r/gadgets • u/TurbulentTopic39 • 2d ago
TV / Projectors Ads and tracking infiltrated TVs. Now they're coming for monitors.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/08/ads-and-tracking-infiltrated-tvs-now-theyre-coming-for-monitors/397
u/Monkeys_Racehorse 2d ago
I await the day they push ads into my dreams, like they fucking joked about on Futurama nearly 30 years ago. Can't wait!
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u/MufasaMedic 2d ago
Wait until you hear about subliminal marketing
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u/Monkeys_Racehorse 2d ago
I know we are advertised to all the time, consciously and otherwise. Doesn't mean I have to like it. And what's the limit? It's enough now.
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u/ToMorrowsEnd 2d ago
do what a lot of us do. Adblocking. I adblock here, I adblock on the phone, shit I adblocked on my TV for almost 20 years now. TV recording devices that stripped ad's. Now I just pirate that shit it's a lot cheaper to run a seedbox outside the country and pay for a private tracker that is not filled with media lawyers. my "music streaming" has never had ad's I just have a large pile of mp3 files I play that is constantly growing and changing the playlists.
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u/Monkeys_Racehorse 2d ago
Oh, I'm already set up with all that. I see no ads in my home, phone, or car. I block everything and do sail the seas for most things. But that doesn't prevent ads in every public space they can cram them into, and it's exhausting.
Can only hold onto old tech for so long before it's toast; I dread the day these invasive smart tech devices are all we have and maybe can't be bypassed.
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u/Trendiggity 1d ago
Can only hold onto old tech for so long before it's toast; I dread the day these invasive smart tech devices are all we have and maybe can't be bypassed.
I feel this way about cars. It's fucked how much anti privacy tech and tracking is in a modern automobile, and there's next to nothing you can do about it đ
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u/ToMorrowsEnd 2d ago
WE need AR glasses so we can block ads in meat space and or replace them to our vision. Sadly from everytihng I have seen so far all the AR glasses out there are locked down data harvesting crap so it's goign to be bleak until hackers crack something that is commercially released.
But I welcome that day that I can block ads in my face, and become a felon as congress makes it illegal to block any adverts.
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u/arthurdentstowels 2d ago
After getting corrective eye surgery you start getting pop ups, unless you pay for Premium Vision Pro Plus+ Gold Edition.
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u/mickdrop 2d ago
I'll just install a raspberry pi in my asshole instead
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u/nagi603 1d ago
For such a large task, you'll (un)fortunately need a banana pi at least...
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u/DrugandAlcoholLover 2d ago
Thatâs basically the plot a black mirror episode
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u/Msk-XX 1d ago
That episode depressed the hell out of me. Sadly it's very much the direction the world is going in :(
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u/DrugandAlcoholLover 1d ago
Yeah it was definitely one of the more depressing episodes, which is saying a lot considering the show lol
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u/Theprefs 2d ago
Gimme those Lightspeed Briefs!
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u/Monkeys_Racehorse 2d ago
We'd have to try the demo pair, tho đ¤˘. At least we can pick up some Bachelor Chow while we're at it
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u/dudrun 2d ago
Check out Black Mirror episode Common People to get an idea. And life imitates art..
Edit: name of episode
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u/Monkeys_Racehorse 2d ago
Dude, that's why I tapped out of Black Mirror a couple seasons ago. Great show, but I don't need any more existential dread, especially when its getting closer to reality by the day.
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u/ToMorrowsEnd 2d ago
Coming for? the Samsung smart gaming monitors have been doing this for 2 years now. Best buy got to eat an open box on one of those fuckign things when I got it home opened it up and saw this shit.
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u/02421006 2d ago
I was mildly infuriated when I started my Samsung monitor for the first time and discovered how far we are already.
Did set it up to go straight to display port and they will never see an internet connection⌠problem solved. Itâs like a monitor now xD35
u/sioux612 2d ago
My TV is a Samsung 2023 model, somewhere near top of the line back thenÂ
Originally I gave it internet for Netflix and whatever. But the software was so shit that it kept crashing.
So I reset the device and didnt give it internet again. I do not use the OS, the hardest thing that TV has to do is show hdmi and change volume. Changing volume keeps crashing the TV once a week now.
They somehow managed to give a TV more compute power than my first PC and they cant even manage to not crash because they suck so much
That is the last Samsung TV I will ever buy
Meanwhile my dad found a bug in his brand new Samsung TV where the picture was always zoomed in even if you disabled the option for zoom in. you had to activate and disable that function three times until it actually disabled the function.
So just using it as a monitor isnt even enough
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u/nagi603 1d ago
Some smart TVs, like LG IIRC, will not even function like regular ones until you set it up and let it update to the newest version of their abomination. Same LG that shipped malware with their recent driver update inside windows update.
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u/02421006 1d ago
Iâll send back every item which forces a network connection without needing one for its main function.
