Can we make a smart TV dumb by removing the OS?

[arnprasad]

Hi..I have Iffalcon 55 inches and the thread i created is going strong with 63K views . I just wanted a large screen LED and after they replaced my TV after a picture complaint..am happy with the replaced new TV. However the smartness is bugging me to no end. (i) it takes forever for android to log on...earlier it was 30-45 secs but after some updates it now takes 90-120 secs. So I did a factory reset and disabled internet connection..so now its back to 30-45 secs. (ii) since today morning I got vertical banner sometimes on left of screen and after few secs it goes to right of the screen - with Neymar staring at me. Its very irritating. When I press Exit or List on the remote , it disappears and appears again after 20 secs. Very frustrating. May be we pressed some wrong button or did something in setting but cant get to turn it off.

Given 100% of my TV usage is via tata sky or computer, I just dont the inbuilt OS/smartness. Can I get rid of it and make it a dumb TV which switches on and off instantly like good old days?

 

[elangoas]

Given 100% of my TV usage is via tata sky or computer, I just dont the inbuilt OS/smartness. Can I get rid of it and make it a dumb TV which switches on and off instantly like good old days?

I doubt if there would be an option to disable the Android OS on the TV.. It shouldn't take that long for the boot up screen to show the menu..

May be it is due to insufficient hardware.. As a last try, request the iffalcon to reinstall the Android OS on the TV. Or take instructions from iffalcon and do it yourself and check if that improves the boot time.. This shouldn't void warranty as you are reinstalling official OS..

 

[arnprasad]

Thanks...after the factory reset its back to 20-30 secs so not bad. My point is say I want to graduate to a 65 incher...i saw a TCL 65 incher for 70K at reliance....nice and big. But again, irrespective of what brand I buy..I dont want any smart features as I dont use any of them as I am more of a desktop/laptop connected to TV guy via receiver. No streaming for me. Hence I want instand on and off...no OS BS

 

[elangoas]

Thanks...after the factory reset its back to 20-30 secs so not bad. My point is say I want to graduate to a 65 incher...i saw a TCL 65 incher for 70K at reliance....nice and big. But again, irrespective of what brand I buy..I dont want any smart features as I dont use any of them as I am more of a desktop/laptop connected to TV guy via receiver. No streaming for me. Hence I want instand on and off...no OS BS

I understand you have had bitter experience.. May be thats one off with your Iffalcon.. Most TV's today have Android inbuilt.. Take a demo of the model in the store and check the boot up time..

You may get basic models without Android, may not be in the size you are looking for..Anyways, try your luck..

 

[sandeepsasi]

The Android, in this context, can be thought of as having two components: the low level drivers which are a part of the Linux kernel and the higher level OS components which manage the GUI, apps, etc. You can't do away with the lower layers of the OS at any cost because a smart TV is not just smart in S/W, but in H/W as well. All these smart TVs have an SoC and other peripheral chips, making them a complete computer in their own right, and require a complete OS to manage them. Only option is then to kill, selectively, certain services of Android, which you think you won't need. It will be no different than rooting an Android phone. You have to be careful here because chances of bricking the device are high and customer service will not be very helpful in this case. If you are ready to bear this loss, if something goes wrong, then hacking the Android system will be a thrilling experience.

 

[raghupb]

Thanks...after the factory reset its back to 20-30 secs so not bad. My point is say I want to graduate to a 65 incher...i saw a TCL 65 incher for 70K at reliance....nice and big. But again, irrespective of what brand I buy..I dont want any smart features as I dont use any of them as I am more of a desktop/laptop connected to TV guy via receiver. No streaming for me. Hence I want instand on and off...no OS BS

Don't attempt to tamper with the OS; you run the risk of total failure.
If startup time is an issue, try not switching off the mains.
Use only the remote to power on; maybe warm boot will be faster.
Also if apps are the issue, use an external device like ChromeCast or FireStick to enable services indirectly.
As @elangoas said, larger the panel "smarter" they are these days.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[LobsterB]

Hi..I have Iffalcon 55 inches and the thread i created is going strong with 63K views . I just wanted a large screen LED and after they replaced my TV after a picture complaint..am happy with the replaced new TV. However the smartness is bugging me to no end. (i) it takes forever for android to log on...earlier it was 30-45 secs but after some updates it now takes 90-120 secs. So I did a factory reset and disabled internet connection..so now its back to 30-45 secs. (ii) since today morning I got vertical banner sometimes on left of screen and after few secs it goes to right of the screen - with Neymar staring at me. Its very irritating. When I press Exit or List on the remote , it disappears and appears again after 20 secs. Very frustrating. May be we pressed some wrong button or did something in setting but cant get to turn it off.

