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Samsung Ads – Demand-Side Platform

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Re: Samsung Ads – Demand-Side Platform

#271
post #177

For those who use piHole or other network wide ad blocking, I've compiled a list of servers to block: https://factory-reset.com/wiki/Samsung_Telemetry_Servers Typically I would suggest not connecting your TV to any sort of internet connection - firmware updates don't typically tend to add or fix much on these devices. If you really have an issue, update the firmware, factory reset and then disable wifi / unplug ether…

blocking like that works for now, but what's the plan for when they switch to DNS-over-HTTP? and host everything on ephemeral AWS addresses?

We go from pi-hole to enterprise grade firewalls and proxies and separation of nnetworks. That's my plan anyway.

Re: Samsung Ads – Demand-Side Platform

#272
post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ugh are you telling me that these TVs are aggressively trying to find and connect to unsecured Wi-Fi to upload data I don’t want them to have over an unsecure connection I don’t control? Gross.

Time for some HN user to break one of these TVs open and physically remove the antenna or wifi card.

Would it work to set up an ESP32 as a WiFi access point that doesn’t route traffic? I wonder if the Samsung would detect that it’s an unhelpful internet connection and keep looking, or lock onto the bad network the user supplied.

Re: Samsung Ads – Demand-Side Platform

#273

If you own an Internet-connected TV, you've been seeing these for 2 years or more. I submitted it 11 months ago ( https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21427405 ) and it wasn't new then. The ACR-based retargeting audiences ( https://www.samsung.com/us/business/samsungads/resources/tv-... ) are probably the most offensive. For example: "Reach viewers who saw your competitor’s ads as quickly as 60 seconds after linear a…

How can we block all of this? Is Pi-hole sufficient?

For those that aren't running Pi-hole, you can use NextDNS instead on all your devices and router ... and it has a Samsung blocklist that you can enable easily.

Re: Samsung Ads – Demand-Side Platform

#274

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Samsung can still try to connect to open WiFi networks. Not accepting the EULA makes this irrelevant.

Ugh are you telling me that these TVs are aggressively trying to find and connect to unsecured Wi-Fi to upload data I don’t want them to have over an unsecure connection I don’t control? Gross.

$20 says they already have a deal with Verizon/Spectrum/whatever to use those customer login protected open wifi APs as backhaul when an internet connection is not otherwise available. Considering how much they're leaning on customer PII to subsidize the cost of TVs, I wouldn't be surprised if they start putting 5G radios in them too.

Re: Samsung Ads – Demand-Side Platform

#275
post #72

If you don't like this: 1) Buy an Nvidia Shield, Google Chromecast, or Apple TV 2) Connect that to your TV 3) Factory reset your TV and never connect it to the internet again

This is a temporary measure. Soon enough, they will have 5G or 6G modems inside, a special arrangement with carriers (a la Amazon’s whispernet), and You would have to wrap it in tinfoil to stop it from reporting on your viewing habits and showing you ads.

Don't these guys just do deals with the wifi hotspots from comcast for backhaul? My understanding is the move for hotspots is to have a "guest" spot show up automatically that other comcast users and third parties comcast sells access to can use.

Samsung pays a bit to get access to this and voila - they can skip the internet setup steps (so more consumer friendly) and block you from blocking their ads / ACR (consumer not friendly).

If it hasn't already happened it will.

Re: Samsung Ads – Demand-Side Platform

#276

If you own an Internet-connected TV, you've been seeing these for 2 years or more. I submitted it 11 months ago ( https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21427405 ) and it wasn't new then. The ACR-based retargeting audiences ( https://www.samsung.com/us/business/samsungads/resources/tv-... ) are probably the most offensive. For example: "Reach viewers who saw your competitor’s ads as quickly as 60 seconds after linear a…

> If you own an Internet-connected TV, you've been seeing these for 2 years or more How to prevent all Samsung tracking and advertising: 1. Factory reset your Samsung TV. 2. When promoted to accept the Samsung EULA, select no/reject 3. Attach computer or streaming stick to Samsung HDMI port (Windows, mac, chromebook, appleTV, chromecast, Amazon Firestick, Roku stick). I use an ancient PC with Linux Mint installed. Yo…

>2. When promoted to accept the Samsung EULA, select no/reject

Does the device continue to function? On some recent gaming consoles, if you select "No", you're basically left with an expensive paperweight.

