• ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net
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    12 hours ago

    That’s fine if you only want to watch TV. For streaming you will either need to connect it to the internet or use some external device that will be connected. Most people will actually want to use streaming so “it’s dumb until you connect it” doesn’t really help.

    • dustyData@lemmy.world
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      11 hours ago

      The one big advantage is that it can be something you can completely control. A very tiny htpc or even a raspberry pi without the need of much storage that will forever work on floss and will never be remotely discontinued, show ads against your will, or sell your personal data.

      • ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net
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        10 hours ago

        People with technical skills can do many great things. For the rest it’s either smart TV or some set top box and internet connection.

        • Passerby6497@lemmy.world
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          10 hours ago

          Technical skills including:

          • buying a micro or other sff PC
          • hooking it up to wifi
          • Connecting a wireless keyboard and mouse to use it.
          • ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net
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            10 hours ago

            I think you missed the part about “very tiny htpc or even a raspberry pi without the need of much storage that will forever work on floss and will never be remotely discontinued, show ads against your will, or sell your personal data” because off the shelf PC with windows and default browser is definitely not that.

            • DanceMomsSavedMe@lemmy.zip
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              10 hours ago

              You could do that on a Windows PC as well of course the not being outdated part won’t be the case.

              For someone unwilling to even think about trying something you’ve never done before I would just suggest a $20 ONN streaming stick you can set up stremio with one YouTube video and like 10 minutes.

    • UnityDevice@lemmy.zip
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      11 hours ago

      Sorry, being on c/technology I made some assumptions here. I was mostly talking to people who want a dumb tv and hook up an external smart device to it, like a media centre, an android box, or an iptv box.

      This is generally agreed to be a better solution as it lets you actually control your media stack, and it provides longevity. A regular smart tv will be outdated and slow within a few years, while a dumb tv can last maybe three times longer unless something inside it actually fails.

      • ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net
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        11 hours ago

        If you want to use external smart device it doesn’t really matter how smart the TV is. The only problem are TVs that refuse to work without internet connection but this doesn’t really depend on how smart they are either.