# Sceptre TV

17 Hacker News commenters recommended Sceptre TV and 4 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 8 of 13 months; owners who said how long report a median of 7 years (5 owners). It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Recommended as basic TVs with no smart features, apps or tracking, at a low price with decent picture quality. Common caveat: colors are only average and some units failed early.

## Why people recommend it

- No smart features or tracking (4 comments): "I'm extremely happy with it. No "smart" features, no bullshit, no slow menus" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47341457)) "These are great if you just want an old fashioned tv that is just a monitor" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49601914)) "No apps, no OS, and no connectivity other than common A/V cables." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50330868))
- Does the basic job (4 comments): "Absolutely love my dumb Sceptre TV. Colors aren't super fantastic, but for the casual observer, it is just fine and gets the job done." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46434747)) "it's fabulous if your criteria is 'turns on, displays what is connected to its inputs, and has decent video quality'" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50329702)) "turns on, displays what is connected to its inputs, and has decent video quality" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50330397))
- Decent picture for the money (3 comments): "it's fabulous if your criteria is 'turns on, displays what is connected to its inputs, and has decent video quality'" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50329702)) "Picture quality is great for us." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49484493)) "Cheap, good picture, happy." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49599420))
- Low price (2 comments): "relatively cheap and dumb as a brick" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49678582)) "Cheap, good picture, happy." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49599420))

## What people warn about

- Dated design and old features (2 comments): "This TV is so dumb its clock is still in 1989." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50330710)) "they are ten years out of date" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46250832))
- Colors and picture only average (2 comments): "Absolutely love my dumb Sceptre TV. Colors aren't super fantastic, but for the casual observer, it is just fine and gets the job done." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46434747)) "they're "decent" nothing super remarkable, but they're just dumb displays" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47857959))
- Backlight or dead pixels failing early (2 comments): "I bought one that had the backlight go out after only two years" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47532708)) "it died pretty quickly (dead pixel strip on the screen)" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49597597))

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Sceptre+50+Class+4K+UHD+LED+TV&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Sceptre TV", https://hackerapproved.com/p/sceptre-tv/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).