• cambodia@lemmy.worldEnglish
    7 days

    How hard is it for companies to just make a good screen screen with the necessary ports any nothing else.

    We are all losing our minds.

    • GreenShimada@lemmy.worldEnglish
      7 days

      It’s textbook rent-seeking behavior. They discount the TV $201 to undercut someone else, and make up the difference selling the ads over the life of the TV.

      This is how SO many things work, it’s only surprising that it’s taken this long. If you watch YT on this fancy TV, you’re getting the same thing.

    • kamen@lemmy.worldEnglish
      7 days

      I guess it’s hard when they’ve probably factored in ad revenue in the pricing. It’s not a new practice - it’s been done with cheap Chinese smartphones that were sometimes sold below the cost of hardware and production.

      It’s terrible, I agree. Brands like this go into a list of offenders that I’ll make sure to avoid in the future.

    • Canaconda@lemmy.caEnglish
      7 days

      There’s literally no reason to buy a smart TV so long as TV’s have multiple HDMI inputs.

      I use the 4k ONN box which can play files off the high seas… i mean USB.

      • XeroxCool@lemmy.worldEnglish
        6 days

        there’s literally no reason to buy a smart TV so long as TVs have multiple Hdmi inputs

        Stop tempting them. I’m already down to 2 HDMIs on most of the TVs I’ve touched in the last decade. Some 3, one with 4. That’s anything from a cheap 32"Roku to a high end LG LED 70". I expect to find a 1xHDMI soon enough.

  • GreenShimada@lemmy.worldEnglish
    7 days

    “Brand denies wrongdoing”

    Of course. “Use is consent to the user agreement.”

    They could get you to swear eternal fealty to Lord Xenu, Alien God of the Universe in the user agreement that you consent to by connecting the TV to the internet.

    • ilinamorato@lemmy.worldEnglish
      6 days

      No, this is different. They’re not saying “we’re allowed to,” they’re saying “we didn’t do it”:

      In no circumstance did the test affect the standard functionality of the device nor did it limit access to its main features. The users could and can continue to normally use all HDMI inputs, external devices, consoles, subscription streaming apps, or standard broadcasts without any type of interruption or obligation to watch advertisements.

      Which is totally believable. /s

  • GreatAlbatross@feddit.ukEnglish
    7 days

    I’m feeling a lot less crazy having my strict rule on AV equipment:
    It should work out the box without connecting to the internet, and it shouldn’t be connected without a damned good reason.
    To the point that I insisted on setting up the PS5 and playing a game on it before connecting, just to be sure.

    • MasterBlaster@lemmy.worldEnglish
      6 days

      Yep. My LG is not configured for internet. I updated it once with a USB stick. There is no reason to connect tv or speaker to internet. A good antenna gets me critical stuff.

    • Canaconda@lemmy.caEnglish
      7 days

      That’s my only gripe with my ONN box… the remote gets updates. seems sus. But I don’t give it microphone permissions so hopefully that’s sufficient.

      • JcbAzPx@lemmy.worldEnglish
        6 days

        One hint that it’s still listening is if it runs through batteries too fast. If it lasts at least a year, you should be okay. I had to get a Chinese knock-off remote without a microphone for my last TV to stop it.

        • Canaconda@lemmy.caEnglish
          6 days

          Good to know. Lasted a year on some crappy amazon batteries so I think it’s turned off.

  • reksas@sopuli.xyzEnglish
    6 days

    i wish people were less tolerating about this shit. most likely users of those tvs will grumble a little at first and then just accept and eventually disparage anyone for speaking against it.

    people should get way more angry about this publicly.

    just think about how things used to be 50 or 100 years ago. Having a huge scandal could actually end someones career or put down a company. Now there is nothing shitty people and companies can’t do because everyone is so apathetic they wouldnt care if they themselves are the victim.

    • mrgoosmoos@lemmy.caEnglish
      6 days

      and when you do call it out, other consumers make fun of you and tell you you’re being annoying and to get with the times

      see: LED headlights

    • Bluescluestoothpaste@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      6 days

      Most people just dont care or notice. They go to work get money and then go to walmart snd buy whatever is cheapest. Theyre used to ads everywhere so they buy the ad infected tv and dont even notice anything wrong, ads are just a mundane fact of life.

    • StarryPhoenix97@lemmy.worldEnglish
      6 days

      I suspect part of the lack of outrage is the fact that you don’t have to change your inputs much these days. If you only stream content from a gaming console with apps then you’re never changing the channel or the inputs. and if you ARE changing the channel, they could easily seem like just regular TV ads.

      I don’t think the average 20 something or 30 something is channel surfing like they used to in the old days either way. If you’re changing a channel you likely know what you want to watch and what channel it’s on. So, each change of the channel is one or two ads every hour or so. because even with cable you have the cable based TV guide interface.

  • Crackhappy@lemmy.worldEnglish
    6 days

    I have never connected a TV to the Internet. I do have a smart TV but I just use it for my computer.

  • Meldrik@lemmy.wtfEnglish
    6 days

    That’s one reason why I never connected mine to the internet.

  • TheEighthDoctor@lemmy.zipEnglish
    7 days

    My Hisense TV screen also broke in half by itself and they refused to honor the warranty.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.worldEnglish
      7 days

      Increasingly difficult to find a dumb one. If Walmart or Best Buy carries them, they don’t make a show of it.

  • manuallybreathing@lemmy.mlEnglish
    6 days

    Im still using an LG tv from 2007, and you could be too if you were my friend :^) I have jurassic park on bluray and i make pretty good popcorn

    • MasterBlaster@lemmy.worldEnglish
      6 days

      I still remember adjusting the wrabbit ears on our black and white tv to get one of 4 tv stations.

      I am perfectly happy with walking away from video entertainment once my work-arounds fail.

      The world will continue spinning when the media manipulators go broke because nobody watches their tripe any more.

      I hear these things called books are pretty entertaining.

      • rebornAnew@lemmy.zipEnglish
        5 days

        Of course we can get rid of video entertainement, it’s more so a question of principle and shows the impeding failure of our own economic system.

        The product becomes abstract, and we’re going to be served more ads on other abstract products which will just continue the cycle.

        It’s depressing.