I bought a TV with NO 'Smart' Features...

TL;DR

Linus tests a $800 Scepter 75-inch dumb TV to escape smart TV ad-tracking, finding fast boot times but poor picture quality.

Key Points

• 1.TV companies profit from ads, not hardware sales. Vizio lost money on TVs but made $19M profit through its ad platform; Walmart acquired it for $2.3B specifically to boost advertising capabilities.
• 2.The Scepter U75 is the rare consumer 'dumb' TV still on sale. At ~$800 for 75 inches, it offers 4K, HDR10, 3 HDMI ports, component/composite inputs, optical audio, and a headphone jack — but no smart OS or Ethernet.
• 3.Boot speed and CEC simplicity are its biggest wins. The TV powers on almost instantly with no home screen or ad-laden UI, and its CEC setup is described as the simplest Linus has ever used compared to devices costing 10x more.
• 4.Lab results reveal poor picture performance. Peak brightness is only ~361 nits, HDR color accuracy is 'literally off the chart' bad, color coverage is poor, motion response time is horrible, and input lag is high.
• 5.Privacy and longevity are legitimate selling points. The TV lacks the hardware for automatic content recognition or ad tracking, and unlike smart TVs, it won't slow down over time due to neglected OS updates.
• 6.The Scepter is a bad TV but a defensible choice for specific users. Its image flaws — blue color tint, poor sharpening, dim panel — matter mainly to display enthusiasts; privacy-focused or simplicity-seeking buyers get real trade-off value.