Smart TVs are all the rage, and most people know why. Not only are the visual components of the television better in smart TVs, thanks to features like OLED, QLED, 4K resolution, or Dolby Vision, but the updated technology also lends to better viewing experiences. The audio is generally better than older TVs and you can connect your smart TV to the internet for streaming purposes.
But this doesn’t mean that youhaveto get a smart TV as your next entertainment purchase. In fact, I’ve only purchased one smart TV over the past 10 years. While smart TVs aren’t consistently as expensive as they used to be, they also aren’t a necessity for every home. My"dumb" TVsoutnumber my smart ones three to one. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that either, because of what you can add to them.
How I Fell in Love with Dumb TVs
I’ve been lucky. I had a smaller TV in my old apartment about a decade ago and a friend of mine was moving out of his place. He had a much larger dumb TV and didn’t have room for it in his new home. He offered it to me for nothing, other than for the effort to move it from his place to mine. It is a 65-inch TV, so it’s not like it wasn’t worth it. Once I got it back to my place, I set it up in my bedroom, giving me a massive TV compared to the space and offering an ideal entertainment setup.
That TV moved with me to two other apartments and became the main TV in both of them. I would plug in a cable box and watch whatever I wanted on cable. But when streaming became more popular, all I needed to do was plug in a streaming device intoone of the HDMI ports. Ever since then, I’ve been pretty much set.
I’ve Been Collecting Dumb TVs for Years
When my then-girlfriend and I moved in together, she had a Samsung dumb TV that we put in the bedroom of both of the apartments we lived in. It was on the smaller side, but it worked fine for watching TV in bed, especially since we just added aRoku streaming deviceto it. Adding a Roku Streaming Stick transformed the TV into exactly what we needed, as it brought Roku OS into the TV and gave it the ability to connect to the internet.
This allowed us to download just about any app we wanted, broadening the TV’s possibilities. It remained in our bedroom for about four years until we moved to a house. That’s when our TV journey changed. But not before we added another dumb TV to the fold, as my in-laws were getting rid of one of their TVs and gave us an LG set that was bigger than the Samsung we had in our bedroom.
How I Utilize My Dumb TVs
Realizing that the larger dumb TV was too heavy to mount and the new layout in the family room was not conducive to having it in there, it was time to buy a new TV. Since it was going to be the focal point of the room, as we wanted to mount it above the fireplace, we settled on a65-inch Samsung The Frame QLED TV. It didn’t make sense to go down in size, since we were already accustomed to that size of TV. After intense searching and deal scrutinizing, Black Friday helped us get one for a good price.
I didn’t trust myself to mount the TV myself, so I had professionals do so in the new home.
Now that we had a smart TV in place in our main viewing area, we had to decide what to do with the other three TVs. We kept the LG TV in our bedroom and it currently sits on top of our dresser, which gives us the ability to still watch the news in the morning and TV in bed. It uses the Roku Streaming Stick as well as a cable box (call us old school), so we have full access to watch whatever we are looking for.
The smaller Samsung TV is now in my office. I was able to get an older Roku Streaming Stick for around $30 and I use that on occasion. But I also have a digital antenna that’s attached to the back of the TV. It hooks into the coaxial cable antenna port in the back, transmitting signals directly to the TV. This helps pull local channels from a nearby tower, giving me the flexibility of not having a cable box.
I don’t watch much TV in my office, but if I want to check out Sunday Night Football while I’m writing, NBC gets pulled directly to the TV. It did take a while to figure out where to put the digital antennae in the room, as I have theMohu Leaf Supreme Pro, which is large and needs to be placed a certain way to pick up the best signal. After much trial and error, I can get dozens of free channels broadcasted directly to the TV.
What About the Big Old TV?
Never fear, as I still have the big old TV and it serves a different purpose now. Because of its good size and usability, it didn’t make sense to get rid of it. But I don’t have a digital antenna or a streaming stick for it. It’s now in the basement as the designated gaming TV. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the biggest gamer, but I get the urge to play games a few times a year.
When I do, I end up spending some hours playing a new game or my favorite classics. I have a Nintendo 64 hooked up in the basement as well as a Nintendo Switch. There has been plenty of Mario and Zelda played on those consoles over the years, and I hope it remains that way. I look forward toteaching my daughter how to play the originalMario Kartand showing her that Dad still has what it takes to win at Rainbow Road.
The progression of the TV went from cable to streaming to gaming, all while being a dumb TV. I never saw the need to get rid of that TV and the only reason we don’t still have it in the family room is because it is on the heavier side.
What Does Samsung’s The Frame Offer Me?
With all of this love for dumb TVs, I can’t pretend that I don’t love our smart TV. It gives me the ability to stream anything, hook up a cable box and watch anything on cable, and add a gaming system or game directly from the TV itself with Samsung Gaming Hub. The entertainment possibilities are endless, and it works perfectly for our family as my wife watches plenty of Bravo shows onPeacock, my daughter watchesDisney+, and I watch Yankees games with cable.
Plus, I can control The Frame with its voice remote as well as from my Amazon Echo Show 8, thanks to its smart home compatibility. Being able to lower the volume without actually having to be near the TV is a massive plus. We also chose The Frame because of its ability toresemble a picture framewhen it isn’t on and having the art subscription has made it the main focus of the family room, tying it together.
Amazon Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen, 2023)
Having a smart TV is not a bad thing and, quite frankly, is a big help in the house. But I haven’t upgraded to having more of them because I don’t see the need. Everything that I need from my three dumb TVs is possible with a small addition of a streaming device or a digital antenna. I’ve found ways to transform the TV itself without having to buy a new TV. Consider keeping your dumb TV and reinventing it rather than throwing it away.
