Do not connect your tv to the internet. Period.

Walmart acquired Vizio with the express purpose of using TV's to serve ads. In fact, that is exactly what they said they were going to do.

No surprises here.

So Vizio is offering dumb TVs without Walmart accounts? I am actually kind of interested.

Don't plug in a Ethernet cord, and don't connect it to Wifi.

Now you have a fully functional TV screen that wont be artificially bricked with OS updates.

Get a dedicated "streaming device" like a Nvidia Sheild, Android TV, Apple TV, or Roku and you are good to go.

Welcome to Earth where using Smart features is Dumb.

Roku is every bit as bad. They bricked all customer's previously purchased TVs by implementing a new user agreement through their UI without warning. It couuld not be bypassed. Opting out required first opting in, agreeing to those new terms and then mailing a letter within a very short window with explicit, detailed requirements.

My next TV won't be connected to the Internet and definitely won't be a Roku or Visio product.

And if I don't want to use their smart features?

this seems like it might be a win

This is how you get me to never buy a Vizio TV.

You'd be better off buying a non-smart Samsung commercial TV from eBay and getting a $20 Onn 4K TV Box from Walmart. The latter can be Degoogled and sideloaded with Stremio, Cloudstream, or your streaming app of choice to make it the ultimate privacy-respecting media center.

The voice came from an oblong metal plaque like a dulled mirror which formed part of the surface of the right-hand wall. Winston turned a switch and the voice sank somewhat, though the words were still distinguishable. The instrument (the telescreen, it was called) could be dimmed, but there was no way of shutting it off completely.

– George Orwell

I just use my PC through my TV.

Also don't buy tvs with voice activation.

That means they have mics on 24/7.

I use a TV for my monitor - last job I worked I really needed the screen real estate for excel.

I hate hate hate when I shut the computer off or power goes off and when the TV comes back on, it auto-plays some "free" streaming channel, which is ALWAYS fascist propaganda. I rush to turn that shit off just as quickly as I can. Fuck that shit.

My mini pc or laptop connected via HDMI to a projector setup makes me more happy every day when I see crap like this. Bonus is you can move it to the patio for outside movie night and it's a whopping five pounds. Same goes for moving apartments because I've always moved too often.

TVs are screens or privacy nightmares. You get to choose as the consumer.

So Vizio is a donmart brand? I wish they'd make up their minds.

good. maybe people will stop buying them then.

so don't make an account and it's a normal tv?

This is fine IMO, because you shouldn't use the smart features in the first place. Just get a 3rd party streaming box. The ONN one is like $25. (Or if you're a giant nerd hook your computer to your TV.)

Joke's on them, I don't want any of the smart features

Excellent News ! Finally, an easy way to disable every smart feature !

My first two questions when buying a tv is

How many HDMIs does it have? Where are they located?

Last question, How to disable most features?

I'm tempted to go back to htpc lol. The tracking is so bad these days. I need to block the mac of my tv (Google tv) and just do a tiny PC or something instead.

Are Inout sources and volume smart features? Because I don’t need smart features

My blueray player broke, and my tv stopped showing me to use certain apps and I can’t figure out why. But a used PS4 cost me $85 and solved all my problems. And they left a copy of Minecraft in it, so I even have a game to play.

My decade old TV is starting to show its age with a couple of dead pixel columns.

I'm a bit stressed about trying to find a new one that has none of this kind of enshittification.

I just want something with a couple of HDMI inputs and an antenna connector.

I absolutely do not want any ad servers or mandatory account bullshit injecting itself where it isn't wanted.