Post #3208281

2026-06-09 00:42 UTC

When we were looking for an upgrade to our TV, I specifically wanted a “dumb display.” No internet connection, no built in streaming services, just a display that would connect to a computer and show me the stuff my browser was playing from my Jellyfin server. If you want that kind of device, it seems that “Digital Signage” or “Commercial Display” is the category under which you are wanting to look. They do often have network ports as they’re designed to be centrally managed (think hotel TV) but there’s zero requirement to give it a connection and it works beautifully without one. Anyway there you go, hope that helps someone.

Replies (16)

@dasparky@spore.social 2026-06-09 01:03

@monkeyninja@10base2.dev thanks for the info!

Open ##3292859
@fay59@tech.lgbt 2026-06-09 01:30

@monkeyninja@10base2.dev I found that rejecting my LG OLED’s privacy policy turns it into a dumb TV, if that helps anyone else

Open ##3292861
@sasutina13@lgbtqia.space 2026-06-09 01:39

@monkeyninja@10base2.dev And as they are designed to be signage, they tend to last longer than the ordinary retail TV.

Open ##3292871
@BakerRL75@m.ai6yr.org 2026-06-09 01:42

@monkeyninja@10base2.dev FYI @ai6yr@m.ai6yr.org seems like you’d know people who need this info…

Open ##3292879
@lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org 2026-06-09 01:49

@monkeyninja@10base2.dev Really, so-called smart TVs even with very big screens are dirt cheap because the manufacturers figure most people will let them do the data collection, especially automatic content recognition. But by law (in the U.S.) you have to be able to turn all of that off, and if you really want to play it safe just don't connect it to the Internet. Cheap TV, no network. Easy. And if you want to stream something at some point, just attach a dongle to one of the HDMI ports.

Open ##3292881
@mast0d0nphan@beige.party 2026-06-09 02:02

@monkeyninja@10base2.dev Yep, recently bought a Samsung Commercial TV and a Samsung Soundbar system to hook my degoogled Onn 4K TV box to, and it's been a fucking blast.

Open ##3292888
@thomzane@daedal.io 2026-06-09 02:19

@monkeyninja@10base2.dev Sceptre is still making dumb TVs in recent years without the commercial pricing. They were sold through Walmart.com, but they seem to be no longer available. Not sure where you can buy them anymore. https://www.sceptre.com/

Open ##3292890
@TracyTThomas@mastodon.beer 2026-06-09 02:28

@monkeyninja@10base2.dev Our TV is 16 years old. It’s possible that internet connected TVs were a thing in 2010, but ours is not one of them. We barely use it anymore, maybe that means it will last 16 more years.

Open ##3292891
@FurryBeta@shark.community 2026-06-09 03:04

@monkeyninja@10base2.dev Yeah, that’s pretty much all you got nowadays for dumb TVs, but they ain’t cheap (no one subsidizes them)

Open ##3292892
@UpLateGeek@bitbang.social 2026-06-09 03:30

@monkeyninja@10base2.dev they usually also come with an excellent warranty (if you buy them new), and are very repairable. We had backlight issues with some of the digital signage TVs at work, and it literally takes 2 minutes to replace the backlight. They even send a technician out to do the replacement onsite.

Open ##3292893
@jackyan@mastodon.social 2026-06-09 04:09

@monkeyninja@10base2.dev Thank you, great to know!

Open ##3292894
@huntingdon@mstdn.social 2026-06-09 04:27

@monkeyninja@10base2.dev Displays are heavier than smart tvs, owing to their intended commercial use. A 43 inch smart tv, for example, might weight 20 lbs or less. A commercial display might weight 50. Check that it has internal speakers and NTSC hardware, required to play broadcast or cable tv in the US. Check the features you want or want to avoid. The same manufacturer's model might have different options, which would explain wide variations in price and availability.

Open ##3292896
@tlariv@hachyderm.io 2026-06-09 04:32

@monkeyninja@10base2.dev I love my old Panasonic industrial display! It has no built-in tuner, no internet connection, no built-in speakers. It just shows me the goddamned pictures, and it's perfect.

Open ##3292905
@Aissen@social.treehouse.systems 2026-06-09 04:45

@monkeyninja@10base2.dev unfortunately this does not work, as has been said bye others. You'll get a worse TV for more money because the market is structured around Smart TVs and there's a lot of economies of scale. Just don't connect it, and refuse the EULAs, the effect is the same.

Open ##3292908
@kauer@aus.social 2026-06-09 04:46

@monkeyninja@10base2.dev Someone already mentioned that commercial displays are often heavier and thicker. Some, however, go the other way and are very, very, *very* thin and light, designed for video walls and similar, and that can also be a problem. Also, commercial displays sometimes come with extra embedded hardware - basically a small computer - that is designed to talk to some particular provider's digital display software. It's not Internet-connected, as such, but it is extra weight, extra power, extra heat, even if you re not using it. So avoid getting models with those (unless you can use them of course). And some commercial displays are basically huge Android tablets. Avoid those, too...

Open ##3292912
@LaChasseuse@mastodon.scot 2026-06-09 05:03

@monkeyninja@10base2.dev Is there some reason why you can't just use a computer monitor? You're feeding it from a computer.

Open ##3292913