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I have an older LG TV (circa 2016 or so) which runs an older version of LG's WebOS. It has no ads, the TV's UI hasn't noticeably slowed. It's 4K. It's an excell

by megraf 6y ago

I have an older LG TV (circa 2016 or so) which runs an older version of LG's WebOS. It has no ads, the TV's UI hasn't noticeably slowed. It's 4K. It's an excellent TV. I catch myself thinking that I'll be in a conundrum when the TV eventually dies. It looks like new versions of LG's WebOS has ads every time you open it's 'dock'. Yes, you can buy an AppleTV (or your preferred alternative) – but you'll always be scurrying to the TV's original remove for anything beyond on/off, or changing the volume. So you either keep two remotes around, or toss Apple's glass remote and use a universal remote. Does it work? Sure. Is it elegant? Eh. How have you guys solved this?

lotsofpulp 6y ago
>Does it work? Sure. Is it elegant? Eh. How have you guys solved this? I don't do anything other than turn the TV off and on and change the volume, so the Apple TV remote (or any other remote programmed to work with the Apple TV remote) suffices. I put a little adhesive remote holder I stuck on the back of the TV for the remote that came with the TV for the rare times I might need to change the input or something.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
Dylan16807 6y ago
> but you'll always be scurrying to the TV's original remove for anything beyond on/off, or changing the volume I'm not sure how long it's been since I've done anything other than volume, on/off, or source switch on the TV, but I think it's measured in years.
- rektide 6y ago
  Each of those actions can be done via Audio Return Channel (ARC), and perhaps most/all of them via HDMI-CEC. About 50% of the time the Chromecast Google TV we just bought can adjust the tv's audio itself (unless we are casting to it, in which case it does nothing except pops up a notice to check settings, which we have thoroughly checked). But there's still a lot that can not be done. I change my Samsung monitor's brightness, gamma, & "lean-back" view mode multiple times a week. On my projector I switch between "quiet" & normal mode, & adjust keystone & zoom depending on position. It'd be awesome to de-interface the TV, to create machine-to-machine interfaces that let the TV be a "dumb" screen while still being able to fiddle it's knobs. We could definitely go middle-way by returning to the tv having an "on screen display" only, some menus for configuration, but I'd love to also expand the digital controllability of these things, such that Rokus & GTVs &c can integrate with, become a comprehensive modular hub/brain for controlling the TV.
  - Daho0n 6y ago
    Except ARC is horribly broken on, well, most systems. I can't count the amount of systems where a HDMI connection breaks in subtle ways because of the HDMI device in the neighbor HDMI input! Advice number one if you have ARC problems is to unplug the other devices. It is just insane how bad ARC is implemented.
ocdtrekkie 6y ago
The thing that's frustrating about webOS is that LG doesn't provide meaningful updates, and apparently app providers have no incentive to support TVs more than a year or two old. So the most expensive, highest quality TV in my house can't use CBS All Access because the webOS version is slightly too old. I've become convinced that you should either buy a TV with Roku built in or buy a TV and stick a Roku on it. It seems to be the only platform with the clout to get support for most streaming apps and that also updates its software regularly for a long time. I don't like the idea of a single, proprietary platform being the end-all, but every manufacturer-specific platform seems to be missing key streaming apps, and then there's Google where it's unlikely Google will support the device in a year. Roku has built-in AirPlay support now too, which I believe makes it the only non-Apple device that you can "just" stream to from an iPhone.
- phren0logy 6y ago
  I recently bought a mid-tier Vizio that has AirPlay 2 built in, also.
  - ocdtrekkie 6y ago
    That's good to hear. I definitely had a lot of initial irritation with my iPhone that the only box it could stream to was another Apple product (at the time).
- chrischen 6y ago
  I think Apple TV generally has more clout and has features come to it first. For example, HBO Max had Apple TV support first before Roku.
  - freeone3000 6y ago
    YouTube on AppleTV is the worst experience, though. The UI is incredibly laggy. It's much nicer on Roku.
    - hellweaver666 6y ago
drewg123 6y ago
I have a 2019 LG OLED. I use the TV remote to control an Nvidia Shield via HDMI-CEC. Some apps work "better" on the TV (Netflix, Amazon Prime) since I can get Dolby Vision from the built-in apps. Other apps (Disney+) are horrifically buggy on the TV and I use the Shield for them. I have not enabled all the snooping that LG wants, and so I do not see any ads. If I ever start to see ads, I'd factory reset the TV so it forgets my wifi, and use the shield or an Apple TV. I also use the shield for and ad-free youtube by using SmartYouTubeTV on the shield.
- _coveredInBees 6y ago
  Wait, why doesn't the Shield do Dolby Vision / HDR for Netflix/Amazon? I thought that was like one of the best options for a streaming media player so that is a big surprise to me. I'm curious because I also own a 2019 LG C9 and currently use only internal apps + my HTPC but am considering the Shield as an option.
jayd16 6y ago
I use a Sony TV and the latest Playstation(launch, pro, and now PS5). The TV remote can control the Playstation interface so you don't need to use the controller if you're just watching things. Its all in on Sony but its pretty nice to only have one remote.
- hyakosm 6y ago
  It works on my cheap TCL TV with a PS4 after enabling HDMI-CEC, it's really nice!
smileybarry 6y ago
HDMI CEC should allow you to just reuse the TV remote, I had an NVIDIA Shield plugged into my TV for a while and it would automatically forward TV remote inputs to the Shield. At some point I just took the batteries out of the Shield remote and used the TV's for both.
Daho0n 6y ago
> It looks like new versions of LG's WebOS has ads every time you open it's 'dock'. I own a LG OLED from 2020 and it has the option to turn on ads. Yes, it can have ads but you have to turn them on yourself.
theshrike79 6y ago
LG TV + Apple TV here too. I don't touch the remote control unless I need to adjust volume for my PS4/Xbox or turn the TV off. For AppleTV it turns itself on when I tap the ATV remote, volume is adjusted using the same remote.

