Home Theater Geeks 546 Transcript
Please be advised that this transcript is AI-generated and may not be word-for-word. Time codes refer to the approximate times in the ad-free version of the show.
Scott Wilkinson [00:00:00]:
In this episode of Home Theater Geeks, I answer a question from Lance Pellissier who wants to know about dumb TVs. So stick around. Podcasts you love. From people you trust. This is TWiT. Hey there, Scott Wilkinson here. the Home Theater Geek. In this episode, I answer a question from Lance Pellissier, who writes, Many of us have things like a PlayStation 5 that can do almost everything we need online, so smart TVs are just a waste of money.
Scott Wilkinson [00:00:51]:
Do you think dumb TVs will make a comeback? Since things like the PlayStation 5 can also be called a home theater in a box, What are the pros and cons of a home theater in a box setup? Well, thanks for the question, Lance. Um, first of all, very few people call game consoles like the PlayStation 5 a home theater in a box. That term is most commonly applied to a product a box from a manufacturer that includes something like an AV receiver and a complete set of surround speakers, um, and they're packaged as a complete system. That's normally what is called a home theater in a box. Game consoles like the PlayStation 5 are source devices. That's certainly what I call them. And they Do an awful lot in the home theater, no doubt about that. But I wouldn't call it a home theater in a box.
Scott Wilkinson [00:02:01]:
So you're right, game consoles like the PlayStation 5 and streaming boxes like Roku and Apple TV duplicate the smart TV functionality found in today's smart TVs, which are almost all of them. So why build TVs with those features? Well, for one thing, not everybody has a source device, a streaming source device like a game console or a Roku or an Apple TV or something like that. And TV manufacturers want to make sure that their products can be used right out of the box all by themselves. Also, a lot of people don't want the complexity of an extra device. So having everything in the TV, all the streaming apps and all that stuff, simplifies the operation of the system. I think this is especially important for older users. So that's another reason. Another advantage of smart TVs is the ability to update their firmware online.
Scott Wilkinson [00:03:13]:
Dumb TVs can't do that. So, uh, they don't have internet connectivity, so you can't perform this particular function. Another perhaps insidious reason that manufacturers prefer smart TVs is that they can, unless you set a bunch of controls properly, monitor what you're watching. And, uh, tag advertising to accommodate that, or any one of a number of reasons. That's a privacy issue, but it's something that the manufacturers are very interested in doing. Perhaps most importantly though, streaming apps provide the manufacturers with a revenue stream, an ongoing revenue stream. through partnerships with, uh, streaming platforms, advertising, and subscription services. So they really want you to buy a smart TV and use it as a smart TV.
Scott Wilkinson [00:04:23]:
As a result, I don't think dumb TVs are going to make any kind of comeback. There's too much incentive for the manufacturers to To build the smart TVs. Now, as I discussed in an episode almost 2 years ago, over 2 years ago, in fact, episode 435 of Home Theater Geeks, it is possible to buy a dumb TV. They do exist, um, but they're generally lower quality and they generally perform less well than modern smart TVs. And they're generally available from lower-tier brands like Sceptre. Now, another common option— it's not so common, but it is an option— is generally called a business or commercial TV. These are intended for use in retail stores and other businesses, and they typically don't have smart features. But they do have other features that might be appropriate for businesses, such as remote display management and content protection.
Scott Wilkinson [00:05:43]:
But consumers don't really need those things. Many of those are in fact UHD 4K with HDR and NTSC or ATSC tuners. Although not ATSC 3.0, the latest version. Some of them are only 1080p with no HDR. Now, most of the major manufacturers— Samsung, LG, Sharp, Panasonic— all offer commercial TVs. Samsung and LG, LG in particular, offer what are called hospitality TVs for hotel rooms. However, these types of TVs are often more expensive than their consumer counterparts, and their performance is probably not as good. Another option is to buy a computer monitor.
Scott Wilkinson [00:06:38]:
They normally don't have smarts, but they're smaller. I mean, where are you going to find a 100-inch computer monitor or 98 or even 75 or 65? So they're smaller than a regular consumer TV, and they're generally more expensive, and they might not have an HDMI input, or if, if they do, maybe one. They might also have a DisplayPort input, or they might get their video from USB. So they're not as set up for a consumer experience. So there are options for a dumb TV, but I don't see any reason to get one. Smart TVs are generally less expensive than comparable, uh, business-related TVs or computer monitors if you can get one at the size you want. And you can always just not connect it to the internet. And then you're— that solves the problem of the privacy issue of the manufacturers monitoring what you watch.
Scott Wilkinson [00:07:52]:
You won't get online updates, firmware updates that way, but you can disable the smart features in that TV if you really want to. So my general recommendation for this is to go ahead and buy a smart TV, and if you have a PlayStation, use that. That's what I do. My TV is a Sony. It has a bunch of streaming apps on it. I don't use them. I use a Roku or an Apple TV to get what I want online, and it works really well. Another reason to do that is that the apps on TVs within the TVs themselves are often slower than the apps in an external device.
Scott Wilkinson [00:08:38]:
So unless you really don't want an external device, in which case go ahead and use the apps on the TV, but if you do have an external device, use that and ignore the ones on the TV. My best recommendation. Now if you have a question for me, send it along to HTG@twit.tv and I'll answer as many as I can right here on the show. And if you have a home theater you're proud of, send me some pics. I'd love to see them, and maybe we'll get you on the show to talk about it. Until next time, geek out!
