5 ms·

> This thread feels very...Hacker News Bubble? Smart TVs is one of those recurring HN topics where it’s clear that people made up their minds years ago, likely

> This thread feels very...Hacker News Bubble? Smart TVs is one of those recurring HN topics where it’s clear that people made up their minds years ago, likely from a single bad experience. Now they can’t imagine that any progress has been made since then. There’s not much reason to buy a new TV these days if your old one still works (with an external TV box) You can still find terrible smart TVs out there, of course, but the newer models from top tier vendors like LG are actually quite good. I think it’s going to take many years before the angry HN smart TV comments catch up to modern reality.

olyjohn 5y ago
I don't think so. I think regardless of how good they are... a lot of people don't want to sell their viewing habits in exchange for using an app that you have to pay for to watch shows.
- jychang 5y ago
  I mean, most people just use Netflix and Hulu and Plex from their smart TV anyways. The former 2 are already collecting your viewing habits, and the latter is uncollectable since it's just streaming from your own server.
  - olyjohn 5y ago
    Sure, but Netflix is collecting my viewing habits about what I watch on Netflix. That makes sense to me. But Netflix isn't collecting my Hulu and Plex habits. The TV is aggregating all of those, which they have no business doing, and selling that. Though now that I think about it, all 3 probably sell your viewing habit data.
  - Forbo 5y ago
    > the latter is uncollectable since it's just streaming from your own server. Except smart TVs take screenshots of what you are watching and send it back for content analysis and correlation. So even if all you're doing is using it as a dumb monitor they are still collecting data about you. Edit: Before someone calls me a tinfoil hat, it's called automatic content recognition, look it up.
    - fsckboy 5y ago
      consumerreports privacy "how to turn off smart tv snooping" https://www.consumerreports.org/privacy/how-to-turn-off-smart-tv-snooping-features-a4840102036/ https://www.consumerreports.org/privacy/how-to-turn-off-smar...
      - Forbo 5y ago
        Opt-out dark patterns strike again! Even then, it still doesn't shut off all telemetry.
blibble 5y ago
unless they've stopped adding ads to my other programmes then I'm not plugging the TV back into the internet
jmcgough 5y ago
Some of these comments have a real "old man yells at cloud" vibe. Modern, mid-range or better Smart TVs are great. They let me enjoy streaming content or gaming without wasting time trying to configure something, torrent something, fiddle with subtitles. The newest models offer unparalleled gaming experiences via HDMI 2.1 features. There's (justifiably) privacy and other concerns on HN, but no one else is aware of those concerns or cares too much. The market has spoken.
- jeegsy 5y ago
  > The newest models offer unparalleled gaming experiences via HDMI 2.1 features. As an aside, there is no need for us to talk like heads of the marketing department in casual conversation.
- GoblinSlayer 5y ago
  >no one else is aware of those concerns or cares too much. The market has spoken. It means the market spoke from ignorance, there isn't much value in that speech, the market was deceived.
- Silhouette 5y ago
  The market has spoken. Markets only speak when meaningful competition exists. Are you really suggesting that people actively prefer to buy TVs that, for example, suddenly start showing them ads months or years after purchase?
  - kelnos 5y ago
    An ad-free experience would almost certainly cost more (consider Amazon's cheaper Kindle that shows ads when the screen goes to sleep). If we're talking about adding even $50 to a $1000 TV, I'd bet most consumers would rather endure the ads and keep the $50.
    - Silhouette 5y ago
      If I were a gambler I would probably take that bet, but the real problem here is that we currently have no way to tell who won because one of the options is not widely available to buyers.
glitcher 5y ago
I think you may be oversimplifying the concerns some have about smart tv's. There is quite a broad range of opinions between different HN commenters, and lumping us all into one group isn't very conducive to discussion. For me personally, I have basic privacy concerns with how smart tv companies are selling my viewing habits without any transparency. This issue has nothing to do with the "quality" of the tv and its features, and much more to do with the policies of the companies behind the products.
- philjohn 5y ago
  The simple solution therefore is just don't connect it to the internet, which is still viable (even though Amazon wants to co-opt everyone's devices for their IoT network). Don't plug an ethernet cable into it, don't give it your wifi network passcode.
labster 5y ago
> people made up their minds years ago, likely from a single bad experience. It’s true, I made up my mind in 1984.
- dredmorbius 5y ago
  Playin' it old school. Doubleplusgood.

