this post was submitted on 07 Jan 2025
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Technology

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Reposting this from here from 2023, after I stumbled across it tonight and it hits hard.

The text in the image:

I love my smart TV. I love the way it takes a long time to boot up because it’s trying to refresh the advertisements on the home screen. I delight in the way it randomly restarts because it’s downloaded an update without asking me, each of which makes the TV slower and slower with every subsequent install. I adore the way it buries the apps that I want to use, and that I use without fail every single time, below the apps that it’s being paid to promote and which I have never touched in my life and would never use without the cold metal of a glock pressed hard against my sweating temple. I am infinitely thrilled by the way the interface lags constantly, due to the need to have one thousand unnecessary animations rendered on hardware ripped wholesale from a ten year old phone. I feel myself borne aloft on wings of pure joy when I am notified that my data will be collected and analysed to determine my usage patterns. Even now I am writing this from a field of beautiful flowers and soft luscious grass as I lie and look up happily at the bright blue sky, smiling happily to know that this is the future of technology

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Meanwhile, the marketing department reading this: "Boss! It's working! The people are actually enjoying it!!"

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago (3 children)

How about using computer for all the smart stuff and leaving all the visual stuff to the display? Besides, you can run Firefox and ublock origin to watch YT without ads, so what do you need a smart TV for?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago (13 children)

Because it's "convenient" and people are lazy.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 months ago

Because finding dumb screens is actually difficult and smart TVs are cheaper.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

OT, and I'm usually not the type that comments with gun trivia, but

the cold metal of a glock

Wasn't Glock famously made of ceramic polymer and became popular for evasion of metal detectors?

Sorry for the sidetrack, that single point irks me even if it's way outside my wheelhouse.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Nope, that's a line in Die Hard 2 that the armourer hated.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago (8 children)

I recently got into amateur radio and the radio usage in Die Hard 1 is bonkers. They both talk at the same time a ton, it's just all over the place.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Maybe I got lucky with my Philips oled running Android TV, but it's pretty quick, no ads other than recommended shows from networks, and I can choose which ones. I don't recall it asking about data collection, but whatever the streaming services are doing it already. I like having all the streaming apps built in, then I don't have to manage another device for this. Overall I'm surprisingly happy with it.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

And this is why I went back to an iPod classic

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 months ago (1 children)

And it won't stay on the selected input. No signal? Gotta go back to the screen with ads.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Which brand is this? So I never have to go near it...

I have a Samsung TV from a few years ago, never connected it to the TV, so when I turn it on it just goes to the last used input (HDMI1 in my case). The bootup isn't even that slow , maybe 5 seconds or so. Not great, but not terrible..

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 months ago (1 children)
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[–] [email protected] 96 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Its only a matter of time.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Is Sony actually a good guy for holding this patent so that no one else can go and do this shit either?

[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 months ago

either

Is there any indication that they won't implement this shit at some point?

Also, should we be trying to come up with the most insane "features" in this vein that we can imagine (knowing full well that some corporation will come up with them eventually), and then patent them to protect humanity from them?

Is there any organization that collects patents just to block them (in the consumer's favor)? A kind of white-hat patent troll? And, if not, should we create one?

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago
[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Have a difficult time relating to people who still tolerate this from leisure technology. A screen one can liberate can be found pretty readily at hand for any range of prices in the rust belt but maybe it is different where you are.

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[–] [email protected] 31 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (7 children)

Ah! I was reading that post yesterday https://lemmy.world/post/22309068 as I am looking for a 55’ 4K oled dumb display.

So far no joy.

Apparently some manufacturers makes internet mandatory at first boot and even if you block or disconnect it later it will nag you for firmware update every now and then.

The only possibility I have found for an EU customer at the moment is Sony Bravia. Yup Sony sucks but apparently Bravia’s let you choose to refuse the terms of service and not use the smart things, thus making them dumb tv.

But maybe I’m wrong, maybe it’s not the case anymore or maybe they will decide to change that.

That sucks, if any of you knows about a commercial display/computer monitor/dumb tv in oled 4K hdr 55’ available in Europe, I might fall a little bit in love with you.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

My LG so far doesn't nag about no internet. If you have all AI features disabled at least.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

AFAIK, LG still do not require internet access on first startup.
At least on their medium/high end lines (C and G series).
This was a hard requirement for me. Mine has never been on the internet.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (8 children)

That’s good to know, thanks.

But after my message this morning I decided to try out my xgimi projector in the living room instead of the bedroom.

It is perfect like that and I will give the tv (old LG 1080p). A bedroom is not a home cinema anyway, because you don’t want crumbs in the bed 🙄

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

I recently got the Bravia XR-55A95L probably going through the same thought process as you. You can indeed just skip all the TOS and set it up as a Basic TV.

However: The software is crap. Complete garbage. Random reboots - I already had to reset it once completely because it no longer showed a picture (and then set it up again). Every day it will show you a notification that it’s not connected to the internet DESPITE having networking disabled completely.

I tried to update the TV from USB and it failed every time. I eventually gave in and connected it to the internet to update it only to see that I‘m already on the newest version (which I assume is also why updating from USB failed with a generic error).

I never had this much trouble with a device that costs as much as a MacBook or a high end gaming PC and I would’ve already returned if the competition wasn’t even worse.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Ah shit.

Thanks for the feedback, it is greatly appreciated as those things are expensive.

I guess we are fucked until the EU make a new pro-consumer law. But that would take years (if they ever make it).

Another possibility would be to use a projector (it is only for homelab NAS movies afterall). I have a xgimi in my bedroom and it is somewhat great once connected to the free AppleTV my ISP gave me. Otherwise the default google tv OS on it is pure shit.

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