A friend is looking for one and I don’t know what to recommend.
Assuming that the goal is to never connect it to the internet and plug in another device with HDMI.
If you really like to watch television, the you can’t go wrong with the Carnivalé.
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The Dell P5524Q is a 55" conference room monitor. It has no built-in wifi, microphones, camera, or other smart tv bullshit, it’s just a big monitor. It just turns on when you turn it on and turns off when you turn it off - it doesn’t take 5 minutes to boot up because of the shitty low-grade computer hardware built into it. You can find them on eBay in the US$900 range.
This looks absolutely terrible to use as a tv. 350nits brightness alone makes it unusable. No HDR, only 60hz, terrible contrast too.
900 for a 55 in TV seems really high doesn’t it?
Almost 2 decades ago I paid close to that for a 50" plasma TV as one of my first big purchases after I got my first job.
Of course this isn’t a direct 1:1 comparison, they’re different display technologies, TVs these days have a 4k if not 8k resolution when that one I bought was 720p, there’s been almost 20 years of advancement driving costs down, and 20 years of inflation driving them up, etc.
So I don’t even know where to begin trying to fairly compare the relative costs of those 2 TVs
But back then tv manufacturers also weren’t getting paid to include apps, and put a button on their remotes to launch Amazon prime, or show me ads, or anything of the sort. Their only revenue stream was me buying the tv.
Well you can get a smart TV of that size for $300 or less. Which you can always just not hook up to the Internet, still have to deal with a crappy operating system but I don’t think that’s worth $600 to avoid really. Also elsewhere in this thread there’s a link to a Samsung non-smart TV of that size for 600 so I really think 900 is too much.
Yeah monitors typically cost more than the equivalent TV as it’ll have more features.
I spent months on Rtings looking up ratings, pricing, checking out tv sub’s and i came to the conclusion that you have 2 options.
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spend $1500+ and get a Sony TV, the model doesn’t really matter as they are all better than their counterparts. I wanted MiniLED- but they were about $2,000.
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Go the budget route and get a Hisense/TCL TV for $600-800 and use the other $1000 you saved for a home theatre system/ 4k player, etc.
LG makes great OLED’s, but you do need to be aware of burn in if you watch lots of news channels. Also the pricing is much higher and the technology for Mini LED’s is getting much better every year.
Avoid ALL Samsung TV’s as they are poorly made and will break quickly like all other samsung products.
I have a TCL 6 series Mini LED and love it. It has Dolby Vision, little glare, and it’s bright AF (not sure of the NIT rating). I also have a hisense U75 series mini LED and the picture quality is fantastic. The OS is buggy and it freezes, crashes every month or so. But both my TCL and Hisense have buggy OS’s and freeze randomly, just the cost of a cheaper TV.
I didn’t have my TCL hooked up to the internet for a couple years and used my computer for everything. Then i realized my computer cannot process 4k with HDR, so i connected them to the internet and set up Plex and they both look fantastic with 4k HDR, HDR10, or Dolby Vision.
Their build in speakers are the worst i have ever heard, even the Hisense with it’s supposed 2.1 speaker setup, they both sound horrible and you WILL need a good AV home theatre setup, or at the very least, a good quality soundbar.
This is very detailed and helpful, thank you
If you have some more time, which soundbar or AV system did you end up going with?
I personally don’t like soundbars so i go with an AV setup with 5.1 speakers for now. I got my AV recievers on nextdoor, craigslist, ebay, etc. I get them used because people constantly upgrade and i was able to get really nice Onkyo, Denon, and Pioneer AV receivers for under $80 each. Then i got REALLY lucky and found some Definitive Technology studio monitors at goodwill for $5 each and a center KLH platinum center speaker for $4. I found my other surround speakers in my attic from past friends and they are Sony or Bose. But best buy open box and outlet stores are your best bet for subwoofers and front speakers as they can be 30-40% off and still new with warranty. Monolith/Monoprice also makes some decent quality speakers and i love mine.
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LG OLED for a main tv. Anything less is meh.
Seriously. I’ve had an LG B7 for many years now and it’s amazing. It’s not internet connected and I don’t use any of the built in apps. Straight up display.
The first time a pitch black scene came on and my room likewise went pitch black was something else. No going back from OLED after that.
I think that’s the same OLED I have. B7 or C7. It’s starting to band on red, but I got at least… 7 (?) years out of it, and the bands are only mildly annoying. Similarly, I have never connected it to the internet, and don’t use any of the apps.
