5 ms·

Some Webos LG TVs, like mine, can be rooted. I can now do wonderful things like install an ad-blocking version of youtube(still works in spite of recent changes

Some Webos LG TVs, like mine, can be rooted. I can now do wonderful things like install an ad-blocking version of youtube(still works in spite of recent changes). And SSH into my tv and mess around with the Linux system if I want to.

IshKebab 3y ago
But can you make the UI not super laggy? I recently acquired a very old Sony TV it reminded me how lag-free TV interfaces are supposed to work. But nooooo LG is like "we're going to make great TVs but the UI is a poorly written web page running on a 386, enjoy!"
- mtlmtlmtlmtl 3y ago
  Not really, but you can improve it a little by disabling automatic firmware updates. So it at least doesn't get worse.
aetherspawn 3y ago
LG webOS in my opinion is the least bad out of all the smart TV operating systems, and so far (we have a few of these at home & at work) I don't really feel the need to root them as they are ad-free and working fine even after several years of auto updates. This lack of enshittification has urged me lately to buy and prefer LG products over Samsung et al.
- OJFord 3y ago
  I agree, I'd rather use something else, even if only for philosophical reasons, but I couldn't find anything that didn't sacrifice something - or at least that could promise it didn't. No separate box seems to do all of 4K, Atmos, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HLG without some weird restriction like 'except the Netflix app'. Even worse if you wanted DV IQ I assume, but I think my TV doesn't support it anyway. And honestly I think I prefer WebOS to Fire sticks' UI for example. Stock Android TV isn't great either. If I was into playing Xbox/PS games I imagine that would make a better 'hub', since it's presumably (I have no idea) more organised around your own content/games at least rather than random adverts and features you don't want. Also probably more money being spent on designing it.
  - mvanbaak 3y ago
    if you have an LG tv, HDR10+ is not needed as the dynamic handling of HDR10 on the tv makes the HDR10 layer look as good as HDR10+. With this is mind, an Nvidia shield pro is pretty much what you are looking for.
- freetime2 3y ago
  > they are ad-free The home screen on my LG TV seems to devote the top 60% of the page to sponsored content. Is this not an issue for you?
  - aetherspawn 3y ago
    I understand where you are coming from, but I personally think that it's reasonable for a TV to show me sponsored content that is TV shows. I don't see this any different to how Netflix or Spotify show sponsored TV shows or music. But my friend has a Samsung TV and it shows him ads for things he can buy from eBay, ads for games etc. in a similar area .. and yeah that's nonsense, that would really get on my nerves.
  - dclowd9901 3y ago
    I don’t even have a Home Screen on my C9
  - abcdefg12 3y ago
    I think you can switch it off. Poke around on menus
- dylan604 3y ago
  the webOS on my LG is so out of date that modern apps won't install. so instead, i don't use the webOS, and treat it as a dumb TV with an HDMI input by using an external device for the smart things. there is nothing wrong with the picture that any of the updates would be required. so, just don't connect the smart tv to the rest of the world, and say thanks to all of the others that do to subsidize the price of your TV
- eru 3y ago
  An external Chromecast stick also works fairly well (assuming you pay for YouTube premium and Netflix etc to avoid ads, but at least not much in the way of bloatware).
LtWorf 3y ago
I don't want to hack my tv, I want to watch a film.
- kilolima 3y ago
  It's "hacker" news...
  - datameta 3y ago
    I suppose there's an opportune time to hack and a sub-optimal time to do so, subjectively.
  - aaviator42 3y ago
    Parent comment's point is that you shouldn't have to hack your TV just to get a half-decent user experience.
    - dylan604 3y ago
      You shouldn't have to, but the fact that you can is part of the hacker ethos. We've already gotten past the most fundamental part of hacking, can it be done. The next is can it play Doom. The third is announce it. Then, we just have to get past the boring people asking "why"
      - arp242 3y ago
        I don't want to spend all my waking hours hacking all things in my life. That's not what "hacker ethos" means. Especially not when the "hack" is working around stupid wankery, which, to me, is completely boring and uninteresting and doesn't "build" anything. I just want to watch a film. I don't want to hack my forks either. Or my microwave. I just want to heat stuff and then shovel it in the appropriate foodhole so I can get on with things.
        dylan604 3y ago
        Then don't buy the thing in the first place????

