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If you don't connect it to the internet there are no ads. It still boggles my mind that people connect these things to the Internet :p

by EricE 4y ago

petee 4y ago
Ive connected mine time to time because Amazon won't stream HD to my GPU/TV combo (rx590/LG), but will happily stream 4k via the TV's app. Not a great solution, but its nice to have the option when a friend comes over; otherwise it stays unplugged
chris_st 4y ago
Not a TV, but someone recently reported a GE oven that would not let you use a particular feature (convection cooking, IIRC) until you connected it to WiFi.
- mavhc 4y ago
  WiFi that has a route to the internet?
- technothrasher 4y ago
  The coffee machine at work begs and pleads to be connected so it can use “enhanced” coffee recipes. My new clothes washer at home also tries to convince me it’s crucial it gets a Wi-Fi password.
matheusmoreira 4y ago
It's not just ads though. It's about control and trust. Even if I don't connect the TV to the internet, I'll still be subjected to their rules. Who knows what this proprietary software is programmed to do? Maybe they wrote it so the TV will connect itself to the first available network it finds, with or without my consent. Maybe it's programmed to punish me for not giving them data by withholding features that don't require internet connection. This software is gonna do whatever is best for the corporation, my interests be damned. I want software that does what I want without concern about some corporation's bottom line. Software I can trust.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- peatmoss 4y ago
  It's not just the ads, control, and trust though. It's also about software performance. Holy mackerel my TCL Roku-infested TV is slow. I just want it to turn on and switch to HDMI input. The software apparently feels a strong need to remind me that it exists.
  - jonwest 4y ago
    I would absolutely love something like the utility in the post for my TCL TVs. You hit the nail on the head with your description.
- brokenmachine 4y ago
  >I want software that... I can trust. Me too. Unfortunately, the bottom line is - if you didn't write it yourself, you can't trust it. That goes right down to the firmware/compiler level. I would love to see open-source TV firmware. Or at the very least, some kind of certification that devices are not consumer-hostile. For most of us, just blocking it from the internet is enough. If you're still worried, you could remove the antenna or wifi module, as some people are forced to with their cars now. I think the only real solution to consumer-hostile devices is legislation, but that of course comes with it's own myriad problems.
delta_p_delta_x 4y ago
> It still boggles my mind that people connect these things to the Internet Not particularly surprising, given that cable is dying and most content is delivered over the Internet nowadays. Sure, you can use something like an Apple TV, a Roku, or Fire TV, but most people prefer the convenience of a single device rather than having to buy a second device. In fact, LG TVs come preinstalled with almost all the streaming apps: Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, HBO Max, YouTube, Hulu, Plex, etc etc. People always choose convenience.
- rnk 4y ago
  The point is don't connect the tv to the internet, connect with a cheap streaming device you bought where you control what comes through it. You can also replace that device that just plugs in via hdmi with another one if some company goes bad and spams you with ads.
- themadturk 4y ago
  I connect my (non-smart) TV to my Roku, which is connected to the Internet. I suspect I'll do the same when I get a smart TV. There are minor ads on the Roku home screen.
anonymousab 4y ago
There were a few TV models a couple of years ago that would stop working after enough time without a network connection. When they reconnect, they're clearly going to download a new cache of ads and transmit their existing tracking data. It's easy to assume that they'll eventually require an unabridged connection to their own servers for updates, and they will simply send all ad data through the same routes such that you can't block one without blocking the other. This is too lucrative for manufacturers to pass up. The added complexity also ads more points of failure and drives faster industry-wide consumer upgrade cycles. This is not something that will be fixed in the market alone.
- ferminaut 4y ago
  I can see manufacturers embedding a LTE radio/lorawan/whatever into the devices. Not connecting the device to the internet wont be an option in the future for most consumers. I give it 15 years or so for the tech to mature.
  - GenerocUsername 4y ago
    Silly consumer, you need to install the 5g box closer to your family room
  - Scoundreller 4y ago
    My guess is that it will pick up an ATSC signal which it already has a tuner for. Ads will play at 3AM and the TV will just record. Or push it through some kind of subcarrier data signal. TV will be able to triangulate its location by multilateration of ATSC/DVB-T signals. West end of the city will play different ads than east end.
  - technothrasher 4y ago
    It’ll just share ads over Bluetooth with your refrigerator that won’t turn the compressor on unless it has a connection to the server, so it can determine your cooling subscription is still up to date.
  - rnk 4y ago
Scoundreller 4y ago
Until they pick up ads OTA
Am4TIfIsER0ppos 4y ago
5G will take care of that or like a smart meter it will eke by on 4G
nottorp 4y ago
> It still boggles my mind that people connect these things to the Internet :p Well for convenience I'd rather use the built in netflix/hbo/etc apps than use a separate box with a separate remote on them. Unfortunately those don't work without the Internets(tm).

