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You need a smartphone to do anything and everything.
Calling and speaking with someone on a cell phone is the least used activity or use for a "phone" anymore.
While you may talk to your smartphone and tell it to do things, using a smartphone for an actual conversation doesn't happen much anymore.
I see people telling their phone what to text to someone or something. Conversation is dead. Physical interaction with other humans is dead. Our smartphones have disconnected us from each other rather than bring us closer together.
Just to be clear, SFW is offering an alternative, not a requirement. I "can" use my phone to control my devices, but I really dislike it, even though it has more options. I prefer a remote. You can buy "universal" ones for most anything now... $10 on Amazon (the only place to buy a lot of things now.... that's a separate thread....). Seems odd to spend $500+ on an 8 foot wide TV and have to consider replacing the credit card sized remote... but...
Regarding discussion, talk to text, and interaction... you're 1000% correct.
AI is the final straw, and I'm hopeful that very soon, all electronics will be removed from children in school. Everything. We've spent the past 30 years thinking that to use the tools better, you had to learn "with them". Nothing could be further from the truth. Kids today, as a group, are not as intelligent as we were in the 60s and 70s. They can do some amazing things with technology, and there are still a large number of really bright kids... but the bottom 60%-70% no longer have basic skills that were plentiful half a century ago. Even those who didn't graduate high school (ie my grandfather) had solid math and language skills. Some of those skills bound us in ways we never appreciated or imagined.
My favorite example these days.... go buy something and when paying for your $11.16 item hand the cashier $21.26. You and I both know what we want. At most stores now with anyone under 40 running the register... pull up a chair. As you pointed out...we're eliminating some of the tricky math with the penny, and when cash is gone altogether it won't matter... but there is a subtle connection and understanding in that moment when the buyer and cashier were communicating. We knew the goals... quicker checkout for the cashier.... no pennies and a $10 bill for me. No longer.
If you want to watch a middle or high school student churn, ask them for 5 synonyms or antonyms without Google/dictionary.com. You might as well asked them to explain quantum physics (which they can do in exactly the number of words you desire with AI).
Smart phones and their users have a shared capacity, and the greater the intelligence of the phone, the lower the intelligence of the user.
Gotta go... need this screen to hail my waymo, turn off the lights, lock the door and set the alarm.
You need a smartphone to do anything and everything.
Calling and speaking with someone on a cell phone is the least used activity or use for a "phone" anymore.
While you may talk to your smartphone and tell it to do things, using a smartphone for an actual conversation doesn't happen much anymore.
I see people telling their phone what to text to someone or something. Conversation is dead. Physical interaction with other humans is dead. Our smartphones have disconnected us from each other rather than bring us closer together.
Pardon me for being an old irrelevant fart. That's my 5 cents nickels worth, since pennies are now dead. ...
Time for me to find a short pier for a long walk.
No, don't get me started.....a big gain for me was a de-Googled Samsung Android without any Google apps, no YouTube or social media or anything like that. I make calls, send sms texts, and use one messaging app, and sometimes go for days without looking at the thing. I would rather read, listen to music, draw, even do puzzles.
It's a weird thing to be in an airport watching a family sitting around a table, everyone on their devices, nobody talking etc.
Also, FWIW - women really appreciate being talked to, just something I have noticed. Seems young guys don't do that anymore....older guys too.
I recently picked up a 100 Euro note whilst standing in a queue, waited for the queue to move until I was over it and could pick it up....nobody else saw it because everyone was looking at their phones....
You need a smartphone to do anything and everything.
Calling and speaking with someone on a cell phone is the least used activity or use for a "phone" anymore.
While you may talk to your smartphone and tell it to do things, using a smartphone for an actual conversation doesn't happen much anymore.
I see people telling their phone what to text to someone or something. Conversation is dead. Physical interaction with other humans is dead. Our smartphones have disconnected us from each other rather than bring us closer together.
Pardon me for being an old irrelevant fart. That's my 5 cents nickels worth, since pennies are now dead. ...
Location: On the edge of tomorrow looking back at yesterday Gender:
Posted:
Jan 1, 2026 - 5:45pm
rgio wrote:
One FWIW....
Check out the remotes of the TVs you're interested in.
They are getting smaller and less obvious, and I recently purchased a TV for an uncle who A) can't figure out the remote, and B) keep losing it because it's so damn small.
