This also lets them clamp down more on youtube-downloader tools. When they rely on the TV's own browser engine, the client fingerprints can vary a lot between devices and firmware updates. This makes "pretend to be a random smart TV" an attractive way of implementing a download tool.

If they control the engine, they control the fingerprint, making it easier for them to detect and harder for 3rd party clients to spoof.

Regular Firefox running on a Linux computer works just fine.

I don’t need more surveillance in the guise of consumer tech in my life, much less if anything.

My “smart” TV has never seen the network, nor is it ever going to, it displays pixels from a device running software that respects the user, gets constant and regular security updates and that I control, that is its one and only job.

Oof, that screenshot is pretty dire UI.

Do we really need a "next-generation living room web engine"? These smart TV OSes almost always suck ass, I wish all the TV manufacturers would just give up and ship simple panels with just basic volume and input selection control.

Or if you absolutely _must_ insist on shipping "smart" features, why do you still need to ship a full browser engine to show some text, rectangles, and images?

Cobalt existed mostly because low end TV SoCs choked on full Chromium, so it's less new spyware than the same app finally getting a browser that fits.

We definitely need more spyware from Google in our smart TVs, can’t wait!