6 ms·

Once I verify a home video product works as intended I remove its network connection and never connect it again. I then leave its static ip address configured a

Once I verify a home video product works as intended I remove its network connection and never connect it again. I then leave its static ip address configured and block any traffic from it on the off chance it’s ever connected again. The sole exception is my PlayStation 5. I use apps on it for all streaming.

p0w3n3d 7mo ago
This is outrageous and we need to stand up against it. You're merely avoiding the danger of uber-enshittification of hardware (now once software is enshittified enough), but this will crawl further and further. Meanwhile rating companies are lowering ratings of firms that DO NOT have 'subscription model' in their products, that's why we're intended to pay for enabling heating in car seats from now on.
- ectospheno 7mo ago
  My car has heated and ventilated seats. These do not require a subscription.
  - dwedge 7mo ago
    For now
  - john_strinlai 7mo ago
    https://www.thedrive.com/news/bmw-commits-to-subscriptions-even-after-heated-seat-debacle https://www.thedrive.com/news/bmw-commits-to-subscriptions-e... "But while BMW ultimately backed down over heated seats, the company still believes in the features-as-a-service model, and will continue to offer post-purchase upgrades through its ConnectedDrive platform. "
    - greatpatton 7mo ago
      And then they will complain that Chinese company are simply crushing them... As a European, I have been buying only Asian cars for ages as I don't want to play their "add options" game, and I think that more and more people are tired of that.
      - soco 7mo ago
        The enshittification and lack of market understanding (or care) of the major European car brands is a topic by itself. They may be rightfully complaining right now but a lot of their woes are self inflicted.
    - aerhardt 7mo ago
      I drive a Cupra (a Spanish brand, a spinoff of SEAT, owned by Volkswagen) and when I was driving my car out of the dealership I had to tell the salesman I was not interested in signing up for the free app they were trying to foist me. He was dumbfounded. The model was selling like hotcakes yet I was the first customer that had outright refused to sign up for their shitty app. They pulled off the inevitable switcheroo, it now costs a monthly fee and I don’t want to think about what insidious things they can do with it.
      - drnick1 7mo ago
        Chances are the dealer and manufacturer can still get telemetry data through the cellular modem built into the car. You will need to remove it to be reasonably sure that data isn't extracted.
        aerhardt 7mo ago
        I know they are because they called me for service at the 10k km mark, but at least they’re not charging me for the pleasure.
        drnick1 7mo ago
        The issue is that data is also shared with third parties, such as insurance companies and possibly the government. I could not, in good conscience, drive a car that spies on me and can be effectively controlled remotely.
        everdrive 7mo ago
        >Chances are the dealer and manufacturer can still get telemetry data through the cellular modem built into the car. Exactly why I have a car without a cellular modem. They're getting quite rare, though, and I imagine will soon be impossible.
        p0w3n3d 7mo ago
        I believe you're required to have it due to EU regulation for "automated 112 calling"
  - loloquwowndueo 7mo ago
    My car’s seats are warmed by my butt. They’re very happy and comfortable and I didn’t have to pay a dime.
  - array_key_first 7mo ago
    Because it would be unpopular, not because it can't be done. Rest assured, when the time is right and the average consumer complacent enough, they will require a subscription. Yes, I can see the future. Call me an Oracle. No, not that Oracle. Over the past many decades, we're seeing standards slip and slip as our standards for goods are constantly challenged. What was unthinkable just 10 years ago is now business as usual. If you told someone in 2005 they would have to upload their ID and scan their face to use a chat application, they would call you crazy. If you told someone in 2015 that Google Glass was gonna come back and this time people would like being recorded and would willingly give up their camera feed, they would think you're insane.
- kotaKat 7mo ago
  The TV manufacturers know they can get a guaranteed $30-50/year spliff out of the platform vendors per unit for allowing the shitware in the first place and that these TVs will last long enough to get them a nice several hundred dollar subsidy on the TV. I’m afraid there’s not going to be a great affordable path out of this hypersubsidized trap we’ve set the market into.
  - everdrive 7mo ago
