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Re: [Link Posting] Your TV Is Now a Computer, but Not in a Good Way

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In comp.misc, Huge  <usenet@huge.org.uk> wrote:
> On 2019-01-25, Rich <rich@example.invalid> wrote:
>> <URL:https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/01/smart-tvs-are-dumb/581059/>
>> The text below is a quotation from the URL above:
>>>  The problem began mysteriously. I switched on my Samsung Smart TV 
> And there's his problem, right there. He bought a Samdung.

I have a Samsung TV. It was the best price / feature set I wanted, and
one of my important feature requirements was "on set controls to use the
thing without a remote". The Samsungs all have a round button that works
much like a directional controller on a game system and it's very
effective at being able to do all or almost all of what the remote can
do.

I very much did NOT want a smart TV and I have never connected my TV to
my network. Whatever "smarts" it might have in there are limited to
running the code it came with. I have a Roku box for doing my Internet
streaming.

I've seen Sony "smart" TVs get over-the-net updates and noted that the
UI they use is apparently very well tailored to "get approval to do
things without sharing details". Specifically just after turning on the
TV it put a banner across the top ~20% of the screen saying words to
the effect of "This is happening, hit ENTER to accept or SQUARE button
for details or options" and if you hit ENTER, the banner goes away and
you can go back to what you turned the TV on for.

(Which at the time was for a room full of people to watch the company
all-hands video conference call.)

Connecting your TV "directly"[*] to the Internet is a bad idea.

[*] I'm including the typically home NAT in "directly" here. That does
    offer a modicum of firewalling, but doesn't do anything to stop
    the call-home features of the TV.

Elijah
------
there's money in tracking what you watch, just ask Nielsen

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Thread

[Link Posting] Your TV Is Now a Computer, but Not in a Good Way Rich <rich@example.invalid> - 2019-01-25 16:11 +0000
  Re: [Link Posting] Your TV Is Now a Computer, but Not in a Good Way Huge <Huge@nowhere.much.invalid> - 2019-01-25 16:17 +0000
    Re: [Link Posting] Your TV Is Now a Computer, but Not in a Good Way Eli the Bearded <*@eli.users.panix.com> - 2019-01-25 21:29 +0000
      Re: [Link Posting] Your TV Is Now a Computer, but Not in a Good Way Huge <Huge@nowhere.much.invalid> - 2019-01-25 22:31 +0000
      Re: [Link Posting] Your TV Is Now a Computer, but Not in a Good Way Huge <Huge@nowhere.much.invalid> - 2019-01-25 22:31 +0000
  Re: [Link Posting] Your TV Is Now a Computer, but Not in a Good Way Batchman <batchman@dosville.foo> - 2019-01-25 21:25 +0000

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