Eh. Get an Apple TV. HDMI CEC means you never have to interact with the default UI.

I have one! That’s the plan currently. But you can’t avoid it entirely, it’s why TVs are so slow to turn on, they still try to collect data and so on.

Odd. I have two TVs. Neither of them have this issue.

don't some TVs actually listen in on what you're watching to figure out your viewing habits regardless?

You can replace it with a monitor + a pair of stereo speakers.

I like this option, though I have noticed that monitors seem to be more expensive and are not always available in the TV size you might want.

I recommend this as well: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33813255

You’re right though. My 44” monitor for my living room was $550, but that only seems expensive compared to the ad-subsidized smart TVs.