5 ms·

Sony dropped playstation support for my 4K monitor in an irreversible software update, forcing me to buy a smart TV :/ Also: the new smart TV bootloops if it c

Sony dropped playstation support for my 4K monitor in an irreversible software update, forcing me to buy a smart TV :/ Also: the new smart TV bootloops if it can't connect to the internet for more than a couple weeks at a time (it wants to refresh its screensaver ads). You can run, but you can't hide.

hanklazard 6y ago
That last part is my nightmare ... which company is it?
- jjoonathan 6y ago
  TCL. The screens are cheap, but they get you with the ads.
derekp7 6y ago
If you open up a smart TV, isn't the "smart" part of it basically an embedded ARM cpu SBC, with a somewhat standard connection to the LCD cable? If so, how hard would it be to rip out the smarts and put in a passive HDMI to LCD converter board?
- nitrogen 6y ago
  This exact strategy is mentioned elsewhere, and it appears there are people trying to reverse engineer the base firmwares as well.
TallGuyShort 6y ago
I like Amazon's model for this on the Kindle: Kindles are subsidized by ads, so you can buy what is effectively a REALLY cheap tablet from a well-known company if that's most important to you. OR, if you prefer, you can go pay a one-time fee an eliminate ads from the OS.
- stormdennis 6y ago
  Or you can buy the cheap one with ads and keep it on aircraft mode, longer battery life, no ads. (Download content from PC via USB)
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - TallGuyShort 6y ago
    True - but the fact that's even possible still makes me happier than the TV my comment was replying to.
- jjoonathan 6y ago
  Yeah, I would be less upset about the ad situation if they had made it clear up front and given me a choice like Amazon does with the Kindle. That said, when companies price the ad-free premium at 1000x the expected ad revenue, it gets aggravating again.
  - gindely 6y ago
    What's the advantage of this? Surely they're better off pricing it at 2x the expected ad revenue, since then they can expect to get twice as much now as they otherwise would get eventually? Indeed, even if it were 1.01x the expected ad revenue they've won with this upsell.
    - jjoonathan 6y ago
      A willingness to pay signals that you A. have money and B. care about quality, which makes you a ripe target for price discrimination, which is why "ad-free" premiums often exceed the ad revenue by an enormous factor.
    - plorkyeran 6y ago
      Charging 1.01x the expected ad revenue wouldn't cover the cost of implementing the no-ad option. Even 2x might be in break-even territory when you include extra support costs and the like (one person on the phone because they bought no-ads and got ads due to a mishap somewhere wipes out the profit from a lot of no-ad sales). There's also the funny issue where people who can afford to pay extra for the no-ads option are exactly the people that advertisers want to show ads to. If the no-ads option is $5, then you're left selling ads with a target market of people who can't afford or don't want to spend $5, and that ends up driving down your ad revenue. A large gap between the expected ad revenue and the price of the no-ad option helps mitigate this effect.
beervirus 6y ago
> Sony dropped playstation support for my 4K monitor in an irreversible software update What kind of support does it need? Isn't it just an HDMI cable?
- LeonM 6y ago
  My guess is the TV must support DRM
  - thisisnico 6y ago
    HDCP?
  - lreeves 6y ago
    That's only for Bluray playback, for gaming the PS4 doesn't care about HDCP.
    - martin8412 6y ago
      I'm pretty sure that is not correct. I've had issues with games on the PS4 not wanting to start, and I know the PS3 required HDCP for certain games as well.
- jjoonathan 6y ago
  Nope. It was a specific HDMI codec that was common to early 4k TVs and monitors, and it worked great until they decided it shouldn't anymore. Something about HDMI 1.4 vs HDMI 2.0.
  - throwaway0a5e 6y ago
    Sounds like something a $20ish active adapter should be able to fix. The box shouldn't care what's on the other end of the cable as long as whatever it is speaks the right version of the protocol.
    - jjoonathan 6y ago

hanklazard 6y ago

That last part is my nightmare ... which company is it?

jjoonathan 6y ago
TCL. The screens are cheap, but they get you with the ads.

derekp7 6y ago

If you open up a smart TV, isn't the "smart" part of it basically an embedded ARM cpu SBC, with a somewhat standard connection to the LCD cable? If so, how hard would it be to rip out the smarts and put in a passive HDMI to LCD converter board?

nitrogen 6y ago
This exact strategy is mentioned elsewhere, and it appears there are people trying to reverse engineer the base firmwares as well.

TallGuyShort 6y ago

I like Amazon's model for this on the Kindle: Kindles are subsidized by ads, so you can buy what is effectively a REALLY cheap tablet from a well-known company if that's most important to you. OR, if you prefer, you can go pay a one-time fee an eliminate ads from the OS.

stormdennis 6y ago
Or you can buy the cheap one with ads and keep it on aircraft mode, longer battery life, no ads. (Download content from PC via USB)
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- TallGuyShort 6y ago
  True - but the fact that's even possible still makes me happier than the TV my comment was replying to.
jjoonathan 6y ago
Yeah, I would be less upset about the ad situation if they had made it clear up front and given me a choice like Amazon does with the Kindle. That said, when companies price the ad-free premium at 1000x the expected ad revenue, it gets aggravating again.
- gindely 6y ago
  What's the advantage of this? Surely they're better off pricing it at 2x the expected ad revenue, since then they can expect to get twice as much now as they otherwise would get eventually? Indeed, even if it were 1.01x the expected ad revenue they've won with this upsell.
  - jjoonathan 6y ago
    A willingness to pay signals that you A. have money and B. care about quality, which makes you a ripe target for price discrimination, which is why "ad-free" premiums often exceed the ad revenue by an enormous factor.
  - plorkyeran 6y ago
    Charging 1.01x the expected ad revenue wouldn't cover the cost of implementing the no-ad option. Even 2x might be in break-even territory when you include extra support costs and the like (one person on the phone because they bought no-ads and got ads due to a mishap somewhere wipes out the profit from a lot of no-ad sales). There's also the funny issue where people who can afford to pay extra for the no-ads option are exactly the people that advertisers want to show ads to. If the no-ads option is $5, then you're left selling ads with a target market of people who can't afford or don't want to spend $5, and that ends up driving down your ad revenue. A large gap between the expected ad revenue and the price of the no-ad option helps mitigate this effect.

beervirus 6y ago

> Sony dropped playstation support for my 4K monitor in an irreversible software update What kind of support does it need? Isn't it just an HDMI cable?

LeonM 6y ago
My guess is the TV must support DRM
- thisisnico 6y ago
  HDCP?
- lreeves 6y ago
  That's only for Bluray playback, for gaming the PS4 doesn't care about HDCP.
  - martin8412 6y ago
    I'm pretty sure that is not correct. I've had issues with games on the PS4 not wanting to start, and I know the PS3 required HDCP for certain games as well.
jjoonathan 6y ago
Nope. It was a specific HDMI codec that was common to early 4k TVs and monitors, and it worked great until they decided it shouldn't anymore. Something about HDMI 1.4 vs HDMI 2.0.
- throwaway0a5e 6y ago
  Sounds like something a $20ish active adapter should be able to fix. The box shouldn't care what's on the other end of the cable as long as whatever it is speaks the right version of the protocol.
  - jjoonathan 6y ago