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

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

#81

Post by worldofmatthew »

smt88 wrote: post #60
cantrevealname wrote: post #35

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.

Could that not get their owner arrested for stealing WI-FI?

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

#82

Post by gw99 »

nevi-me wrote: post #46
mikestew wrote: post #31

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-…

We have a 45" from ~2013, I used to connect it to the internet in the early days when I didn't have a Chromecast. The UI is underwhelming, and the only times I've used the smart TV features was when a streaming device wasn't working. I've gone through 4 streaming devices, and I think that even if I get a new TV, I'm likely to continue with streaming devices, unless that TV runs stock Android TV. Even then, it'll reac…

Yeah good luck with that. I did the same. Then all the streaming devices stopped working suddenly. Turns out that there was suddenly an HDCP compatibility issue which obsoleted the TV instantly.

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

#83

Post by jabroni_salad »

bombcar wrote: post #53
coldtea wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Found a cheap one but it’s 720p. Sceptre 32" Class 720P HD LED TV X322BV-SR Didn’t spent much time looking at Walmart however.

Seems to be the way of it. When you start wanting things like 4k, good HDR, or (heavens forbid) low latency for games, the selections get a lot tighter.

Actually, my employer tried to get a Sceptre as a reasonable accommodation for someone with low vision (needed everything to be huge). That panel was so unusable not even the legally blind want to look at it.

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

#84

Post by asdfk-12 »

cantrevealname wrote: post #35

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…

This is good advice. I kept my 4k Vizio offline until updating the firmware on a whim. The update broke the ability to run 1080p@60hz from my PC, making it effectively useless for normal use. The annoying part about the panel is that it was advertised as 4k but only works at 30hz at that resolution. Cheap, so should have figured.

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

#85

Post by CharlesW »

bogwog wrote: post #76

Besides complaining on the internet, what can consumers do about this? All the TV brands do the same thing, and those that don't simply haven't gotten around to pushing out the firmware update that enables ads.

> Besides complaining on the internet, what can consumers do about this?

If you're willing to pay a bit more, you can buy commercial TVs/displays.

Amazon lists them under "Digital Signage > Commercial TVs & Displays", for example.

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

#87

Post by mattmanser »

mikestew wrote: post #31

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-…

One remote is inherently better than two remotes. It's objectively less hassle.

The apps are actually mostly identical from experience.

I actually use a PS4 at the moment, and it occasionally forces me to update before I can use the TV app, so even more hassle.

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

#88

Post by RajT88 »

Tenoke wrote: post #73
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.

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).

Yep, this I think is implicit in the author's frustration. He didn't buy the cheapest possible TV, he bought something near the top of the range. Premium customers deserve premium treatment.

I would wager the story is the same for the absolute most expensive TV's as well.

What I haven't seen here in this thread yet is the usual suggestion of looking into "Digital Signage" displays, which in addition to being "dumb", some of them come with a place to chunk in an RPI board!

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

#89

Post by legitster »

We've had a Roku TV for years and have been extremely happy with it.

The UI is great and it's nice to have everything right there without having to work for it. And as someone without cable, I even come to enjoy some of the internet channels they offer.

My takeaway would be manufacturers do not do good user software. This is true whether it's tvs or cars or fridges.

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

#90

Post by [deleted] »

Alex3917 wrote: post #39
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.

[deleted]
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