"Smart" TV

Warning: Mild rant ahead.

My parents recently replaced the spare TV (old tube-based one which had been dying of old age) with a new LCD one. And if this is how "smart" TVs in general work, I most definitely will not want one. This wasn't some random no-name brand either, but one of the most widely known and reputable brands.

The worst part is user interface lag. You'd think that controls for typical TV usage - that is, changing channels and volume - would be well tuned these days but no. Well, when you start it the picture comes up almost immediately, as well as the sound, but TV will not respond to any commands for close to 30 seconds or so. I suspect this is because the user interface software (separate from the picture/sound decoding) is still booting up at that point. So if the volume was previously set way up (like it often is) and kid is sleeping in next room... Well, tough luck.

Not only that, but it seems to stop responding for a few seconds every now and then. So very annoying. I haven't tried the more advanced features, but even the main menu feels damn sluggish.

I was kinda thinking about upgrading our aging LCD TV at home, but if all new TVs are like this... Damn it, I'll just keep my old, dumb TV until it dies. At least it works, damn it.