This is sort of what happened with Google Chromecast with Google TV. I bought that on a technicality for my parents over an Apple TV. My mom (who isn’t a native English speaker) was watching another foreign language show on Netflix and whenever she paused on the Apple TV the seek bar would come in and overlay itself on the subtitles. She was frequently pausing just to catch up on the long sentences to read them and then unpausing just as quickly. This wasn’t an issue on the Android-based Netflix, where the subtitles remained in view.
Well OF COURSE because it’s fucking Google they started shoving more and more ads onto the device, to the extent that my parents actually get pretty confused on how to properly navigate the thing. It makes me so mad.
I solved this problem on my Xiaomi Mi Box S 4K by installing FLauncher, and setting it as the default launcher (on my own box as well as my parents’).
LeanbackLauncher is another great option, but FLauncher has better customizability options, and that’s what I prefer.
In this way, I haven’t seen a single system UI ad on my Android TV box for years. For ad-free YouTube, I’m using SmartTube. So far, it’s been amazing.
I’m visiting my parents this winter so it will be a good chance for me to look into trying something like this.
That sounds like a plan. I’d search online for advice from other users beforehand, regarding which solutions/apps are confirmed to work well with the exact device, OS version etc.
Amazon being greedy and bake ads into their devices? Who could see that coming?!
This needs to become illegal. Ads are part of the price you pay for a device or service. If you didn’t agree to them at the time of purchase, they can’t be sprung on you after you’ve paid.
They agreed, they just didn’t read the terms and conditions
They didn’t agree at the time of purchase.
I am sure if someone sues them then they will definately be off the hook because of some statement in their terms of service.
Which is why it needs to become illegal
Remember that “deal” always has depth behind it. They are waiting to reach critical mass so they can “throw the switch”. Streaming services, “smart” devices, subscription services… You should only engage with these “deals” if you understand the bigger picture and have a plan to disengage quickly as soon as they pull their bullshit.
Your black Friday TV is NOT the same as the TV that brand typically sells. It’s a different sku, all the parts are deliberately sourced lesser quality versions and it’s literally designed to break/fail earlier than the “normal” version. You’re not getting a deal on the TV you wanted, you’re buying a lesser TV - Not necessarily a bad thing if you know what you’re buying, but you need to know what you’re buying.
There is a big lack of consumer education in the U.S. I don’t know how to solve it in our oligarchical society. The corporations don’t want consumers educated.
There should be regulation of the private sector. There has to be some accountability for these corporations. The onus can’t be on the consumer one hundred percent of the time. It really shouldn’t be at all. Buyers should only be responsible for deciding which products would be best for them and their budget, not for having to predict which corporation will utterly fuck them over the least out of the only three corporations they have to choose from when they’re all trying to scam them out of their money.
I’m so sick of being scammed every single time I buy something. The government needs to step in and do their job instead of just handing out a few fines here and there.
PSA: It is incredibly easy to get an alternative launcher for android TVs. Zero ads. Literally none.
Which do you use?
FLauncher. It’s even on the Google play store.
Then you have to side load an app that changes the default launcher. But that is also very easy.
Thanks
What android TV would you recommend? Even with an alt launcher, can you still control OS/apps well with just a Reddit controller as input?
Sony is the easiest to change all the settings. Samsung is the worst.
I have no idea what a reddit controller is.
I think he meant to type “remote” instead of “reddit”.
Ahhh. Then yes. Remote works the same. Change the default launcher to FLauncher and it automatically maps it to the home button.
I’ve had a good experience with my Sony. Very easy to change things and sideload stuff.
I like my Philips, it’s got the cool ambilight and runs android TV. I think they lag slightly behind LG in performance but these don’t have either of those things.
buying a ‘dumb’ tv is getting harder and harder to do…
how long until you are forced to hook a new ‘smart’ one up to the internet, just to “set it up”–even if you have no plans on ever using the ‘smart’ features or embedded apps?
If you buy a Sony Bravia you can put them into “pro mode” which keeps all the signal processing, but lets you turn off android.
That’s good to know!
Roku tvs already do that, you even need to put in a credit card number for it to work.
I can’t figure out why the cheap TCL I bought 5 years ago isn’t packed with ads. Maybe because it’s Roku-based?
Probably because it’s Chinese spyware. https://www.tomsguide.com/news/tcl-smart-tv-security-flaws
Disturbing; thanks for sharing that. Seems like the Roku flavor may be okay-ish, but I just walled it off from rest of home network anyway.
Yeah, TCL was the front-runner when I was looking for a non-smart TV until I saw that. :( I ended up just going with a samsung and hoping for the best. I’ve not noticed anything annoying, but we’re probably going to switch back to a PC hooked up to the TV with all the subscription problems / price jacking lately.
What a totally expected turn of events!
Actually kinda surprised that chromecast doesn’t have ads, at least the model we have.
We have a dumb projector with features such as “select source”.
The original cast-only chromecasts didn’t have ads as far as I know, but they’ve all been discontinued and replaced by the google tv chromecasts which have ads integrated throughout the interface, mostly just for streaming services, movies, etc.
Fuck seriously? I have a Chromecast from like 7 years ago and I was considering getting a newer model just because, you know, improvements and stuff. But definitely not if there are ads. Holy shit no.
Have you seen the TV that has a second screen that just plays ads
And apparently has cameras and sensors that detect if you cover up the 2nd screen. Truly dystopian, but also they weren’t exactly hiding these features if people bought the TVs…
In my humble opinion until the producers of such appliances learn honesty through pain, it’s much better to have a pirate streambox (with something like
torrentflixor Popcorn Time or whatever, I just download torrents and watch on my laptop, so don’t use these things).This is literally the oldest trick in the book, haha.
When you’re served ads, you’re not the customer, but the product. The customers would be the advertisers. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this, mind you, until it stops you from consuming the context you intended on consuming. Then it becomes a problem.
And when I’m paying for the privilege of getting ads.
Yes 100% this too
Am I the only one who sticks to old school solutions like a dedicated HTPC running Linux and Kodi instead of ad-infested Android TV sticks/boxes?
I did that, but at the end of the day, I find the experience of the Shield TV better.
I’m really shocked that this is the Technology community and it’s full of people complaining about ads. We’re supposed to be the geeks who are laughing at the normies for watching those ads while we watch content on our techy solution which is immune to such garbage.
Just avoid hooking it up to the internet. Win/win
Kind of hard to watch streaming services that way, which is generally why people buy such TVs.
Many of these smart tvs are priced lower than they would’ve been otherwise, because being able to serve you ads is worth something.
So blocking the internet access might actually make it a better value. You can then hook it with an optional non-bloated box for streaming
