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Started By
Message
Looking at new smart TVs and it's depressing.
Posted on 5/29/19 at 4:32 am
Posted on 5/29/19 at 4:32 am
Do they all run ads now and track you? It seems like every story is about how to change settings to opt out of some of the tracking but at the end of the day you're really only getting the illusion of control.
I'm guessing some smart people (kork?) Oh this board have figured out a way to block this at the router or something. I would love to hear from anyone who is successfully blocking these intrusive analytics.
Is there any TV to avoid? I thought TCL with Roku built in might be a good choice but hell.. That seems like the worst of the bunch with ads you can't turn off.
There's a simple reason your new smart TV was so affordable: It's collecting and selling your data, and serving you ads
I'm guessing some smart people (kork?) Oh this board have figured out a way to block this at the router or something. I would love to hear from anyone who is successfully blocking these intrusive analytics.
Is there any TV to avoid? I thought TCL with Roku built in might be a good choice but hell.. That seems like the worst of the bunch with ads you can't turn off.
quote:
TCL uses the Roku TV system, which is also used in sets made by Hisense, Hitachi, Insignia, Philips, RCA, and Sharp. ... "Opting out of ACR does not affect collection of information about the use of Roku streaming channels." Under Advertising, you can also choose to limit ad tracking.
There's a simple reason your new smart TV was so affordable: It's collecting and selling your data, and serving you ads
13
Posted on 5/29/19 at 6:20 am to CAD703X
I have a Sony Android TV and it has no ads.
I might have turned all that stuff off when I got it but I don’t remember.
I might have turned all that stuff off when I got it but I don’t remember.
Posted on 5/29/19 at 6:37 am to CAD703X
i go back and forth on this. i gave up in the late 00s about being tracked, but in this case, i don't really need a smart TV so i look for options without it
Posted on 5/29/19 at 6:52 am to CAD703X
Don't connect the TV to internet. Use the streaming device of your choice.
Posted on 5/29/19 at 8:04 am to CAD703X
I never set up the wifi
Posted on 5/29/19 at 9:39 am to CAD703X
Depending on your home network setup, you could block all of the TV’s outgoing traffic on your firewall. I recently did this for my setup but I haven’t registered any hits yet.
Posted on 5/29/19 at 9:43 am to CAD703X
quote:
I'm guessing some smart people (kork?) Oh this board have figured out a way to block this at the router or something
Plug the TV into Ethernet when you first set it up. After it is set up, unplug the ethernet. Never give it your wifi password. Plug in Apple TV, Fire TV, or whatever box that you use that doesn't track. Profit.
Posted on 5/29/19 at 12:08 pm to CAD703X
My smart TV just doesn’t get Wi-Fi access and I go straight to my Fire TV on the HDMI port. Maybe that won’t work on a TV with a built in Roku, but it should be fine for most traditional smart TVs.
Posted on 5/29/19 at 9:30 pm to CAD703X
You won't start seeing commercials for midget tranny porn, if that's what's worrying you.
Posted on 5/30/19 at 12:07 pm to CAD703X
I'm kind of late to this thread, but I guess I'll post in it because I like sharing thoughts sometimes. 
Yeah, the ads and tracking are getting out of control these days. For the most part I just accept it as it's nearly impossible to avoid all of it, but whenever feasible I use open source software to avoid at least some of it. And when open source is not feasible, I use the most "neutral" platform that I can. That's why I use Roku.
Like others have said, you don't really notice the ads on Roku, even though they take up a huge chunk of the screen. There's no audio or video, they don't overlap anything, they don't pretend to be an app or other standard UI element so you don't accidentally click it. They're not annoying in any way IMO. Hell, sometimes the mood even strikes to look at it, and they've actually been helpful in suggesting new shows for me.
That said, if there were a viable open alternative, I would switch. The only thing stopping me is the fact that the various streaming services only make apps for the major commercial platforms. If Netflix, Prime Video, Sling, etc. would ever put out apps for Kodi or, better yet, generic Linux apps, I would use RasPis or similar on all my TVs. There are probably ways to make all this work on a generic Linux box, but it's not as easy, slick, or functional as it should be.
Yeah, the ads and tracking are getting out of control these days. For the most part I just accept it as it's nearly impossible to avoid all of it, but whenever feasible I use open source software to avoid at least some of it. And when open source is not feasible, I use the most "neutral" platform that I can. That's why I use Roku.
Like others have said, you don't really notice the ads on Roku, even though they take up a huge chunk of the screen. There's no audio or video, they don't overlap anything, they don't pretend to be an app or other standard UI element so you don't accidentally click it. They're not annoying in any way IMO. Hell, sometimes the mood even strikes to look at it, and they've actually been helpful in suggesting new shows for me.
That said, if there were a viable open alternative, I would switch. The only thing stopping me is the fact that the various streaming services only make apps for the major commercial platforms. If Netflix, Prime Video, Sling, etc. would ever put out apps for Kodi or, better yet, generic Linux apps, I would use RasPis or similar on all my TVs. There are probably ways to make all this work on a generic Linux box, but it's not as easy, slick, or functional as it should be.
Posted on 5/30/19 at 2:43 pm to CAD703X
Whatsup bud? Long time, no talk
Just curious (anyone can answer), why are you so worried about companies tracking what you watch? I get the whole ‘privacy’ issue, but is it really that big of a deal?
Just curious (anyone can answer), why are you so worried about companies tracking what you watch? I get the whole ‘privacy’ issue, but is it really that big of a deal?
Posted on 5/31/19 at 8:40 am to CAD703X
I use a Pi Hole DNS server. It offers ad blocking for your whole home and works well at blocking the Roku ads as well.
It’s a DNS based as blocker that will block the DNS resolution of known ad domains.
I have a RaspberryPi 3B running DietPi with PiHole installed. Performance is great.
It’s a DNS based as blocker that will block the DNS resolution of known ad domains.
I have a RaspberryPi 3B running DietPi with PiHole installed. Performance is great.
Posted on 5/31/19 at 8:47 pm to CAD703X
I use separate streaming devices so I will oder if there's any way for it to still do it in that case.
Posted on 6/2/19 at 11:37 am to CAD703X
quote:
Do they all run ads now and track you? It seems like every story is about how to change settings to opt out of some of the tracking but at the end of the day you're really only getting the illusion of control.
I'm guessing some smart people (kork?) Oh this board have figured out a way to block this at the router or something. I would love to hear from anyone who is successfully blocking these intrusive analytics.
Couldn't you just not connect it to the internet?
Also, everything you do online is being tracked for the purposes of serving you ads, so it seems a bit odd to take offense at your tv doing the same.
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