this post was submitted on 13 Dec 2025
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Completely agree.
Currently working with a smart TV that never touches the internet (just plug other devices into it). I am low key paranoid they have some sub - protocol of HDMI that can connect from the TV to a game system and forward info out....but 90% sure that's just paranoia.....I hope.
I just watched a LTT video comparing $30, $300, $3,000, and $30,000 TVs and what struck me throughout the whole video was Linus struggling with and getting increasingly frustrated by the enshittified controls. The $30,000 TV was less bad than the rest, but every single one was a crappy UI (or worse, exploitative) experience compared to old TVs.
We shouldn't have to firewall our property to try to stop it from betraying us. It's a fucking outrage and becoming intolerable to the point of radicalization.
HDMI does have an Ethernet function. It is theoretically possible to have another device route traffic behind your back via that. But there’s zero legit and reason to do this when adding WiFi to the TV is cheaper and less complex so it would absolutely invite lawsuits.
What's even scarier (and I legit thing more likely) is despite the fact that either after firewalling off a smart tv's IP/Mac or using Pi-Hole to keep it from using the ad side of things and locking down firmware updates, that newer TVs seem increasingly likely to include antennas for 5G and connect to a fucking "partner" network for "free" to share revenue. It won't matter if you never connect it to the internet - it will just spy even if you don't use it's apps. Oh, and most new tvs have microphones (on the remote, but who knows about elsewhere). I'm not sure about cameras, but I wouldn't be shocked.
Yep I was horrified to find my tv had a microphone. Physical switch to disable it at least (as long as it actually does disable it). And only using the dumb remote it came with, the smart remote with the mic lives in the drawer, has never seen a battery.
If we get to the 5G era a faraday cage is simple enough to ruin that without wrecking the warentee.
We need open source TVs.