Smart TVs, which were once considered a luxury, now surprise no one. Most of the TVs in electronics stores these days are Smart TVs, which aren’t nearly as expensive as they did a few years ago. Smart TVs have many advantages, but we still recommend weighing the pros and cons before buying, as they also have several serious disadvantages. We at the editorial office of Gadgetpage.ru found three reasons why you should refuse to buy a smart TV.
When you buy any “smart” device, that is, one that supports an Internet connection, you should remember that security and privacy should come first. And the fast-growing IoT devices are one of the worst security nightmares. And smart TVs have proven to be the most dangerous. Even intelligence agencies warn about the dangers of such devices, which can violate your privacy in several ways.
For example, almost all smart TVs use an automatic content recognition system to keep track of what you are watching. This information is then used to show you more relevant, or more simply, interesting / relevant ads. Yes, in some cases you can restrict the use of this data in the settings, but often it is extremely difficult to do so. So are you really ready to share everything you watch with your TV maker?
Another major security issue with smart TVs is the lack of regular updates. How often your device will receive updates and whether it will receive updates at all depends on the manufacturer. If, after a few years after the purchase, the manufacturer ceases to support your TV, then it will become vulnerable to hacker attacks.
But that’s not all. The fact is that most smart TVs have built-in microphones, and some also have cameras. And attackers can use the aforementioned security vulnerabilities in your TV to spy on you.
The main advantage of smart TVs over regular models without internet support is that you can access Netflix, YouTube and many other similar services directly from your TV. But I must admit that by connecting a TV set-top box to an ordinary TV, you get much more. First, the set-top box has a cleaner and smoother interface, which is also regularly updated when it comes to solutions such as Apple TV or Google Chromecast. Secondly, it is much more convenient to use the attachment. Sitting down and watching something on a smart TV is not as easy as it might seem at first glance. For example, turning the search for a specific movie or TV show with an ordinary remote control into a real quest, because to enter one letter, you will need to press more than one button.
Yes, some smart TVs come with remote controls with a microphone, but more often than not, voice control doesn’t work as well as we would like. At the same time, most set-top boxes are equipped with remotes with excellent voice assistants, and some of them support remote control via a mobile application on a smartphone or tablet.
Of course, using a smart TV to watch videos is incredibly convenient, but the applications installed on it are almost always inferior to similar programs for smartphones and computers. In addition to interface problems and irregular updates, another disadvantage of smart TVs in the name is that they cannot boast the same processing power as, for example, your smartphone. Poor performance due to a weak processor and neglect on the part of the manufacturer and application developers are common. Most users have experienced freezes, glitches, crashes and other problems at least once. And here it must be said that the applications installed on board make your TV smart. Therefore, if after a few years the developers for some reason stop updating their programs, then your smart TV will turn into stupid, and not through your fault. And if you want to return it to its former functionality, then you have to purchase a set-top box.
Smart TVs certainly have tons of advantages, so we haven’t tried to dissuade you from buying in this article. But we think that before purchasing, you need to find out why a smart TV is not always what we expect from it. Moreover, now it is really problematic to buy a good TV without smart functions, so if, for example, you are worried about your privacy, then simply do not connect it to the Internet.
