| ▲ | lrvick 7 hours ago |
| Buy any TV you want, ignore all instructions to connect it to the internet, then look for an HDMI port on the back. Plug an HDMI cable into one end, and in the other end plug in a cheap Linux computer like a used Intel NUC from ebay. Then use a nice air-mouse remote like the Pepper Jobs W10. I watch any movie or TV show I want in 4k via Kodi, but then can alt tab to a Terminal or a real web browser. Privacy, and dramatically more functionality than any TV would ship with anyway. Using this setup to type this message right now on pc hooked to a projector in my garage from my couch. It turns out we never needed Smart TVs in the first place. Just treat it as a screen for a desktop computer. |
|
| ▲ | Atotalnoob 7 hours ago | parent | next [-] |
| Samsung TVs (and probably others) will connect to other Samsung TVs in range and exfiltrate data via that route… merely not connecting the TV doesn’t present data harvesting Iirc, Amazon uses a tool they call “sidewalk” for this purpose |
| |
| ▲ | derekdahmer 15 minutes ago | parent | next [-] | | They don’t do that. Do you have a source? There’s something called Wi-Fi Direct but it requires explicit pairing. And Sidewalk isn’t on TVs. There’s no evidence of Samsung TVs trying to use each other as relays. | |
| ▲ | lrvick 7 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] | | In that case, jailbreak it, or open it and unsolder the wifi antenna, or put some well placed copper tape until you no longer see any wifi traffic from the TV from other wifi capable devices running a wifi packet inspector. The TV belongs to you and it will obey you with modest effort. | | |
| ▲ | orbital-decay 7 hours ago | parent [-] | | Alternatively, don't give your money to e-waste vendors. | | |
| ▲ | lrvick 6 hours ago | parent [-] | | Sure when the choice exists, but we should encourage de-fanging the hardware that is already purchased. |
|
| |
| ▲ | Alive-in-2025 6 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] | | I want to know how to disable their external communication via wifi, I'd like to see how they are exfiltrating info. If I don't connect them to my wifi, apparently they connect to Xfinity wifi at your neighbors house. | |
| ▲ | dawnerd 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | Basically don’t buy Samsung or LG if you really care. | | |
| ▲ | wolvoleo 2 hours ago | parent [-] | | But that's the OP's question isn't it? What brand can you buy that isn't outright evil? Especially considering some models now refuse to work without seeing an internet connection during the setup procedure | | |
| ▲ | dawnerd 16 minutes ago | parent [-] | | Sony has treated me well and I don’t have it internet connected. It’s the one brand I haven’t seen nag when you have the internet disconnected. Was also easy to just opt right out of connecting it. Pretty standard google tv too. |
|
|
|
|
| ▲ | rationalist 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| Better hope that no guest connects the TV to their phone hotspot to watch their Netflix like one user in a previous post reported happened to them. |
|
| ▲ | PaulKeeble 7 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| Or use something Kodi as the OS and just have a TV like interface. You can also run a Jellyfin client on linux or with Kodi and have that as a reasonable interface for the TV too. |
|
| ▲ | bambax 7 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| Yes. Or you can do the same thing with a regular monitor that has no wifi capabilities at all. Some are quite large, good quality and good price. |
| |
| ▲ | Thegn 5 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | LG’s monitors were caught installing adware on Windows computers recently… | | | |
| ▲ | lrvick 6 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | Did this for years when I was single living in a tiny room. Nothing wrong with this either! |
|
|
| ▲ | qsfp28 41 minutes ago | parent | prev [-] |
| [dead] |
