Since I use a Roku stick for streaming, I have no need for the WiFi module in the TV. I was able to follow the instructions in that post, which involve removing the back of the TV and physically disconnecting the Wifi Module, and correct the issue.
I suppose that's one way to make sure the TV is not silently connecting to WiFi, although I'm not sure how difficult that operation would be on other manufacturers.
So local playback implies something more like a mini-ITX PC or SBC running some flavor of Linux. That’s fine, but it’s not going to be terribly couch-friendly since it’s going to have a bog standard desktop UI.
So the most popular option is to put all your media on a server in the closet (usually an old laptop or raspi or something), with a client on your streaming box like Plex, Kodi, Infuse, etc connecting to your server.
Never heard of Infuse but don't Plex and Kodi both contact the vendor's server? That is enough to make me not want to go anywhere near them. I do know there are home media center distros for the RPI and PC and they are supposedly nice. I'd be ok with using one in principle, but I haven't cared that much about media UI to bother. I just use command line mplayer on my laptop if I want to watch a video, and that's good enough for me. I can understand other people wanting a more TV-like experience, which is also fine.
Kodi I’m not sure about. It was originally XBMC (XBox Media Center) and is open source so even if there’s so phone home element, it can be built without that. Another open source option is Jellyfin, which is a fork of Emby from before that project was closed off.
I didn't realize Kodi was XBMC or that you could build it yourself. Thanks for that info.
The server and clients use plex.com to authenticate users.
There are alternatives like Jelly Fin that should better alleviate your concerns.
* Plex tracks what you've watched so you don't have to remember what episode you left off on
* Plex serves up rich metadata when browsing your library
The Apple TV is a drop-in replacement for a Roku or Fire TV that lacks built-in advertising
It can connect to Plex, Jellyfin, SMB, NFS and more. Bought a lifetime licence a while back before the price was increased and no regrets so far.
[1] https://9to5mac.com/2021/06/29/apple-tv-channels-services/
Then there's the Apple TV app, which runs on the Apple TV box. This can integrate with some other streaming services and show you their content in the app. Not Netflix or HBO (or some others) though.
And finally (that's all?) there's the Apple TV+ service that's 4.99 a month and lets you watch shows that Apple produces in the Apple TV app on the Apple TV box (or your iPhone, iPad, etc.)
It's all named very well and clear.
I really enjoyed this.
Apple’s handling of the Apple TV product names are baffling to me, given their once brilliant marketing department.
The physical device is the Roku competitor, and supports Netflix/Disney+ etc.
From the link: > I taped the loose ribbon cable to the inside of the TV with a note saying, "Wifi Module disconnected, so as to disable 'Unknown Device is Disconnected' message." That way if anyone ever looks in there in the future, it will be known what was done :-)
excellent :)
Why would you do this? Initial configuration but then never again? I can't think of a technical reason it meaningfully helps when you can already type in a wifi password with the remote, so I'm inclined to assume that the feature isn't for the customer but rather because they want you to use their app on your phone because the data on your phone is more valuable than the data on your TV.
I would feed them and they’d fall asleep in my arms but sometimes I would be terrified to move them in case they woke (and sometimes I’d just enjoy cuddling them as they slept). However the TV remote might have been too far to reach, whereas my phone was always in my pocket.
BT became useful again when they became older and started playing with the TV remote. It was always getting lost. Whereas my phone wasn’t.
But in terms of involving installing an app on your phone to emulate a remote, both are the same so it's no different. At least it's for more than just to configure it, mandating a connection to a phone you may or may not have seems like a stretch. At least by making it possible to use your BT for a remote you're expanding the features rather than breaking them.
Anyhow, late one night we saw something popup in the list when I was pairing my headphones. "$crappyneighbor's TV". And we saw an opportunity to be a little petty back for once. We connected my phone, and apparently their TV model features no confirmation because it went right through, and started blasting Rick Astleys "Never Gonna Give You Up" until my phone disconnected a couple minutes later. Bit of good harmless fun at their expense.
Challenge accepted! <grabs pliers and soldering iron>
The profit margins are quite thin on consumer equipment; they can't afford to investigate into the chassis, having someone look at every chip that might have been tampered with.
...if there is one to snip, of course.
Eg LG Connect Apps
I’ve also often wondered if “store mode” disabled all of the radios because that’s the kind of thing you wouldn’t want enabled in a store.
I only turn on bluetooth when it is needed.
Wired headsets and wired keyboards will work with some of today's phones.
Aything with an IR remote does not betrays it's users like that (through the remote)
Or it does that by itself, with a mesh network that your neighbours have setup by accident with their Alexa or Ring - Amazon Sidewalk is an amazing end-run around your own firewall rules.
Makes you wonder about the opportunities for poisoning of Sidewalk networks, just to get some petty revenge.
I assume you’re referring to the US constitution. The rights you’re referring to constrain the government, not companies. You do not have a legal right to privacy w.r.t. your TV spying on you.
note that a right isn't a passive trait, but an active assertion. every time we give in to what's easy, we lose a little bit of our rights. you maintain rights by speaking out and living by them. we wouldn't need a second amendment were that not the case (n.b., i don't personally own nor desire a gun).
