I’m mostly sailing the high seas, using the tv as a giant monitor for the always-on laptop connected to it. I’m afraid of the 1984-esque “You must connect to the internet to continue using this TV” that might come after some time.
Some brands (LG and Samsung iirc) have been confirmed to send periodic screenshots of your content, no matter if it’s through “smart apps” or HDMI.
I don’t see how they could, the laptop isn’t going to know what to do with them, they’d have to also get you to install something on the laptop which you’d obviously not do.
The TV takes screenshots of whatever is displayed on the TV screen, and sends the screenshots to TV HQ via the Internet connection of the TV
I seem to have misunderstood the point to their comment. They’re lending support to the idea that you should unplug it from the internet whereas I initially thought they were saying that even if “unplugged” from the internet, OP’s current setup wouldn’t save their privacy anyway because the TV will send those screenshots to the internet whether it’s by via the TV’s own apps, or “through” the HDMI cable which in my mind implied either getting internet connectivity through that cable or at least sending the images to the laptop and having that send them. I couldn’t see how that was supposed to work.
I realise now that’s not their point at all, they’re saying that if it’s allowed to remain connected to the internet, simply abstaining from using the TV’s own apps and using persistently a connected device via HDMI instead, it’ll still send screenshots of that HDMI output through its own internet connection and so yes, indeed OP should disconnect the TV from the internet.
Signal goes the other way around. Laptop -> TV -> router -> somebody else’s computer
should I unplug my smart _______ from the internet?
fill in the blank, it should always be yes.
I stoped using the smart function of tvs. I use one of that generic chinese things that you connect to the TV and it mirrors your phone. My TV is not connected it’s like I’m watching netflix in my phone
edit: to make it clear I was afraid because my TV came with a fucking camera. Didn’t like that so I disconected and also put a tape on the camera. WTF tv brands
Yes.
Not only due to privacy concerns (my main concern), as the device will constantly ping home even when turned off. Other concern is it will download “updates”, that eventually may render your tv browsing experience laggish.
Some tv sets have not only mics incorporated, but cameras, so it may depend on your level of concern.
Yes.
This is why I’m holding on to my “dumb” TV for as long as I can. Being able to pick and choose what streaming device I use is great, and if I have to build my own someday, that’s just fine.
I still have a 720p dumb TV and I’m not getting rid of it. But my eyesight is terrible so 720p, 1080p, 4k don’t really make much difference to me.
I’ve fixed a couple extras and have them stored. If you find a “dead” TV, shine a flashlight into the screen and see if you see the picture. If so, then there’s probably just a problem with the backlighting, which is why TVs get trashed most often. Order up a set of backlight strips, find a youtube vid on taking that model apart, and put new strips in. Takes about 30 minutes and baby, you got yourself a TV.
I have 4 tv’s , all dumb. One in the bedroom , one in the living room and two on ice. I’ve got a stack of dvd / blue ray players and a region free DVD player with a 3k+ dvd collection and an antenna I made myself. Fuck all that smart TV bullshit. I’ll fix them all if I have too, the info is all available on YT like you say and the parts are cheap.
I’ve had 4 or 5 opportunities to get free OLED (or what ever trash is out now) tv’s for free and I turn them all down. People that aren’t the least bit paranoid about all these connected devices bug me out. Facebook freaks and Amazombies
My next tv is probably going to be a dumb tv. You can search for commercial business tvs online and find dumb tvs for displays and digital signage. Same screen, just no smarts, plays a network stream, off a usb, or hdmi input. Nothing else.
If I were you, I wouldn’t have let it have internet access in the first place. Try a factory reset and don’t let it online, and you’ll probably not even notice.
But think of all the wonderful ads you’re going to miss out on!
I think I can live without that particular piece of junk. :)
I have a box that connects to the internet for video things. The TV has and will never connect.
Has never and will never connect
Or didn’t it did?
Yesn’t!
Unequivocally yes. The less surveillance, the better.
You should’ve never connected it in the first place. Never even set up any functions that a piece of hardware prompts you to. Most of those are enforced only because the company behind them gains something from you having them set up. Unless you actually need something that depends on that function, disable the function.
Um yeah, definitely. My TV has never had Internet connectivity, not should it.
Yes
Is your loss of privacy worth it to you?
i like controlling the TV with the various IP methods, so i just blocked it from being able to reach WAN and vice versa
You could
buybut that will make it sad. Do you want your tv to be sad?
Do you?I feel I must clarify. I value my privacy, and my money. I prefer to disconnect it from the internet immediately, but if the vendor put a piece of code that measures offline time and then disables critical HDMI input functionality - it is a different story entirely.
What if after X months of offline functionality - I have to connect it again because of “You must connect to the internet to continue using this TV”
What if being offline for a very long duration of time - means that when connecting it again - the firmware update bricks my TV?
I know the instabilities that occurr when updating after a very long time of being offline.
I’m unsure about my specific model - but it is an LG WebOS OLED 48"
If they disable stuff, call the manufacturer and tell them you have moved in a family member with sensitive medical equipment that needs to have no wifi in the area. Will they give you a code to disable internet or do you need to sue them for reckless endangerment?
I think we all know the answer to this.
Actually, I’ve seen reports where CS gives them a code. Maybe it’s bullshit, maybe not.
Never threaten legal action to a callcenter. If they take it seriously (or just don’t want to talk to you) they’ll hang up immediately and demand all further communication goes through lawyers.
No one is obligated to have internet, and there are actually people who don’t have it. The TV isn’t sold as an “online only” product, they cannot block you from using something that works offline because you’re offline.