Re: Samsung Ads – Demand-Side Platform

#277
post #248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1. Don't buy a smart TV 2. Done

What do you buy instead? I don't imagine it's easy to find a recent, high-quality TV without "smart" features. A few years ago, I looked into getting a digital signage display instead, but they were pretty expensive.

We just use a 43" LG 4k monitor. It has built-in speakers and no smarts at all. In combination with a Chromecast or similar, it works great as a "TV". I think the current model is 43UN700-B, which retails for ~$650. This screen also makes for a killer computer monitor, by the way :)

Re: Samsung Ads – Demand-Side Platform

#278
post #248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1. Don't buy a smart TV 2. Done

What do you buy instead? I don't imagine it's easy to find a recent, high-quality TV without "smart" features. A few years ago, I looked into getting a digital signage display instead, but they were pretty expensive.

No TV allowed in our house (it's unrelated to ads: they didn't exist on TVs back when we decided to outlaw TVs at home).

I'm using something which is arguably both cheaper, bigger and gives more of a "cinema" feeling: a 1080p projector.

4K projector can be pricey, but there are a huge lot of very reasonably priced 1080p projectors. Just make sure to find one which is compatible with the size of your room (mine is in a big living room, so the smaller models weren't fit).

It's hooked to the system ceiling. If you don't like that look you can put them in a trap that comes down or use one of the newer, fancier, "short throw" ones.

The diagonal I have (for a few hundred bucks: 400 EUR IIRC) is something silly like about 350cm/138inches. Movies, sports, video streaming (Youtube or similar), ...

In my case it's the best solution: I love the theater feeling a projector gives and I definitely and positively hate the sharp and crisp pictures all these new TVs do give. Every time I see one at a friend I simply cannot stand the experience. And inversely: when friends come at home they're always impressed by how good the picture is from my cheap 1080p projector. I didn't even bother with the wall: I just project the picture on a regular blank wall. I didn't even make the wall perfectly flat: I just painted it white myself (and not even with a projector-specific paint: I had no idea these existed when I painted the wall).

It's getting used everyday since two years (had a 720p before that) and lamp use ain't even a concern.

As a bonus it's still trivial to find projectors without microphone listening to you 24/7 and which aren't sniffing on the HDMI ports.

Now I don't doubt that in the future we'll be graced with no other choice but "smart AI projectors", but that day hasn't arrived yet.

Re: Samsung Ads – Demand-Side Platform

#279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If you own an Internet-connected TV, you've been seeing these for 2 years or more How to prevent all Samsung tracking and advertising: 1. Factory reset your Samsung TV. 2. When promoted to accept the Samsung EULA, select no/reject 3. Attach computer or streaming stick to Samsung HDMI port (Windows, mac, chromebook, appleTV, chromecast, Amazon Firestick, Roku stick). I use an ancient PC with Linux Mint installed. Yo…

1. Don't buy a smart TV 2. Done

Sceptre has some non-smart TVs now. Not the newest TV tech but gets the job done.

Re: Samsung Ads – Demand-Side Platform

#280
post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you handle streaming when all of the services refuse to stream 4K on any computer? I think Netflix does HD bit Hulu and HBO are like 720p. It's like watching a torrent from 2005.

720 to 4K is not the same as 480p to 720. The latter is far more noticeable. Most of the world hasn’t moved to 4K, I don’t see a huge amount of value in it personally.

In that case, why even get a new TV in the first place?
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