by megraf 6y ago

lotsofpulp 6y ago

>Does it work? Sure. Is it elegant? Eh. How have you guys solved this? I don't do anything other than turn the TV off and on and change the volume, so the Apple TV remote (or any other remote programmed to work with the Apple TV remote) suffices. I put a little adhesive remote holder I stuck on the back of the TV for the remote that came with the TV for the rare times I might need to change the input or something.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

Dylan16807 6y ago

> but you'll always be scurrying to the TV's original remove for anything beyond on/off, or changing the volume I'm not sure how long it's been since I've done anything other than volume, on/off, or source switch on the TV, but I think it's measured in years.

rektide 6y ago
Each of those actions can be done via Audio Return Channel (ARC), and perhaps most/all of them via HDMI-CEC. About 50% of the time the Chromecast Google TV we just bought can adjust the tv's audio itself (unless we are casting to it, in which case it does nothing except pops up a notice to check settings, which we have thoroughly checked). But there's still a lot that can not be done. I change my Samsung monitor's brightness, gamma, & "lean-back" view mode multiple times a week. On my projector I switch between "quiet" & normal mode, & adjust keystone & zoom depending on position. It'd be awesome to de-interface the TV, to create machine-to-machine interfaces that let the TV be a "dumb" screen while still being able to fiddle it's knobs. We could definitely go middle-way by returning to the tv having an "on screen display" only, some menus for configuration, but I'd love to also expand the digital controllability of these things, such that Rokus & GTVs &c can integrate with, become a comprehensive modular hub/brain for controlling the TV.
- Daho0n 6y ago
  Except ARC is horribly broken on, well, most systems. I can't count the amount of systems where a HDMI connection breaks in subtle ways because of the HDMI device in the neighbor HDMI input! Advice number one if you have ARC problems is to unplug the other devices. It is just insane how bad ARC is implemented.

ocdtrekkie 6y ago

The thing that's frustrating about webOS is that LG doesn't provide meaningful updates, and apparently app providers have no incentive to support TVs more than a year or two old. So the most expensive, highest quality TV in my house can't use CBS All Access because the webOS version is slightly too old. I've become convinced that you should either buy a TV with Roku built in or buy a TV and stick a Roku on it. It seems to be the only platform with the clout to get support for most streaming apps and that also updates its software regularly for a long time. I don't like the idea of a single, proprietary platform being the end-all, but every manufacturer-specific platform seems to be missing key streaming apps, and then there's Google where it's unlikely Google will support the device in a year. Roku has built-in AirPlay support now too, which I believe makes it the only non-Apple device that you can "just" stream to from an iPhone.

phren0logy 6y ago
I recently bought a mid-tier Vizio that has AirPlay 2 built in, also.
- ocdtrekkie 6y ago
  That's good to hear. I definitely had a lot of initial irritation with my iPhone that the only box it could stream to was another Apple product (at the time).
chrischen 6y ago
I think Apple TV generally has more clout and has features come to it first. For example, HBO Max had Apple TV support first before Roku.
- freeone3000 6y ago
  YouTube on AppleTV is the worst experience, though. The UI is incredibly laggy. It's much nicer on Roku.
  - hellweaver666 6y ago

drewg123 6y ago

I have a 2019 LG OLED. I use the TV remote to control an Nvidia Shield via HDMI-CEC. Some apps work "better" on the TV (Netflix, Amazon Prime) since I can get Dolby Vision from the built-in apps. Other apps (Disney+) are horrifically buggy on the TV and I use the Shield for them. I have not enabled all the snooping that LG wants, and so I do not see any ads. If I ever start to see ads, I'd factory reset the TV so it forgets my wifi, and use the shield or an Apple TV. I also use the shield for and ad-free youtube by using SmartYouTubeTV on the shield.

_coveredInBees 6y ago
Wait, why doesn't the Shield do Dolby Vision / HDR for Netflix/Amazon? I thought that was like one of the best options for a streaming media player so that is a big surprise to me. I'm curious because I also own a 2019 LG C9 and currently use only internal apps + my HTPC but am considering the Shield as an option.

jayd16 6y ago

I use a Sony TV and the latest Playstation(launch, pro, and now PS5). The TV remote can control the Playstation interface so you don't need to use the controller if you're just watching things. Its all in on Sony but its pretty nice to only have one remote.

hyakosm 6y ago
It works on my cheap TCL TV with a PS4 after enabling HDMI-CEC, it's really nice!

smileybarry 6y ago

HDMI CEC should allow you to just reuse the TV remote, I had an NVIDIA Shield plugged into my TV for a while and it would automatically forward TV remote inputs to the Shield. At some point I just took the batteries out of the Shield remote and used the TV's for both.

Daho0n 6y ago

> It looks like new versions of LG's WebOS has ads every time you open it's 'dock'. I own a LG OLED from 2020 and it has the option to turn on ads. Yes, it can have ads but you have to turn them on yourself.

theshrike79 6y ago

LG TV + Apple TV here too. I don't touch the remote control unless I need to adjust volume for my PS4/Xbox or turn the TV off. For AppleTV it turns itself on when I tap the ATV remote, volume is adjusted using the same remote.