It's one thing to use the "smart functionality"... it's another to actually be able to interact with the menus.
You are absolutely right. I was shocked to see the remotes have shrunk down to a Roku remote.
Check out the remotes of the TVs you're interested in.
They are getting smaller and less obvious, and I recently purchased a TV for an uncle who A) can't figure out the remote, and B) keep losing it because it's so damn small.
It's one thing to use the "smart functionality"... it's another to actually be able to interact with the menus.
Indeed. Another reason to visit a store and see it in the flesh.
That's a lot to digest. ð
First thing I'll look for is non-smart. Which I never cared for in the first place but I suspect it may be impossible. At least locally, as I don't really want to buy it online if I can help it. The Samsung we had before the LG served us well but the last time I was looking at TVs the image on the Samsung didn't seem as good. But that was a few years ago when I started thinking of going 4k. Now one the the three HDMI ports is kaput and we actually need four, which means we have three devices sharing one port. I have enough cabling back there that I don't want to use a splitter.
Anyways, thanks all for the input.
One FWIW....
Check out the remotes of the TVs you're interested in.
They are getting smaller and less obvious, and I recently purchased a TV for an uncle who A) can't figure out the remote, and B) keep losing it because it's so damn small.
It's one thing to use the "smart functionality"... it's another to actually be able to interact with the menus.
That's a lot to digest. ð
First thing I'll look for is non-smart. Which I never cared for in the first place but I suspect it may be impossible. At least locally, as I don't really want to buy it online if I can help it. The Samsung we had before the LG served us well but the last time I was looking at TVs the image on the Samsung didn't seem as good. But that was a few years ago when I started thinking of going 4k. Now one the the three HDMI ports is kaput and we actually need four, which means we have three devices sharing one port. I have enough cabling back there that I don't want to use a splitter.
Anyways, thanks all for the input.
One last thing regarding the image quality. I have power conditioners for the front room with the TV and stereo and in the office for all of the computer and audio equipment. The most noticeable effect was with the improvement of the picture quality. Some say they are snake oil.
When we first moved into our present place I got an APC UPS with line conditioning for AV equipment. Seemed to improve things and moved on. After about 6 or so years it died. We went without because it cost a lot of $$ that we no longer had to spend. So I started hunting around for some kind of conditioner because the picture and SQ of my stuff had noticeably suffered without it. That and with mobile home parks being notorious for hinky electrical service, needed some kind of surge protection and filtering.
do shop around don't know if Acoustic Sounds serves Canada.
The improvements were immediate and noticeable and things were back to where and what I was accustomed to. About a year ago I got the #2 step down unit for the office to put in after my UPS. Can't say that I noticed anything but things did not get worse.
You can spend crazy money on these things. This seemed to be worth trying at the price and after 4 or 5 years, I am still happy with it. Try one from a place that will give you 30 to 60 days to try it out.
And yes, you do need to go to a brick and mortar store to see and hear a TV in action. I figure it's one of those things that you need to see before buying. It's like a sofa, you have to actually sit in it to see if it works. I don't get how people buy furniture and things like that online and untested.
Data exfiltration is one of the reasons we never turned on the Wi Fi or plugged the Ethernet into our TV. It's a 55" Samsung over 10 years old. HDMI from the box to the TV. No Alexa or any voice op tattle tale systems in use either.
We just had a Spectrum tech out here a couple of weeks ago because we had some issues with the signal. Thought it was the box, also over 10 years old. There were some issues with insulation outside so he replaced all the connectors and splitter and that fixed the problem. We don't want a new box because of all the stuff on the DVR would be lost. The tech told us that boxes are just about obsolete and hard to get new ones. It is all going to streaming. The DVR function without a box is now cloud based.
That makes data exfiltration a moot point going forward. We stream nothing other than RP as of now and that is just the audio via foobar or using the website on the desktop. Eventually we'll have to bite the bullet.
To the original question, we got our Samsung way back when primarily for the built in sound quality. No need for a soundbar for basic TV watching. The Vizio it replaced had decent SQ but the new Vizio's sucked. That was 10 years ago. We really don't do any movies and things where the sound matters as far as an "experience" is concerned. And I don't want to have to turn on another thing just to watch HGTV and whatnot. If I do, I have my stereo to do that.
