Just make sure it’s not a “smart” projector! LOL

The one feature I like about the smart TV is support for DLNA

Yes, a nice feature that even early “smart” TVs had. It could have stopped at that and everyone would have been happy.

But today’s smart TV’s loaded with ads; unnecessary bloat; “shortcuts” to services you have no intention of ever using; massive user tracking; and complicated firmware/software that can render your TV useless, have become the real problems. It’s the enshittification of hardware that really was just fine being “dumb”.

I remember watching a recent program (one of those investigative consumer news shows), and I remember the LG problem you mentioned. A ton of people had an issue with that compressor, and LG just kept selling the damn things. Knock on wood, our LG washer and drier, and TV have been very reliable.

I’d get a much better experience with a small PC hooked up to it instead

That’s what I do these days. Combined with media I have on my NAS, I don’t need other “apps” or garbage nonsense on my TV. If only they made 60" computer monitors. LOL

I generally prefer simpler devices, and it was difficult buying a fridge with decent longevity (i.e. limited smart crap, ice maker in the freezer instead of fridge, etc). That’s becoming more and more difficult, and large appliances have shorter and shorter lifespans (I had my compressor die twice in <10 years in my LG fridge… fridges used to last 15+ years).

I should say that my current fridge is 27 years old and has NEVER had a problem (other than over-stuffed crisper drawers being broken).

I was reading that the average life for a fridge is 10-15 years, and I can’t honestly believe they are being made so poorly these days. They are such simple appliances, and I dread the day when I have to replace this one for a modern version.

But I’d love for my next TV to be a dumb TV. All the features my LG tv has just gets in the way of using it. LOL

Fair point re: software. Part of manufacturing products that don’t need to be thrown away would entail longer software support, naturally.

But realistically, software was never an issue 15+ years ago, when your toaster and microwave weren’t connected to the internet and your fridge didn’t have a large tablet interface.

I think we would all do better by having a few more “dumb, but immortal” products in our lives.

E-waste will continue to be a problem until companies are forced to make products that are designed to be repaired and upgraded without replacing them.

We have certification for safety and compliance, why not one that guarantees that an electronic product can be fully repaired by the end user using readily available (and affordable!) parts? It can be on a scale from 1 to 10, and the less repairable the item, the more restricted its distribution should be.

Every laptop should be made like a Framework laptop; every phone like a Fairphone. Every electronic product should certified to have long life.

Local-first all the way!

Cloud software is like being married, but your wife lives with another guy a few cities over. Someone else is benefitting at your expense.

So many great software products go downhill once the desktop versions are put on the back burner for cloud-based versions: , Evernote, Picasa (Google Photos), so many accounting/finance software, etc.

Come on you rich idiots, convert those offices into something useful and they’ll be valuable again.