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216M Spy TVs – The LG Smart TV Problem [video]

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Re: 216M Spy TVs – The LG Smart TV Problem [video]

#481

Post by bigyabai »

bichiliad wrote: post #479
bigyabai wrote: post #474

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Now you're trusting Apple to not enshittify your TV with a firmware update. Even modern set-top boxes are so awful that I understand why everyone moved on to phones/computers.

Anything that you use to show stuff on your tv is gonna have this problem. Apple is a little higher on the trust spectrum than, say, Roku. You’re paying Apple in part for the convenience of not doing a homebrew setup, and in part for the trust.

Not anything - you can use XBMC or Jellyfin and have a certain degree of control over your frontend.

Apple's big problem is that whatever they say, goes. If they decide to partner with Hulu for advertisements, you have no escape hatch to install a respectful UX.

Re: 216M Spy TVs – The LG Smart TV Problem [video]

#482

Post by switchbak »

scoot wrote: post #447
josuepeq wrote: post #435

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s okay to be a luddite. Not everything needs to have an interface. Got into a spat with a manager at my apartment complex because I refused to install their app just to deal with a maintenance issue. He was like, “I don’t see the problem, you have to use the Latch app to open your apartment door.” To which I replied, “No, I have the door keypad code memorized.” Just like I don’t need an app to make a log of exit/e…

> you have to use the Latch app to open your apartment door So what happens if you arrive home with a dead phone? And possibly worse, they have a log of when you come and go?

You have a unique code, don't they already have a log of your coming and goings?

But I would absolutely not install an app for that.

Re: 216M Spy TVs – The LG Smart TV Problem [video]

#483

Post by amelius »

emsixteen wrote: post #322
amelius wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you know that ethernet can run over HDMI? It's called HDMI Ethernet Channel (HEC).

Surely it still needs to be connected to something that has a network connection, though? Doesn't really mean much here.

I'm saying that "it is connected only via a HDMI cable" does not imply "it is not connected to the Internet".

Re: 216M Spy TVs – The LG Smart TV Problem [video]

#485

Post by MiddleEndian »

ezst wrote: post #155
throw93947309 wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This. Why would you even connect TV to the network? It is well known for like 5 years. Smsrt TVs go through your movies library, and upload screenshots and filenames to internet. Some will start showing ads after firmware upgrade.

> This. Why would you even connect TV to the network? I happen to have a NAS with family pictures I like to display. I can (and do) firewall that thing, but then you hit other issues like the apps you need to show pictures and movies in the first place not to install/run. I've yet to hear of a reasonable recipe to isolate and secure such connected TVs. And don't get me started on Chromecast or other Android dongles,…

Just hook up a PC to it?

Re: 216M Spy TVs – The LG Smart TV Problem [video]

#486

Post by layer8 »

ezst wrote: post #155
throw93947309 wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This. Why would you even connect TV to the network? It is well known for like 5 years. Smsrt TVs go through your movies library, and upload screenshots and filenames to internet. Some will start showing ads after firmware upgrade.

> This. Why would you even connect TV to the network? I happen to have a NAS with family pictures I like to display. I can (and do) firewall that thing, but then you hit other issues like the apps you need to show pictures and movies in the first place not to install/run. I've yet to hear of a reasonable recipe to isolate and secure such connected TVs. And don't get me started on Chromecast or other Android dongles,…

You can always just connect your laptop (or some spare laptop) to the TV via HDMI. Not sure why you’d need to “hack together” something. A dedicated HTPC is nicer if you want to use IR remotes and the like.

Re: 216M Spy TVs – The LG Smart TV Problem [video]

#487

Post by switchbak »

sandworm101 wrote: post #434
imglorp wrote: post #394

Earlier quoted context omitted.

PS, my technical means are keeping my TV off the internet.

Which doesnt work. LG tvs will scan for availible networks. Someone setting up a new router within range briefly disables encryption and "your" tv will jump on that network and transmit all the stored data. It is tinfoil hats time, at least for LG tvs.

I guess you could remove the wifi antenna, or otherwise brick the wifi reception ability (faraday cage, lead block, etc). Or - just boycott LG. I'll never buy any of that corporate espionage nonsense, ever.

Also: the US intelligence agencies used Echelon ages ago to monitor what vast swaths of innocent people were up to. I think it's sensible to presume they've got their hooks into these devices too.

Re: 216M Spy TVs – The LG Smart TV Problem [video]

#488

Post by Ardon »

drnick1 wrote: post #468
mancerayder wrote: post #453

After researching a new TV (where it only needs an Apple TV, no so-called smart features for spying purposes) the three contenders were Samsung, LG and Sony Bravia (the higher end models). Samsung was the least trustworthy, having played games with firmware updates and adding telemetry, LG was medium trustworthy, and Sony seemed the least likely. It looks like that heuristic was correct. For the Bravia, I put it on w…

> Folks, never update a TV firmware unless it's necessary. Why would a TV ever need a firmware update? Either it works out of the box or it doesn't and I return it. I never updated the firmware of my PC monitor either.

There really is a lot of processing between the signal and final display. It's pretty common for TVs to ship and then get a firmware update that does actually affect core display functionality.

I'd rather they just shipped finished firmware, but yanno. I got bit on a monitor that has actual firmware bugs but no firmware upgrade path that doesn't involve trying to ship it to a service center.

Re: 216M Spy TVs – The LG Smart TV Problem [video]

#489

Post by switchbak »

Arainach wrote: post #460
roboror wrote: post #412

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are ads for ATV content.

No, there really aren't. I turn on the device, the app in the upper left is selected and showing some content from that. The device sits idle, I get drone footage of landscapes. If I accidentally bump the wrong button on the remote and get sent into the Apple TV (streaming service) app, sure it advertises producte, but in general there are no ads. In comparison, Google TV's homescreen is giant ads for content on serv…

And the Nvidia Shield is also hot garbage in this regard.

I suppose my next device is an Apple TV or some kind of home brew Linux box.

Re: 216M Spy TVs – The LG Smart TV Problem [video]

#490

Post by mixmastamyk »

dataflow wrote: post #448
jandrese wrote: post #429

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just because you didn't allow it on your local WiFi doesn't mean it did not connect to the Internet. Your neighbors might have a guest WiFi it can use. Or maybe it has a built-in cell modem. Your data is valuable, there's reason to put effort into getting it.

Wouldn't using a neighbor's Wi-Fi without anyone's permission or instruction violate CFAA or some other law? Also, wouldn't this be trivial to test by just setting up your own network and seeing if the TV connects?

They have permission from the provider, why they are able to log in.
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