Vizio Shows What Happens When U.S. Fascism And TV Enshittification Meet

Route your TV's Internet connection through a dns sink like pi hole. Cuts down on TV bullshit.

I refuse to believe that the USA is a real place at this point

Shouldn't be too long until Walmart realizes they should just build houses. Take tons of tax credits, install the "screen" as the wall itself, not have an off switch like audio on low-class Mexican busses so you have to listen to their ads and you've arrived at Fahrenheit 451

For those looking for alternatives, here are a few options:

1. Continue with the mainstream brands but with some modifications. This seems counterintuitive to the subject of the article and the problem at hand but the author themselves link to this Consumer Reports article that details how to turn off some of the anti-privacy settings on many of those TVs. I would only recommend this option if you're tech illiterate, though, considering Lemmy's user-base is very unlikely, or, more likely, you've a tech illiterate relative.
2. Business TVs. If you've worked in a corporate setting, you've probably seen this. They're nearly identical to their consumer-grade counterparts but don't feature ads and many of the 'smart' features are either removed and reduced in their capacity. These are going to be a bit harder to find and a bit more expensive. Your best bet for finding one would be a liquidation sale/auction. Would only recommend this option if you've the money and the patience to find and won't consider the next few options.
3. Projectors. More of a cinematic experience and, possibly, the most expensive option. Budget projectors do exist but quality will vary. Projectors will also require a flat surface for the projection which means that a dedicated space is recommended for ideal viewing. Media and hardware are self-provided. There's installation and placement of the projector itself. Would recommend if you have the money and space for such a setup though the payoff would be worth it. It's the best option for viewing for high resolution (i.e. 4K) content like movies. Though, be warned, 'smart' projectors do exist and, even though they're a minority in the market, they should be avoided at all costs.
4. Monitors. Possibly the most cost-effective option and your best choice. Since monitors are geared towards desktop PC use, they've one of the few tech products to not (yet) be affected by enshittificaiton. Unless if you consider curved monitors as enshittification. Monitors tend to be the best 'all-rounders' when it comes to content viewing. Streaming, gaming, internet browsing and, of course, wanking. When it comes to monitor sizes, very large monitors (like this 220cm Dell 4K display) do exist but the average large monitor size is 120cm or 55in for my fellow Americans. If you view most of your content on your PC, which,again, considering the website, is very likely, then I recommend this option.