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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

#211

Post by Melatonic »

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.

Or buy a commercial oven. Or used

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

#212

Post by snarfy »

flashgordon wrote: post #179

Dumb question - How does one go about (cost effectively) getting just a monitor that has: * Same size/resolution range as the comparable TV * Same price range as the comparable TV * X display ports (combination of hdmi, usb, etc) * Wifi (and bluetooth too?) * Audio + ports * Fine infra-red too for remotes * Other absoulute hardware essentials i might have missed Absolutely no inbuilt players or software or bloatware…

"Commercial Display" or "Conference Room Monitor" is what you want.

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

#213

Post by Melatonic »

danbr wrote: post #12

I run a pihole on my network for exactly this reason. The amount of network traffic the TV attempts, even when on standby or watching over-the-air broadcast is astonishing.

Unless it pins the IP of a DNS server and does DoH

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

#215

Post by Melatonic »

xienze wrote: post #106
harvey9 wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Won't it need the egress to receive streaming video from the internet?

Sorry, you’re right. I was thinking of the TV itself. Yes for a box it’s a little more complicated. Personally I go with Apple TV. Much more polished UI than a Roku and certainly no being bombarded with ads.

Roku has a lot more features. Plus the remote on the Apple TV annoys me. Give me real buttons any day!

NextDNS has been working great to block Roku BS for me

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

#216

Post by AtlasBarfed »

reaperducer wrote: post #137
tenebrisalietum wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What makes me think this will never happen is that - Open Wi-Fi networks are a thing of the past. There hasn't been any around me in a residential area for a long time now. Businesses and workplace lobbies, more likely, though. - No one is going to just give Samsung free Internet except the hapless consumer by supplying Wi-Fi credentials. - Samsung might make a deal with providers, but it would have to have unique cr…

Open Wi-Fi networks are a thing of the past. I've been to two medical facilities and a large regional hospital in the last week where there were open wifi networks with no portals. My apartment building operates an open wifi network for guests so we don't have to bother giving out passwords to visitors. An airport I visited last month has wide open wifi. A see ads on transit buses all the time stating that the bus ha…

And there are long wifi IoT networks supported by proof-of-coverage cryptocurrencies.

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

#217

Post by Melatonic »

yread wrote: post #69

TVs also seem to consume way more power. I have 48" full hd Sony from 2016 that consumes max 58W. None of the TVs on the market come even close, some consume 3x as much! What happened? Is 4K really that inefficient?

OLED in general takes more power. But those are rookie numbers compared to my 2013 plasma :-)

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

#218

Post by snarfy »

_gabe_ wrote: post #157

I think this whole thread is very indicative of why programmers shouldn't design a product. I've been reading through the article and comments trying to figure out what "ads" were being referenced and then I finally realized people must be talking about the ads for TV shows and movies... I think the average consumer would much rather have a TV that they simply connect to their wifi and then get Netflix, YT, Disney+,…

I ditched cable and went 100% streaming starting with Netflix because they had zero ads. Many of my friends did the same. I consider ads an assault on my psyche and will avoid them as much as I possibly can.

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

#220

Post by digitallyfree »

worldofmatthew wrote: post #81
smt88 wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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?

Maybe not straight up arrested, but I think I recall a case in the past where legal action was taken over someone using a restaurant's free WiFi everyday while not being a customer (he used it in his car in the parking lot). Like the network is open but technically you need permission to connect to it (a sign at the airport saying that free WiFi is available at this SSID, or the restaurant stating that WiFi is available to all paying customers counts as permission). Obviously very few of these cases will be prosecuted, but I would be very concerned if my smart devices were connecting to open networks automatically without my consent.
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