A recurring question among TV shoppers is whether it’s still possible to buy a “dumb” TV. I understand the appeal. If all you’re doing is connecting a Blu-ray player or game console, the apps on a smart TV are redundant. Worse, TV makers often try to trick you into enabling ACR, which snoops on your viewing habits for little or nothing in return.
Amazon’s answer to this is Basic Mode. It may satisfy some of you wanting a simplified experience. Arguably, though, it doesn’t go far enough, and there are some very thick strings attached. You’ll see what I mean.
- Resolution
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4K
- RAM/storage
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16GB Storage
What does Basic Mode do on a Fire TV?
Halfway there, possibly enough
Basic Mode is an option presented on most TVs preloaded with Fire OS, the odd exception being Amazon’s own models. If you select the mode during setup, the major benefit is that you don’t have to sign into your TV with an Amazon account. That’s a little less hassle, and of course, it reduces Amazon’s ability to track you or serve targeted ads. It’s likely preferable if you’re only planning to watch broadcast channels, or else use a connected PC, console, Blu-ray player, or add-on media streamer.
This doesn’t actually strip the smart functions from your TV, however. Amazon notes that Prime Video and “select third-party apps” remain, and those will continue to work as long as you’re connected to Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and sign into them when required. In fact, your TV will continue to serve up featured and recommended content, despite not having an Amazon account to link it to.
Things go downhill from there. Without an Amazon account, you can’t talk to Alexa or Alexa+, even for basic TV commands. You also lose the ability to hook your TV into the Alexa smart home ecosystem. That might not matter to some of you — yet it can be handy to weave a TV into custom commands and automations, such as a “movie night” routine that opens an app and sets mood lighting. If you’ve got a compatible doorbell or security camera, you can check it without having to pull out your phone.
You also lose out on the Ambient Experience. That’s not a big deal, typically, but its widgets present a handy way of checking the time, weather, calendar events, smart home status, and background music. As you’ve probably guessed, this is all tied to the Alexa backbone.
So what’s the point of Basic Mode, then?
A token offering
As best as I can fathom, the goal is to placate privacy-minded individuals, as well as businesses looking to set up digital kiosks or signage. Features like Alexa or the Ambient Experience only get in the way if you’re trying to display a restaurant menu or promote gym memberships.
I use the word “placate” deliberately, because it feels like Amazon is all but shoving you towards enabling the standard Full Mode. Choosing Basic doesn’t really provide you with a “dumb” TV. Instead what you’re getting is a crippled smart experience, and if you ever have to fall back on it, you’ll probably wish you had signed in so you can use voice commands, and download all the apps you expect.
As if that weren’t enough, you still need to let Fire OS and its apps update occasionally if you’re connected to the internet, since an unpatched TV is vulnerable to hackers. And there’s no easy way to flip between Basic and Full — you have to perform a factory reset. It’s probably wiser to pick Full on day one, unless locking down security is a top priority.
