Yep. I bought a Samsung TV that I never even put online. It pops up with a half-screen display that lasts for 2 minutes every time I turn it on . Never again.

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jvolkman 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

What is the half-screen display? On my Samsung S90D (new within the last year or so), I can set it to skip the "home" screen and go directly to the last input on power on. It works well.

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sjsdaiuasgdia 2 hours ago | parent [-]

A manufacturer can target multiple markets and make different choices for different markets.

The Samsung S90D (a 65" 4K model) you bought appears to sell for about $1000. Looking at Best Buy's site, you can also buy a Samsung 65" 4K TV for as little as $180 (model DU6900).

Yes, there's other differences. LED vs OLED etc. But at a glance they seem equivalent to a consumer...and one costs 5x more. The $1000 TV is targeting a market that expects more from their purchase and would potentially grate at a persistent sign-in notification. The <$200 TV is targeting a market that wants a big TV and hasn't thought much past that.

There's definitely a chance that on some models Samsung would be more aggressive about enabling smart features, because those models are expected to be subsidized by ads.

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jvolkman 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

While all of that is certainly true, even the DU6900 has the "Start with Smart Hub Home" option that defaults to enabled but can be disabled according to its manual. I assume that's what OP is seeing; it's a common thing to want to disable on Samsung TVs.

	▲	freedomben an hour ago \| parent [-]
		I'm not at home currently so can't check, but you might be right about what it is. I'll definitely have to check! I do remember being nagged to connect to wifi though, but it might be a combination or something. I appreciate you mentioning this because if I can just disable it, that would actually improve my life :-)

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m463 43 minutes ago | parent | prev | next [-]

It's like poor people living in the crowded business district with little peace and giant billboards shining in the bedroom window.

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jerlam 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

There are free TVs now that are completely subsidized by ads: https://www.telly.com/

But don't think people who can afford the more expensive TV are also more tech-savvy. Some just want a nicer TV. Also, they are a much more lucrative target market than people who cannot afford the nicer TV.

	▲	nunez 44 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		I finally saw one of these in person last year! It was as fascinating as it was terrifying. It had a noticable array of sensors and (I think?) microphones along with a camera smack dab in the middle. Above that was its permanent ad display. The TV also has access to its own portal, which was what was on when I saw it. An AI-generated reporter was talking about entertainment news. Not even Orwell could've imagined a better telescreen than this. You know it's chock full of anti-defeat protections to prevent curious minds from scoring a free TV.

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deltoidmaximus 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

2 minutes. I think I would have boxed that up and returned it to the store as broken.

	▲	freedomben 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Heh, I really almost did. It started a big fight with the wife, and I lost the battle quickly. Not a day goes by that I don't wish I'd fought that fight.

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3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

[deleted]

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plagiarist 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Samsung is top of my list of companies to never buy from.

Except SSDs, I guess. Would be nice if I could meaningfully reject all products from a given company. I'm sure they'll someday cram ads and spyware into those also.