Given 100% of my TV usage is via tata sky or computer, I just dont the inbuilt OS/smartness. Can I get rid of it and make it a dumb TV which switches on and off instantly like good old days?

Do you power down (wall switch power-off) the TV or leave it in standby? In standby case I would guess it should be more like the Android Phone Power Button press and screen on/off timeline...

 

[arnprasad]

its always on standby (meaning the LED always glows)..however when we press the power button on remote it does say powering off or something like that..but LED still glows after it powers down.

 

[Mirror Neuron]

its always on standby (meaning the LED always glows)..however when we press the power button on remote it does say powering off or something like that..but LED still glows after it powers down.

LED glowing has nothing to do with being on Stand By. Unlike computer monitors that usually have an indicator LED that lights on when monitor is turned ON, this TV's LED is turned ON only when TV is not in use, whether it is Stand By mode or Powered Off. Again, with TCL TV's (most models) LED getting lit is an indication that TV and system is not in use. It can be on Stand By or Powered Off, it suggests that TV is connected to a live power supply. Once you switch off the power supply from your socket, the LED turns off or it turns off when TV is switched ON.
Anyway, about the Stand By that you are looking for:
Press the "Home" button LOGO on your remote (any of the two remotes) and when Android UI appears, go at the bottom of the rows, to reach the last row with "Settings" (True if you are running Android 7 - Nougat), OR go to the "Settings" located on Top Right Corner on Android Oreo TV UI. In "Settings", scroll down for the option called "Power". Open it. Here in this you will find the option called "Instant power on". Toggle it 'ON'. This is what you are looking for. Once this "Instant power on" option kept On, when you press the "Power" button on your remote or TV, you will put your TV to real STAND BY. Your LED power indicator light will come up as same as when you completely Power Off your TV. And, next time when you click the "Power" button, voila, your TV will come to life in just COUPLE of seconds.
I see that many people complain that this "Instant power on" is misbehaving with their TV; doesn't work at all OR sometimes work, sometimes don't OR it stops working when you keep your TV on Stand By for 30 mins or longer, etc. But, from my experience that occurs due to flaw in Android system. It occurs (again I am saying this from my experience) only because either you are running too many apps which keep running in the background OR (This is VERY IMPORTANT) you are running apps that are INCOMPATIBLE (side loaded apps, like Amazon Video or Prime Video app, apparently there are 2 types of Prime Video apps) or NOT MADE for TCL's Android TVs. Amazon Prime is the biggest culprit that keeps on eating your memory. Also, don't use shady apps like ES Explorer.
I am saying about all of the above errors in regards of Nougat. I have not got Oreo update yet, so can't suggest anything on issues with "Instant power on".
Apparently Android Oreo is said to be much better than Nougat, only time will tell.
But, I suppose you shouldn't be bothered about any of these issues because you only want to use the TV for TV viewing and as a monitor, am I right?

P.S.: To Power your TV Off, you need to press "Power" button 2 times (fast) or keep pressing the power button for 3-5 secs. This will bring the message on screen to Power Off, hit OK on your remote to Power Off your TV. After this, the LED will light will still be turned on, but when you hit the "Power" button again, whole 30-40 secs Android TV OS boot sequence will play on and your TV will only start after 30-40 secs. But, hitting the "Power" button just once, will put your TV in "Stand By" or "Sleep" mode (however you wanna call it).

Also, using a Voltage Stabilizer/Regulator is a good idea. Because, from my own experience and from the complaints that I have read about at many places, I can tell that even though fluctuations may not damage your TV's hardware unless sever spike or so, the fluctuations will cause TV to power off itself (again you would not know until you try to turn on the TV as there is no difference in LED indicator's behavior in between the Power Off and Stand By/Sleep mode) and then you have to go through the whole booting sequence.

Hope this helps.

 

[superczar]

Instant on and off should be possible - Most android TVs will support the default android command stack
If your TV has a voice remote to invoke google assistant, try bringing that up and say "Screen Off"
This should cut power to the LCD subsegment and is the equivalent of pressing the power button on an android mobile that keeps the processor powered on but switches off the LCD.
At this point, the power consumption of your TV should be 2-3 Watts vs ~0.5W when you power it down and 75+ with the screen on

I haven't seen this TV so I can't say for certain if the below will work but if a google assistant invocation works then you should be able to replicate the same from a remote too via :
- check your power settings to see if there is some setting to change default power button behavior to screen off instead
- Long press the power button to see if it opens an option to switch screen off
- If you have a programmable remote like a harmony, you should be able to use a android TV box profile to map the power button to standby instead of shutdown