From the beginning of the era of smart TVs — TVs connected to the Internet with built-in streaming apps and other web services — there were a lot of people who wanted nothing to do with them. Some may think it will save them money, thinking that smart circuitry adds cost. Some may just hate the idea of everything requiring an internet connection. However, some know that if it is connected to the Internet, it may be selling some of your personal data. Whatever the reason, there has long been a desire for silent TVs.
By 2026, however, smart TVs dominate the market across all categories, large and small. Does any company even make dumb TVs these days? Technically, and surprisingly, yes, you can buy a TV that isn’t built around streaming apps and web connectivity. However, you may not want to.
Smart TV features save your money
It is a misconception that removing smart TV features will make the TV cheaper. The opposite is true. Companies like Google and Amazon actually pay TV manufacturers to install their streaming software on TVs. This is a win-win for manufacturers. They don’t need to spend money on stream development (or in some cases, operating software), again they can sell their TVs for less. It’s hard to get specific numbers, but it’s possible that for many inexpensive TVs, the manufacturer makes money only because of that broadcast software “subsidy.”
Dumb TV options
If you’re looking for a reasonably sized (in other words, not small), name brand TV with no smart features, you’re out of luck. Silent TVs in 2026 come in two varieties: small and silent. If you don’t mind something 40 inches or less, you have options. All are inexpensive. No one will have the best image quality. They are all cheap LCDs with little, if any, local firming. They are often called “nonsmart” TVs to be polite.
For larger sizes, one of the only options is the Scepter, which is usually available at Walmart and a few other retailers. They have two lines of smart TVs in various sizes. They’re not cheap, sure, but they don’t stand out much compared to better-performing options like what you can find from TCL or Hisense. Take, for example, Scepter’s U515CV-U. The $230 50-inch LCD also has a built-in tuner, three HDMI inputs, analog and digital audio outputs — plus, it has an analog component input for older video gear. After reading user reviews online, the most common compliments I’ve received are “okay” and “I bought it for my kids, so I didn’t mind.” Compare that with Hisense QD7our other choice Best budget TVwhich is a bit more expensive, and has full local dimming.
The guards
For something small, the size of a TV computer monitors it was an option for many years. You can even get QD-OLED models, the same technology found in many places very good TVs. Larger monitors tend to be more similar in size to modern(ish) TVs, but if you don’t live too far away, that might be fine. Keep in mind that you’ll need something for sound, as most monitors don’t have speakers (and the sound is usually not too bad for those that do). A sound bar or receiver with speakers will work fine.
Trade shows
You can buy customized displays that are intended for commercial use, such as digital signage, hospitality and more. They are not difficult to find; even Best Buy has a selection, though not in stores. However, these models tend to be more expensive than similar domestic models. For example, here is a commercial model from Samsung that has no smart TV features.
For the same money, you can get an OLED TV that’s basically the same size but will look a lot better. Oh, and the commercial model above is only 1080p. In theory, these are built to last, but most modern TVs are very reliable.
Older, used models
You can certainly find old TVs for sale on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace (but never ship a used TV). Buying used is usually fine, but all TVs get old. OLED is beaten to burn, but LED LCDs are also growing. If you haven’t seen what the TV looks like in person, buyer beware. If it’s old enough to not have smart features, the starting price should be somewhere around “free with local download,” with a few exceptions.
Dusting off the digital dust from this old man, You should be careful when buying a used plasma TV.
Older TVs may have older versions of the HDMI standard. That strength It’s OK if you’re just connecting a Blu-ray player or game console, but some newer devices may not want to connect to older devices. If you want to go even further back and get something with an analog connection (component or, gasp, S-video or composite), that’s delightfully old school, but I hope you have a plan for what you’re connecting to.
Make your TV mute
Since you’re not saving money by giving up smart TV features, you probably don’t want companies selling your data. However, it is worth it I have bad news for you about every device that connects to the Internet. If you’re trying to reduce your data footprint, you can at least make your TV “mute” by not connecting it to the Internet.
This is easier said than done, however. Well, no, the act itself is very simple; are missing results. The TV will want to connect to the Internet and may remind you regularly that it is disconnected. It may bother you with this every time you enter the menus. Not being connected to the Internet also means you’ll miss out on automatic firmware updates, but this is generally a security and stability improvement that might not matter if the TV isn’t connected to the web. Also, with most TVs, you can download the firmware from the manufacturer to a USB drive and update the TV manually.
All of this is assuming you can do it through the initial setup process without a TV requiring an internet connection. Some models will let you choose “Basic TV” without streaming features, but that’s not universal. Whether it needs to connect to boot or not, it’s worth doing at least once to get the latest firmware. Then just disconnect it from Wi-Fi.
You can also just get a projector. While there are many projectors that use the smart TV interface like most TVs, some models come with a streaming dongle that you just can’t plug in. The projector will just be a dumb display, without streaming or any other nonsense.
About the author: In addition to covering audio and visual technology, Geoff conducts photo tours of cool museums and venues around the world, including nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers, medieval castlesepisode A 10,000 mile road trip and more.
Again, check Budget Travel For Dummieshis travel book, and his a best-selling sci-fi novel about submarines the size of a city. You can follow him on Instagram and YouTube.
