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Newly purchased Vizio TVs now require Walmart accounts to use smart features

arstechnica.com

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Re: Newly purchased Vizio TVs now require Walmart accounts to use smart features

#81

Post by boesboes »

plagiarist wrote: post #44
SoftTalker wrote: post #35

Just use an AppleTV, Roku, etc. and connect it to the HDMI port. TV is just a screen. That is how I've used mine for the last 5+ years.

It won't be "just a screen" for much longer if people continue paying for TVs that do this bullshit.

Can you even buy 'just a screen'? We have huge (100"+) screens in the office, they cost A LOT. full of spam, apps, ads, popups. It doesnt even swithc to hdmi or what ever you input automatically, you need to select the screen mode orso.

The local electronics chain has 50-100 different TV's. All are 'smart'.

I would be ok with classifying this as a crime against humanity. /s

But honestly, I've just given up. I don't watch tv or movies or stream anymore, because it's all the same bullshit

Re: Newly purchased Vizio TVs now require Walmart accounts to use smart features

#82

Post by SoftTalker »

plagiarist wrote: post #44
SoftTalker wrote: post #35

Just use an AppleTV, Roku, etc. and connect it to the HDMI port. TV is just a screen. That is how I've used mine for the last 5+ years.

It won't be "just a screen" for much longer if people continue paying for TVs that do this bullshit.

IDK. People are always going to want to connect game consoles, computers, etc to big screens without a lot of fuss.

Re: Newly purchased Vizio TVs now require Walmart accounts to use smart features

#84

Post by jerlam »

sjsdaiuasgdia wrote: post #72
jvolkman wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is the half-screen display? On my Samsung S90D (new within the last year or so), I can set it to skip the "home" screen and go directly to the last input on power on. It works well.

A manufacturer can target multiple markets and make different choices for different markets. The Samsung S90D (a 65" 4K model) you bought appears to sell for about $1000. Looking at Best Buy's site, you can also buy a Samsung 65" 4K TV for as little as $180 (model DU6900). Yes, there's other differences. LED vs OLED etc. But at a glance they seem equivalent to a consumer...and one costs 5x more. The $1000 TV is targe…

There are free TVs now that are completely subsidized by ads: https://www.telly.com/

But don't think people who can afford the more expensive TV are also more tech-savvy. Some just want a nicer TV. Also, they are a much more lucrative target market than people who cannot afford the nicer TV.

Re: Newly purchased Vizio TVs now require Walmart accounts to use smart features

#86

Post by tombert »

giancarlostoro wrote: post #68

I never connect my smart TVs to the network, I just plug in my Apple TV and move on. It's frustrating because it takes longer to turn these devices on than it should because of all the additional overhead I don't want or need. I wish someone would make a painless gadget to flash the software with dumber software that loads instantly.

Yeah, I don't connect my TV to WiFi at all; as long as TVs have HDMI ports I'll just use an Nvidia Shield TV (or something similar). If I do that I have access to more apps, a snappier interface, and it's easier to upgrade if I need to later.

I've looked into flashing it to use a dumber firmware, but it got into technical documentation that I don't really understand really quickly. I haven't looked into it since I got a Claude Code membership though, so it might be worth revisiting with AI assistance.

Re: Newly purchased Vizio TVs now require Walmart accounts to use smart features

#88

Post by 555513 »

toast0 wrote: post #22
pavel_lishin wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google and Amazon make smart TVs?

No, but neither do Roku. All three participate to embed their software (and hardware, probably) on smart TVs that other people make.

Roku makes TV, as well as Amazon.

All 3 make streaming devices (Stick, set-top box, etc).

Re: Newly purchased Vizio TVs now require Walmart accounts to use smart features

#90

Post by chrony3705 »

RiverCrochet wrote: post #50
embedding-shape wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Brighter picture perhaps, but good luck being able to have anything resembling "actual black", best you'll get is dark gray. Alternative solution that doesn't require worse picture quality, never hook up the TV to the internet. State of the art quality, none of the data collection.

I would bet five figures that within 5 years it will be commonplace for TVs to require an Internet connection in order to be used at all. One is ATSC 3.0 and its DRM encryption capabilities. The other scenario is probably be that, because the TV has pre-installed applications, then the TV has to record your age and register it upstream to comply with an age-verification law or interpretation thereof.

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