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Locked out of 'God Mode', runners are hacking their treadmills

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Re: Locked out of 'God Mode', runners are hacking their treadmills

#421

Post by bierjunge »

patrickk wrote: post #359
Sebb767 wrote: post #294

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> TV: just don't buy an actual TV. Buy a monitor and hook it up to a Linux box with something like Kodi. You can hook up your cable box if you have that or stream from Netflix and such. Sure, even Netflix makes it hard as you can't get 5.1 surround but I'll take that and 2.0 -> 5.1 upmix over buying a Smart TV any day! I've looked into this, but this option is really not great, either: - Large Monitors are unavailabl…

I got an LG CX tv and never hooked it up to the internet. It acts as a (very pretty) yet dumb tv like the old days. An Nvidia shield handles all the streaming, kodi handles local files etc, all the media that I could possibly need. 4k is handled by default out of the box. Surround sound is handled by an AV receiver. (Atmos surround is available if I wish to further upgrade the 7.1 speakers). It can be done. Granted,…

I have bad news for you. Even if the TV is not connected to your WiFi, it could still get into the network over other devices connected via HDMI with HEC [0].

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI#HEC

Re: Locked out of 'God Mode', runners are hacking their treadmills

#422

Post by foxfluff »

imoverclocked wrote: post #54
gorjusborg wrote: post #17

This type of 'update' is one reason I tend to stay away from so-called 'smart' devices. If part of the product I've paid for is software, and the company can update it without customer consent at any time, then I can't rely on the product's features. Period. I experienced this myself on the PS4 version of Terraria. I bought a hard-copy of the game. I mastered the controls, and loved them. Terraria was updated one day…

This pattern is pervasive. I also dislike needing an app and an internet connection for the most basic functionality with some purchased device. At some point, we need to own the things we buy and that line keeps getting pushed back further and further. Anec-data: I purchased a cooking device for my parents in December and it has a single button to turn it off. The only way to use it is with an app which requires a l…

> I also dislike needing an app and an internet connection for the most basic functionality with some purchased device.

Yeah, my watch supports setting (and syncing) the time and timezones using bluetooth. But before you can do that, you must agree to the maker's ridiculous privacy policy which includes consenting to sending them all kinds of data that has fuck all to do with setting the time on a watch. Immediately uninstalled. So that feature is dead weight to me unless/until someone reverse engineers the watch.

Re: Locked out of 'God Mode', runners are hacking their treadmills

#423

Post by cmcconomy »

brokenmachine wrote: post #194
mensetmanusman wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Government should mandate the ability to downgrade the software to versions that were previously available on said hardware. I’ve had so many issues with Apple devices losing compatibility with obscure features on apps after updating iOS, I wish I could go back occasionally to accomplish some task, and then upgrade again when finished. The flexibility is valuable. For example, on the newest iPad Pro, iMovie is unusab…

Definitely. TV updates are another thing. They change things with abandon and you can't revoke the updates. Sometimes they break stuff and then you have to pray and wait until they hopefully fix them at their leisure. IMO, it should be illegal to issue unrevokable updates so you can't get a product to have identical features as it did at the time of purchase. You should always be able to wipe it back to stock. Same w…

My Vizio TV updated itself a month ago, and I only noticed because changed the default behaviour of which input to open on when it turns on, which was really irritating. After finding the menu entry to fix it, that in particular was no longer an issue.

However, around the same time, my PC input began to blank out for a second at a time at random intervals which was very irritating. On a lark I performed a factory reset and didn't set up my wifi credentials, and it hasnt misbehaved since.

Re: Locked out of 'God Mode', runners are hacking their treadmills

#424

Post by glitcher »

Wow, sounds like a huge missed opportunity! If so many people were willing to pay a premium price for a device primarily because of how easy it was to customize, then perhaps it should be marketed that way in the first place.

Hardware vendor lock-in subscriptions may seem to the corporate world like a big win on paper, but how many customers are they losing who are willing to pay for a very premium product that they get full control over? (looking at you peloton)

Re: Locked out of 'God Mode', runners are hacking their treadmills

#425

Post by omnimus »

gorjusborg wrote: post #198
omnimus wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s not that i dont agree but the Terraria example is a bit unfair. First this is issue of the platform. On other platforms you can choose version of the game. And second Terraria is example of probably one of the most supported games. The update you are talking about brings massive amount of content and updates completely for free 9 years!!! after release. Most companies would milk the product with third sequel and…

I'm not trying to pick on Terraria, but I think it's a great example for the reasons you are bringing up. Even with the 'value add' of the update, I no longer play the game. Why? Because I invested in learning and mastering the game as it was when I bought it. The forced update removed all value for me , and I'm the one who made the decision to buy it. If the product is changed significantly after purchase without my…

I think it's how it's always been with software. It's ephemeral.

