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Samsung Busted for Cheating TV Test Benchmarks

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Re: Samsung Busted for Cheating TV Test Benchmarks

#61

Post by DiggyJohnson »

livueta wrote: post #58
DiggyJohnson wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What would be the proper way to test this? Wireless networking is something I usually avoid in a technical capacity, but this seems like something worth messing around with (and reporting back on).

Should be a fairly straightforward bit of airodump. Even if you don't capture the handshake, you can cross-reference the macs of stations associated with the AP of interest against the mac of your device. If the mac is randomized to a sufficient degree that you can't cross-reference it I guess you'd need to capture the association, but that shouldn't be a problem if you can turn the tv off/on and it does the thing co…

Thank you kindly, that’s exactly the start I needed. Cheers

Re: Samsung Busted for Cheating TV Test Benchmarks

#62

Post by oneoff786 »

mgraczyk wrote: post #48
jiggawatts wrote: post #31

Every time this comes up I feel obligated to add the following: 1) Samsung televisions spy on your mercilessly . They collect everything they can, including screenshots at regular intervals and send them back to Samsung so that they can sell this to "partners". They are not a FAANG and don't have anywhere near their level of security expertise. I have second-hand but reliable information about their security approach…

I have a QN90A, the ads are annoying but it's fine and it's a great TV overall. It's basically just a tiny banner ad at the bottom right of the home screen. Personally I take much bigger risks day to day by doing things like biking to work, so I'm okay with the risk of my TV sending data back to advertisers. BTW, I'm pretty sure the only Samsung TVs that are five figures are the 98" beasts. My 75" QN90A was $1600, an…

It’s not ok that your tv has a banner ad!

Re: Samsung Busted for Cheating TV Test Benchmarks

#63

Post by oneoff786 »

KennyBlanken wrote: post #52
deadbunny wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And every thread says they can connect to open WiFi without providing any proof that they do. It would be trivial to test and prove but no-one ever does. I'm not saying they wouldn't do it but I'd prefer some proof before judging them (without having to shell out to be the guinea pig).

https://forum.developer.samsung.com/t/if-you-choose-to-not-c... https://web.archive.org/web/20190521054343/https://www.reddi... The reason there are likely so few reports is because a)open wifi networks are very rare b)you can't really tell that the TV has done it, until it shows its hand (as in the case above, notifying the user that it auto-updated itself.)

If it’s showing you ads, it’s connected. If it’s not showing you ads, it’s not connected.

Re: Samsung Busted for Cheating TV Test Benchmarks

#64

Post by oneoff786 »

jiggawatts wrote: post #34
interpol_p wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Never allow a TV or monitor to connect to your Wi-Fi network and you'll be able to avoid these two issues

Well yes, but then you're basically buying an expensive monitor and will need a second device to be the "smarts". I personally use an Apple TV for this, but in general this can be frustrating for users that just want their Smart TV to work without spying on them or implementing centrally triggered scheduled obsolescence. This is a bit like saying you should "never" turn on your new car's engine and should immediately…

I find this argument weird. Most people don’t want smart TVs. Dedicated smart devices are just better. Even non techies will probably feel this way because the TVs suck and the remote control interface is clunky and confusing. There’s simply no option to buy a dumb tv that isn’t something weird like a monitor or digital signage.

Imo nothing beats a laptop with a wireless mouse and keyboard. So much better than a shitty remote. Browsers and Google are familiar. Can also do games. Can access whatever sites you want or things the smart device wouldn’t approve of. All of these devices like Apple TV and fire sticks seem pretty dumb to me.

Re: Samsung Busted for Cheating TV Test Benchmarks

#65

Post by jreese »

mgraczyk wrote: post #21
jreese wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of the best parts of being happy at a "terminal level" in FAANG is that I can easily pick what I work on for best impact on the teams around me (and the engineering org as a whole) without worrying about chasing a promotion. I know the levers I can pull to get a higher perf rating here and there, but I'm also free to focus on the "papercuts" knowing that I'm not sacrificing future promotions, because I just don't…

But then you get paid less money.

