At least on the 2013+ models, you can choose to make the TV not show the "smart" interface every time it boots. And you can disable the "Smart TV" boot-up splash screen, too.
I only bought the "smart" TV because Samsung's best plasma panel is not offered in a dumb TV (http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-tv/#apps ). But, since I had to buy it anyway, it does make a decent Netflix/Amazon Prime/Hulu player, which saves me an HDMI input and also means one less remote control.
I only bought the "smart" TV because Samsung's best plasma panel is not offered in a dumb TV (http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-tv/#apps ). But, since I had to buy it anyway, it does make a decent Netflix/Amazon Prime/Hulu player, which saves me an HDMI input and also means one less remote control.