On 2020-01-31 5:11 a.m., Evan Leibovitch via talk wrote:
Is it possible on modern TVs to install without an Internet connection so they don't phone home? Or does keeping the TV offline disable important functions? And are some brands easier to "dumb down" than others?
You can connect up the TV to the Internet when you first getting the smart TV set up out of the box. There might be new firmware available. After that, with the box connected to the Internet through a router you can firewall the TV to limit or totally block its access. As an additional exercise you could use wireshark (for example) to monitor the traffic from the TV and determine if it is trying to "phone home" to pass along information that you may not want it to send. -- Cheers! Kevin. http://www.ve3syb.ca/ | "Nerds make the shiny things that https://www.patreon.com/KevinCozens | distract the mouth-breathers, and | that's why we're powerful" Owner of Elecraft K2 #2172 | #include <disclaimer/favourite> | --Chris Hardwick