this post was submitted on 09 Sep 2026
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Privacy
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Anyone know when this started becoming ominous? I'm sure every TV in the sixties didn't have a microphone on their remotes; I am sure pretty much each one being released today has.
I have a 4k LG TV from around 2020 and it doesn't have a microphone.
Are you sure? We have two OLEDs (a CX from 2020 and a C1 from 2021), and both have these remotes with microphones:
It should, mine is 2017 and had options to listen for spoken commands
That seems unusual. I have a HD LG so ancient it has 3D and it has a microphone. It has always been disabled in software which isn't really disabled at all. A microphone free modern tv thing is a unicorn.
I have a cheapo Samsung 4K TV from 2019 and it does have one in the mic for sure, not sure about the TV itself. I don't let the TV connect to the internet though. I did initially because convenience, but now I have an Android TV thingy. Which itself is not perfect, but I don't live alone, having an HTPC with a mouse and keyboard would be a hassle. Aaaand upon writing this I realized HDMI-CEC is a thing and googled it and Plasma Bigscreen can support it and... shit I need a miniPC now
I bought a Steam Machine for this exact use case, and it's been pretty sweet. Especially since it can do 4k video decoding. I have it set up to start a Jellyfin server and client when I launch it through steam. Also VacuumTube has been a life saver.
If it works for you, that's great, for me it sits exactly where it makes zero sense to get. My PC is slightly more powerful so for gaming, it would be inferior. But it's too expensive just for a HTPC. Something either much more powerful (that could also run local LLMs), or significantly cheaper, would make more sense for me. I'm now eyeing used miniPCs, but I'll have to see if some of the cheap ones can handle 4k decoding.
Idk dude, sounds like you have unrealistic expectations for a $700 mini gaming box. (Not including RAMmageddon)