I would rather get paid less (still in top 99+% of US mind you) to do work that is meaningful to me, my coworkers, and the wider open source community-and then clock out at six pm to spend time with my partner and play games-than earn more and spend all of my time in meetings and design discussions and worrying about whether I'm having enough cross functional impact to meet performance expectations or whatever the new director's pet project of the month is.

Re: Samsung Busted for Cheating TV Test Benchmarks

#66

Post by robbiep »

oneoff786 wrote: post #62
mgraczyk wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a QN90A, the ads are annoying but it's fine and it's a great TV overall. It's basically just a tiny banner ad at the bottom right of the home screen. Personally I take much bigger risks day to day by doing things like biking to work, so I'm okay with the risk of my TV sending data back to advertisers. BTW, I'm pretty sure the only Samsung TVs that are five figures are the 98" beasts. My 75" QN90A was $1600, an…

It’s not ok that your tv has a banner ad!

It took me a little while (and it seems like they managed to add some more domains at one point) but I’ve successfully blocked all outgoing connections from my TV and removed the ads

Re: Samsung Busted for Cheating TV Test Benchmarks

#68

Post by synicalx »

deadbunny wrote: post #41
Geonode wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Every thread dozens of people say, "just don't connect!" They can connect to open networks such as Amazon sidewalk and other deliberate corporate IoT sabotage, and soon I'm sure we'll see the first televisions that require connection to even pass a signal from the HDMI port. The best thing to do is not support this immoral garbage through apathy or ignorance.

And every thread says they can connect to open WiFi without providing any proof that they do. It would be trivial to test and prove but no-one ever does. I'm not saying they wouldn't do it but I'd prefer some proof before judging them (without having to shell out to be the guinea pig).

On a Sony TV, at least on my one (before I yanked the wifi antennas out) you could just create an open network and then sit watching the Wifi settings screen on the TV and watch it just jump right on.

If you're really concerned about proof, just go to a hifi store and turn on your mobile hotspot without a password - I bet you could get a TV somewhere to connect with minimal effort.

Re: Samsung Busted for Cheating TV Test Benchmarks

#69

Post by jreese »

aluminussoma wrote: post #16
jreese wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of the best parts of being happy at a "terminal level" in FAANG is that I can easily pick what I work on for best impact on the teams around me (and the engineering org as a whole) without worrying about chasing a promotion. I know the levers I can pull to get a higher perf rating here and there, but I'm also free to focus on the "papercuts" knowing that I'm not sacrificing future promotions, because I just don't…

No you can't. Source: I, too, was at a terminal level at a FAANG.

I've been doing it for over six years now, so why not? Joined ten years ago yesterday and made it to IC5, and haven't had any desire for a promo since then, so I just work on we/hatever I think is the best thing I can spend my time on for the team, and it's been sufficient for "meets all" or better every half except one. Just pick the right team with the right manager who actually cares about you and what is actually both for you and your coworkers.

Re: Samsung Busted for Cheating TV Test Benchmarks

#70

Post by jader201 »

jiggawatts wrote: post #34
interpol_p wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Never allow a TV or monitor to connect to your Wi-Fi network and you'll be able to avoid these two issues

Well yes, but then you're basically buying an expensive monitor and will need a second device to be the "smarts". I personally use an Apple TV for this, but in general this can be frustrating for users that just want their Smart TV to work without spying on them or implementing centrally triggered scheduled obsolescence. This is a bit like saying you should "never" turn on your new car's engine and should immediately…

> This is a bit like saying you should "never" turn on your new car's engine and should immediately swap it out for a third-party one, because every knows Manufacturer X leaves ticking time bombs in their engines.

I don’t think it’s at all like that.

If anything, it’s more like saying don’t use your car’s built-in navigation, and instead, use another connected device for navigation.

The engine is a critical part of a car — without it, it can’t function. Period.

A TV doesn’t have to be smart to operate it, and you can’t buy a TV without it, even though it’s 100% not necessary, especially if you already have another device for that.

Again, it’s like cars with navigation — completely unnecessary, especially if you have another device for that.

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