we live in hell
What brand? so I know NOT to buy it
I got this popup ad on my TV **while watching a DVD**
Submitted 11 months ago by _number8_@lemmy.world to mildlyinfuriating@lemmy.world
https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/d1866dab-8978-431e-a9af-3f5a0f8a2495.jpeg
Comments
tdawg@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Rognaut@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I believe it’s Roku. That purple symbol in the bottom right is on the remote as well.
Very budget so this doesn’t surprise me.
Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
Fuck Roku. Don’t buy these. They shove ads down your throat constantly, and they proactively, aggressively stop methods of circumvention.
idunnololz@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Wtf I thought roku TV were one of the good ones
AZERTY@feddit.nl 11 months ago
The little asterisk symbol on the screen is leading me to believe it’s a Roku.
themeatbridge@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I have two roku tvs. The day I see this is the day they get disconnected.
TubeTalkerX@kbin.social 11 months ago
Name and shame!
Earthwormjim91@lemmy.world 11 months ago
It’s literally on the screen….
It says Roku TV
starman2112@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
See the problem is that you let a display device connect to the internet
xyguy@startrek.website 11 months ago
Connected a Samsung smart TV to my network when we first got it. The thing damn-near crashed my pi-hole asking for so many ad/tracking domains. Factory reset it later that same day. I think my % of requests blocked went from 15% to 68% in just the 3 hours or so the Smart TV was connected.
redcalcium@lemmy.institute 11 months ago
They started to wisen up and hard-coded dns requests to 8.8.8.8 to bypass dns ad blockers now. Heck, some apps like Netflix already do it for years now. If your router can transparently redirect all dns requests to your pi-hole, you should use that feature.
DeltaTangoLima@reddrefuge.com 11 months ago
Yep - this. I absolutely abhor “smart” TVs for just this reason.
But, even lack of internet sometimes isn’t enough. I recently, and inadvertently, left the wireless adapter on my TV enabled, after having to temporarily join it to my wireless for a firmware update (digital TV tuning needed updating for my region). After I was done, I cleared the wireless config, but I didn’t think to go into the other menu where you can entirely disable the wireless adapter.
Little did I know that meant the TV started broadcasting it’s own SSID, for friggin’ Apple Airplay or some other shit. I found this out when my 9yo daughter was suddenly exposed to some adult content for about 10 seconds. Best guess is a nearby neighbour mistook my TV for theirs.
I’ve obviously disabled the wireless adapter again, but this has been a terribly difficult lesson I’ve had to learn.
For anyone concerned, my daughter is OK. My wife had a good chat with her about it. She had considerably more talking down to do with me - I was ready to start knocking on doors, to have my own chat.
NotSoCoolWhip@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I work in IT at a fitness center and we have TVs in front of the treadmills. They are not enterprise TVs, just standard Samsung TVs. Above the treadmills, we have a conference room. After setting up a conference room with wireless screen sharing, I found that all of the TV’s below show up when trying to cast. Obviously I tried to disable them, but there is no way to do so outside of physically ripping out the antenna. I called support and everything. Why the fuck was that decision made
KpntAutismus@lemmy.world 11 months ago
honestly, whoever connected to your TV is probably used to their device being the first one to show up. i would blame the streaming protocol for not requiring one of those one-time pin thingys.
slinkyninja@lemmy.world 11 months ago
No, the fault is with the people who make the TV. It’s not the customers fault that other people are evil.
starman2112@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
It’s kinda both. Like, if I walk up to someone on the street who says they’re gonna stab me, the fault is obviously on them for stabbing me, but at the same time I got exactly what he said I’d get
Teon@kbin.social 11 months ago
Anytime you see the word "smart" in the name of the product, remember to mentally replace the word "smart" with "tracking".
cyberpunk007@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Same with IoT
Natanael@slrpnk.net 11 months ago
The S in IoT stands for security, and the P stands for privacy.
casual_turtle_stew_enjoyer@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
This is called Automatic Content Recognition and it can be disabled in the settings, highly recommend doing that. It should have asked you whether you wanted it enabled when you set up the TV, as it’s legally required to be opt-in in the US opposed to opt-out. Since you’re using a Roku Smart TV, it specifically is taking two full resolution “video snapshots” every second.
