We recently had to bin a beloved TV, and were looking for a "simple" 4k TV (i.e. not a smart TV) to replace it, and were surprised to find that they simply don't exist!
We ended up uncovering a 6 year old 1080p TV that was still in the box at Best Buy.
All in all, this problem might present an opportunity -- there might be new markets for these types of devices (dumb TVs, tractors, refrigerators, air conditioners, thermostats). Given them a modern UX, but eschew all of the creepy features of modern tech (always-on monitoring, open tcp/ip ports, impossible to repair).
In theory these high-quality, low-recurring-revenue products should be easier to build, and similarly easy to market ("we don't spy on you, we break in ways that are fixable"). And you can charge a premium, because you're offering the freedom of ownership (ironic, I know).
You still get the software crap. An old TV, power on was instant, you can switch to a different input at will. My current TV has a reasonably short boot time (but still a boot time) but then switching to HDMI input it says "smart features will be available shortly" until it fully booted. The remote is also awful, you get this crappy cursor (operated like a Wii) that isn't actually any easier than using the UI with arrow buttons, you can't turn it off, and it switches from buttons to this mouse type input when you move it too much. I hate it.
We ended up uncovering a 6 year old 1080p TV that was still in the box at Best Buy.
All in all, this problem might present an opportunity -- there might be new markets for these types of devices (dumb TVs, tractors, refrigerators, air conditioners, thermostats). Given them a modern UX, but eschew all of the creepy features of modern tech (always-on monitoring, open tcp/ip ports, impossible to repair).
In theory these high-quality, low-recurring-revenue products should be easier to build, and similarly easy to market ("we don't spy on you, we break in ways that are fixable"). And you can charge a premium, because you're offering the freedom of ownership (ironic, I know).