I think the article you've linked is misleading and maybe even a tad sensational. While there's no sense in paying significantly extra for features you don't wish to use (whether a TV or anything else), if you're not using the onboard apps, it hardly matters whether they're there or not, whether they're kludgy or not, etc.

TVs are cheaper than ever. They get packed with features (as with PCs) as a way to try to maintain higher selling prices for what have essentially become commodity products indistinguishable from one to the next.

I would get one in the price range you want, that has what you want (whether smart or not) and ignore the rest. As with buying a PC, getting more opinions and information isn't necessarily a path toward making a more informed or better choice. Because ultimately, much of the information you'll receive (or data discussed in articles or other technical analyses) doesn't matter or significantly affect the user experience.

Good luck

Some sets today assume it'll be hooked up to cable and will not need as much gain as for broadcast.

Jem, is there any way to know which ones are like that? I use the airwaves too--no cable.

I want a TV with the latest technology because I might decide I want to utilize it at some point in time. I don't know why having those features would be a draw back, just ignore them or don't use them. The prices are coming down so much regardless of the smart features. Along with those features you usually find the best quality in the other features of the TV, pixels, refresh rates, power, color improvements. Older technology is just that old technology lagging behind in many areas.

We have been watching prices lately because we want to get a larger TV for the RV living room and put the current TV in the bedroom. I want a smart TV for sure. Making streaming much easier when traveling if we choose to. Plus the picture quality is superior. The prices are currently about the same for the smart TV Samsung that we paid a few years ago for the basic led Samsung, and that new TV far outshines the old.

Any new or newish TV becomes a smart TV that will stream anything or almost anything with a Chromecast/Amazon/Roku dongle. Which to choose depends on what you want to watch.

I guess I'm on the periphery of the pack when it comes to TVs. When I look at sets in a store, I'm not thrilled with the picture quality on most of them--and this includes high-end sets that are way out of my price range. The "blackest blacks!" they often advertise, and similar features, don't appeal to me, I guess.

I have a Samsung, but like the picture on my Panasonic a lot better. I don't think Panny makes TVs anymore; at least I haven't seen any. But I don't watch a lot of TV, so in the scheme of things it doesn't matter much.

I only have over the air access, too, so the last time there was a free TV on freecycle I nabbed it. It needs a converter box which I have but those TVs seem to be the only kind that will pick up a signal where I live. It is safely stored in the garage for that day when one of mine dies.

Is it true that you can't play a DVD with a new TV? We have a huge collection of DVDs, that's kind of unnerving!

No, that's not true. Some newer TVs don't have older style input plugs, so choose one that matches with your DVD player, get an adpator, or get a newer DVD player. Non-HD DVDs may play in a smaller picture area than the full screen, which you can adjust with your settings if you want to mess with the aspect ratio. But you can still play them. I suppose it's possible that there's a TV that won't play non-HD input, but I haven't seen one. Most do.

Just as they still make turntables for vinyl records, they will continue to make players for all those ... billions? ... of DVDs.

To: Alisande

I do not have a way to measure the sensitivity of one TV set versus another. Its merely a suspicion of mine because I have detected a difference in two sets that I own. When I bought both sets (Several years apart), I asked about how sensitive those were to receiving over-the-air broadcast. Neither sales person had a clue.

Years and years ago when there was only broadcast TV, manufacturers listed in the specifications the lowest microvolts of reception at the input terminals of the set for which it could successfully display the program. After amplification inside the set, there had to be enough signal level to sync the sweep circuits to the station. Naturally, advertisers stretched these numbers as far as they could, but these numbers did offer guidance to determine if the set would work in your area with a simple antenna, or would it require special aerials and maybe a pre-amp. What I have suspected is that manufactures may be catering to the expected signal level at the output of a cable box and that can be greater than the through-air reception. I could be very wrong on this count, but for sure, the minimum through-air microvolts required still holds. I have not see this figure listed in sales data of late, but it must exist somewhere if only the manufacturer's lab sheets.

I wanted a smart tv, and am so glad I bought one. It's a 55" Samsung curved 3d tv. I love that I can watch Netflix off the app. We use YouTube on it a lot too. I haven't used it for Facebook, but I can if I want to. I bought a camera so I can Skype with my mom. I can use my computer too, but sometimes I want to sit on my couch instead of this hard office chair.

Our Smart Samsung is four years old and a pixel died, so now there's a black line across the entire screen. Not so smart.

Thanks, Jem. After I thought about this, I remembered my son saying one of his TVs brings in more channels than the previous one he had. I know the previous one was a Samsung; I don't remember the brand of his current one. My Samsung tends to pick up more channels than my Panasonic, but not always.

Arkansas Girl, I didn't mean to suggest newer TVs won't play DVDs. I just meant I can play them through the computer (hooked up to my TV) rather than buy a separate DVD player.

I have no idea if I have smart televisions or not, they possibly are. I am planning on buying a new one for my bedroom soon and that will not matter to me either way. Just so I get several channels. We only have antenna television. Nothing is hooked up to the televisions except in the living room a VCR and a DVD player. I would not have a television in there if it were not for my husband. Since he has had his stroke he spends a lot of time in there. I do not like a television in my living room. I feel like if we have company visit it should be to visit not watch television. :)

Sue

I have a brand new LG 3d smart TV, I love it. I can watch google play, netflix, roku, amazon prime, you tube, hulu and many others without ever even needing to turn my fios box on. I can also stream stuff from my computer via the wifi in my house.

I have smart tvs in all my bedrooms too for myself, my son and in the guest room so when I have company they can log into their own accounts to continue watching something they were watching on netflix or they can use my account to just sit, relax and watch tv if they want to stay in bed later in the morning or call it an early night.

