Disagree. My 75 yo parents still have a dumb tv. They have different remotes for cable, sound, blue ray player ( some smart apps), fire tv, and apple tv.
Their life is not easier because of this, they don't watch what they want when they want because it takes minutes to get to a different source.
A TV with a good panel and a separate smart stick? :D
Really, that's the best choice. Always has been.
My neighbour called me because his Google apps (particularly, Youtube) stopped working on his smart TV. It's a cheap HiSense or something.
Still on warranty, but the store won't do anything as the hardware is fine, and they say the manufacturer is responsible for software updates. Which have stopped coming.
I'm pretty sure he didn't quite understand my "apps are Google property and they need to be updated every few months but this company stopped doing that" explanation, but anyway, he now has a dumb TV in the kitchen, and he specifically bought it so the wife could find recipes online, log in to Facebook and watch Youtube.
I told him to just get an Android computer stick, which will work just as well and last way longer. At the very least, it can be manually updated, unlike the built-in software.
The right way to fix this is one single smart device, which is the only device connected to the dumb TV. The best of these types don't have a remote. They're controlled by a phone.
If the intelligence is built into the TV then it cannot be updated or replaced -- so either there will again be multiple devices, or the TV will need to be replaced on a frequent basis.
A smart TV makes the problem you describe even worse
Completely disagree on the lack of remote. Hitting a button on a remote is better UI than needing to unlock a phone and hope that it's actually connected to the streaming device (not always the case).
I think the new Chromecast is an admission from Google that the average person still wants a remote.
And in this context; in my 30s and I don't always know where my phone is; My parents, don't always have their phones accessible or know where they are without looking. Also, it's less tactile in the dark.
Perhaps I should say that the best of this type offer the option of using a phone.
I personally prefer a phone but I also understand the preference of a remote. With a separate smart device these types of preferences can be accommodated over time, unlike with a one size fits all smart TV.
My smart TV's built in apps (Netflix, mainly) are incredibly unstable. About 5 years back I started to use a Firestick instead. The TV is best as just a TV.
My single Apple TV remote with only 7 buttons and a trackpad controls everything. The AppleTV itself wirelessly, the TV power on/off and source via HDMI-CEC, and finally the external amplifier volume via IR, which powers on/off itself when sound is received or idle.
The TV automatically switches source to the game console when it's turned on and vice versa.
Couldn't be easier.
I haven't done any fancy hacking or special hw to get this working, just basic Samsung, Apple, a decent amp and a few minutes adjusting the settings of each.
So disable/don't use it? It doesn't even actively listen for "ok google", it only listens if you hit the assistant key.
If you ever have an android phone in your home, it's exactly the same thing (except the phone actively listens by default).
Edit: Also, for fucks sake, context. The person I'm replying to is talking about getting his parents a SmartTV (way worse privacy-wise than Google), for the convenience factor.
And then they forget to update it or nvidia discontinues it and someone hacks in to it and your room mic gets posted on one of those open ip camera lists.
This is not some tin foil hat idea. You can go on reddit and browse peoples personal spaces being broadcast for everyone to see.
I don't mean that it will become a camera, but that it will be listed along side them. "Listen to this random persons living room / bedroom" makes for some entertainment for others.
It takes 2 remotes to get the sound and hdmi to the right input. They are also confused about what apps it works with, or how to get to them (on the phone), and even though they have a Google Home, it only works with a few providers for voice control.
Their life is not easier because of this, they don't watch what they want when they want because it takes minutes to get to a different source.
I know what I'm getting them for Christmas