TV Makers Are Taking AI Too Far (theverge.com) 53
TV manufacturers at CES 2026 in Las Vegas this week unveiled a wave of AI features that frequently consume significant screen space and take considerable time to deliver results -- all while global TV shipments declined 0.6% year over year in Q3, according to Omdia. Google demonstrated Veo generating video from a photo on a television, a process that took about two minutes to produce eight seconds of footage, The Verge writes in a column. Samsung presented a future where viewers ask their sets for sports predictions and recipes to share with kitchen displays. Hisense showed an AI agent that displays real-time stats for every soccer player on screen, a feature requiring so much space the company built a prototype 21:9 aspect ratio display to accommodate it.
Demos repeatedly showed video shrinking to make room for sports scores and information when viewers asked questions -- noticeable on 70-inch displays and likely worse on anything 50 inches or smaller. Amazon's Alexa Plus can jump to Prime Video scenes based on verbal descriptions. LG's sets switch homescreen recommendations based on voice recognition of individual family members.
Demos repeatedly showed video shrinking to make room for sports scores and information when viewers asked questions -- noticeable on 70-inch displays and likely worse on anything 50 inches or smaller. Amazon's Alexa Plus can jump to Prime Video scenes based on verbal descriptions. LG's sets switch homescreen recommendations based on voice recognition of individual family members.
See, that's just bad marketing (Score:4, Insightful)
Hisense showed an AI agent that displays real-time stats for every soccer player on screen, a feature requiring so much space the company built a prototype 21:9 aspect ratio display to accommodate it.
This would seem like a *perfect* argument to instead sell a two-pack, with a discount on a wall mount. One display for the game, and one for the statistics.
TV makers can do what they want (Score:3)
And we are free to not purchase their products... which it appears is happening more and more.
Thing is, at this point these panels don't cost much to make - but the TV makers (similar to the smartphone makers) are doing everything they can to pretend the stuff people actually want are basically commodities anymore. So they keep adding whatever gimmicks (3D, AI, etc. etc.) they can come up with, and do their best to keep their prices far higher than they probably should be at this point.
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You say that, but try buying a non-SMART TV nowadays...
Just don't connect them to the network. Ever. You don't *have* to use the smart features on most sets sold today. Granted, there are companies working on making it required, but it's up to us to keep ourselves educated enough to not buy from those companies.
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If they will not work with being connected, then they will simply be considered faulty and I will have my money back.
Zero "Smart appliances" will be on my network...EVER.
They want my "info" they can have it at US$ 1 Million per year, paid in cash in advance, with zero refunds for any reason (including blocking access to my info).
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There are plenty of "smart TV's" which can be used offline but it's a pain in the ass trying to determine which ones can and can't be used without an internet connection. If anyone has a suggestion for a site to easily determine which ones can be offline vs need to be online, I'd appreciate the tip. I tried googling for that info and... well... google... yeeeeah...
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Commercial monitors for digital signage. These days they have some sort of playback system installed but the markets they are meant for means they work out of the box, no cameras, no mics, no internet needed:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c... [bhphotovideo.com]
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I've installed hundreds of these, many that were playing video and even movies. They work fine, they look fine but they don't have the image processing features, yes. Some like Samsung so purport to still use the same image tech even internally so it'll be subjective. But the request was for a dumb TV and this, they do exist and are pretty common, you can buy them online.
That said I don't and wouldn't use one in my house since I I don't put my TVs online or use the smart features and for regular use they
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I've installed hundreds of these, many that were playing video and even movies. They work fine, they look fine but they don't have the image processing features,
The thing is that when you look at recommended settings from TV calibrators like Vincent Teoh of HDTVTest the first thing they tell you to do is turn off all the image processing features in order to get a picture more in line with the director's true intent so all that image processing doesn't matter anyway.
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Oh for sure the motion-plus frame blending shit has to go right away but consumer TV's especially at the high end (Sony is known for good image quality hardware) do often use some chip stuff just for color and contrast and calibration, there can be a difference in picture quality but that also depends if you're a home theater hobbyist and you'll really like to get into that. The commercial sets are there to do a job, they won't have as high of contrast but they're also usually brighter.
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Not everyone cares about bleeding edge video technology for TV/movies and this fits my request. (Thanks!)
A "dumb" TV like these will be perfect for my parents and I'm sure it'll do a fantastic job playing over the air television (METV reruns) for them. Nice and simple. No bullshit menus or strings attached. I'm sure this will work for myself too because the +50 channels I get over the air TV give me plenty to watch when I'm idle on the couch. Streaming services? Not going to lose any sleep over not se
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Absolutely and in a home environment it really will last a decade or more, I have a Sharp 52" that is eligible for a learners permit. .
IMO from installing these commercially I really like Sharp (It was really NEC but they merged with Sharp), they were always the most reliable and well built from an integrator perspective and they had reliable but thorough software and menus.
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I've installed hundreds of these, many that were playing video and even movies.
I didn't say they did not play video games and movies. I said they did not do that "well" compared to consumer TVs.
They work fine, they look fine but they don't have the image processing features, yes.
One of the newest features of TVs is HDR (High-dynamic-range) showing more colors and more brightness levels and one of the leading standards of HDR is Dolby Vision. I do not know of any commercial displays that have HDR much less Dolby Vision as it is unnecessary for the task.
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You say that, but try buying a non-SMART TV nowadays...
Oh I can't argue with that... but as long as my current TV* continues to work, I'm golden.