If you don't connect it to the internet there are no ads. It still boggles my mind that people connect these things to the Internet :p

by EricE 4y ago

If you don't connect it to the internet there are no ads. It still boggles my mind that people connect these things to the Internet :p

petee 4y ago

Ive connected mine time to time because Amazon won't stream HD to my GPU/TV combo (rx590/LG), but will happily stream 4k via the TV's app. Not a great solution, but its nice to have the option when a friend comes over; otherwise it stays unplugged

chris_st 4y ago

Not a TV, but someone recently reported a GE oven that would not let you use a particular feature (convection cooking, IIRC) until you connected it to WiFi.

mavhc 4y ago
WiFi that has a route to the internet?
technothrasher 4y ago
The coffee machine at work begs and pleads to be connected so it can use “enhanced” coffee recipes. My new clothes washer at home also tries to convince me it’s crucial it gets a Wi-Fi password.

matheusmoreira 4y ago

It's not just ads though. It's about control and trust. Even if I don't connect the TV to the internet, I'll still be subjected to their rules. Who knows what this proprietary software is programmed to do? Maybe they wrote it so the TV will connect itself to the first available network it finds, with or without my consent. Maybe it's programmed to punish me for not giving them data by withholding features that don't require internet connection. This software is gonna do whatever is best for the corporation, my interests be damned. I want software that does what I want without concern about some corporation's bottom line. Software I can trust.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
peatmoss 4y ago
It's not just the ads, control, and trust though. It's also about software performance. Holy mackerel my TCL Roku-infested TV is slow. I just want it to turn on and switch to HDMI input. The software apparently feels a strong need to remind me that it exists.
- jonwest 4y ago
  I would absolutely love something like the utility in the post for my TCL TVs. You hit the nail on the head with your description.
brokenmachine 4y ago
>I want software that... I can trust. Me too. Unfortunately, the bottom line is - if you didn't write it yourself, you can't trust it. That goes right down to the firmware/compiler level. I would love to see open-source TV firmware. Or at the very least, some kind of certification that devices are not consumer-hostile. For most of us, just blocking it from the internet is enough. If you're still worried, you could remove the antenna or wifi module, as some people are forced to with their cars now. I think the only real solution to consumer-hostile devices is legislation, but that of course comes with it's own myriad problems.

delta_p_delta_x 4y ago

> It still boggles my mind that people connect these things to the Internet Not particularly surprising, given that cable is dying and most content is delivered over the Internet nowadays. Sure, you can use something like an Apple TV, a Roku, or Fire TV, but most people prefer the convenience of a single device rather than having to buy a second device. In fact, LG TVs come preinstalled with almost all the streaming apps: Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, HBO Max, YouTube, Hulu, Plex, etc etc. People always choose convenience.

rnk 4y ago
The point is don't connect the tv to the internet, connect with a cheap streaming device you bought where you control what comes through it. You can also replace that device that just plugs in via hdmi with another one if some company goes bad and spams you with ads.
themadturk 4y ago
I connect my (non-smart) TV to my Roku, which is connected to the Internet. I suspect I'll do the same when I get a smart TV. There are minor ads on the Roku home screen.

anonymousab 4y ago

There were a few TV models a couple of years ago that would stop working after enough time without a network connection. When they reconnect, they're clearly going to download a new cache of ads and transmit their existing tracking data. It's easy to assume that they'll eventually require an unabridged connection to their own servers for updates, and they will simply send all ad data through the same routes such that you can't block one without blocking the other. This is too lucrative for manufacturers to pass up. The added complexity also ads more points of failure and drives faster industry-wide consumer upgrade cycles. This is not something that will be fixed in the market alone.

ferminaut 4y ago
I can see manufacturers embedding a LTE radio/lorawan/whatever into the devices. Not connecting the device to the internet wont be an option in the future for most consumers. I give it 15 years or so for the tech to mature.
- GenerocUsername 4y ago
  Silly consumer, you need to install the 5g box closer to your family room
- Scoundreller 4y ago
  My guess is that it will pick up an ATSC signal which it already has a tuner for. Ads will play at 3AM and the TV will just record. Or push it through some kind of subcarrier data signal. TV will be able to triangulate its location by multilateration of ATSC/DVB-T signals. West end of the city will play different ads than east end.
- technothrasher 4y ago
  It’ll just share ads over Bluetooth with your refrigerator that won’t turn the compressor on unless it has a connection to the server, so it can determine your cooling subscription is still up to date.
- rnk 4y ago

Scoundreller 4y ago

Until they pick up ads OTA

Am4TIfIsER0ppos 4y ago

5G will take care of that or like a smart meter it will eke by on 4G

nottorp 4y ago

> It still boggles my mind that people connect these things to the Internet :p Well for convenience I'd rather use the built in netflix/hbo/etc apps than use a separate box with a separate remote on them. Unfortunately those don't work without the Internets(tm).