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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

#321

Post by cpeterso »

clouddrover wrote: post #167
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 Once 5G is cheap enough the TVs will come with built-in 5G in order to always be connected.

Or a mesh network of TVs. Your TV might not be connected to the internet, but your neighbor’s neighbor’s neighbor’s TV might be!

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

#322

Post by esperent »

Kon-Peki wrote: post #223
Arubis wrote: post #120

I spent $200 on a 43" Spectre UHD 4K TV a week ago and it literally doesn't have wifi capabilities. It just reads off HDMI. The end. WalMart sells their stuff at like half MSRP and there isn't network connectivity with which to exfiltrate your data. I wish every manufacturer worked like this.

The other reason they are inexpensive is that they forego some physical robustness. Like you have to be more careful than normal taking it out of the box and mounting it on your wall. Or if you have kids and things sometimes go flying you better hope they don’t hit the screen. It is a trade off you have to be willing to make ;)

I have an LG C1 OLED 48 inch which I use as a monitor. Its a really beautiful screen although a bit reflective.

But it must be the most fragile feeling device I have ever owned, the bulk of the screen is like 2mm thick and I basically have to get myself into a state of extreme focus, meditation, stretching and so on before I dare to move it. There's no easy way to grip it without putting some pressure on the thin part, even with two people.

I seriously wish they didn't go for the brownie points of making a screen this thin. Sometimes just because you can doesn't mean you should.

Seriously, make it like 20mm thick, robust, easy to move.

I cannot imagine that any other screen, budget or otherwise, could feel more fragile than this.

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

#323

Post by cpeterso »

My Samsung TV included anti-virus software! Why does my TV need that? Sure it can install apps, but they’re all from Samsung’s own TV app store.

I only learned this because the UI had gotten soooo slow, like five seconds to respond to each button click on the remote control. Turning off the virus scanner mostly fixed the problem. Thanks, TV software update!

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

#324

Post by sgtnoodle »

fomine3 wrote: post #298
adastra22 wrote: post #296

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From what source though? Antenna broadcast? Otherwise it’s better to route through the set-top box if at all possible, and that can output directly to the sound bar.

Still video from STB is needed to be routed to TV, STB->soundbar->TV via HDMI with CEC.

My soundbar only has one HDMI port, though, so that doesn't really work.

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

#325

Post by pwg »

sen wrote: post #182

Meanwhile the OP post is so full of ads you’re basically scrolling past a full-screen (on mobile) ad for every paragraph. Then when I came across a chunk of text without ads and thought it was over, an ad got dynamically loaded into the middle of the text pushing what I was reading down off the screen. Yes in this case I didn’t pay to read the content so they need ads, but the user-hostility of ads everywhere is just…

Firefox plus Ublock Origin

No ads's anywhere on the linked post.

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

#326

Post by flashgordon »

snarfy wrote: post #212
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.

Yes it was a pretty rhetorical q. Why should a dumb display cost more? Are they really subsidizing a "smart tv" with all their bloat/crap ware? Does that even make economic sense?

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

#327

Post by etempleton »

The smart tv interfaces are abysmal across the board and it has mostly to do with the prioritization of ad space over functionality. I have an old Plasma with an Apple TV I use for most of my tv watching and then a modern new smart tv for games and the occasional movie in another room.

Roku is also a fine cheaper alternative to the built in interface of new TVs though it is also ad supported so you are just replacing one bad ad supported interface for a better, ad supported interface. And while it functions and is generally quick, it isn’t the most attractive UX.

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

#328

Post by fsckboy »

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?

i don't think they look for open wifi, they look for a mesh network they're part of and you've all already a agreed to be part of

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

#329

Post by etempleton »

petesergeant wrote: post #103
mattmanser wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

> One remote is inherently better than two remotes. It's objectively less hassle. My Apple TV can turn my TV on and off though, so I rarely need to use the TV remote

I also just use the Apple TV remote for my tv and it works fine to turn the tv on and off and to adjust the volume, so I never have to touch the TV remote. However, even if I did want to do something like change inputs often I could exclusively use the TV remote and it also works just fine to control the Apple TV.

Mileage may vary. My tv is older but does seem to have good CEC support and the newest Apple TV supports CEC.

Some devices do not support CEC and it seems others only partially support CEC so when that happens one thing, like the power on and off command, doesn’t work and you end up having to use a second remote anyway, which defeats the whole point.

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

#330

Post by squiffsquiff »

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 has been discussed previously and one of the major issues is that many devices require internet connectivity to complete initial setup before they can be used.
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