    Consumers just keep putting up with it. TVs are not a necessity; it's not like electric bills or healthcare. There are more ways to consume content than ever before, and more content available than ever before. Not owning a TV in the 80s or 90s was something of a big deal. Now, it couldn't matter less. But people are still putting up with whatever crap manufacturers are putting out. It should be easy to vote with wallet (even that means simply not purchasing a TV) but consumers just keep buying this crap.
aerhardt 7mo ago
I also had to take this approach with my LG TV. The OS actually had its use for a while but Apple TV has become my driver. I no longer wish to consent to LG’s EULAs which are starting to look like the legal corpus of a small nation. I’m also not interested in their software updates. Internet privileges: revoked. It’s concerning nonetheless as others are pointing out that in the current trajectory the TVs may soon refuse to display any content unless connected.
- greatpatton 7mo ago
  It's simple: not buying them is the way. There is enough competition to just buy a screen that will not do that.
  - HelloMcFly 7mo ago
    There is not a ton of competition in the OLED TV space
    - everdrive 7mo ago
      Who cares? Companies are using your need to have the latest and greatest against you. It's overt manipulation. I'd rather watch an old CRT or nothing at all than allow some company to forcefully show me ads.
      - HelloMcFly 7mo ago
        > Companies are using your need to have the latest and greatest against you This is a false dichotomy. My love of cinema drives me to have certain features in my TV: 4k, OLED, HDR. My hatred of ads drives to me buy certain products to use my with TV: Apple TV.
  - xiconfjs 7mo ago
    fewer competitors every year...Sony gave up as well :/
koolba 7mo ago
Pro tip for devices that refuse to simply remove working WiFi credentials (cough Samsung), is to connect them to a different “dummy” WiFi and then simply turn that off. I’ve yet to see a device that caches more than one set of credentials. But I suppose it’s only a matter of time.
- albert_e 7mo ago
  Cat and mouse. Then we shall only ever connect to a throwaway wifi ssid created for the sole purpose of setting up that TV and deleted promptly afterwards. Samsung will then use NFC / QuickShare transient hotspot to helpfully sync all useful info from your Samsung phone nearby. Then we block that IP address or MAC ID from router side. Then smart TVs will switch to open mesh networks hosted by unsuspecting ISP customer boxes in neighborhood. And maybe even starlink. ===== Maybe wifi standard should stop using static passwords and create a device specific hash to let it connect. Wifi admin should get to approve each device connection request.
  - droopyEyelids 7mo ago
    I have a TCL so maybe it's different, but did your TVs require connection to set up? The TCL can still act as a HDMI switch with CEC, and that can be labeled through the remote if you want, so there was never any need to connect to a network.
  - richardhawthorn 7mo ago
    I'm going to convert my living room into a Faraday cage, only bringing in pre downloaded content via hard drive. That should solve this problem. Although I'm not sure my family will be too happy.
    - adamsmark 7mo ago
      Why not change your wifi password? Or just set up a temporary guest one and delete it?
  - im3w1l 7mo ago
ceejayoz 7mo ago
Even some cheap Kindles came with a SIM card. I expect this to happen if enough people block ads on TVs. (They'll probably promote it as a "backup connection" or something.)
- xyzzy_plugh 7mo ago
  I think you're confused. Kindles need to be connected to the Internet so you can purchase and read books on them. The SIM card removed friction from the process e.g. buying books while on vacation or at the airport or whatever. They didn't put SIM cards in there to spy on you. They were always an opt-in (at additional cost) option for a better user experience.
  - ceejayoz 7mo ago
    > They didn't put SIM cards in there to spy on you. I'm sure Amazon tracked all sorts of activity on those, but that's not the point. It would be quite trivial to add them to TVs to avoid ad blocking and track behavior when wifi isn't available.
- beAbU 7mo ago
  The sim card in a kindle was a global connect-to-any-network SIM card. Your Kindle was always online and ready to download more books no matter where you were in the world. It was legit actually useful and valuable to customers. What's Amazon gonna do with a Kindle with an embedded SIM? Spy on the books you read? They already know that shit!
  - ceejayoz 7mo ago
    The point is that a similarly cheap always-on SIM in a TV can be used to serve ads if blocking them at the network level becomes common.
CyberDildonics 7mo ago
You can also open up the back and remove the antenna connection.