olyjohn 5y ago

I don't think so. I think regardless of how good they are... a lot of people don't want to sell their viewing habits in exchange for using an app that you have to pay for to watch shows.

jychang 5y ago
I mean, most people just use Netflix and Hulu and Plex from their smart TV anyways. The former 2 are already collecting your viewing habits, and the latter is uncollectable since it's just streaming from your own server.
- olyjohn 5y ago
  Sure, but Netflix is collecting my viewing habits about what I watch on Netflix. That makes sense to me. But Netflix isn't collecting my Hulu and Plex habits. The TV is aggregating all of those, which they have no business doing, and selling that. Though now that I think about it, all 3 probably sell your viewing habit data.
- Forbo 5y ago
  > the latter is uncollectable since it's just streaming from your own server. Except smart TVs take screenshots of what you are watching and send it back for content analysis and correlation. So even if all you're doing is using it as a dumb monitor they are still collecting data about you. Edit: Before someone calls me a tinfoil hat, it's called automatic content recognition, look it up.
  - fsckboy 5y ago
    consumerreports privacy "how to turn off smart tv snooping" https://www.consumerreports.org/privacy/how-to-turn-off-smart-tv-snooping-features-a4840102036/ https://www.consumerreports.org/privacy/how-to-turn-off-smar...
    - Forbo 5y ago
      Opt-out dark patterns strike again! Even then, it still doesn't shut off all telemetry.

blibble 5y ago

unless they've stopped adding ads to my other programmes then I'm not plugging the TV back into the internet

jmcgough 5y ago

Some of these comments have a real "old man yells at cloud" vibe. Modern, mid-range or better Smart TVs are great. They let me enjoy streaming content or gaming without wasting time trying to configure something, torrent something, fiddle with subtitles. The newest models offer unparalleled gaming experiences via HDMI 2.1 features. There's (justifiably) privacy and other concerns on HN, but no one else is aware of those concerns or cares too much. The market has spoken.

jeegsy 5y ago
> The newest models offer unparalleled gaming experiences via HDMI 2.1 features. As an aside, there is no need for us to talk like heads of the marketing department in casual conversation.
GoblinSlayer 5y ago
>no one else is aware of those concerns or cares too much. The market has spoken. It means the market spoke from ignorance, there isn't much value in that speech, the market was deceived.
Silhouette 5y ago
The market has spoken. Markets only speak when meaningful competition exists. Are you really suggesting that people actively prefer to buy TVs that, for example, suddenly start showing them ads months or years after purchase?
- kelnos 5y ago
  An ad-free experience would almost certainly cost more (consider Amazon's cheaper Kindle that shows ads when the screen goes to sleep). If we're talking about adding even $50 to a $1000 TV, I'd bet most consumers would rather endure the ads and keep the $50.
  - Silhouette 5y ago
    If I were a gambler I would probably take that bet, but the real problem here is that we currently have no way to tell who won because one of the options is not widely available to buyers.

glitcher 5y ago

I think you may be oversimplifying the concerns some have about smart tv's. There is quite a broad range of opinions between different HN commenters, and lumping us all into one group isn't very conducive to discussion. For me personally, I have basic privacy concerns with how smart tv companies are selling my viewing habits without any transparency. This issue has nothing to do with the "quality" of the tv and its features, and much more to do with the policies of the companies behind the products.

philjohn 5y ago
The simple solution therefore is just don't connect it to the internet, which is still viable (even though Amazon wants to co-opt everyone's devices for their IoT network). Don't plug an ethernet cable into it, don't give it your wifi network passcode.

labster 5y ago

> people made up their minds years ago, likely from a single bad experience. It’s true, I made up my mind in 1984.

dredmorbius 5y ago
Playin' it old school. Doubleplusgood.