Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

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

play.google.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

381–390 of 507 posts

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

#381

Post by kmonsen »

sureglymop wrote: post #224
matthewrobertso wrote: post #95

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…

Do you know of any Android TV / smart tv box which has a USB port? I am currently building a magic mirror like smart map. Basically, the goal is to have a big touchscreen with Google maps or Google earth running. For touch screen support I bought a cheap USB infrared frame. I have tested it with the USB C port of my Android phone and it works well, but I have sadly not found any Android TV box which has an USB port.

I think the new nvidia stick has a USB port if you disassemble it a tiny bit.

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

#382

Post by jbluepolarbear »

bitwalker wrote: post #287
headmelted wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

tvOS has the same problem I’m afraid.

Which problem? Because there aren't ads on the home screen, or even in the Apple TV app (other than promos for TV shows, but that's like...why you're there).

And that’s a feature that makes sense promote tv shows on your tv device. Most/all of the promoted shows are from apps already installed. Like the Disney+ Promo for Raya. I already had Disney+, so it was more of a hey watch this new content you’re already paying for.

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

#383

Post by pier25 »

billyhoffman wrote: post #335

I hate to be that guy, but this is exactly why I happily paid for an Apple TV. Yes, it’s $100 more than basic streaming sticks, but I have never had to worry about ads suddenly appearing after an update. This whole space is a race to the bottom with sticks being sold at or below cost because you are the product. For example, Vizio revealing in their first quarterly report as a public company that they get nearly as m…

The Nvidia Shield Pro is more expensive than the Apple TV...

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

#384

Post by pier25 »

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #340
billyhoffman wrote: post #335

I hate to be that guy, but this is exactly why I happily paid for an Apple TV. Yes, it’s $100 more than basic streaming sticks, but I have never had to worry about ads suddenly appearing after an update. This whole space is a race to the bottom with sticks being sold at or below cost because you are the product. For example, Vizio revealing in their first quarterly report as a public company that they get nearly as m…

Indeed. It's hard to sympathize with people upset about ads when they bought a platform made by an ad company. The outcome was obvious here.

Apple products are luxury items for the vast majority of people in the world.

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

#385

Post by djrogers »

rglullis wrote: post #376
billyhoffman wrote: post #335

I hate to be that guy, but this is exactly why I happily paid for an Apple TV. Yes, it’s $100 more than basic streaming sticks, but I have never had to worry about ads suddenly appearing after an update. This whole space is a race to the bottom with sticks being sold at or below cost because you are the product. For example, Vizio revealing in their first quarterly report as a public company that they get nearly as m…

You know what else can give you a smooth, ad-free experience and freedom ? Any cheap mini-pc with Kodi installed.

Yeah, but can it do that out-of-the-box with zero effort for the rest of my family? Sadly, no.

Futzing with Kodi updates, patches, updates to the OS, drivers, etc is all way too much to be considered ’smooth’ for most.

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

#386

Post by gambiting »

prepend wrote: post #377
gambiting wrote: post #354

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> but I have never had to worry about ads suddenly appearing after an update The problem is that Android TV users used to think the exact same thing. It's even said in the reviews explicitly by some people. I don't and I won't trust a corporation, be it Apple or Google, to not do something in a future update - if it works fine right now then unfortunately that has to be good enough.

Not all companies are equal. Some make money by selling things so they have an incentive to keep happy customers. Some companies don’t.

Of course. But companies change all the time - today Apple is very privacy focused and we can reasonably say they wouldn't do such a thing. Can you absolutely guarantee that they won't in 2 years? In 5? in 10? What if the CEO changes and they think that ad-derived value is the best thing ever?

Like, this isn't meant to be a post against Apple btw. Just that I don't see a point in saying "company X did a bad thing, that's why I buy company Y, they would never do this!" - they don't right now, that's what counts. But for the future? Who knows.

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

#387

Post by knolan »

billyhoffman wrote: post #335

I hate to be that guy, but this is exactly why I happily paid for an Apple TV. Yes, it’s $100 more than basic streaming sticks, but I have never had to worry about ads suddenly appearing after an update. This whole space is a race to the bottom with sticks being sold at or below cost because you are the product. For example, Vizio revealing in their first quarterly report as a public company that they get nearly as m…

I recently bought my first Apple TV after dumping our Virgin Media cable box. I still have an ancient 1080p LG smart TV that that the smart features are effectively unusable on. I’ll never buy a smart TV again if I can help it.

I’ve always used my PS4 for streaming services but the bloody thing was so loud. I’ve replaced the PS4 with a PS5 but it doesn’t have the national broadcaster’s crappy app and we wanted to keep access to these channels.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the Apple TV. It surfaces shows across my streaming apps without pushing TV+ in your face. It integrates beautifully with the Apple ecosystem, I can ask Siri on any device to play $show on Disney+ in the living room and it just works.

I’ve heard how bad the old remote was but the new one is really nice. I’ve paired my dualshock 4 controller to it for Apple Arcade and it works great.

The Apple TV is a device that doesn’t get much attention but I think it’s really impressive.

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

#388

Post by djrogers »

swiley wrote: post #364
billyhoffman wrote: post #335

I hate to be that guy, but this is exactly why I happily paid for an Apple TV. Yes, it’s $100 more than basic streaming sticks, but I have never had to worry about ads suddenly appearing after an update. This whole space is a race to the bottom with sticks being sold at or below cost because you are the product. For example, Vizio revealing in their first quarterly report as a public company that they get nearly as m…

I hate to be that guy (no I don't) but this is why I just plugged one of the spare outputs on my PC into the TV with a 20ft HDMI extension cable and use a bluetooth keyboard/mouse to open movies from the living room.

That’s really a solo person solution. Anyone with a family in the house will need better, and anyone with family elsewhere can’t exactly recommend such a kludge without opening up a ton of support issues.

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

#389

Post by djrogers »

fny wrote: post #356
billyhoffman wrote: post #335

I hate to be that guy, but this is exactly why I happily paid for an Apple TV. Yes, it’s $100 more than basic streaming sticks, but I have never had to worry about ads suddenly appearing after an update. This whole space is a race to the bottom with sticks being sold at or below cost because you are the product. For example, Vizio revealing in their first quarterly report as a public company that they get nearly as m…

Unfortunately Apple TV remotes are a nightmare to use. The touch UX is an absolute pain.

The new one is great - your complaint is an old one.

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

#390

Post by timeinput »

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #340
billyhoffman wrote: post #335

I hate to be that guy, but this is exactly why I happily paid for an Apple TV. Yes, it’s $100 more than basic streaming sticks, but I have never had to worry about ads suddenly appearing after an update. This whole space is a race to the bottom with sticks being sold at or below cost because you are the product. For example, Vizio revealing in their first quarterly report as a public company that they get nearly as m…

Indeed. It's hard to sympathize with people upset about ads when they bought a platform made by an ad company. The outcome was obvious here.

I didn't realize nVidia was an ad company. Their business model sure has changed.
Post reply on HN