When the devs have to keep up with the system updates etc. there is expectation that they keep working on software. I am sure they would love to just push something that would work forever.

So much software that i bought stopped working. Even when you have "lifetime" license - eventually world moves on and you are without hardware to run the software.

I am not saying it's right but i am also not sure how it can be solved.

Re: Locked out of 'God Mode', runners are hacking their treadmills

#426

Post by nano9 »

beloch wrote: post #254

"NordicTrack says it supports right-to-repair rules. However, because of its equipment’s moving parts, the spokesperson says, it believes that restricting access to its operating system is important for safety. " The real reason they don't want people using other apps or watching third party videos is because anyone doing that is not spending money on iFit. Or, at least, not as much as they could be. NordicTrack like…

On top of that, iFit is not very good. Continuously adjusting incline stopped being interesting about 2 months in. The only thing I liked was that it recorded a running total of distance and elevation, which was good for motivation. I walk outside more than I use the treadmill nowadays, and I use my Apple Watch for motivating statistics. I will probably just sell my treadmill or just give it away.

Re: Locked out of 'God Mode', runners are hacking their treadmills

#427

Post by account42 »

omnimus wrote: post #57
gorjusborg wrote: post #17

This type of 'update' is one reason I tend to stay away from so-called 'smart' devices. If part of the product I've paid for is software, and the company can update it without customer consent at any time, then I can't rely on the product's features. Period. I experienced this myself on the PS4 version of Terraria. I bought a hard-copy of the game. I mastered the controls, and loved them. Terraria was updated one day…

It’s not that i dont agree but the Terraria example is a bit unfair. First this is issue of the platform. On other platforms you can choose version of the game. And second Terraria is example of probably one of the most supported games. The update you are talking about brings massive amount of content and updates completely for free 9 years!!! after release. Most companies would milk the product with third sequel and…

> On other platforms you can choose version of the game.

Which ones are those?

Re: Locked out of 'God Mode', runners are hacking their treadmills

#428

Post by garyfirestorm »

Tyr42 wrote: post #146
garyfirestorm wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you tried nvidia shield?

Did you see the update that shows ads for steaming services you don't have on the top 1/3 of the screen due to an update?

Yes I did. It doesn’t bother me much. And I’m sure you could sideload something to get rid of that Home Screen altogether.

Re: Locked out of 'God Mode', runners are hacking their treadmills

#429

Post by NeuNeurosis »

dotancohen wrote: post #384
amatecha wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I completely agree. Vehicle manufacturers can't just come and change out the steering wheel and dashboard in your vehicle, for example. Why can software vendors change out the total functionality of a piece of software you paid for? Especially irreversibly, in the case of DRM-laden platforms like game consoles, iOS, etc. where you cannot undo an update once it's installed, or cannot refuse an update if you want…

> Yeah, I completely agree. Vehicle manufacturers can't just come and change out the steering wheel and dashboard in your vehicle, for example. Actually, they can. There was a huge airbag recall a few years ago, affecting maybe half a dozen automobile manufacturers because they all bought their airbags from the same supplier. In at least one case, the dash had to be modified in order to fit a replacement airbag becau…

How is this relevant? The owner has to physically bring the vehicle into the dealer. The dealer can't change or replace anything while it is in my garage or driving down the street. There are physical barriers that require the owners consent beyond checking a box.

Re: Locked out of 'God Mode', runners are hacking their treadmills

#430

Post by patrickk »

bierjunge wrote: post #421
patrickk wrote: post #359

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I got an LG CX tv and never hooked it up to the internet. It acts as a (very pretty) yet dumb tv like the old days. An Nvidia shield handles all the streaming, kodi handles local files etc, all the media that I could possibly need. 4k is handled by default out of the box. Surround sound is handled by an AV receiver. (Atmos surround is available if I wish to further upgrade the 7.1 speakers). It can be done. Granted,…

I have bad news for you. Even if the TV is not connected to your WiFi, it could still get into the network over other devices connected via HDMI with HEC [0]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI#HEC

Although it could be a general concern, it unlikely to affect me.

Since all the HDMI connections are via a (slightly older, non-connected) AV receiver, its almost impossible for this to affect my setup. But it's indeed a sleazy move by those setting the HDMI standards.

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