IshKebab 3y ago

But can you make the UI not super laggy? I recently acquired a very old Sony TV it reminded me how lag-free TV interfaces are supposed to work. But nooooo LG is like "we're going to make great TVs but the UI is a poorly written web page running on a 386, enjoy!"

mtlmtlmtlmtl 3y ago
Not really, but you can improve it a little by disabling automatic firmware updates. So it at least doesn't get worse.

aetherspawn 3y ago

LG webOS in my opinion is the least bad out of all the smart TV operating systems, and so far (we have a few of these at home & at work) I don't really feel the need to root them as they are ad-free and working fine even after several years of auto updates. This lack of enshittification has urged me lately to buy and prefer LG products over Samsung et al.

OJFord 3y ago
I agree, I'd rather use something else, even if only for philosophical reasons, but I couldn't find anything that didn't sacrifice something - or at least that could promise it didn't. No separate box seems to do all of 4K, Atmos, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HLG without some weird restriction like 'except the Netflix app'. Even worse if you wanted DV IQ I assume, but I think my TV doesn't support it anyway. And honestly I think I prefer WebOS to Fire sticks' UI for example. Stock Android TV isn't great either. If I was into playing Xbox/PS games I imagine that would make a better 'hub', since it's presumably (I have no idea) more organised around your own content/games at least rather than random adverts and features you don't want. Also probably more money being spent on designing it.
- mvanbaak 3y ago
  if you have an LG tv, HDR10+ is not needed as the dynamic handling of HDR10 on the tv makes the HDR10 layer look as good as HDR10+. With this is mind, an Nvidia shield pro is pretty much what you are looking for.
freetime2 3y ago
> they are ad-free The home screen on my LG TV seems to devote the top 60% of the page to sponsored content. Is this not an issue for you?
- aetherspawn 3y ago
  I understand where you are coming from, but I personally think that it's reasonable for a TV to show me sponsored content that is TV shows. I don't see this any different to how Netflix or Spotify show sponsored TV shows or music. But my friend has a Samsung TV and it shows him ads for things he can buy from eBay, ads for games etc. in a similar area .. and yeah that's nonsense, that would really get on my nerves.
- dclowd9901 3y ago
  I don’t even have a Home Screen on my C9
- abcdefg12 3y ago
  I think you can switch it off. Poke around on menus
dylan604 3y ago
the webOS on my LG is so out of date that modern apps won't install. so instead, i don't use the webOS, and treat it as a dumb TV with an HDMI input by using an external device for the smart things. there is nothing wrong with the picture that any of the updates would be required. so, just don't connect the smart tv to the rest of the world, and say thanks to all of the others that do to subsidize the price of your TV
eru 3y ago
An external Chromecast stick also works fairly well (assuming you pay for YouTube premium and Netflix etc to avoid ads, but at least not much in the way of bloatware).

LtWorf 3y ago

I don't want to hack my tv, I want to watch a film.

kilolima 3y ago
It's "hacker" news...
- datameta 3y ago
  I suppose there's an opportune time to hack and a sub-optimal time to do so, subjectively.
- aaviator42 3y ago
  Parent comment's point is that you shouldn't have to hack your TV just to get a half-decent user experience.
  - dylan604 3y ago
    You shouldn't have to, but the fact that you can is part of the hacker ethos. We've already gotten past the most fundamental part of hacking, can it be done. The next is can it play Doom. The third is announce it. Then, we just have to get past the boring people asking "why"
    - arp242 3y ago
      I don't want to spend all my waking hours hacking all things in my life. That's not what "hacker ethos" means. Especially not when the "hack" is working around stupid wankery, which, to me, is completely boring and uninteresting and doesn't "build" anything. I just want to watch a film. I don't want to hack my forks either. Or my microwave. I just want to heat stuff and then shovel it in the appropriate foodhole so I can get on with things.
      - dylan604 3y ago
        Then don't buy the thing in the first place????