YoorWeb@lemmy.world 11 months ago
"To disable ACR on a Roku TV, the privacy policy says to “visit your Roku TV’s Settings menu (Settings > Privacy > Smart TV Experience) and de-select 'Use Info from TV Inputs.”
CileTheSane@lemmy.ca 11 months ago
'Use Info from TV Inputs.”
Well that is an incredibly misleading name that sounds like something I would want to keep enabled.
FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Since you’re using a Roku Smart TV, it specifically is taking two full resolution “video snapshots” every second.
“Got a data cap? Ha ha, fuck you.” – Roku
casual_turtle_stew_enjoyer@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
I haven’t done any research into what’s actually being transmitted, but I assume ACR feeds the snapshots into an ASIC that does something akin to perceptual hashing, then sends a chain of hashes collected over something like a 2-4sec window to an edge server for matching. So perhaps around 24kbps is actually being transmitted.
CosmicCleric@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Since you’re using a Roku Smart TV
herrvogel@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Where I live, it’s usual practice to get the vendor to send a team to your house to do the unboxing and installation of expensive TVs so it’s easier to deal with doa products and whatnot. When the guys came in to set up my LG oled, I watched in horror as they speed ran the setup wizard, checking all the boxes and giving my consent to every single tracking feature without even telling me anything. I had to go back and redo everything once they’d fucked off.
casual_turtle_stew_enjoyer@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
Part of me can’t believe that I’m saying this, but I really hope you filed a complaint just so the installation service provider can be informed that this is an issue and hopefully advise the installers that they should always seek customer input on that kind of thing, it shouldn’t add much time to the installation.
I get that they’re just trying to get it done quickly, but customer service is paramount.
phoneymouse@lemmy.world 11 months ago
They’re taking pictures of what you’re watching on the screen and sending it to random 3rd party data collectors to analyze and then harass you with ads.
Deiv@lemmy.ca 11 months ago
Or just reading the file name on the DVD lol
casual_turtle_stew_enjoyer@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
Sure but this is actually Automatic Content Recognition, specifically Roku’s video ACR that takes snapshots twice a second.
phoneymouse@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Sure, but they do take snaps of the screen and send it to advertisers. Almost all “smart” TVs do this.
brlemworld@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Only if the DVD player is built into the tv
KonalaKoala@lemmy.world 11 months ago
And then someone gets the idea to find a way to play a VHS instead and be like “Let’s see you read that, you fucking spying idiots!”
kaotic@lemmy.world 11 months ago
This is why my TV does not have internet access.
Irelephant@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
I like the way 2000s tvs did it, an ethernet cable for any possible firmware updates needed, and an sd card/usb port for media viewing.
SupraMario@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I really don’t get why you would allow your tv Internet access anyways. A huge number of them carry tons of spyware that not only is on the TV but creates backdoors into your network.
Plopp@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Some TVs automatically latch on to any open network they can find, to do their connected thing, even if you don’t specifically give them access to your wifi.
aceshigh@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I gave away my tv to a friend in need. That was the best thing I did for the both of us.
dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Even if you must own a smart TV (because it’s impossible to buy a large-ish TV anymore that isn’t), I see no reason to actually connect it to any network. But! I notice recent models will bitch at you on every single power on if you leave them disconnected. So you’re not even safe from being annoyed then.
Boozilla@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Some people get computer big monitors instead of a TV, because of shit like this.
SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Where am I gonna get an 85" monitor for under $1k?
cobysev@lemmy.world 11 months ago
That’s the route I took. I recently bought a 48" 4K monitor, hooked a mini PC up to it, and now I stream my movie and TV show collection through Plex. I still have Internet access on my “TV,” but I’m in control of what pops up (I block all ads on my home network). I just use a small wireless keyboard and mouse instead of a remote.
