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Ask HN: What's the best hackable smart TV?

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Re: Ask HN: What's the best hackable smart TV?

#101

Post by kelthuzad »

paulgerhardt wrote: post #45

Do recommend the LG C series (C5 or C4 are new or the C1 series if you want a deal on classifieds - same hardware as the higher end models but needs a firmware bit flip). The OS is very rootable and it makes a great TV that doubles as a monitor. Supports free sync / g-sync. OLED is nice at this scale. Text is very readable, refresh rate is good. It uses the same panels as the fancier G series in the larger sizes. One…

I bought the Samsung Frame TV and I love it, but you're correct about Samsung's OS (it's sluggish, filled with ADs and by far the worst TV OS that I've used so far)

Re: Ask HN: What's the best hackable smart TV?

#102

Post by [deleted] »

paulgerhardt wrote: post #45

Do recommend the LG C series (C5 or C4 are new or the C1 series if you want a deal on classifieds - same hardware as the higher end models but needs a firmware bit flip). The OS is very rootable and it makes a great TV that doubles as a monitor. Supports free sync / g-sync. OLED is nice at this scale. Text is very readable, refresh rate is good. It uses the same panels as the fancier G series in the larger sizes. One…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: What's the best hackable smart TV?

#103

Post by joshstrange »

colangelod wrote: post #9

If you just want it for the HDMI input to use as an aux screen for what ever computer your running than anything with an HDMI input in the size range you want should work. I run all the TV's in my house like this; connected to mac mini's instead of futzing with the onboard software mostly because I despise typing one letter at a time with a tv remote. Honestly all the onboard TV OS stuff I have interacted with in the…

This!

All my TVs have an Apple TV on them and that's all that is used (aside from a game console here and there). I pretty much never need to interact with the TV OS. Is there a Netflix app on my TV? Probably, I'll never know, I've never even launched the app store.

Re: Ask HN: What's the best hackable smart TV?

#104

Post by jp191919 »

hamdingers wrote: post #20

For "fun and interesting" consider an LG WebOS TV. Many can be rooted[1] which allows installing a homebrew channel[2] of unauthorized apps or writing your own. I initially did it for Jellyfin before they made it into the official app store, but the Moonlight game streaming app has unlocked many hours of entertainment. 1. https://cani.rootmy.tv 2. https://www.webosbrew.org/

Great..... another rabbit hole to go down. I have an LG CX and I never knew I could root it. Glad I never gave it internet access.

Re: Ask HN: What's the best hackable smart TV?

#106

Post by iguessthislldo »

paulgerhardt wrote: post #45

Do recommend the LG C series (C5 or C4 are new or the C1 series if you want a deal on classifieds - same hardware as the higher end models but needs a firmware bit flip). The OS is very rootable and it makes a great TV that doubles as a monitor. Supports free sync / g-sync. OLED is nice at this scale. Text is very readable, refresh rate is good. It uses the same panels as the fancier G series in the larger sizes. One…

I have one of them (don't remember which number) and OLED part is very nice. I haven't done anything with the TV itself, but I forked an old library (https://github.com/iguessthislldo/libLGTV_serial) to control it remotely through serial and Home Assistant without connecting it to my WiFi. I originally set this up for a much older 1080p LG TV, and was able to use it with a newer one with a few modifications.

edit: Apparently I specially have C3PUA according to the model data I added. Also if anyone is interested in this, I can update the README because I didn't change it after I forked it.

Re: Ask HN: What's the best hackable smart TV?

#107

Post by joshstrange »

yetanother-1 wrote: post #83

Side question: what TV is best for integration into home assistant from experienced HA users...

I think Samsung TVs can be interacted with through HA's SmartThings integration but I don't use that at all. Instead I have my Harmony Hubs (yes, a dying breed, literally) connected and that's the only way I interact with my TVs via HA.

"Alexa, turn on Living Room TV" -> HA -> Harmony -> IR Blaster

I think through the Apple TV integration I can control them even further but I greatly prefer just using the Harmony remote. I'm not looking forward to the day when those stop working completely and I have to evaluate other options. Every year or so I look around but nothing beats my old Harmony remote (with a coin battery that lasts so long I've lost track, easily over a year) and the Harmony Hub (which actually sends out the signals).

Re: Ask HN: What's the best hackable smart TV?

#108

Post by somat »

cheschire wrote: post #72
twostorytower wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Motion smoothing is awful.

I've always thought this feature might have more potential if more modern deep-learning tech was baked into the video and not just dumb frame interpolation. I can imagine that there would be a potential to generate interpolated frames that intelligently make fast-moving scenes more understandable while leaving slow-moving scenes more or less at their intended 24 FPS. Many action movies, especially with close hand-to-…

It will happen, look at the results they are getting out of the framegen stuff on pc graphics cards. DLSS and friends.

I sort of don't like it(Old man shakes fist at sky "I want my frames to be real") but they are getting amazing results.

Re: Ask HN: What's the best hackable smart TV?

#109

Post by fragmede »

hamdingers wrote: post #24
mongol wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What does store mode do?

It disables smart features and many of the settings making it more like a dumb HDMI screen. This may seem like a good thing, but it also usually enables a "vibrant" postprocessing picture mode, motion smoothing, and maximum brightness so the display looks good in a well lit big box store. Unless your viewing environment is similar (or you don't care so much) that's probably not what you want.

It also, in my case, puts up a giant info banner on the screen across the content, about the screen's capabilities, so YMMV.

Re: Ask HN: What's the best hackable smart TV?

#110

Post by conradev »

DavideNL wrote: post #74
zeusk wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> same hardware as the higher end models but needs a firmware bit flip Is this firmware bit flip known? couldn't find anything off google.

https://cani.rootmy.tv/

This is incredible. I had no idea that there is a Homebrew channel!
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