPi, or something similar.

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