p0w3n3d 7mo ago

This is outrageous and we need to stand up against it. You're merely avoiding the danger of uber-enshittification of hardware (now once software is enshittified enough), but this will crawl further and further. Meanwhile rating companies are lowering ratings of firms that DO NOT have 'subscription model' in their products, that's why we're intended to pay for enabling heating in car seats from now on.

ectospheno 7mo ago
My car has heated and ventilated seats. These do not require a subscription.
- dwedge 7mo ago
  For now
- john_strinlai 7mo ago
  https://www.thedrive.com/news/bmw-commits-to-subscriptions-even-after-heated-seat-debacle https://www.thedrive.com/news/bmw-commits-to-subscriptions-e... "But while BMW ultimately backed down over heated seats, the company still believes in the features-as-a-service model, and will continue to offer post-purchase upgrades through its ConnectedDrive platform. "
  - greatpatton 7mo ago
    And then they will complain that Chinese company are simply crushing them... As a European, I have been buying only Asian cars for ages as I don't want to play their "add options" game, and I think that more and more people are tired of that.
    - soco 7mo ago
      The enshittification and lack of market understanding (or care) of the major European car brands is a topic by itself. They may be rightfully complaining right now but a lot of their woes are self inflicted.
  - aerhardt 7mo ago
    I drive a Cupra (a Spanish brand, a spinoff of SEAT, owned by Volkswagen) and when I was driving my car out of the dealership I had to tell the salesman I was not interested in signing up for the free app they were trying to foist me. He was dumbfounded. The model was selling like hotcakes yet I was the first customer that had outright refused to sign up for their shitty app. They pulled off the inevitable switcheroo, it now costs a monthly fee and I don’t want to think about what insidious things they can do with it.
    - drnick1 7mo ago
      Chances are the dealer and manufacturer can still get telemetry data through the cellular modem built into the car. You will need to remove it to be reasonably sure that data isn't extracted.
      - aerhardt 7mo ago
        I know they are because they called me for service at the 10k km mark, but at least they’re not charging me for the pleasure.
        drnick1 7mo ago
        The issue is that data is also shared with third parties, such as insurance companies and possibly the government. I could not, in good conscience, drive a car that spies on me and can be effectively controlled remotely.
      - everdrive 7mo ago
        >Chances are the dealer and manufacturer can still get telemetry data through the cellular modem built into the car. Exactly why I have a car without a cellular modem. They're getting quite rare, though, and I imagine will soon be impossible.
        p0w3n3d 7mo ago
        I believe you're required to have it due to EU regulation for "automated 112 calling"
- loloquwowndueo 7mo ago
  My car’s seats are warmed by my butt. They’re very happy and comfortable and I didn’t have to pay a dime.
- array_key_first 7mo ago
  Because it would be unpopular, not because it can't be done. Rest assured, when the time is right and the average consumer complacent enough, they will require a subscription. Yes, I can see the future. Call me an Oracle. No, not that Oracle. Over the past many decades, we're seeing standards slip and slip as our standards for goods are constantly challenged. What was unthinkable just 10 years ago is now business as usual. If you told someone in 2005 they would have to upload their ID and scan their face to use a chat application, they would call you crazy. If you told someone in 2015 that Google Glass was gonna come back and this time people would like being recorded and would willingly give up their camera feed, they would think you're insane.
kotaKat 7mo ago
The TV manufacturers know they can get a guaranteed $30-50/year spliff out of the platform vendors per unit for allowing the shitware in the first place and that these TVs will last long enough to get them a nice several hundred dollar subsidy on the TV. I’m afraid there’s not going to be a great affordable path out of this hypersubsidized trap we’ve set the market into.
- everdrive 7mo ago
  Consumers just keep putting up with it. TVs are not a necessity; it's not like electric bills or healthcare. There are more ways to consume content than ever before, and more content available than ever before. Not owning a TV in the 80s or 90s was something of a big deal. Now, it couldn't matter less. But people are still putting up with whatever crap manufacturers are putting out. It should be easy to vote with wallet (even that means simply not purchasing a TV) but consumers just keep buying this crap.

