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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[–] frayedpickles@lemmy.cafe 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

Or: buy a computer, once

It's not that hard, the original author is just lazy or ignorant or both.

My smart tv is a mid ranged i5 from 2012.

[–] Laristal@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 days ago

that and never connect the TV to the internet, it'll nag you occasionally asking if you want to connect but that's easily cancelled out.

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[–] teawrecks@sopuli.xyz 3 points 2 days ago (3 children)

I just never connect my TV to the internet and never have any problems. My old Chromecast is showing its age though.

[–] Revan343@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Same on the old Chromecast :(

I actually did connect my TV when I first set it up. One of the first things it did was download an update which bricked the wifi on the TV, so the problem kind of solved itself

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[–] RatzChatsubo@lemm.ee 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Here is what I do: I use a firetv with Kodi, Plex, Smart tube Next (free YouTube), and various live TV apps. That's it!

Unfortunately there is zero way to disable the home screen in order to run a custom desktop environment and there is zero way to replace the Netflix, primetv, DirecTV, etc. buttons on the remote.

Seems like every year it gets harder and harder to change settings on the TV and all the things I just mentioned not being able to do used to be things you could hack together.

It sucks!

[–] DdCno1@beehaw.org 3 points 2 days ago

I used a Fire TV for a while (because it was cheap and you could sideload almost any Android app), but at some point I got tired of the awful (and increasingly worse) UI and sluggishness of the device, so I splurged on a Shield TV Pro a few years ago. It's night and day in terms of performance alone - and yes, you can change the function of any remote button with the Button Remapper app. Custom launchers are also possible, although I haven't tried this in a while.

The main downside is that the device has much less reliable WiFi, for some reason. After some infuriating days of troubleshooting attempts, I solved that issue once and for all by relocating a meshnet satellite close to the device and running an Ethernet cable.

[–] realitista@lemm.ee 5 points 2 days ago (1 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.

[–] filcuk@lemmy.zip 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Fucking ads on my tv home would be an instant refund, unbelievable.
I got no ads on an lg oled, but it's infuriatingly slow.

Isponsorblock can be run on a local docker machine with the original youtube client to make the experience more bearable.

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[–] vk6flab@lemmy.radio 7 points 3 days ago (1 children)

For me the icing on the cake on that image is the "Translate" link which makes me wonder how you might translate this into say Klingon or CEO talk or ELI 5.

Other than that, it's a sad state of affairs that we've allowed this to happen unchecked and wholesale across the planet.

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[–] Edgarallenpwn@midwest.social 6 points 3 days ago (6 children)

My 2017 Shield pro is starting to die and I'm dreading getting another TV box. Anyone have good experience with LibreElec or a similar distro? I am thinking of getting some sub $100 USFF from eBay

[–] stephen@lemmy.today 6 points 3 days ago

Another Shield Pro?

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