- first of all, some satellite and DVB-C/T boxes and also TVs such as my ages old Samsung can update their firmware over the air (e.g. [1], page 54). It's possible to use a similar channel to distribute advertising as well.
- embedded WiFi that auto-connects to open networks such as many ISP routers provision in exchange for allowing the line owner access to the provider's hotspot network
- embed a LTE modem
The first way costs money, as renting aerial transmission time is not cheap, LTE modems + data plans are cheaper but still have a hardware cost attached even if manufacturers cut deals with providers, and almost every TV these days has a wifi stack built in.
This. I have a TCL TV which has great picture and nice-enough audio but the "smart" part isn't great at all. Slow, random ads, etc.
It was my first smart tv so I was curious to try it.
Then I went and factory-reset the thing, unplugged the ethernet cable, and now it works like a dumb TV. I'm very happy with it.
It still shows a popup when turned on that I don't have internet, but that's about it. It'll automatically switch to the latest used input when starting up.
The two things that bother me is that it takes ages to boot up if the "quick start-up" is disabled (basically it needs to boot the whole google tv os), and the LED is quite bright at night (but it can be disabled, just not dimmed). It also seems to have no battery for the RTC, so if I unplug it, it will forget the time when I turn it on again (since it doesn't have an internet connection, it never gets to sync).
The TCLs already run AndroidTV, which you can customize, sideload, root, etc. and isn't really the issue. There's also a "fast on" option that will put the TV in standby, so turning it on is almost instant. A full boot only takes 10-20 seconds. But you still, kinda need the firmware updates, because sometimes issues with HDR are only fixed years later.
I think that may be a universal experience with TV repairs, based on a friends experience with a name brand. He had to bring it to a local repair shop where they then held it for over 6 months. Maybe he was just unlucky.
Seems like you just don't connect it to the internet.
Meanwhile, that surprises me. I thought Vizios were good cheap TVs. Maybe that is a reputation from a long time ago?