Actually, when I build my next house in 5-10 years I think I might do exactly this
/s
You can bypass the acceptance of the privacy policy entirely and it just disables all the smart features (can't use any of the apps or cast to it with Airplay or Google Cast), but will still download firmware updates and install them.
From the network capture I did on it, if you don't accept the policies it only reaches out to the update servers for the firmware, and that's it. Nothing else.
As of right now I have an Apple TV hooked up with my Vizio sounder and it all works really well. Have had no issues.
While the remote does have a menu button, many settings continue to be available only via the mobile app.
No need to include a modem when your customer's neighbor has an internet-connected toaster within bluetooth range of the TV.
If you are having issues because of physically fixable issues there are surgeries that can help (I had 2 things fixed). Most of the time however its just being fat and physical. Loosing the weight helps and the effect can be tracked in the data the CPAP collects. The doctor can then use the data to adjust then pressure down.
I am speaking from experience. My pressure setting has dropped as I took off the beer gut. This time next year I will likely be able to be done with it.
E: And in the ongoing arms war, then manufacturer's ship remotes that no longer use tried and true IR but instead go over the same bluetooth or 2.4ghz chip. Some probably already do, I would expect.
We’ll be okay for another 5-10 years before they securely start locking that down too.
1. Scan the HDMI content and send information back to the mothership to help vendors know what you're watching.
2. Scan the local network for shares and look at media on them, again to send back to the mothership.
It was 2G iirc, enough for book download. Uploading a perceptive hash of what you are watching - e.g. a frame every few seconds - also fits on 2G speeds.
TV phones home a lot, with info about stuff, some info big lots of bandwidth.
could there be an attack with buying some tvs and putting them on public WiFi - and could one find a way to increase the amount the tv was sending so it amounted to an attack - but still have plausible deniability.
If tvs were put on public wifi, which I guess there is no reason why you shouldn't put your tv on public wifi, and the tv is using lots of bandwidth, and your tv is popular in a country with lots of free wifi, is that tv manufacturer guilty of an attack on the free wifi infrastructure of that country?
I'm asking for a short story or several I might write some day.
Ford, iirc, places it on the floor under or behind some seats making it much easier to deal with.
I think MA just passed a law about not allowing vehicles sold there to sell your telemetry data or something.
i believe they just have to share the data with others, which they don't want to do.
https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Sidewalk/b?ie=UTF8&node=213281...
There are a lot of ways this can (and has) gone horribly wrong for privacy.
In terms of what, lines of code? Engineer days?
Never intend to use the "smart" features on the TV, internet browsing, Netflix etc., I handle that perfectly with my "broken lid" laptop, which is a well maintained machine, typing these very words on it.
So I can vouch that at least for Sony TVs in the KD or KDL series XD, XE, XF, XG (most of them launched a few years ago), you can use them just fine without internet, and you can even update them. You can also turn off Bluetooth and prevent the TV from advertising its presence.
Don't know about the newer OLED and QLED devices, you should try them on in the store.
I agree that the target is low value and that the attacker will most likely not bother infecting Android TVs; he would need to force them to connect to WiFi to exfiltrate any data, a very complex and unlikely attack if your TV is not used to monitor uranium centrifuge data.
so, are there any TVs where this is not possible? For example as part of turning on there is a setup procedure that makes it phone home and connect to wifi? If so (I wouldn't know but I would expect because natural cynicism) then the question naturally becomes what TVs is what you suggest actually possible on.
on edit: I see jiveturkey just posted that in fact what I suspect would be the case of difficulty to keep it from connecting is often the case https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29383963
Unless there are new features or fixes you want. My TV needed updates to support Dolby Vision and to fix ARC/CEC bugs. More recent TVs have required updates to support HDMI 2.1 features.
At least you can download the firmware separately and update through USB instead of a network update.
The problem isn't just that they want to be connected tot he internet, it's that that they're terribly written buggy bloatware devices that glitch continuously when not connected to the internet.
Of course from what others have said it seems like they're also glitchy and terrible when connected to the internet?
Satellite receivers have had this type of capability for a few decades.
It's hard to imagine streaming services like YouTube, NetFlix and whoever agreeing to do anything of that sort.
Indeed, my guess is right about this seems to be in the right ballpark:
But they seem to have a good feeling about tomorrow.
There are also quite often free public wifi in the neighborhoods. Bluetooth may also be an option. Or they can just add a cellular network to get your data. Or maybe they can create a wifi mesh network between nearby TVs and share the internet if one has access to it.
My dumb TV's remote is so simple, it has room for a dedicated button for each HDMI input. I don't have to go through any on-screen widget to pick an input: just hit a physical button on the remote dedicated to going to that HDMI input.
Cycling through picture modes is just a button also.
Never enter menus? What if you'd like to adjust something related to the display; sharpness or something.
edit: I believe it's called HbbTV
Most TV's will lock on any open wifi network given the chance - and that's all it takes to upload saved data and pull down updates and ads etc