Heck that used to be the norm - you'd buy a television and then keep that same one for a couple decades.
*Technically my Samsung TV is "smart" but I have as much of that turned off as I can. Any smart features are handled via a connected box (e.g. Apple TV, Roku).
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You say that, but try buying a non-SMART TV nowadays...
Oh I can't argue with that... but as long as my current TV* continues to work, I'm golden.
Heck that used to be the norm - you'd buy a television and then keep that same one for a couple decades.
*Technically my Samsung TV is "smart" but I have as much of that turned off as I can. Any smart features are handled via a connected box (e.g. Apple TV, Roku).
TV's USED to be the one tech product I regularly updated. Now it looks like I'll be keeping my three yr old LG for awhile, there goes at least one sale.
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Of course either way, people are less likely to buy their products. If for no other reason than that the same screen you bought 10 years ago is still pretty good, if you paid a decent amount for a high end set.
I suppose upgrading a low end set makes sense, but then what, with the backlights on LCDs being quite dynamic now....
other than for sports or video games (Score:2)
Is this not a declining market?
I read the kids don't watch tv anymore, preferring to use their portable devices to watch video content.
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Watching "tv" on a different sized screen does not mean that they don't watch "tv" anymore...
YouTube is still "tv"
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I couldn't imagine watching the series "How The Universe Works" on anything other than a large screen format. But you're correct, that large screen does not need to be used as a TV. A friend of mine purchased a new 80" monster display and didn't want his "old" 55" curved screen Samsung any longer so he gave it to me. Works perfect as a large computer screen connected to my custom HTPC. I can imagine lots of people have older big screen TVs that they need to get rid of that would work just as well as monitor
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A 16" laptop screen located 1.5ft from my eyes (in my lap) appears subjectively approximately 3 times larger than a 59" TV located on the wall, 10ft away.
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That may work for an individual viewer, but for a family setting a large screen is still a must.
Wondering if we could pi-hole it? (Score:2)
Seriously, can we block the annoying AI apps with Pi-hole?
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Maybe, but NO.
There may be some that can be blocked. But, like the ads in streaming services - impervious to DNS blocking without also blocking the stream itself - DNS blocking probably won't be effective against AI stuff.
Simply don't connect the TV to the internet at all.
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Well I do have the SmartTV blocklist [github.com] for pihole and blocking the Internet is a bit of a problem with streaming services. I guess we now need a "block AI Slop list"
Consumer to the TV: No internet for you (Score:2, Insightful)
You'll be fed HDMI video from I device which I have control over.
You'll have no connection to the internet.
TV's which won't work without an internet connection, or those with cellular modems integrated to get internet connectivity behind the back of the consumer will be returned to the point of purchase for a refund.
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This!
"Use the best panel you can afford, never connect it to the net, and connect only items over which you have control"
But, for the sake of intellectual rigor, can you point us to any examples of TVs with built in cellular connectivity? (Beyond commercial panels intended for advertising)
Or are you perhaps anticipating the next wave of horror ;-)
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Never heard of TVs with a cellular modem in it. Now I did hear about Smart-TVs that have their DNS settings hardcoded and won't use the DNS servers you configured in your network. Manufacturers do so, to not be blocked by any DNS tool, like PiHole or Adguard.
That is all nice and dandy, but if not connected via an Ethernet cable or WiFi, those hardcoded settings will not be of any use.
Bought a few years ago a 42" Smart TV to use as a monitor. But it wouldn't work just right without a network connection, so a
Pass (Score:3)
It's cool that we can do things like this -it is a great technical demonstration. I still don't want to buy it.
I guess ... (Score:3)
Television is done. Move to Localvision (Score:2)
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Googly, "play Lord of the Rings extended version but with muppets and Baywatch cast substituted in. And David Bowie as Elrond."
Meanwhile... (Score:2)
We can't use our phone keyboard to browse the menus yet
I'll Never Smart TV Again (Score:5, Insightful)
I'll never use the smarts of a Smart TV again. I got pulled in at the beginning and was left high and dry when, they not only discontinued support, they deleted my perfectly functional apps and features.
Now, I require a display panel. It will not be directly connected to the internet. I use a PC or 3rd party box(Apple TV, Roku, Firestick) when I want those services and display them on my neutered TV display panel.
You want to spy on me and fuck up my experience, you've got my phone. But, my display panel(TV) is mine alone.
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I use a PC or 3rd party box(Apple TV, Roku, Firestick) when I want those services and display them on my neutered TV display panel.
You realize, don't you, that just changes who is spying on you, not that you're being spied on.
Don't you?
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Dude, of course I realize. I literally said it in the very next line.
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If he uses a PC running Free Software, then he's his own spy.
TVs are now about everything except TV (Score:4, Insightful)
Repeat after me: (Score:2)
Idiocracy was just a movie, not a rulebook!
But TV Makers Are Typically So Judicious... (Score:2)
* 3D TV
* Motion Smoothing on everything
* Curved Screens
* Advertising-subsidized TV prices
* Now... AI Television hardware.
What a waste.
TVs - Monitors (Score:2)
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What monitors have is higher refresh rates. Some TVs will take 120Hz, but not most of the cheaper ones, and few do VRR.
There should be a required 'Monitor Mode.' (Score:3)
Jeff Goldblum (Score:2)
more AI (Score:2)
I'm waiting for an effective humanoid robot who can just watch TV for me, so I can do other things.