Just use an AppleTV, Roku, etc. and connect it to the HDMI port.

TV is just a screen. That is how I've used mine for the last 5+ years.

Saw this elsewhere:

"It will not let you do anything until you download the app on your phone, make an account, and log in on the TV. You cant just change it to HDMI 1 and use a Firestick. I set it up with a throw away email, then deleted the app, and took the TV off of the WiFi."

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SoftTalker 2 hours ago | parent [-]

Well that sucks, but maybe tolerable for a cheap TV if you only have to do it once.

	▲	sdoering an hour ago \| parent [-]
		Do they tell you this up front? When you buy it? I once returned a small bluetooth speaker, because it would not just let me connect to it. It wanted me to download an app, create an account, sign in and then accept a metric ton of crap about how they would collect all kinds of data about (in this case my mom's consumption of content that would be streamed to the speaker). It was a damn portable bluetooth speaker. Well it was returned within an hour and the competitor was bought online. At least, the store accepted it - I would have instantly send this as a case to the consumer protection agency, if they hadn't, though. Because they never even hinted (neither on the packaging, nor in the store) towards the necessity of the app and crap.

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prepend 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I find roku really ad heavy and it sent tons of traffic back to roku.com. Same for firetv.

	▲	grounder an hour ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Same for me. I had to quarantine my FireTV box with its own rules on my network to stop it from using all of my XFinity bandwidth for the month just doing nothing but maybe an hour of actual usage per day.
	▲	Marsymars 2 hours ago \| parent \| prev \| next [-]
		I've got a Roku on a TV in a spare room because it's the cheapest way to add airplay to a tv - I have it plugged in to a "smart" power bar that only provides power to the roku when the TV is turned on, so at least for the 99% of the time that the TV isn't turned on the roku isn't spamming my network.
	▲	SoftTalker 2 hours ago \| parent \| prev \| next [-]
		I've never noticed ads on mine, but I basically just go immediately to Fubo or ESPN apps and that's all do with it. I don't watch much on TV other than live sports.
	▲	autoexec 2 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Exactly. If I wanted ads and surveillance I'd have just connected the smart TV directly to internet in the first place.

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plagiarist 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

It won't be "just a screen" for much longer if people continue paying for TVs that do this bullshit.

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SoftTalker 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

IDK. People are always going to want to connect game consoles, computers, etc to big screens without a lot of fuss.

	▲	autoexec 2 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		To me "a lot of fuss" includes having to sign up for a walmart account and dealing with ads being shoved in my face
	▲	plagiarist 33 minutes ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		If people spent a small amount of fuss to make sure they never paid for an ad-ridden spyware OS just to fulfill their "takes a few HDMI in" requirements, then we wouldn't be struggling with ad-ridden spyware OS TVs now.

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boesboes 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Can you even buy 'just a screen'? We have huge (100"+) screens in the office, they cost A LOT. full of spam, apps, ads, popups. It doesnt even swithc to hdmi or what ever you input automatically, you need to select the screen mode orso.

The local electronics chain has 50-100 different TV's. All are 'smart'.

I would be ok with classifying this as a crime against humanity. /s

But honestly, I've just given up. I don't watch tv or movies or stream anymore, because it's all the same bullshit

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SoftTalker 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I meant, I treat the TV as "just a screen."

Set the input to "HDMI-1" or whatever my Roku is connected to, and that's the last thing I touch on the TV remote.

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bitwize 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Sceptre used to sell dumb TVs but they seem to be exiting the marketplace. Computer monitors and digital signage may be your best bet. You'll have to save up for 'em but that was true of TV sets back in the day too.

	▲	thesuitonym an hour ago \| parent [-]
		Sceptre still has a bunch of dumb TVs on their site. I used to be all in on them, but I bought one that had the backlight go out after only two years, and their answer was "lol buy a new one"