Posted by LecroJS 18 hours ago
Ask HN: Which TV do you recommend for privacy?
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.
- >= 85"
- VESA mount
- 4K @ 120Hz (or better)
- < $2K
- "infinite" contrast ratio
There are lots of monitors that fit OP's description.
Seriously: Name one counterexample.
Yes, it's only 60Hz, but again, 1 search.
These are generally meant to display (static) advertisement media, you'll have a false experience watching movies or playing games on them.
- Don't connect it to the network
I did my research and bought one that does not do this (2025 TCL), but, if it turned out that it did, I'd have shamelessly returned it. I'd also have issued a chargeback if the store gave me any crap.
Even with all that, if you install firmware updates over the network, then disconnect WiFi, the TV becomes unusable until you factory reset it. (I did this because its EDID is corrupted, and I have to override it with a linux cmdline. The update did not help.)
If you can't tell whether your disconnected TV is spying on you but you know that you cannot trust it, it's better to treat it as compromised.
I know there are lots of advocacy groups and youtube channels that are testing TV models and would LOVE to be the first to break this story and publicly shame Samsung or whoever. But it simply hasn't happened.
Get a cheap open source media box and attach it to the TV.
It doesn't seem that it's a DCMA limitation, yet at least. Would it fall under "right to repair"?