Samsung's smart TVs are inserting unwanted ads into users' own movies • Hacker News Board

Re: Samsung's smart TVs are inserting unwanted ads into users' own movies

#151

Post by dragonwriter » Wed, Feb 11, 2015, 5:48 PM UTC

andybak wrote: post #42

ChrisLTD wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Smart TVs are a good idea. Who doesn't want less crap plugged into their TV? However, TV manufacturers – for some reason – are ill-suited to developing the software that would make for a good experience.

Smart TVs are a terrible idea for the same reason that combined printer and scanners are a bad idea but with the negative aspect magnified many times. The cost and life expectancy of each part is very different and you don't want their replacement/upgrade to be tied together. A display panel should last you more than a decade and probably costs many 100s or 1000s. The 'smart' bit is probably worth less than $200 and…

> Smart TVs are a terrible idea for the same reason that combined printer and scanners are a bad idea but with the negative aspect magnified many times. The cost and life expectancy of each part is very different and you don't want their replacement/upgrade to be tied together.

I think combined printers and scanners are a much better idea than Smart TVs because (1) you get more benefit (footprint savings) from the combination with all-in-one printer/scanners than with Smart TVs, and (2) IME, printer replacement is desired more often than scanner replacement, and the printer is also the more expensive part; so you lose less by tieing replacement schedules together compared to Smart TVs, where the "brain" is the more frequently replaced part when replaced separately, but the display is the more expensive part.

Re: Samsung's smart TVs are inserting unwanted ads into users' own movies

#152

Post by Evolved » Wed, Feb 11, 2015, 5:51 PM UTC

Isn't the solution to this just not having an internet-connected TV? I don't know about any of you but of the TVs I've used to run apps, the ones with an Xbox/PS or Roku/Chromecast/AppleTV run YouTube/Netflix/etc. a lot better than the ones that run these apps natively.

Re: Samsung's smart TVs are inserting unwanted ads into users' own movies

#153

Post by joannerr » Wed, Feb 11, 2015, 5:52 PM UTC

Samsung may just feel they haven't good luck this time. Compared with it, I personally prefer Chromecast or Apple.

Re: Samsung's smart TVs are inserting unwanted ads into users' own movies

#154

Post by rodgerd » Wed, Feb 11, 2015, 5:59 PM UTC

a3n wrote: post #62

andybak wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Smart TVs are a terrible idea for the same reason that combined printer and scanners are a bad idea but with the negative aspect magnified many times. The cost and life expectancy of each part is very different and you don't want their replacement/upgrade to be tied together. A display panel should last you more than a decade and probably costs many 100s or 1000s. The 'smart' bit is probably worth less than $200 and…

I haven't bought a TV for five years (a Samsung, as it happens, plugged into a Roku). Can you even buy a TV that isn't smart these days?

I picked up a Panasonic Viera that is entirely bereft of smart features, not even a network port. About 2/3rds the price of equivalent quality screens with smart functionality, too.

That said, simply not plugging a smart TV into the network will solve most of the problems with it.

Re: Samsung's smart TVs are inserting unwanted ads into users' own movies

#155

Post by dragonwriter » Wed, Feb 11, 2015, 6:01 PM UTC

boobsbr wrote: post #137

btbuildem wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Technically, it's the people who bought the smart TVs that screwed up..

Can you even buy a dumb TV anymore?

> Can you even buy a dumb TV anymore?

Its getting hard to buy something sold as a consumer TV that isn't a "Smart TV", but then, very few people need a TV, per se, these days. If your content comes from electronic devices rather than an antenna, what you really need is a monitor with HDMI ports -- and big, quality monitors are available.

[0] And, even with an antenna, you can get an external tuner.

Re: Samsung's smart TVs are inserting unwanted ads into users' own movies

#156

Post by debian69 » Wed, Feb 11, 2015, 6:05 PM UTC

So like boycott samsung already?

Re: Samsung's smart TVs are inserting unwanted ads into users' own movies

#157

Post by rnovak » Wed, Feb 11, 2015, 6:07 PM UTC

asd wrote: post #112

astrodust wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Every "Smart TV" I've seen is like a dumbed down version of a real device like a Chromecast or an Apple TV. How do you make something so brutally garbage, anyway? Some of these TVs take so long to register a button press you have to wonder if they aren't using a 6502 inside to power the thing. The only experience that's worse is those set-top boxes the cable companies provide you with. The Amiga had near flawless, re…

What's worse is when you do not think that the Smart TV registered your button press and you send another after a second or two. Then you'll get two keypresses queued up and fire at once and then you have exited your app/screen/etc. Yay. DirecTV's apps (even on their latest Genie DVR) are the worst - you hit the right button and wait about 8 seconds for the apps to load. Why even bother? Someone surely tests these th…

Most of the time, in my opinion, and from my experience, is that non-functional requirements are never defined from their business analysts, and it's the same in many places.

A lot of places won't define performance requirements, as it's not their forethought to do so. They care about functional requirements, and if it meets those, then in their mind, their work is done. I've worked in several places (big names, too), that don't define non-functional stuff until after their beta is shipped and people start complaining.

Re: Samsung's smart TVs are inserting unwanted ads into users' own movies

#158

Post by beloch » Wed, Feb 11, 2015, 6:07 PM UTC

I've become convinced there's no such thing as an "opt-in" feature. There are only obfuscated opt-out "features" that companies claim they meant to make "opt-in" as a way of mollifying the few who figure out who is to blame for the "feature". Meanwhile, the silent majority watches the advertising and Samsung watches the ad bucks roll in.

Re: Samsung's smart TVs are inserting unwanted ads into users' own movies

#159

Post by dragonwriter » Wed, Feb 11, 2015, 6:08 PM UTC

slowmotiony wrote: post #24

Fundlab wrote: post #6

Personally a dumb tv/roku/media server has been my go to choice. This whole smartTV hype is still beyond me. Could someone please touch on the advantages of a smart TV offerings over my setup?

The TV that I wanted was not available without the smart functions. In fact, most new TVs aren't. It's not like I chose to pay extra for the smart stuff.

Its worth noting that a TV is already a combination device (though, mostly, a sensible one): display + TV tuner.

In many cases, you can get a similar display separately, branded as a "Monitor" or "Commercial Display" or something similar, with HDMI inputs, etc., but no TV tuner and no smart features.

If you are using locally-stored media, internet sources and/or a cable box as your content sources, you probably don't need a TV tuner built into your display any more than you need "Smart" features built into it.

Re: Samsung's smart TVs are inserting unwanted ads into users' own movies

#160

Post by MereInterest » Wed, Feb 11, 2015, 6:12 PM UTC

EliRivers wrote: post #91

Well of course they fucking are. YOU'RE THE PRODUCT, punters. They're selling you. This isn't new. They've been a bit clumsy this time and you've noticed, but nothing will change.

The usual line is "If you're not paying for simething, you're the product.". As a follow-up, if I am paying for something, I certainly expect not to be the product.