Your TV set has become a digital billboard. And it’s only getting worse.
Your TV set has become a digital billboard. And it’s only getting worse.
TV software is getting loaded with ads, changing what it means to own a TV set.
"The TV business isn't just about selling TVs anymore. Companies are increasingly seeing viewers, not TV sets, as their most lucrative asset..."
I miss dumb TV. I would pay more for a dumb OLED TV. Then add the media box of your choice, be it an Apple TV, a Raspberry Pi or whatever…
46Commercial monitors or digital signage displays are out there.
B&H has a good selection.
They are a bit more expensive, but not crazy.23I just don’t use the smart features. Maybe it’s because I run Pi Hole, but I don’t have any ad issues at all using Apple TV.
There are ads on YouTube TV, the normal ones you find on broadcast TV or cable, and that is all.
4Oh man, I would kill for this...
2The processor in my Bravia seems to do wonders for image quality tho. Same file on my HiDPI computers doesn't look nearly as good.
2I’m okay with image processing in the screen, by smart, I mean with a media platform and apps installed on the screen. I have two Roku TV that are now unusable even as a screen because the recent Roku software updates made the whole tv sluggish as hell even to simply turn on to an input like HDMI. It’s baaaaaad. Image processing on the other hand no biggie (as long as it’s not this motion flow shit)
4
How about 10x more
0
44Go away, batin!
4
Very much unrelated but I recently read samsung's smart monitor/tv privacy policy and it says they can record EVERYTHING you do on it and devices connected to it including programs or games you use and you can't opt out of this short of foregoing smart features (except screen casting) altogether. There's also an option (that doesn't look optional in their ui) that lets them automatically process that data.
I'd heard those things were ridiculous but didn't imagine this much
29Does that mean they don't (or can't) steal information when you're screen casting?
1I think they only do if you agreed to the privacy policy
1
"each new connected TV platform user generates around $5 per quarter in data and advertising revenue."
Sounds like a pathetic amount of money for betraying your customers with a shitty ad infested smart tv
28Now multiply $5 by 1.75 billion...
6
what the hell guys, it's not even free and i am the product anyway ?!
22Can sell the TV cheaper than the competition, if you get some revenue from ads. Race to the bottom, market regulates itself, and so on.
7Yup
1
Recently had to buy a new TV due to a lightning strike (surge protector did nothing) and I never let my new "smart" TV communicate with the internet and it becomes a "dumb" TV and I feel pretty good about that.
12The annoying thing is that even without it connected to the internet, it's still slowed down by the OS. I did the same and it's still not as responsive to things like switching inputs as the projector I was using before it.
3This is the way to do it. Sadly, my wife really wants to use the Roku remote. I must oblige her.
1Pi Hole successfully blocks all that.
Note I have my router redirecting all requests to port 53 (DNS) to the pi hole for those things that don't obey the DHCP DNS. Not sure if Roku is one of those offenders, but I haven't seen a Roku ad in years.
6
Na, I'm still using a TV from 2009.
11Sceptre TVs. All dumb, affordable and are great in terms of panel. That's my next brand now that my old LG Nanocell is already showing dead pixels.
https://www.sceptre.com/TV/4K-UHD-TV-category1category73.html
They do sell smart TVs too, but that's not what any of us is looking for.
9I just got one of these last week for $150 new. The panel won't be winning any awards for visual quality, nor will the speakers be lauded by audiophiles, but it perfectly serviceable and affordable.
3Yeah. At the end of the day, for the price and the privacy, I'm totally willing to add a dumb soundbar to it as well 🤣
The Yamaha Audio SR-C20A seems like a good option.
3
I bought one in november to only use the HDMI to my Linux desktop. I'm never connecting it to the internet.
5Pfft, speak for yourself 😏I'm too poor to afford a TV.
In all seriousness, I can't afford a TV but wouldn't buy one if I could because the dual monitor setup I have + a mini projector > modern TV nonsense. My projector isn't anything fancy-- just a 720p bulb projector but I'm convinced that 4K, maybe/probably 8K laser projectors will be the endgame for many people, simply because at that point the resolution to screen size ratio for most people will be where the law of diminishing returns really starts to kick in.
In 2024, nearly 60% of Steam users are still using 1080p monitors-- myself included. The shift for the average person from 1080p to 4K is taking considerably longer than the shift from 720p to 1080p. 1080p came out in 2007, 4K came out in 2012. Only a 5 year difference but 1080p remains king for the time being specifically because 4K is too expensive for the average person and harder to justify, particularly for computer monitors.
For TVs, I think there's always going to be the core chunk of people who just mindlessly buy smart TVs without putting any thought into privacy but I really do think that long term, we're going to see a shift towards laser projectors that just accept video inputs from whatever source a person's using, i.e. a Kodi box, PC, etc. Part of why I think this is because laser projection even during daytime is amazing.
I'm rambling away but yeah, I think at a certain point between the ads and the fact that most people don't care that much about 4K over 1080p (especially considering the enormous price difference), people are going to tap out soon.
5A TV? I don't have that.
5Oh, wait. Turns out, this thing I’ve been using as monitor for my HTPC actually has some of this ancient TV stuff people keep talking about. Who would have known.
So do I have a TV now? Technically…
1
Oh I didn't know that. Sorry I was living my life to the fullest sailing the high seas 🏴☠️🏴☠️🏴☠️
3There a manufacturer called Spectre that has very good TVs of all sizes, at great prices and no smart features whatsoever.
1I bought a new TCL TV recently. Stunning visuals for the price. But I had to jump through a load of unnecessary crap to keep it from phoning home, letting every tech company on the face of the planet know what I watch at 3am every morning before heading out to work.
Need to keep it disconnected from the internet, plugged into an Nvidia Shield that had the projectivity launcher installed alongside plex and steam link, and with a whitelist on my router preventing it from accessing anything other than my media server and linux pc, because that covers all I will ever use the TV for.
End result: a near dumb TV that is able to watch anything I want to watch, and play any game I want to play, but without all of the ads and tracking nonsense.
1sounds of the fan for a raspberry pi running pihole begin to filter through the background noise ya'll allow ads on your network?
0This isn't a new concept and it's really stupid that Ars is presenting it that way.
If companies didn't know this, then they are already out of business. If the viewers didn't know this.. well.. I can't help you.
-6You can help them by telling them? Like the most obvious thing? But if that is to big of a leap for you... well.. I can't help you.
9"Your TV has become a digital billboard."
It's been a digital billboard for at least 40 years of my life. Radio was no different, so be sure to drink your Ovaltine.
Have you never seen a commercial before? Cheap subsidized hardware? Bloatware loaded on phones? Bloatware on TVs? Games that require 5 mins of ad time? Google's crippling of Chrome to break ad blockers? Unskippable ads on YouTube? Sponsored ad spots in YouTube videos? All the 3rd party logos on Smart TV boxes? Product placements in movies? Ad placements before the movie starts? The list goes on.
The entire entertainment industry is based around advertising. Every delivery platform is designed to show you ads first and entertainment second.
People have problems figuring that out?
2