For non-technical users, having one UI with all their streaming apps built-in is honestly a useful feature. The problem is all the other spying, hijacking, slowdowns, and other bullshit. But it's often a desirable feature for many users at its core.
For a technical user: the smarts often serve no point, we already have a streaming solution. Unfortunately, higher end TVs with OLED panels and the such come with "smarts" built-in. So the best you can do is ignore it and hope the firmware updates (that you install over USB because you don't trust it with a wifi connection) don't cause a ton of UI slowdown over time or otherwise cripple the TV. But if we could buy a dumb TV with the same features, we would.
There is little point if you have a smartphone and chromecast. But a built in chromecast, or built in airplay video receiver is convenient. Few people have (or want) a dedicated PC to use with their TV.
The reason technical people (even those few that do have a pc connected to it) will, and should, buy smart TV's is because they are the most widely sold and therefore by far the best screen for the money. Large computer monitors or signage screens aren't as good or cheap as the most sold smart tv in the most sold size. They are extremely good for the price. If you don't want to use any smart features, most should work fairly well when operated without internet and just connected to an external input.
> Few people have (or want) a dedicated PC to use with their TV.
They have one though, so technical people shouldn't entertain the direct-to-consumer lie that smart TVs aren't crippled and locked-down general purpose computers.
I don’t mind my TV being another computer, and the other computers I want to use with it are probably only my iPhone and Chromecast (incidentally also locked down general purpose ARM computers).
The last thing I would want even as a tech savvy person is to use a desktop or laptop with a TV in any way.
The real point: so you don't have control of your tv and things on it can be directed in the financial interest of the people who "sold" it to you.
The other point: There's not really an easy PC solution. The closest you can get to one is Kodi, and in my opinion it is bad. Not that they haven't put an enormous amount of work into it, but the UI is very unpleasant. Their idea of what people want out of a television interface is violently different than mine, and the configuration is absurdly opaque.
At some point I asked here on HN. I got sent to a Romanian online electronics retailer. Apparently there's a pretty nice selection of non-smart TVs in Romania.
