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> Perhaps the OpenLGTV/SamyGO projects and other folks will join forces on a common distro for smart TVs. What's wrong with webOS? I assume LG have "Googled"[0

> Perhaps the OpenLGTV/SamyGO projects and other folks will join forces on a common distro for smart TVs. What's wrong with webOS? I assume LG have "Googled"[0] it to some extent with proprietary software, but there's documentation, a lot of open-source stuff, and overall it doesn't look too bad. [0]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/07/googles-iron-grip-on-android-controlling-open-source-by-any-means-necessary/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/07/googles-iron-grip-on...

A4ET8a8uTh0 5y ago
Not parent, but I think I can respond. There is really nothing wrong with WebOS ( I actually find very good for my needs ), but the focus is not on having one decent OS we can mess around with as needed. The focus is on ensuring that users have actual control over their smart TVs. And this is where it gets fun. There is money to be made from harvesting data. Do you think companies will willingly give up the ability to keep 'users' in their grasp?
- cassianoleal 5y ago
  > users have actual control over their smart TVs I would add to that future updates, etc as well. LG stops bringing in major WebOS versions for older models, so you miss out on features and apps that would have no problems running on the hardware.
  - Angostura 5y ago
    I'm still getting updates on my (7 year old, plus?) LG model I think? Overall, I'm pretty impressed with the TV.
    - mijamo 5y ago
      You are getting security updates but not OS updates. OS updates actually stop after 1 or 2 years on LG TV. So if you look at the HBO max app for instance is for 2018+ models (web os 4 and more). I have a TV from 2017 with web OS 3 and I can't get the HBO max app.
      - toyg 5y ago
        Apps are not necessarily developed by LG, but by specific developers. The BBC for example stopped updating their app for a while, saying the device would not be supported going forward; they must have received a bunch of complaints though, because a couple of months later it was back to normal.
        anders_p 5y ago
        > Apps are not necessarily developed by LG, but by specific developers. Nobody here's saying anything like that, though. Not sure how you got that idea? But if the OS on your TV isn't being updated by LG any longer, then you won't be able install the newest versions of many apps, since they use SDK-features, that aren't supported by the older versions of the OS. Whether an app is actually developed by a third-party, like the BBC or HBO, doesn't change the fact that "minimum supported OS version", is as crippling for a TV, as it is for a smartphone or tablet. Last time I had to buy a new smartphone, even though the old one was still in excellent working condition, was because my bank and mobile payment apps, stopped supporting the Android OS version, it were stuck at. I'd hate to also have to buy new TV's, just because the Netflix, HBO, or whatever apps I use, stop working.
        drewg123 5y ago
        In that case, you'd just buy a streaming stick or settop box, like a FireTv, AppleTV, Roku, or AndroidTV box.. These are a small-ish percent of the cost of a new TV.
        toyg 5y ago
        From the parent post: > So if you look at the HBO max app for instance is for 2018+ models AFAIK nothing stops HBO from supporting older webOS releases, they just can't be arsed to. They could maintain builds produced with the older SDK forever, if they wanted to. Old models won't get new features, but there is no reason the app should stop working - like it works on the Apple Appstore every day to millions of apps.
        5y ago
- radicalbyte 5y ago
  I for one would like to connect my webcam to my TV and be able to use it to chat with Zoom / Signal / WebEx / Jitsi / Teams / Hangouts / ...
ptsneves 5y ago
No updates, specially to the browser. That means an old version of chrome that most sites refuse to run with. It is just useless.
bogwog 5y ago
LG TVs are filled with ads on the operating system itself, there are built-in features which you can't use without agreeing to an invasive privacy policy, the general performance is dogshit after a few years of updates, and there are dark patterns. For example, I have one Fire TV (and nothing else) connected to the HDMI port of mine. Whenever I turn on the TV, it correctly shows the HDMI input, but it always displays the WebOS app launcher for a couple of seconds, which covers a quarter of the screen. I know the difference between launching the Netflix app in WebOS and launching it through Fire TV, but I'm pretty sure the average non-techie doesn't. WebOS itself is pretty good, especially considering it's open source. But I would neither trust LG to provide a safe or decent implementation, nor would I want to rely on the performance of whatever low budget SoC they're sticking into these TVs. An external Roku-like device would be the best option.
- tentacleuno 5y ago
  > An external Roku-like device would be the best option. Does something like this exist? A webOS box, so to speak? I would be very interested if so. It would be nice to hear of webOS outside of the context of TV's. > WebOS itself is pretty good, especially considering it's open source. But I would neither trust LG to provide a safe or decent implementation Me neither. It would be nice to have something I can trust is fully open-source. Would also be nice to use webOS like Kodi, though that is a truly crazy idea.
  - bogwog 5y ago
    The only time I’ve seen WebOS not in a TV was the HP Touchpad that was released a long time ago. It was a WebOS based tablet and was pretty nice, but it failed miserably, and most people ended up installing Android on it.
- eropple 5y ago
  LG TVs, at least as of my C7, have a menu setting to both hide the ads and to not show the home bar on startup.
  - 5y ago
mindslight 5y ago
> What's wrong with webOS? I assume LG have "Googled"[0] it to some extent with proprietary software You just answered your own question. Besides the Freedom issues and unwieldy bespoke UIs, embedded proprietary software inevitably becomes abandonware in a few short years.
brokenmachine 5y ago
I think it is consumer-hostile that LG TVs don't allow you to downgrade firmware. So they release an update that breaks basic advertised TV functionality (like ARC, HDR, etc), and then all the consumer can do is pray for 6 months that they're actually working on fixing the problem that they caused. That's bullshit.