It’s not very bright, but I’ll take that over washed out or blotchy blacks. I’ll shop for a used OLED like this when I’m ready.
Sony Bravia. Because I just did this last year. My old TV was also a Bravia, and it lasted about 15 years. One big selling feature for me was that you can set it up as either a smart TV, or a ‘basic’ TV that doesn’t require an Internet connection and doesn’t pester you for one.
I’d buy an HDMI monitor instead of a TV, I guess. Why a new one though? There are tons of super cheap ones at goodwill stores.
Does anyone make a 65"+ monitor though?
Yes, most major brands. They’re often used in meeting rooms, lobbies, and public places (places you don’t want pop-up ads that you aren’t already being paid for). Not to mention that you can get LED video walls that are modular and snap together.
A monitor that size is way more expensive than a TV though.
That’s because TVs subsidize the price with their spyware. But it’s pretty easy to not connect it to the Internet.
Also economies of scale. They will sell 10.000 TVs for every commercial display.
Web search says absolutely yes. Affordable ones? IDK, you’ll have to check.
100%. if ever i buy another display thingy it’d be a beamer though
LG OLED. You can find last year’s models at some price clubs. I’ve seen the 65” C4 for like $1100 which is great.
Whatever RTings recommends.
I really like my LG G4 OLED, best television I’ve ever had and reviews are great.
LG or Samsung, but the model matters too. If you’re on a budget, there are some solid TCL options
I am very done with Samsung’s smart tv OS.
Assuming that the goal is to never connect it to the internet and plug in another device with HDMI.
Ooh, this sounds like you may be interested in Commercial TVs? I heard those are the closest you can get to a dumb TV. I haven’t dived deeper than that though.
Any one have experience with commercial TVs?
Samsung Commercial TVs: https://www.samsung.com/us/business/displays/commercial-tvs/
This one even calls out that it’s not smart:
Samsung HU600F Non-Smart Hospitality TV with Pro:Idiom for Set Top Box Deployments
You need to be mindful of specs when looking at commercial panels. Video quality is not a primary focus so I’ve seen them use 8 bit and even 6 bit panels instead of the recommended 10 bit or 12 bit panels.
There’s are still some consumer TVs out there that allow you to use the green without an Internet connection. Although they are kinda rare these days.
I know you asked for TV recommendations, but, if your friend is open to other ideas, they could also look into home theater projectors. I got a super cheap projector on sale a few years ago and being able to watch TV and movies on a 150 inch screen is absolutely bitchin’. I later upgraded to a higher quality projector cause the cheap one crapped out after about a year (and replacement bulbs were impossible to find due to the supply chain issues during early covid). Spent about the same amount on the high quality projector that I would have spent on a much smaller TV.
Though there’s obviously drawbacks to projectors:
- They generate a lot of heat. In the hottest months of the year, I don’t like turning it on
- You will initially blind yourself a lot by accidentally looking at it when it’s turned on. After blinding yourself a dozen or so times you’ll develop the muscle memory to avoid it.
- You gotta replace the bulbs periodically, but they last for thousands of hours. My current bulb has about 5000 hours on it and still doesn’t need to be replaced.
- Contrast is really weak compared to a TV. Need to close the curtains and not let sunlight into the room if you want to be able to see the picture clearly
- Need a big surface to project the picture onto, ideally a screen, but a blank wall works just fine.
When we moved into our house a few years ago, I saw there was an elevated alcove in the living room with a big, blank wall on the opposite side of the room. I knew right then that it would be perfect for a projector.
Movie night kicks ass. Every re-watch of Lord of the Rings is like watching it in the theater again. And Superbowl Sundays are epic on the big screen.
I have an Epson 2250 and it’s worked nicely these past few years.
I need to look into one when our TV craps out. Our house is always super dim because of the roof overhang, so a projector would probably work really well.
If you get a brighter projector, you could probably view it in daylight pretty well. I have an Epson 3200 and it was a massive jump up from my old Viewsonic 8200. Refurbished/renewed can help save you money too.
It would need to be an OLED.
I really like the reviews on this site https://www.rtings.com/
I dont see it mentioned here, but I went with a 75" Spectre earlier this year. I had a 40" Spectre that was given to me third- hand, and I only replaced it because it was too small for the new place I moved into. Spectre doesn’t seem to even offer smart TV, and I wanted to support that decision. The only potential downside that you may see is the lack of a 4k offering, but that wasn’t something I care about.
