It's one of the things that doesn't make sense anymore, like cars with manual transmission. Smarts in smart TV might cost $25 per unit, but OEMs get paid for streaming service placements on remote / home screen and a cut of revenue if users sign up. Even without streaming functionality, TV would still need some smarts to display tuner/inputs/settings UI and it's cheaper to develop Android apps than go custom route. Plus even users who don't use smart functionality much like software updates and launching Netflix directly from TV remote.
So just get a TV based on features and don't connect to WiFi if you are not interested in smart functionality. Think of all the money you are saving by buying a high volume consumer product rather than a commercial display that goes for at least twice more.
> It's one of the things that doesn't make sense anymore, like cars with manual transmission.
Smart TVs don't make sense when televisions both have inputs, and there exist multiple off the shelf solutions like chromecast, appletv, roku, etc. (I'm lame, I just use an Intel NUC with a full operating system.) Smart TVs are TV/VCR combos at best, and at worst a vector for your network to be attacked after the company moves on from updating them (or existing.)
So what's wrong with a TV/VCR combo? It's convenient when getting started with a new house, you can always just not use the VCR, you can always buy a DVD player when technology moves on. An average consumer just wants minimum hassle.
Like it or not, it is true. As reliability and performance of automatics gets better and the gas mileage is now also on par and the cost to produce an automatic is reduced by economies of scale, manual transmissions are going by way of horse and buggies. It’s not everywhere but it will be.
Also consider that EVs have different requirements for their transmissions than ICE vehicles and there are no EVs with manual transmissions as far as I know at all.
That is indeed pretty cool. I don’t think that it’s impossible to have a manual transmissions with an EV by any means. Just that most don’t see to include it.
I really enjoy shifting gears on my bike. But if motorcycles didn’t come with manual transmissions I don’t think it would be the worst thing.
Manual is fun to operate hen the roads are clear, well designed and maintained. If you're in heavy traffic in crazy third world roads like I usually am, not so much.
Excuse me, but I think I and I alone am the principle and indeed sole authority on what I enjoy.
I drive my manuals daily in all kinds of traffic and weather. I live in NJ where neither the weather nor the traffic nor the roads are ideal. On the worst day, on the worst road, in the worst traffic, I still prefer to operate my vehicle rather than be carried by it. It's primarily a feeling of being involved and engaged in the activity.
I don't try to tell you that you must therefor also prefer that.
As someone who grew up in a country like that I don’t disagree at all. But also automatics of 20 years ago were pretty decent and ones from 10 years ago are great.
I think manual is safer on mountain roads (automatic is scary there) and possibly for 4WD. I drove an EV only in city roads (a car sharing company) and it had great acceleration and it was silent at traffic lights. No gears, of course.
For goodness sake, please don't do this! Our only point of control in this matter is at the cash register, and every time you validate their consumer-unfriendly choices, we lose.
Here's how it's already playing out:
- The dumb TVs start to disappear or become very expensive.
- The smart TV manufacturers identify those who get around their tracking and advertising as "cheaters", and work to plug up those holes.
Soon enough you really won't have any option. You don't think they won't start making all the monitors, all commercial displays, every available screen mesh-connected advertising stations once they've proven that you'll lie down and accept it?
Cmon, hacker newserites - you're supposedly all champions of the free and unregulated market. Buy a dumb TV while you can. Let them know there's still a market. If you're reading this site there's a good chance you can afford it.
So long as lots of people care about manual transmission, there will be a niche market, but don't expect every car maker / model to be available. Don't see that happening for removal of smart functionality that nobody has to use.
Users would see a tv without streaming capability as defective these days. They would buy a TV and assume it has these features. Ultimately even hacker news users _want_ these features, just not the downsides that happen to come bundled in.
So just get a TV based on features and don't connect to WiFi if you are not interested in smart functionality. Think of all the money you are saving by buying a high volume consumer product rather than a commercial display that goes for at least twice more.