I haven’t actually owned a TV since about 2008. I have better media options through computers, and the technology just keeps getting better. Cable and public access television are a pain because you’re constantly bombarded with ads. With my own computer, I can circumvent ads and get a solid viewing experience.
ivanafterall@kbin.social 11 months ago
I did a projector. Pretty close in price and I have a very modest, but serviceable 135" screen and no ads.
mvilain@kbin.social 11 months ago
If I found out a TV required internet access to function, I'd return it to wherever I bought it next day.
Luckily I have a old-ish flatscreen that doesn't require internet but does have a netflix and other channels I can setup if I want. The Netflix client is so old it won't connect to their servers any more. That's OK. My Roku still works.
dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I have yet to see one that won’t eventually let you use it as a dumb display after you dismiss one (or more) nags first. But I’m sure that’s coming eventually. The worst offender I found yet is the “cheap” Black Friday sale Amazon Fire TV my boss got to use as a security monitor in one of our satellite locations. That fucking thing won’t even show a picture until you dismiss its network nag, and then its sign-in-with-Amazon nag. At least I found you can disable the Amazon account nag in the options. The network connection one you can’t.
We’ve just resolved never to turn it off. You can’t dismiss the nag screen with the bezel buttons, either. You have to use the remote, so that’s now permanently double-stick taped to the desk the TV is on.
Next time he’ll just buy a fucking computer monitor like I told him to.
Endorkend@kbin.social 11 months ago
Yeah, that's why I've come to just pay the premium for professional displays instead of consumer TVs.
EmergMemeHologram@startrek.website 11 months ago
Are you serious?
My LG you had to scroll down (with no scroll indicator) below the screen to find the hidden option to not connect it to the internet on set up.
If I the TV nagged me every start up I’d get rid of it.
9point6@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I agree with you for the most part that there’s no reason to connect them to the internet, however:
Most modern TVs have Bluetooth and WiFi radios, therefore they’re never truly isolated, and finally that means if there’s a security flaw, it can potentially be exploited without physical access.
Now your priorities (and frankly, hardware) will obviously differ from mine, but that risk alone is a reason to connect things up in order to receive software updates, for me. Of course, the privilege of getting software updates for your telly is not ubiquitous, but most manufacturers can issue updates if there is a good enough reason to do so
Karlos_Cantana@kbin.social 11 months ago
This article is a year old, but it's still possible to buy dumb tvs.
Rocketpoweredgorilla@lemmy.ca 11 months ago
Thankfully mine (about two yrs old now) only whined for the first couple weeks then gave up on me.
Now the only issue I have is the time it takes for android to boot. It’s like having to wait for your tv to warm up all over again except without the high pitched noise old tv sets had.
zeekaran@sopuli.xyz 11 months ago
I have mine connected so I can control it from Home Assistant. It’s blocked from WAN though.
pinkdrunkenelephants@lemmy.world 11 months ago
And this is why we buy dumb TVs
MonkderZweite@feddit.ch 11 months ago
Where? Which ones?
Btw, my LG tv would be able to stream from my phone, if the app didn’t accuse me of unsupported rooting, because i have no Play Services running.
Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
Just unplug it from the internet
dipshit@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Yes! got any recommendations because people are searching for dumb tvs and can’t seem to find them anywhere.
Grass@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
Dumb tv with the latest panel tech is too much to ask for these days too.
victorz@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Now that is some serious privacy invading.
Kethal@lemmy.world 11 months ago
You like this episode of Futurama. Would you also like to watch this episode of Futurama?
lazynooblet@lazysoci.al 11 months ago
The comments suggesting the system sends 2 screenshots a second is truly worrying.
pseudo@jlai.lu 11 months ago
We need a Lemmy community dedicated to find, repair and exchange dumb TV. These are become increasingly rare and increasingly needed.
Reygle@lemmy.world 11 months ago
ZeroCool@feddit.ch 11 months ago
On your Roku go to Settings > Privacy > Select Smart TV Experience and disable “Use Info from TV Inputs”
Oha@lemmy.ohaa.xyz 11 months ago
on my TV
good joke
pete_the_cat@lemmy.world 11 months ago
And this concludes the enshitification of everything.
ramjambamalam@lemmy.ca 11 months ago
Drink verification can, peasant.
mystik@lemmy.world 11 months ago
“Automatic content recognition” …roku.com/…/acr-the-future-of-tv-and-audience-dat…! Roku is not the only ones doing it :(
dangblingus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 months ago
Disable ACR on your TV. There was a news report that came out last week about this very thing.
