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I spent $3k on a Samsung Smart TV and all I got were ads and unwanted content

zdnet.com

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Re: I spent $3k on a Samsung Smart TV and all I got were ads and unwanted content

#31

Post by mikestew »

Just give me my Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, HBO Max,...

All of which are available on an AppleTV, and I assume other less-intrusive devices. TFA comes to that conclusion in the last paragraph, but just in case anyone didn't make it that far. And then, as everyone on this page is going to say, never let that TV anywhere near a network connection. Why anyone would go to the effort of dicking with a pi-hole cat-and-mouse game is beyond me. Plug in a box, remove network access to the TV, watch your shows.

...even if it duplicates all the streaming app functionality in the TV itself.

I don't know, Samsung's fuckery aside, does anyone seriously think that using the duplicate app on the Samsung is going to be anywhere nearly as pleasant a UX as the AppleTV? IOW, use the AppleTV (or Roku, or whatever) regardless just for the better experience.

Re: I spent $3k on a Samsung Smart TV and all I got were ads and unwanted content

#32

Post by skizm »

My next "TV" is just going to be a conference room monitor. Dell has some for like around $1K for a 55 inch and $4.3k for a 75 inch. Not sure about other companies, but my experiences with Dell have always been positive so I'm okay paying a bit of a premium absent better alternatives.

Re: I spent $3k on a Samsung Smart TV and all I got were ads and unwanted content

#33

Post by PreachSoup »

wollsmoth wrote: post #17
walrus01 wrote: post #6

never, ever give a TV an internet connection, wifi password or dhcp lease. I realize there are ads on the homescreen of an xbox series x, ps4 pro, ps5, etc but I would much rather deal with those than whatever shoddy operating system TV manufacturers put on their thing. I have a thousand times more confidence that microsoft and sony will keep their OSes patched and up to date (they have a strong financial/self-intere…

My vizio runs so much better without a connection. It used to semi-regularly get into a state where the screen was blank even though the tv was on. Because it was a smart tv, powering it off wouldn't actually power cycle it. I had to pull the power cord to reset it. Now I use a chromecast plugged into it for streaming. before that I used a ps4.

My previous Vizio tv botched chroma functionality for pc monitor for 2 years before getting it fixed. It doesn't allow downgrade. Never connect to wifi again.

Re: I spent $3k on a Samsung Smart TV and all I got were ads and unwanted content

#34

Post by coldtea »

mattwad wrote: post #19
hdjjhhvvhga wrote: post #4

I don't understand why anyone would like to connect such a thing to their WiFi. An external device gives you flexibility and control. The built-in firmware gives you ads and tracking.

I like having only one remote with my TV. I get minor anxiety when at other people's houses and they have 3-4 remotes or more, and usually only one person knows what they all do (the one that had to set it all up).

it's amazing what 21st century can consider an inconvenience...

Re: I spent $3k on a Samsung Smart TV and all I got were ads and unwanted content

#35

Post by cantrevealname »

The sentiment here on HN is to never connect the TV to the Internet and instead use a digital media player or external streaming device. I wholeheartedly agree. But then several people mentioned wanting to update the firmware. If you'll never connect it to the Internet, then you should never update the firmware either. It goes against conventional wisdom, but updating the firmware in this situation is more likely to cause problems than to bring you desired improvements.

The firmware update might have stricter DRM controls; it could have a tricky new way to exfiltrate data out via your streaming box; maybe the firmware update itself contains some static ads; perhaps in the near future we'll have public wifi or free Google community wifi, and the new firmware will have the smarts to use that and bypass your wifi.

And these days, once you update the firmware, you often cannot revert back to earlier firmware.

Re: I spent $3k on a Samsung Smart TV and all I got were ads and unwanted content

#36

Post by coldtea »

potatototoo99 wrote: post #20
scohesc wrote: post #14

It's so frustrating. For some consumers, you're dropping multiple paychecks on a TV that you want to just _USE_ - but you can't because Samsung, LG, whoever decided to take money from various companies and shove their garbage advertising down your throats and you can't disable it. I don't feel like browsing various commercial signage websites for TV's that don't have any advertising in and I don't feel like we should…

There are plenty of plain TVs around though, just like there are plain operating systems, plain phones, etc but consumers still give their money to Samsung, Microsoft, Google, etc. Most people don't care, you are not the target audience.

So, what would be some of that plenty "plain" models with good quality and comparable price?

Re: I spent $3k on a Samsung Smart TV and all I got were ads and unwanted content

#37

Post by manuelabeledo »

walrus01 wrote: post #25
falcolas wrote: post #8

Corporate slogan of the 21st century: Why settle for some of your customer's money when you can get all of your customer's money (and monetize their data too)? Microtransactions, ads, selling customer usage data, up-front costs, PPV, subscriptions... I'm shocked we as customers can actually afford to obtain and use any of these devices anymore.

this is what happens when you let MBAs run amok

Can't wait for business schools to discover that concepts like "consumer loyalty" and "user experience" are quite intermingled.

Re: I spent $3k on a Samsung Smart TV and all I got were ads and unwanted content

#39

Post by Alex3917 »

walrus01 wrote: post #6

never, ever give a TV an internet connection, wifi password or dhcp lease. I realize there are ads on the homescreen of an xbox series x, ps4 pro, ps5, etc but I would much rather deal with those than whatever shoddy operating system TV manufacturers put on their thing. I have a thousand times more confidence that microsoft and sony will keep their OSes patched and up to date (they have a strong financial/self-intere…

> never, ever give a TV an internet connection, wifi password or dhcp lease.

The problem is that it’s becoming unavoidable. Right now the only oven with a good Consumer Reports rating requires a Wi-Fi connection, so it’s either get that model or another one with a significantly worse rating.

Re: I spent $3k on a Samsung Smart TV and all I got were ads and unwanted content

#40

Post by ayngg »

hdjjhhvvhga wrote: post #4

I don't understand why anyone would like to connect such a thing to their WiFi. An external device gives you flexibility and control. The built-in firmware gives you ads and tracking.

Because the vast majority of people aren't tech savvy enough to care about ads and tracking, ads and tracking everywhere is normalized.
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