Yeah I use a GoogleTV and don't let the set itself connect to the internet. I held onto an HTPC as long as I could but it just got too troublesome to coax high quality streams out of it after a while.
Comment on Is it possible to install my own OS on a "smart" TV? Is that a thing?
DontMakeMoreBabies@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
Nvidia shields with an alternate home screen have been a good solution for me? TV isn’t connected to the network directly, just to the shield.
socsa@piefed.social 4 weeks ago
ipkpjersi@lemmy.ml 4 weeks ago
Yes, something like that would work. The stock OS would still be on the TV but as long as you don’t connect the TV to WiFi it should be fine.
thermal_shock@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
bingo. never put the tv on the network, just budget for adding something else. tvs have been known to update after a year and start injecting ads outside return policy LOL. fucking scam’s man. my shield fucks up, it get flashed. or traded out.
SynopsisTantilize@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
Do people actually use their TV without a console or computer of some sorts connected? That’s absolutely feral behavior. Like boomers avoiding self checkout cause it’s too complicated.
lovely_reader@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
(as a millennial, I avoid self checkout because massive corporations are eliminating jobs without reducing prices and I think that’s bullshit)
enbyecho@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
You are missing out on some greeeaat discount opportunities.
blackris@discuss.tchncs.de 4 weeks ago
Your smart TV is a computer of some sorts. You can do shit like watching Netflix with it. If that is all you want to do, why should you use another device with it, that brings no benefits but uses more power?
thermal_shock@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
i already said why. there are stories where an update now injects ads into the tv, more than were there when you bought it. so after you can’t return it, well, now it’s “updated” and can’t take the piece of shit back.
using a 3rd party device still leave you in some sort of control. i use an nvidia shield, which definitely does add better functionality, but if it starts acting stupid, i flash it back to defaults/roll back any updates or i replace it, tv unchanged.
and power usage is negligible at best.
here is one story - choice.community/t/…/26124
spying - money.cnn.com/2015/02/09/technology/…/index.html
phone updates can do the same - old.reddit.com/…/samsung_wants_to_turn_my_chargin…
bottom line, if you don’t control the device, you have no say in what gets update/installed/“upgraded” to support more ads. on an external device, i know how to wipe it/block updates. on the tv, best i could do is factory reset it, im IT, not TV.
also, samsung tvs have a “sleep” mode where with the right button presses, can turn into a recording device where an attacker can see/hear everything in the room. built in backdoors!
SynopsisTantilize@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
Because Xbox and PlayStation exist? Also, the ergonomics of the TV remote vs a controller are night and day different.
lightnsfw@reddthat.com 4 weeks ago
My parents haven’t even fixed whatever is causing the weird audio delay they have on there’s. Every time I go over there it’s like they’re watching dubbed CNN.
SynopsisTantilize@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
If that even happens to the subtitles while I’m streaming I have to shut everything down and fix it. It’s so distracting.
Damage@feddit.it 4 weeks ago
I *gasp!* run Kodi directly on my smart TV!! ohmygosh
Steak@lemmy.ca 4 weeks ago
I just bought a new tv and don’t have a shield or anything yet. Came from a 15 year old insignia dumb tv. New one is a tcl qm751g, it’s pretty great so far. The ui is alright but literally all I’ve used is Netflix. Will probably build a small pc for it in the future so I can play in 4k 120/144. In the meantime I have a crappy laptop I can HDMI to the tv in 1080p and use remote play on steam to stream games from my pc downstairs. I’m still trying to figure out which options here cost the least and get the most. As far as hardware and ad free etc goes. Ps5? Stick with old laptop? Build a new pc? Lug gaming pc upstairs? Idk lol but for now the tv’s built in ui and Netflix is working.
MaxHardwood@lemmy.ca 4 weeks ago
If you want Dolby Vision you’ll need a device like the Shield, Roku, Google Streamer… the codecs are locked to those devices for raesons
DontMakeMoreBabies@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
HD audio pass through ended up being reason I went with the shield pro. But it’s not “cheap” at ~$200 per unit. I still think that’s cheaper than a dedicated mini PC or something though (was really the only other option).