aerhardt 7mo ago

I also had to take this approach with my LG TV. The OS actually had its use for a while but Apple TV has become my driver. I no longer wish to consent to LG’s EULAs which are starting to look like the legal corpus of a small nation. I’m also not interested in their software updates. Internet privileges: revoked. It’s concerning nonetheless as others are pointing out that in the current trajectory the TVs may soon refuse to display any content unless connected.

greatpatton 7mo ago
It's simple: not buying them is the way. There is enough competition to just buy a screen that will not do that.
- HelloMcFly 7mo ago
  There is not a ton of competition in the OLED TV space
  - everdrive 7mo ago
    Who cares? Companies are using your need to have the latest and greatest against you. It's overt manipulation. I'd rather watch an old CRT or nothing at all than allow some company to forcefully show me ads.
    - HelloMcFly 7mo ago
      > Companies are using your need to have the latest and greatest against you This is a false dichotomy. My love of cinema drives me to have certain features in my TV: 4k, OLED, HDR. My hatred of ads drives to me buy certain products to use my with TV: Apple TV.
- xiconfjs 7mo ago
  fewer competitors every year...Sony gave up as well :/

koolba 7mo ago

Pro tip for devices that refuse to simply remove working WiFi credentials (cough Samsung), is to connect them to a different “dummy” WiFi and then simply turn that off. I’ve yet to see a device that caches more than one set of credentials. But I suppose it’s only a matter of time.

albert_e 7mo ago
Cat and mouse. Then we shall only ever connect to a throwaway wifi ssid created for the sole purpose of setting up that TV and deleted promptly afterwards. Samsung will then use NFC / QuickShare transient hotspot to helpfully sync all useful info from your Samsung phone nearby. Then we block that IP address or MAC ID from router side. Then smart TVs will switch to open mesh networks hosted by unsuspecting ISP customer boxes in neighborhood. And maybe even starlink. ===== Maybe wifi standard should stop using static passwords and create a device specific hash to let it connect. Wifi admin should get to approve each device connection request.
- droopyEyelids 7mo ago
  I have a TCL so maybe it's different, but did your TVs require connection to set up? The TCL can still act as a HDMI switch with CEC, and that can be labeled through the remote if you want, so there was never any need to connect to a network.
- richardhawthorn 7mo ago
  I'm going to convert my living room into a Faraday cage, only bringing in pre downloaded content via hard drive. That should solve this problem. Although I'm not sure my family will be too happy.
  - adamsmark 7mo ago
    Why not change your wifi password? Or just set up a temporary guest one and delete it?
- im3w1l 7mo ago

ceejayoz 7mo ago

Even some cheap Kindles came with a SIM card. I expect this to happen if enough people block ads on TVs. (They'll probably promote it as a "backup connection" or something.)

xyzzy_plugh 7mo ago
I think you're confused. Kindles need to be connected to the Internet so you can purchase and read books on them. The SIM card removed friction from the process e.g. buying books while on vacation or at the airport or whatever. They didn't put SIM cards in there to spy on you. They were always an opt-in (at additional cost) option for a better user experience.
- ceejayoz 7mo ago
  > They didn't put SIM cards in there to spy on you. I'm sure Amazon tracked all sorts of activity on those, but that's not the point. It would be quite trivial to add them to TVs to avoid ad blocking and track behavior when wifi isn't available.
beAbU 7mo ago
The sim card in a kindle was a global connect-to-any-network SIM card. Your Kindle was always online and ready to download more books no matter where you were in the world. It was legit actually useful and valuable to customers. What's Amazon gonna do with a Kindle with an embedded SIM? Spy on the books you read? They already know that shit!
- ceejayoz 7mo ago
  The point is that a similarly cheap always-on SIM in a TV can be used to serve ads if blocking them at the network level becomes common.

CyberDildonics 7mo ago

You can also open up the back and remove the antenna connection.