Boozilla@lemmy.world 11 months ago
The pitch doesn’t need to make logical sense. The entire purpose of horrible shit like this is so some asswipe with a marketing degree can say “look boss, I did a thing”. Welcome to late stage capitalism, where no one ever gets fired for shoving another advertisement in somewhere.
gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
It’s called “Post-Purchase Monetization”, and it’s why your 65” OLED tv is so cheap. They capture and sell your viewing data - but only if you hook it up to an internet connection. So don’t hook them up to an internet connection.
Stupidmanager@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Turn off Smart TV experience on your Roku.
ElBarto@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
Hey! How dare you only pay once for a lifetime of viewing, you should be paying monthly… No daily, for the right to view pieces of cultural history.
WeebLife@lemmy.world 11 months ago
One reason why I opted for a monitor instead of a TV. AFAIK monitors don’t do this shit.
FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I have two TVs. One is 15 years old, the other is so old that, even though it is still HD (only 720p but it’s fine for me) it still has component video.
I will use those TVs until they die and not buy a new one unless I have no choice. I haven’t seen a single feature on a “smart” TV that I want and a lot that I don’t.
Snapz@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Yes, worse, but also more money on something you don’t own - you just don’t get it, bro… It’s
progresssorry I always confuse those words, profits.hal_5700X@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Dumb TV forever.
possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 11 months ago
That’s terrible. This is why we need Foss
drahardja@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Protip: Do not connect your TV to the Internet.
PopOfAfrica@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I ended up giving up and just putting a Linux PC attached to my TV as a media center. I host plex on it.
AFallingAnvil@lemmy.ca 11 months ago
This is the way (Jellyfin here)
SkippingRelax@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I don’t see how this is giving up though. Been doing this to close to two decades in one form of another and I wouldn’t consider any other way. Except kodi instead of plexus here.
lemmylommy@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Until Plex gets unbearable as well. They have been getting a lot shittier lately.
frokie@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I still get Roku recommendations on plex content from my Apple TV. They are doing content recognition off of the hdmi input
vox@sopuli.xyz 11 months ago
or just get a cheap-ass android box (like xiaomi or google)
gh0stcassette@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 months ago
Honestly, I’m just using a cheap Android TV box with stremio and smart tube. Those two apps pretty much cover everything I’d wanna watch. Those $20 Walmart ones are super easy to root/bootloader unlock too, so you can put lineageOS on it if you want
bigFab@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Protip: destroy your ‘smart’ TV.
FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 11 months ago
You go ahead and destroy something that cost you hundreds of dollars. Be it a TV or cans of Bud Light, I’m not going to destroy something I already got out of some need for a moral victory.
I hate ‘smart’ TVs. I wish they didn’t exist. But telling someone to destroy the one they already had- meaning that if they want to watch TV, they’ll just have to buy another- doesn’t really make much sense to me.
dangblingus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 months ago
Or, if you must (cringe), use anonymous credentials, have a router level VPN, and maybe even run pihole. But much better to just hook up a PC to your TV and run all of your apps off of that.
riodoro1@lemmy.world 11 months ago
What? Am i supposed to watch tv? Hell nah
v4ld1z@lemmy.zip 11 months ago
Just get a cheap PS4 or Xbox and watch all your stuff on there. We have an LG “Smart TV” that just doesn’t need to be connected to the internet because our PS5 (formerly PS4) is fast and snappy, and has all the apps we could want to stream off. Plus, both have a Bluray player installed right off the bat, so we can even watch those if we’re up for it.
Don’t bother with sluggish performance on your Smart TV, it’s just not worth it.
MeatsOfRage@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Who said that? There are lots of streaming devices you can connect to your display, from game consoles to streaming boxes like Apple TV or if you really want to tinker a PC connected to the TV.