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Reviews of Android TV launcher after Google added ads to the homescreen

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Re: Reviews of Android TV launcher after Google added ads to the homescreen

#91

Post by temp8964 »

djrogers wrote: post #72
pixxel wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

PiHole to remove those Roku ads! I have PiHole running on a five dollar Pi Zero. Just sits on a shelf doing its thing on all devices connected to network.

> running on a five dollar Pi Zero. While technically accurate, you also need a $10 SD card, a $3 usb cable, and a $5-10 power brick, so you’re really looking at a $25 solution here.

I guess SD cards and USB cable don't count, because we all have some extra here and there?

I never use SD cards, but I have at least four of them in my drawer...

Re: Reviews of Android TV launcher after Google added ads to the homescreen

#92

Post by edoceo »

hughrr wrote: post #21
designium wrote: post #5

I suggest using an old laptop or desktop and install Kodi or Plex to solve for this.

I did this for ages. It sucks. Maintenance, broken things all the time, bugs, ugh. I just torrent stuff on my Mac now and use a USB stick to ship it to my dumb TV.

Check out minidlna. Run on Mac and browse folders in Roku Player

Re: Reviews of Android TV launcher after Google added ads to the homescreen

#93

Post by dasyatidprime »

Ansil849 wrote: post #69
antiterra wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And if a fix for a critical vulnerability and an ad feature are both in the same update?

> And if a fix for a critical vulnerability and an ad feature are both in the same update? Can you point to actual real-world examples where this has been the case? I don't see the point of this stretched hypothetical. If it were to come up, then you could deal with accordingly - for instance by getting the update and then blocking the ad server somewhere upstream in your network path.

They don't actually have to be in the same update, the security fix just has to come after the ad antifeature with no separate patches presented, only a linear series of versions. And that linear model is extremely common. Anything using the linear model that has both antifeature updates and security updates at unpredictable times is very likely to run into the “can't install the security update without accepting the antifeature” problem.

Re: Reviews of Android TV launcher after Google added ads to the homescreen

#94

Post by tyingq »

scrollaway wrote: post #77

Question to HN users: I have a dumb display attached to an nvidia shield. The Shield is nice: It's powerful enough, runs decent version of the common apps I care about (netflix, plex, youtube, spotify are the ones I use), and the remote is minimalistic and nice to use. Let's say I want to opt out of Google for this. What the hell do I do? I do have a Windows PC attached to the TV, for gaming, but if I wanted to run t…

There are some workarounds in this Nvidea thread: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/forums/shield-tv/9/4579...

None of them perfect, but you can roll back to what you had before.

Re: Reviews of Android TV launcher after Google added ads to the homescreen

#95

Post by matthewrobertso »

I ran into this last week on my nvidia shield. Here's a summary of the workaround I found (apologies for not having the specific package names offhand):

1. Install a new launcher from play store (I found one called "Basic Launcher" that matches the aesthetics of the default one). This doesn't solve the problem though, because Google disabled changing the default launcher for some user hostile reason, until you delete the existing launcher.

2. Enable development mode by tapping on the build number in settings

3. Connect an adb shell to your device

4. Remove the built in launcher

5. Reboot, select basic launcher when prompted

I own a few android TV devices, have recommended them to people in the past, and won't be purchasing another. I think what happened here should be illegal and shame on whoever worked on this.

Re: Reviews of Android TV launcher after Google added ads to the homescreen

#96

Post by dannyr »

herbst wrote: post #3

Android TV is a surprisingly bad system anyway. Barely apps, I can access maybe 100 games from my TV. The far majority absolute, and filled, trash games. I suddenly found myself locked out of thousands of things I used to watch because the browser, if even enable-able, sucks and so many sites/services have no interest in having an app. Owning a TV still feels like a step down for me, since I was used just streaming o…

My experience is different.

I love it especially now that I can install VPN. I can access US-version of Netflix, Disney+, etc while traveling.

Re: Reviews of Android TV launcher after Google added ads to the homescreen

#97

Post by banana_giraffe »

rattray wrote: post #60
jmacd wrote: post #49

The new Apple TV 4K is a absolutely better than any of the high end android tv devices. I’ve been through them all (at considerable expense) and am now totally happy on the new apple tv

Would use of an Android phone have any cause for frustration with an Apple TV? I'd assume not but I've never used one.

Not really, you lose the remote app on your phone, which is useful to enter passwords, but using the voice dictation to enter a password a character at a time works surprisingly well.

You'd also not have airplay and mirroring. That might be a bigger deal for some, but for me, it's a feature I basically never use.

Re: Reviews of Android TV launcher after Google added ads to the homescreen

#98

Post by axlee »

judge2020 wrote: post #48
cf100clunk wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

History teaches us that HN readers are generally quite caring of these sort of intrusions into their previous "just right" setups and don't tend to just let it ride.

Keyword “HN Readers”, not users. I’d be surprised if even 1% of all Android TV users were HN Readers.

> I’d be surprised if even 1% of all Android TV users were HN Readers.

Remove some magnitudes, and then some more.

Re: Reviews of Android TV launcher after Google added ads to the homescreen

#99

Post by ne0flex »

cs702 wrote: post #67

Where does the "ad invasion" end? Smart toasters that force you to watch ads before getting your toast in the morning? Smart windows that display ads that block your view of your backyard? Smart paints that display ads on your bedroom walls? Smart shower-heads that play jingles as you wash yourself? Smart brain implants that directly induce subconscious desire to buy certain products and services? Is there some kind…

There was one startup that I met a few years ago that focused on enabling IoT on 'dumb' devices. Their first product some sort of plug for ceiling fans that allowed people to turn on & off / control the ceiling fan with their smartphone. The product also required a $5/month subscription service.

I remember asking the CEO why would someone pay $5/month just to control their fan and he basically responded that the idea seems ludicrous and this point in time, but eventually people will catch on, and then he made an allusion to Microsoft Office and how that it's becoming a subscription product despite initially being one-off purchase 15 years ago.

Re: Reviews of Android TV launcher after Google added ads to the homescreen

#100

Post by ajsnigrutin »

cf100clunk wrote: post #80
ajsnigrutin wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep, 16 new libreelec installs will appear, and thousands of google tvs will be sold in the meantime.

That is kind of a twist on the old "nobody ever got fired for using IBM" idea regarding marketplace saturation: "nobody ever complained about Google"?

I mean.. honestly, if I had to set up some "media device" for a relative, I'd pick google over anything else... usually it just works, it's simple, if something doesn't work, "it's googles fault", if something isn't supported, again, googles fault. ...basically same as with IBM.

At home... libreelec. +importing ipvt playlists... +epg, which gets banned by the telco, and then reappears somewhere else. +subtitle services. +this and that plugin.

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