A4ET8a8uTh0 5y ago

Not parent, but I think I can respond. There is really nothing wrong with WebOS ( I actually find very good for my needs ), but the focus is not on having one decent OS we can mess around with as needed. The focus is on ensuring that users have actual control over their smart TVs. And this is where it gets fun. There is money to be made from harvesting data. Do you think companies will willingly give up the ability to keep 'users' in their grasp?

cassianoleal 5y ago
> users have actual control over their smart TVs I would add to that future updates, etc as well. LG stops bringing in major WebOS versions for older models, so you miss out on features and apps that would have no problems running on the hardware.
- Angostura 5y ago
  I'm still getting updates on my (7 year old, plus?) LG model I think? Overall, I'm pretty impressed with the TV.
  - mijamo 5y ago
    You are getting security updates but not OS updates. OS updates actually stop after 1 or 2 years on LG TV. So if you look at the HBO max app for instance is for 2018+ models (web os 4 and more). I have a TV from 2017 with web OS 3 and I can't get the HBO max app.
    - toyg 5y ago
      Apps are not necessarily developed by LG, but by specific developers. The BBC for example stopped updating their app for a while, saying the device would not be supported going forward; they must have received a bunch of complaints though, because a couple of months later it was back to normal.
      - anders_p 5y ago
        > Apps are not necessarily developed by LG, but by specific developers. Nobody here's saying anything like that, though. Not sure how you got that idea? But if the OS on your TV isn't being updated by LG any longer, then you won't be able install the newest versions of many apps, since they use SDK-features, that aren't supported by the older versions of the OS. Whether an app is actually developed by a third-party, like the BBC or HBO, doesn't change the fact that "minimum supported OS version", is as crippling for a TV, as it is for a smartphone or tablet. Last time I had to buy a new smartphone, even though the old one was still in excellent working condition, was because my bank and mobile payment apps, stopped supporting the Android OS version, it were stuck at. I'd hate to also have to buy new TV's, just because the Netflix, HBO, or whatever apps I use, stop working.
        drewg123 5y ago
        In that case, you'd just buy a streaming stick or settop box, like a FireTv, AppleTV, Roku, or AndroidTV box.. These are a small-ish percent of the cost of a new TV.
        toyg 5y ago
        From the parent post: > So if you look at the HBO max app for instance is for 2018+ models AFAIK nothing stops HBO from supporting older webOS releases, they just can't be arsed to. They could maintain builds produced with the older SDK forever, if they wanted to. Old models won't get new features, but there is no reason the app should stop working - like it works on the Apple Appstore every day to millions of apps.
        5y ago
radicalbyte 5y ago
I for one would like to connect my webcam to my TV and be able to use it to chat with Zoom / Signal / WebEx / Jitsi / Teams / Hangouts / ...

ptsneves 5y ago

No updates, specially to the browser. That means an old version of chrome that most sites refuse to run with. It is just useless.

bogwog 5y ago

LG TVs are filled with ads on the operating system itself, there are built-in features which you can't use without agreeing to an invasive privacy policy, the general performance is dogshit after a few years of updates, and there are dark patterns. For example, I have one Fire TV (and nothing else) connected to the HDMI port of mine. Whenever I turn on the TV, it correctly shows the HDMI input, but it always displays the WebOS app launcher for a couple of seconds, which covers a quarter of the screen. I know the difference between launching the Netflix app in WebOS and launching it through Fire TV, but I'm pretty sure the average non-techie doesn't. WebOS itself is pretty good, especially considering it's open source. But I would neither trust LG to provide a safe or decent implementation, nor would I want to rely on the performance of whatever low budget SoC they're sticking into these TVs. An external Roku-like device would be the best option.

tentacleuno 5y ago
> An external Roku-like device would be the best option. Does something like this exist? A webOS box, so to speak? I would be very interested if so. It would be nice to hear of webOS outside of the context of TV's. > WebOS itself is pretty good, especially considering it's open source. But I would neither trust LG to provide a safe or decent implementation Me neither. It would be nice to have something I can trust is fully open-source. Would also be nice to use webOS like Kodi, though that is a truly crazy idea.
- bogwog 5y ago
  The only time I’ve seen WebOS not in a TV was the HP Touchpad that was released a long time ago. It was a WebOS based tablet and was pretty nice, but it failed miserably, and most people ended up installing Android on it.
eropple 5y ago
LG TVs, at least as of my C7, have a menu setting to both hide the ads and to not show the home bar on startup.
- 5y ago

mindslight 5y ago

> What's wrong with webOS? I assume LG have "Googled"[0] it to some extent with proprietary software You just answered your own question. Besides the Freedom issues and unwieldy bespoke UIs, embedded proprietary software inevitably becomes abandonware in a few short years.

brokenmachine 5y ago

I think it is consumer-hostile that LG TVs don't allow you to downgrade firmware. So they release an update that breaks basic advertised TV functionality (like ARC, HDR, etc), and then all the consumer can do is pray for 6 months that they're actually working on fixing the problem that they caused. That's bullshit.