Live data from Hacker News

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

zdnet.com

71–80 of 398 posts

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

#71
I left my Tizen based Samsung with my ex wife when we got divorced. This was a subtle troll because I am finally free of the fucking thing and she's not.

The last decade of ownership has been hell. Slow laggy equipment, HDCP problems, working but forcibly obsoleted hardware, bugs galore and ads stuffed in your face.

I now no longer own a television and will never own one again.

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

#72
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.

Or find a reviewer who values the same things you do?

I have to think there's an acceptable oven on the market that doesn't have a Wi-Fi requirement. I bought a GE Adora oven a few years ago and it has been exactly as perfectly uncomplicated an oven as I've ever wanted; it was even easy to replace the handle when I broke it off in a moment of poor judgement. It looks like those are still available, and don't require any Wi-Fi access.

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

#73
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.

A lot of things are sold cheaper than they would be otherwise (including at a loss) because they can make part of the money through ads/add-ons instead. It's customers who have shown they prefer those cheaper on the face of it options rather than those with much bigger up-front cost (which still exist but have been mostly left to business products since only there are enough of their customers fine with it).

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

#74
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…

On the contrary, I absolutely love the WebOS that came on my TV, and I use it (connected to the internet) regularly. I've often found myself watching YouTube and even browsing NPR and HN (using a TV remote as the only input device) on the TV rather than using my laptop, desktop, or even my iPhone. It's also open source [0] and you can develop your own software for it [1] without needing to submit that software to their app store [2] (though you can do that too [3]).

[0]: https://www.webosose.org

[1]: https://webostv.developer.lge.com

[2]: https://webostv.developer.lge.com/develop/getting-started/de...

[3]: https://webostv.developer.lge.com/distribute/app-approval-pr...

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

#75
post #60

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…

> The sentiment here on HN is to never connect the TV to the Internet Appallingly, this isn't enough to stop the ads. Many TVs will proactively scan for open networks and connect to them.

Do you have links to blogs that show this happening, I see plenty of hearsay, but I know my LG doesn’t attempt to my honeypot wifi, I’d love to see proof.

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

#77
post #60

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…

> The sentiment here on HN is to never connect the TV to the Internet Appallingly, this isn't enough to stop the ads. Many TVs will proactively scan for open networks and connect to them.

You can crack the things open and unplug the wireless module usually.

If the TV stops working then, well you solved the problem anyway :)

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

#78

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-…

Why anyone would go to the effort of dicking with a pi-hole cat-and-mouse game is beyond me

Fun way to pass the time for some folks, I assume.

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

#79
post #56

Queue a zillion posts about wanting dumb TVs. My suggestion is buy a Roku, don't give the TV an IP address, and run Netflix, Amazon Prime, Plex, Hulu, and whatever you want out of one of the biggest channel catalogs out there on the Roku. It's way nicer remote, supports RF (so no pointing at the TV), and even supports using earphones (BT or wired from the remote).

Roku does tons of phoning home, has ads and analytics to see what you’re watching afaik. Using PiHole shows tons of unexpected traffic.

So put it on a VLAN with no egress. Smart TVs are annoying but there’s ways around it.
Post reply on HN