Interesting opinions, gentlemen. Thanks.
Will start by trying the ethernet to USB adapter as I have a few dormant. Did not know they were applicable to dumb TV.
Will find out if the navigation part is possible. Am not very skilled, I tune over the air; FTA direct from satellite with no provider on 8' dishes, and from internet with a dedicated laptop for receiving the streams that could be given other use. Never in my life had Cable, nor Amazon, nor Apple, nor Netflix, nor Roku, and do not want any of those.

Examples----> https://wwitv.com/tv_channels/6464.htm
https://www.raiplay.it/dirette/rainews24

Edited - added : No USB jack on my Samsung and the USB jack on my Westinghouse cannot be selected from 'inputs' . Maybe just for 'service' -Back to page 0.

 

I recall the days of the satellite dish, and entering the de-scrambling code every week or so , until they came up with a fool proof method !

That was pretty cool it was a game version of ECM (Electronic Counter Measures). Gated Sync is one I recall. The cable systems worked to scramble signals and the community worked to unscramble their signals. Measures and countermeasures and so it went.

Ron

 

IF you have net access then you have access to most of the streaming providers (both audio and video). Just think of the subscription price as what you are willing to pay to kill over 99% of the advertising. The providers still like to toot their own horn from time to time so not 100% ad-free. And that is what "Smart" TVs do internally. Or, add an external link. Once it is set up (whether internal or external), it's as simple as changing the channel to access the content. All the "work" is in setting up the connectivity. As an aside, I thought ROKU had passed on like many others before it, apparently, they are still trying to make money...

 

You're not likely to get OLED in that price range, so it'll be LCD with LED backlighting. If picture quality with good dark detail for movies and TV dramas in a dark room is important, look for a set with VA (vertical array) LCD technology. Regular LCD can only manage about 1000:1 real contrast ratio, so blacks are only gray; VA is more like 5000:1, and the difference isn't subtle. Don't be fooled by contrast specs that claim something like 10,000:1 or better; they're comparing max picture brightness to backlighting turned off, which is meaningless.

Apart from that, better sets will have better colour accuracy, more uniform backlighting, will handle motion better, and may have better built-in speakers (if you're not using a sound bar, stereo or surround system).

I can't help you with the "smart" features. I'd concentrate on picture quality, and if the built-in smart features weren't satisfactory, consider an Nvidia Shield which seems to be well-regarded though not inexpensive. Personally, I've tried a Chromecast controlled by an app: that was excruciating to use, but a current version with a dedicated remote should be better. Kodi on a Raspberry Pi or Android TV box just convinced me to go back to using a WDTV Live media player. The WDTV can't handle the latest streaming services or H.265 content, but it has a simple efficient UI for viewing stuff from a USB drive. Many Blu-ray players include "smart TV" features for Netflix and Youtube etc; if you already have one, or need one, it could do in a pinch. Or, if you have a spare laptop or quiet PC, fit it with a wireless keyboard with touchpad like the Logitech K400 Plus and perhaps a Media Center Edition remote control and set it up as a "Home Theater PC". https://www.techthoughts.info/does-the-htpc-still-have-a-place/ For me, the main advantage of an HTPC over the WDTV is that VLC will play absolutely any video and audio format, whereas with the WDTV I've occasionally needed to transcode audio, remux video to force the correct aspect ratio, or convert subtitles. In the days of analog TV, I used Snapstream BeyondTV as a DVR; I believe MythTV is similar, if you add an ATSC tuner to the computer.

 

I find it unlikely that I am rare in not having cable at all but having a good broadband connection. I don't miss cable, and I can get any of the content I might want via the 'net for less than the cable cost. I also have an antenna on the TV (flat, hidden behind) should there ever be a need for OTA reception.

I don't know of any TVs that don't have controls on the back though I have to say I haven't seen any recently with the controls on the front. Of course, a replacement remote is very easy to get, you don't have to source the OEM version with all of the universal remotes on the market.

The Samsung remotes are very well made, and the one in the living room still has the batteries that were provided by Samsung—four years ago. I suspect that things have moved on since you last had to pay close attention to TV offerings.

"universal remotes" for non-smart TVs are plentiful. But not for at least some smart TVs. A client of mine has a "49 inch" TLC smart TV that has an on/off button and two other buttons. And what the two do is rather variable. Not like a menu system , for sure. ALL the functions are on the remote. AND I have been asked to see if I can repair other brands that do not even have the on/off function on the set, everything is via the remote, no controls on the set at all. So when the remote fails the owner is out of luck. Some brands of AA size batteries will leak corrosive goo long before the voltage drops enough to affect the function of the remote. Sometimes it is possible to repair a remote with corroded PCB runs, sometimes not. THAT is when sourcing a replacement becomes tedious.

 

OK, and certainly there is a whole world of content on the internet. Streaming content is a huge user of bandwidth , and those of us who do not stream T content are paying for that bandwidth used by others. Somehow it does not seem right.

 

I can program my PVR unit remote to operate my Sony TV at the same time.

 

Streaming content is a huge user of bandwidth , and those of us who do not stream T content are paying for that bandwidth used by others. Somehow it does not seem right.

Correct, something is not right because I have the cheapest-for-elderly unlimited internet $18/m service at 30Mbps down and 4Mbps up and can see streams for hours with zero hiccups with a dedicated tiny Chromebook for the TV task.

 

Last time I looked at my ISPs usage records, over 80% is streaming content. Also remember that a lot of that streaming content is Video Calling and Conferencing which was pretty heavy due to schools during the pandemic closures. Now we are getting several video calls a day from our grandchildren in Pittsburgh who have no idea what a landline telephone is. And their ISP residential pricing plans go from 25Mbps to 1Gbps so you pay for what you need, not for everybody else's needs. Currently I am at 100Mbps and everything that uses the net in my home is happy! It wasn't so @ 50Mbps so I upgraded to cut down on the lag. Also note that most streamers throttle their download so faster net doesn't affect your downloading from a single provider. It is the total load from all of your net devices at their peak. You will know when they start lagging that it is time for a higher connect speed. They don't advertise their commercial rates because they want to sell you a turn-key package plus full support options but I suspect they do have 5G. Also, all of their services are buried fiber backbone up to a short distance from the residence/office. In my case it is buried fiber to the box on the house and coaxed inside to the modem. No more DSL.