FYI for those using DNS-based adblocking: I discovered that my AndroidTV box asks 8.8.8.8 when my local DNS server blocks a request.
this post was submitted on 22 Nov 2024
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I connected an old laptop with linux mint and put the TV always in HDMI mode. Problem solved.
What a shower of twats. Don't block the request in that case, just redirect it to your local server that returns a 1x1 transparent png for all requests.
Dang, so you'd have to block Google's DNS at the router level too?
I set up my firewall to block all outgoing traffic to ports 53 and 853 (except for the upstream traffic from my pihole). I suppose DoH could still sneak through though.
I wouldn't mind doing it. I run my own DNS so it wouldn't affect me, but I figure if they're already trying 8.8.8.8 they may as well try 8.8.4.4 and perhaps more, so it'd require a bunch of firewall rules.
Now, all of that is moot point cause I hate the whole "smart TV" thing, so they'd never be connected to the internet.
Right. It's probably easier to give it a whitelist instead of a blocklist.
Anyone know of a reasonably priced OLED/QLED, >60", 4k TV without smart features?
I really don't want the spyware and adware that come with newer smart TVs, and I'm willing to pay a bit of a premium for it. I'd also be happy with a unicorn smart TV that doesn't have any of those anti-features.
What about just not connecting it to the network? Then put a video device on it like Roku or Apple tv or whatever.
just not connecting it to the network?
Some TVs require connecting to the network to set it up, and I'm concerned TV manufacturers will get more brazen going forward. If there's a company that doesn't do this nonsense, I'd rather reward them for being good instead of working around misfeatures in popular brands.
Roku
Has ads that can be disabled, at least as-of last year. Not sure how long that'll last...
Apple TV
Apple also seems interested in ads.
Any other option will likely degrade to having ads at some point. I could probably get rid of them w/ a PiHole or something, but that could end up being a game of whack-a-mole.
I'll probably end up w/ a Raspberry Pi or something running Kodi or similar, which is really annoying because that's yet another thing I have to self-host just to avoid this stupid obsession with ads.
I know this isn't purely TV-related, but there used to be a secret menu for Roku where you could disable home screen ads. That stopped working for me several months ago. So I recently bought an Onn box (which is basically Android TV, but had as very cluttered UI) and side-loaded one of the open source launchers onto it. It's been a much better experience than Roku, not least because there's are no more home screen ads.
there used to be a secret menu for Roku where you could disable home screen ads
That's the first link. If it no longer works, I guess Roku isn't an option anymore. 😟
I should clarify: the secret menu can still be navigated to and the options there set. But ads now appear regardless. I went back into the menu and verified the options hadn't changed (they hadn't). It's like Roku has gotten wind of the exploit and 'fixed' their OS to ignore those options.
I hear Sony is a good bet
Awesome, I'll check them out. :)
An ad giant already owns and controls my current TV’s OS
normal people can't just.... grab a single board PC and... install Linux on it! What are they supposed to do!?
I dunno, suffer, I guess. Pass the keyboard. I'm feeling Friends.
edit: my cousin and his wife came over about four months ago and saw we used a keyboard and the TV was just a computer and he went "why the fuck haven't we just done that?". He doesn't know know Linux, but he has a Steam Deck and got by alright.
Sometimes, they just need the idea, a little push.
I don’t want an OS on my next TV…
Smart TVs are why I'm never getting rid of the old Samsung TV I'm currently using as a monitor for my desktop. It's not quite flat screen like an actual flat screen, but at least it doesn't have a camera attached to it (besides the USB camera I keep unplugged unless needed), no microphone, and no ads. Plus, I still have access to all the other types of things I need like AVI and coaxial inputs, besides HDMI. It's gonna be the saddest day ever when the beauty decides to die on me.
I want a TV with NO OS.
It’s hard but not impossible, as even ‘retail displays’ run an OS in the background to control input switching, image settings etc.
Honestly the best thing to do is buy whatever TV you want (we have a couple of the LG OLEDs in our household), and don’t ever plug them into your network (or WiFi). Otherwise, with updates OS and apps become sluggish, with more ads crammed in.
Instead, use a seperate media player (e.g. Apple TV if you’re already on the iOS ecosystem, Nvidia Shield or similar for Android, HTPC if you’re so inclined etc.) - they’re more powerful, arguably more secure & private, and portable between displays if/when you upgrade.
Unfortunately EtherNet over HDMI exists so your your TV can still access the Internet if the Apple TV or Nvidia Shield has Internet access. To prevent that you have to make sure use older HDMI cable less then HDMI 1.4.
I didn’t think any devices even adopted Ethernet over HDMI
My current TV is clawing my firewall like squirrel with rabies. I'm sure the next one will too.
I just give smartTVs no network at all
Please enable internet access to setup your new TV, otherwise no TV for you.
Then you turn around and return it. Don’t encourage that behavior by just letting it happen.
If your retailer has a generous enough policy to let you return an opened TV because simply because you don’t like it. I spent $1,200 on a Sony TV with backlight bleed issues that were so bad that half the screen was tinted blue. I tried to return it or get a replacement but was told by both the retailer and Sony support that half the screen being blue was “normal for LED TVs and within acceptable parameters” and to go fuck myself.
That’s what chargebacks are for. You don’t have to rely on shitty retailers return policy.
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In my Country, you can Return within 1 month if you are not satisfied.
Oh no I live in the U.S. we don’t really do consumer protections.
Yea but here in the United States we have the Freedom™ to be ripped off with no recourse.
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Now all you need is a built-in camera to prove Orwell was right... only off by a few decades, really.
I have an old 60 inch 1080p TV from the early days of smart tvs. It has a built in app for plex and youtube, a remote that works as a pointer, it's insanely slow but it has zero ads and I'm never ever getting a newer model.
Up until that TV dies.
Yup. My 58" 4k LG TV has a bunch of apps (we only need Netflix and Jellyfin), and the only ads I've seen are in their apps, which don't need to be opened. It's a little slow and apparently can't even handle Jellyfin over HTTPS, but it works well.
My SO wants a bigger TV, and I'm dreading looking through the current market to find a decent replacement. I'd really like OLED and for it to be a few inches bigger, but it seems everything has ads and spyware out of the box. Screw that...
Don’t ever connect them to the internet. Period.
If it’s required, buy a different tv. It’s not difficult to look that up beforehand.
I suspect in the near future it will be impossible to buy a TV without spyware/adware. The only option will be to not connect it to the internet and run your own Raspberry PI/SBC based solution.
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Googles been a TV OS for a while now.
How bout no
The biggest ad giant in the world already controls my TV's OS
Pi hole FTW.
Not good enough. Any OTA updates your TV can get over the web will eventually be trying to circumvent your IP blacklists to shove in any ad-riddled garbage they can.
Literally just blacklist your TV’s MAC address, and use a dedicated set top box of some kind to avoid this shit. My current choice is my NVIDIA Shield Pro 2019, which I installed a 3rd party WOLF launcher (there’s also F-Launcher) and turned off auto-updates so I could avoid NVIDIA and Google doing the same.
At some point, I will probably need to switch to a NUC or other HTPC with some flavor of Linux on it, as eventually the Shield may succumb to this shit as well.
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