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re: Looking at new smart TVs and it's depressing.
Posted on 5/30/19 at 11:35 am to CAD703X
Posted on 5/30/19 at 11:35 am to CAD703X
quote:
from reading around the web it was making me think this is like a mid 2000s PC laptop that the first time you turn it on its unusable from all the crap malware & spam and virus-checker crap pre-installed.
That's how I read your OP, which is why I went to research
0
Posted on 5/30/19 at 11:36 am to CAD703X
Amazon fire sticks/box/etc >>>>>>Roku
Posted on 5/30/19 at 11:51 am to TigerMyth36
quote:
My standalone Roku is noticeably faster than the built in roku on my tv. Now noticeably might just be a few seconds but ain't nobody got time for that
Well yea, no shite, the built in rokus are basically lower end model Roku sticks.
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 12:13 pm to Korkstand
I'm not an Apple guy by any stretch, but Apple TV is also a great device. If I hadn't gotten it for signing up for DirecTV Now, I certainly would have never bought one. Only real issue I have is that their is no compatible web browser. UI, performance, and remote are all pretty great.
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 5/30/19 at 2:52 pm to Mr. Hangover
2 things:
1. I don't like feeling like a guinea pig for some company that's owned by the Chinese government (TCL is) and having them watch me every time I open tentacle porn.
2. I was worried the ads had gotten out-of-control like how laptops used to be where there was so much adware it actually degraded the performance of the computer.
Remember when Sony tried to sell a "premium" version of the same laptop without all the malware for a higher price?
1. I don't like feeling like a guinea pig for some company that's owned by the Chinese government (TCL is) and having them watch me every time I open tentacle porn.
2. I was worried the ads had gotten out-of-control like how laptops used to be where there was so much adware it actually degraded the performance of the computer.
Remember when Sony tried to sell a "premium" version of the same laptop without all the malware for a higher price?
This post was edited on 5/30/19 at 2:53 pm
Posted on 5/30/19 at 3:10 pm to Mr. Hangover
quote:
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?
To most people, myself included, no it's not a big deal if some company knows everything I watch. But as is always the issue when it comes to privacy, you have to think about what the information could possibly be used for.
If the companies are just using it to personalize my experience and/or show me more relevant (profitable) ads, then that's great. But there is absolutely no guarantee that it won't be used for other things.
For example, if the government had access to the information (and they do or will), what can be done with your viewing habits? Well, for one thing, it is absolutely dead simple to extract someone's political and religious leanings just from a handful of shows. One can easily build a list of potential "problems" that need to be addressed in order to further some agenda. Or maybe your viewing history aligns with that of people who commit certain crimes, and you end up on that type of watch list.
There is just a lot that can be learned about someone by what they consume, and information gives you power and control over someone.
Posted on 5/30/19 at 3:18 pm to Korkstand
quote:
There is just a lot that can be learned about someone by what they consume, and information gives you power and control over someone.
there's a few cold case killers behind bars right now because someone in their family sent in an ancestory.com or 23andme dna kit for fun.
Posted on 5/31/19 at 3:42 am to CAD703X
Someone listed on reddit I think about how their Roku phones home an incredible amount of times. Plus, they are very anti-piracy. Leave that thing offline.
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 9:09 am to EarlyCuyler3
quote:hard to do when my #1 app is Plex.
Someone listed on reddit I think about how their Roku phones home an incredible amount of times. Plus, they are very anti-piracy. Leave that thing offline.
So far I'm really enjoying the 5 series 65" TCL. Costco gave me 4 years of warranty just because I used their credit card so at $529 and the ability to bring it back there's almost no downside here.
Posted on 5/31/19 at 5:30 pm to CAD703X
Posted on 5/31/19 at 7:46 pm to castorinho
quote:
What? It's not lot of TV's for a house.
My younger years are in my past. (meaning) by age of 48 it's not odd for a person to have 4+ TV's in their home.
Btw: Sorry Cad, not trying to side track your thread, buddy.
This post was edited on 6/1/19 at 11:23 pm
Posted on 5/31/19 at 8:45 pm to umop_apisdn
quote:
What? It's not lot of TV's for a house.
My younger years are in my past. (meaning) by age of 48 it's not odd for a person to have 4 TV's in their home.
Yeah I don't see what the big deal is. We have 6 TVs and about to get a 7th for the back patio.
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 11:35 am to CAD703X
quote:
there's a few cold case killers behind bars right now because someone in their family sent in an ancestory.com or 23andme dna kit for fun.
Bump
quote:
Parabon says they have identified 55 suspects in cold cases since May 2018 through genetic genealogy analysis of crime scene DNA uploaded to GEDMatch
LINK
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.
Posted on 6/2/19 at 11:40 am to Chucktown_Badger
I have no cable TV so I'm 100% dependent on apps. My ota hd uses hd homerun app or Plex, streaming prime, etc. So I can't exactly turn off the very feature that provides those apps to me.
I just wish they came without all the hidden tracking.
I just wish they came without all the hidden tracking.
This post was edited on 6/2/19 at 11:41 am
Posted on 6/2/19 at 5:21 pm to CAD703X
It may not have been clear from my earlier post, but the PiHole ad blocker also blocks most, if not all, of the “analytics” of these devices which are collecting your personal information. PiHole gives great insight into what your home devices are trying to connect to and you could manually block anything that’s not blocked by default (or allow things that are blocked by default).
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