Ask HN: Which TV do you recommend for privacy?

Posted by LecroJS 2 days ago

I haven’t owned a TV in years and would like one that respects my privacy. Are there any TV’s which do this well? I am looking for something in the 60”to 80”range and would like a 4k display with at least 60hz display. I don’t mind paying a premium.

I have heard good things about Apple TV as a better alternative to most smart TV native apps. Would some TV’s pair better with this than others for privacy? I don’t want the TV doing anything other than being the display for Apple TV.

I am curious what success others have had.

721 points | 863 commentspage 15

a3w 2 days ago|

just pick a PC screen with TV sizes, although they might max out at 55 inches. displayspecifications.com has many hits for what has no FRC then.

SamInTheShell 2 days ago||

Just open up whatever you buy and pull the networking components, microphones, and covert cameras. Leverage HDMI after that. Problem solved.

rationalist 1 day ago|

Yep, that solves the problem for 95+% of the population that barely knows how to use a screwdriver. /s

SamInTheShell 1 day ago||

Finding and watching some Youtube repair to figure out where the parts are and learning to do it is cheaper than buying anything that isn't spying on you. It's just depressing this is what we have to put up with.

atum47 1 day ago||

I'm in Brazil, so I'm going to get Smart TV TCL 50 inches. It comes with Linux and you can manage it via adb.

pmlnr 1 day ago||

A Benq gaming monitor with an android box, chromecast tv, nvidia shield, etc, with a soundbar.

Havoc 1 day ago||

2026 TCL I just bought seems to work fine without internet

rswail 1 day ago||

There are retail displays that don't have the ad/nag/crap-ware of home TVs.

schainks 1 day ago||

Thread-adjacent question: who is running REA against these tv firmwares so anyone can root their TV?

nhggfu 1 day ago||

I just rooted my LG in about 30 seconds [using claude] and disabled all the junk. can also run own apps / homebrew.

soundworlds 1 day ago||

Can we just take a moment to appreciate how absurd it is that our world regularly manufactures TVs that we have to be worried spy on us?

Can you imagine explaining that future to someone in the 80s? They would not believe that our society let it happen

lesuorac 1 day ago|

It's probably pretty easy to explain it to somebody from the 80s.

"Remember that discussion we had about phones? Yeah, so TVs are kinda like that except they're really big so we stick them in a room instead of taking them with us".

ButlerianJihad 1 day ago||

One of my best scores at Radio Shack in the late 1980s was an LCD TV. The screen was about 2.5", black and white. It was powered by 4xAA or AAA batteries. It featured a single-knob tuner, an FM-like telescoping mast antenna, a speaker, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The screen would snap down for carrying, and it was reflected for viewing in a mirror, so it required a strong light from above to shine through the LCD panel. There was an accessory backlight with its own batteries to snap on top.

It had a pocket-size form factor, and I carried it around to Disneyland so we could watch TV while we waited in line, and it could receive any OTA TV channel in VHF or UHF.

I kind of miss that little guy!

OroPla 2 days ago|

Buy something used that was manufactured before ca 2018. Or get a projector that doesn't have any smart stuff built in.

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