None of the smart TVs have any issue with dvd players. My son uses his playstation on his tv as a dvd player when he wants. I have an older dvd player on my guest room tv and my new livingroom tv has a blu ray-3d dvd player to work with my 3d tv.

I had to replace everything I owned a few months ago, furniture, dishes, TVs you name it. Before I moved here we had regular TVs and just got all the smart tvs in Sept. I love them. I actually can't imagine not being able to watch netflix or amazon prime on my tv and having to go back to watching it via my computer.

Also if you buy from Best Buy and they go on sale Best Buy will send you the difference in price. I admit I spent a pretty penny on my livingroom TV but 2 months later it went on sale for $2000 cheaper, my sons TV went on sale for $300 cheaper and Best Buy deposited $2300 on the card I used to purchase those items.

That's a nice policy from Best Buy. Aprile. I haven't been to ours in years because the salesmen (none were women, at least at the time) always seemed to me like a bunch of vultures waiting to pounce and sell extended warranties. ;-)

You are well equipped! I'm sure your guests appreciate that also.

My son-in-law used to give me a Netflix subscription (streaming) for Christmas, but after they bought me an Amazon Prime membership one year I suggested that he drop Netflix. For a while I missed Midsomer Murders on Netflix. I think I've seen only one Amazon video: the pilot episode of Mozart in the Jungle. I liked it because it reminded me of when I worked at Lincoln Center. Oh, and I think I watched an early season of Downton Abbey via Amazon too.

Smart TVs can spy on you. The microphone and cameras can be remotely activated. Just a thought to consider - especially if you have wifi.

LoonLake, yes, that's one of the things that put me off them. The article I linked above says:

" . . . always on voice controls mean that your TV is listening to everything you say, and sending it back to unknown third parties."

And Samsung's SmartTV Privacy Policy says:

Please be aware that if your spoken words include personal or other sensitive information, that information will be among the data captured and transmitted to a third party through your use of Voice Recognition.

Who reads privacy policies? Maybe we should.

As with NSA intercepts of phone and internet traffic, my view is if any company or agency wants to waste their time with what they pick up from me, they're welcome to do so. I've got nothing to hide and nothing to be unnecessarily protective or sensitive about.

There are two TV's in this house -- a really small 20 inch one and one that I think is about 36 inches. Both are flat screen, neither are "smart" -- and I have no desire to replace either until they die of natural causes. I just don't watch TV much. The larger will be in my future living room, and the smaller will be in the guest bedroom once I move.

Alisande: I have been watching Mozart in the Jungle on my Kindle via Amazon Prime. First season was good and besides... there's the music! I started second season -- seems like less music and I may drop it. (I probably never would have watched any of this but for the broken leg I'm dealing with.)

loonlakelaborcamp: No, I don't want my TV spying on me.... especially camera feature. (Do I have to be fully dressed to sit in front of my TV????)

Snidely, you may not care about the NSA, I care more about hackers reverse engineering your TV as a monitor to check out your house. My nephew is in high security, and the tales he can tell of criminals using baby monitors, TVs, phones, and even wireless home security systems to hack in and check out who is home and when. Most people would not even think to protect themselves by disabling the TV cameras and microphones. Sad to say, it can and does happen.

For inbound internet intrusions, your router acts as a physical firewall. Yes, baby monitors can be accessed, but that's through a website and requires the entry of the owner's username and password. Just like all the other "online" accounts we all have.

Please link the last news story you saw about this happening in your area that resulted in a home break-in, a theft, loss or other criminal act other than the access. Not by researchers or a security company, but for real. My bet is that you won't find any or many.

Risks of all kinds that are theoretically possible but highly unlikely can occupy more time than you have to spend. Worry about it if you want, I don't think it's necessary.

I picked up my new TV today. It's a 43-inch Hitachi with the higher refresh rate I wanted, 1080 x 1920 pixels, and a picture that to me looked great in the store. It's not "smart," but I feel smart to have gotten it for $299.

Every so often I say something and become aware that I sounded like an old lady. This is one of those times. :-)

"Every so often I say something and become aware that I sounded like an old lady. This is one of those times."

No need to feel that way. It's a common experience for everyone when buying something you haven't bought in some years. The landscape changes and it takes some catching up to understand choices. Though, some think that about everything and it's not always the case (a good example of that is PC specs that too many get bogged down with).

If you'd like to feel particularly good about your deal, I spent >$1500 for a 46" Sony barely 5 years ago.

Great thread, thought I was the only one with rabbit ears.

Miss my old Panasonic & Sony TV's that had buttons; dislike having to use a remote.

Every one of the so called spying features can very easily be turned off in the settings as was plainly mentioned. Cell phones have features that are called spying too and of course they can also be turned off in settings.

People also worry about webcams on laptops. Simply turn it off!

Great find, Alisande!

What I've been reading about Smart tv's is that they'll be old-school very shortly because of the speed that internet and options change.

We're more than happy using our laptop to stream to the tv via HDML cable.

Apparently with WIN 10 Microsoft keeps track of everything that you do via keystrokes etc. I can't find in settings where to turn it off.

Miss my old Panasonic & Sony TV's that had buttons; dislike having to use a remote.

Mdln, I think I can safely say you're unusual in that regard. :-)

I'm pretty sure your TV can be operated manually at the source. With my Samsung, the touch-sensitive controls are rather invisible unless I use a flashlight--which I almost never do because I'm so comfy on the sofa. Only when the remote has been balky have I gotten up and done it.

I'm always using the remote to change the sound volume. Not too long ago a law was passed forbidding advertisers to broadcast their commercials louder than the shows they interrupt, but apparently no one is policing it.