This is one of the best times of the year to buy a TV as the new models are coming out (Superbowl time) and the discontinued ones can be picked up rather inexpensively. So the things that I look for are inputs / outputs and built in SQ. Then I'll consider the picture which is important but those other concerns come first. The HDMI inputs on our Samsung are dying one by one, I have 2 out of 4 left. I did pick up a Kimber Kable HDMI switchbox awhile ago but have yet to use it. Has 4 inputs and I suppose I can park dongles in it for streaming devices if I ever figure out what I will use for a streaming source. I'm resisting and losing and will have to make a decision I don't want to have to make sooner rather than later. I want to replace it before it dies and then I have to go and take what I can find at short notice. Sigh, another 1st world problem.
Just did a search while doing this post and Samsung, LG and Sony get the best mentions. Also saw that Samsung's had the most user issues mentioned. Never saw Vizio mentioned (good or bad) in any summaries.
Anyway, good luck and Happy New Year !
That's a lot to digest. ð
First thing I'll look for is non-smart. Which I never cared for in the first place but I suspect it may be impossible. At least locally, as I don't really want to buy it online if I can help it. The Samsung we had before the LG served us well but the last time I was looking at TVs the image on the Samsung didn't seem as good. But that was a few years ago when I started thinking of going 4k. Now one the the three HDMI ports is kaput and we actually need four, which means we have three devices sharing one port. I have enough cabling back there that I don't want to use a splitter.
I would avoid smart TVs. There's too much data exfiltration with them.
Not only that, the ones that relatives have are a pain in the butt to get to what you want to see because they always try to route things through those data grabbers. Just show me the free to air channels, thanks. If I want to go to a subscription service, I'll do it via my computer.
Data exfiltration is one of the reasons we never turned on the Wi Fi or plugged the Ethernet into our TV. It's a 55" Samsung over 10 years old. HDMI from the box to the TV. No Alexa or any voice op tattle tale systems in use either.
We just had a Spectrum tech out here a couple of weeks ago because we had some issues with the signal. Thought it was the box, also over 10 years old. There were some issues with insulation outside so he replaced all the connectors and splitter and that fixed the problem. We don't want a new box because of all the stuff on the DVR would be lost. The tech told us that boxes are just about obsolete and hard to get new ones. It is all going to streaming. The DVR function without a box is now cloud based.
That makes data exfiltration a moot point going forward. We stream nothing other than RP as of now and that is just the audio via foobar or using the website on the desktop. Eventually we'll have to bite the bullet.
To the original question, we got our Samsung way back when primarily for the built in sound quality. No need for a soundbar for basic TV watching. The Vizio it replaced had decent SQ but the new Vizio's sucked. That was 10 years ago. We really don't do any movies and things where the sound matters as far as an "experience" is concerned. And I don't want to have to turn on another thing just to watch HGTV and whatnot. If I do, I have my stereo to do that.
This is one of the best times of the year to buy a TV as the new models are coming out (Superbowl time) and the discontinued ones can be picked up rather inexpensively. So the things that I look for are inputs / outputs and built in SQ. Then I'll consider the picture which is important but those other concerns come first. The HDMI inputs on our Samsung are dying one by one, I have 2 out of 4 left. I did pick up a Kimber Kable HDMI switchbox awhile ago but have yet to use it. Has 4 inputs and I suppose I can park dongles in it for streaming devices if I ever figure out what I will use for a streaming source. I'm resisting and losing and will have to make a decision I don't want to have to make sooner rather than later. I want to replace it before it dies and then I have to go and take what I can find at short notice. Sigh, another 1st world problem.
Just did a search while doing this post and Samsung, LG and Sony get the best mentions. Also saw that Samsung's had the most user issues mentioned. Never saw Vizio mentioned (good or bad) in any summaries.
Location: On the edge of tomorrow looking back at yesterday Gender:
Posted:
Dec 30, 2025 - 3:18pm
Zep wrote:
I would avoid smart TVs. There's too much data exfiltration with them.
Yup there are no Stupid TVâs out there. Iâve looked to no avail. I would rather plug my Roku stick in instead of using the OSâs they use on the Smaht TVâs. Outside of that LC, or Samsung is my choice.
Go on YouTube and look for a couple comparisons to give you an idea.
I would avoid smart TVs. There's too much data exfiltration with them.
Not only that, the ones that relatives have are a pain in the butt to get to what you want to see because they always try to route things through those data grabbers. Just show me the free to air channels, thanks. If I want to go to a subscription service, I'll do it via my computer.
