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Comment by crazygringo | Hacker News Reader

But as long as consumers keep buying them with the software, because they want to watch Hulu and YouTube and Netflix directly without purchasing an extra device (not unreasonable for the average consumer), TVs will come with the software.

You can argue all you want but the market always wins.

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As long as consumers have basically no choice to avoid a smart TV, they’ll keep buying them whether they want the smart part or not.

(I agree you’re generally correct, but at this point we don’t even have a choice)

You're free to buy digital signage if you want, and some people do. You do have a choice.

But it's just not what most people want. Most people really do want their TV to natively run streaming services.

Signage exists, but it takes a lot of effort and research to buy compared to a “normal” TV. Normal stores just don’t have non-smart options, I bet most people don’t even know it exists.

I know several people who love not having to use extra boxes due to their smart TVs, I totally get it. I just wish it hadn’t pushed out all other options, especially on the high end where subsidies from deals are less necessary.

Best Buy sells dumb tvs (their in-house brand, "Insignia"), and their brick-and-mortar stores always have a bunch in stock. Options are limited to 32, 40, and 43" displays, though.

Oh really? I had no idea.

Yep. I've needed a bunch of dumb tvs this year (don't ask) and they're what I landed on. Best Buy overnight delivered a half-dozen ~$100 tvs to my doorstep for free (I bought them one at a time), and I also grabbed some off the shelves at two nearby stores.

Also, as far as I can tell, I just can't get a commercial display equivalent of one of the recent oleds sans smart crap.

Digital signage is getting a lot of smart features too, it's just a bit behind the consumer and hospitality markets.

Can you point me in the right direction so that I as someone that didn't know this exists up until now could learn enough to know what and where to buy?

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