Comcast has Steam server(s) colocated within their network in my immediate area. I’ve observed that less popular downloads tend to connect to external servers in the next state over.
I agree it should be the default, but this TV was readily placed into dumb mode at first powerup. Set your country & language, select dumb mode ("Basic TV"), skip WiFi and most would be satisfied with the result.
Some effort's needed to clean up the homescreen, but you never need to see it. Hand your grandparents a basic programmable remote without extras like the home button. They should be good to go.
I bought a Sony OLED a couple years ago. I was able to set it up in “dumb” mode and all the default apps could be manually removed. It acts like a monitor and shows nothing but our Apple TV at powerup.
The home screen’s just a nice static background with a settings app and nothing else. I never see it unless I press the appropriate button, but it’s nice to know there isn’t an onslaught of junk waiting for me if I do.
YMMV but other brands with Google TV may have similar “dumb” capabilities.
I upstreamed a 1-line fix, plus tests, at my previous company. I had to go through a multi-month process of red tape and legal reviews to make it happen. That was a discouraging experience to say the least.
I drove a Genesis G80E for a week and I understand where you're coming from. The regen was a bit awkward and I had the same issues. The Mercedes EQE 350 I rented recently did better there.
Tesla has their regen dialed in quite well. I've read Ford's is good as well, but I haven't had a chance to drive one yet.
A concern for high current outlets in the US, such as NEMA 14-50, is that they weren't necessarily designed for a large number of plug/unplug cycles. Typically you'd plug your stove in and leave it there for years to decades.
If you use the same 14-50 outlet for car charging, which is not uncommon, the contacts can lose their grip over time. End users may want to take their mobile EVSE with them and incur cycles on the outlet. Properly installed but worn 14-50s have been known to melt or even catch fire under these conditions.
End users should prefer to have their EVSE(s) hardwired or installed with a higher grade outlet like Hubbell or Bryant.
I won’t be. The majority of accounts I follow have already migrated away or at least mirror their posts on other platforms. There’s nothing I need from X anymore.
I did the same with a Sony A80L, which also runs Google TV. I even uninstalled the bundled streaming apps for good measure, although I never see the home screen.
It behaves like a monitor. I never see the TV UI unless I ask for it.
I returned a Crucial P3+ after I discovered a massive performance degradation with Bitlocker. It was slower than spinning rust. Seems these drives have some unresolved firmware issues.
These aren’t the same as the Ultra Definition series they mentioned, unfortunately. They lack the dim to warm feature that makes those desirable. RAB is the only manufacturer I’m aware of that makes 3000k dim to warm A19 bulbs for the US market.
The RAB bulbs have a weird stair step warm-then-cool when turning on and off. They also have a huge non-linearity when dimming. That makes the Philips version more desirable, but they’re 2700k.