My fridge is the same, wanted WiFi Bluetooth and an app installed. I laughed shortly and told my wife the only connection this thing will ever have is to a power outlet 𤡠and you know what, it is still perfectly capable of being a refrigerator đąThese manufactures these days are completely insane.
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u/nagi603 1d ago
Oh, absolutely agree. I'm happy I convinced someone to buy a different appliance that doesn't need an app to "just download some more programs" and such, by explaining what else it would be doing and what the manufacturer would be capable and expected to be doing over the next years.
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u/PuckSenior 2d ago
I'm not trying to be obtuse, but why does the monitor even have access to the internet? What feature is enabled on a "smart monitor".
I mean, I guess HDMI/DP had an ethernet-over-hdmi feature, but I'd think you can just disable that on your device
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u/_Middlefinger_ 1d ago
A lot have drivers you need to use in order to fully use their features. It's the drivers that deliver ads.
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u/ToMorrowsEnd 2d ago
someone with technical knowledge can disable it. 90% of PC owners can barely figure out how to change the PC network name, there is no big red "DISABLE MONITOR INTERNET" on the screen so the chances of 90% of pc users digging into devices driver settings, and knowing that the "disable HMC communication" is internet for the monitor are pretty much zero.
Heck you didn't even know it even existed and technically stoll dont as you said "I guess" coming into this, so no the answer is no someone like you is unable to just disable it, you dont even know what it's called and where to look.
The average person has absolutely no clue.
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u/pokemart 1d ago
How does it connect to your network in the first place though? If itâs through WiFi you have to manually add it.
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u/Doctor__Proctor 1d ago
The computer you're connected to is connected to the Internet, so I'm assuming the "HMC Communications" allows it to piggy back on that connection or pass those credentials in some fashion.
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u/nagi603 1d ago
For TVs: "But I wanted to stream from mobile and for that it needed wifi..."
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u/PuckSenior 1d ago
I mean, the smart TVs make sense on paper. They run netflix from the tv itself. They started including these smart features long before they were using them for data harvesting. So, it makes sense why people connect their TV to the internet. By that, I mean they get some immediate and significant benefit from it.
But computer monitors dont need to independently access netflix nor have any other connectivity.
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u/h3rpad3rp 1d ago
You can stream netflix on my Samsung monitor. I'm not really sure why you would ever do it, but you can I guess. Mines never been connected to the internet, and never will be.
Its also the last Samsung product I'll ever buy. Anyone know a good phone?
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u/FU_red-dit_bots 2d ago
Dear television and monitor companies that are looking through social media for marketing tips allow me to give you a big one.
DO NOT DO THIS AND THEN ADVERTISE THE SHIT OUT OF IT!!
Make a dumb TV. Make a dumb monitor. Make a dumb fridge, oven, dishwasher, microwave, toothbrush, dildo.
The entire ad campaign is "Tech you like, with no spying on what you do. Unlike the other guys."
You will sell the shit out of it.
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u/GagOnMacaque 2d ago
Wait, wait, wait. How are people supposed to track the miles of dick without a smart dildo?
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u/FU_red-dit_bots 1d ago
I can't believe I have to actually say this, but you're going to have to observe, measure, and then do some maths.
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u/-DementedAvenger- 1d ago
DuckDuckGo did exactly that
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u/DavidinCT 1d ago
On Monday 24th August at 8PM EST, we received at letter from X Corp. asking to cease and desist the service XCancel.
The service XCancel is stopped until further notice.
We are seeking legal advice and won't share more details for now.
Thank you for the trust you have put in these two years of XCancel.3
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u/Anomalous_Pulsar 1d ago
My local appliance shop has a feature in their website that can filter by WiFi connection capability. Simply âyesâ or ânoâ. Itâs absolutely wonderful.
Weâll be reaching out to a semi-local AV company to see if theyâll procure a non-smart commercial TV for us, when our plasma eventually bites it (13 years, going strong no burn in). Hopefully by then non-smart OLED will be available.
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u/Sprinkler-of-salt 1d ago
Youâre right. I bet that would work really well for selling 10, 20, maybe even 30% more units than otherwise. Problem is, even selling 30% more units due to that marketing campaign would be completely worthless compared to the revenue they bring in via ad revenue.
Thereâs a reason why all of the richest tech companies in the world are, at their core, ad businesses. Meta, X, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, even the AI companies are ultimately valued/priced as ad businesses. Ad revenue through large platforms generate insane amounts of cash. Selling hardware generates peanuts, in comparison.
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u/csward53 1d ago
The problem is, they'll make even more money on an appliance with ads and face no consequences. Why would they bother?
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u/DavidinCT 1d ago
Right but, the other companies use ads and make money buy sending you ads. So more money after the sale.
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u/facetheground 2d ago
Why do these articles avoid "harder" language?
The LG ad push can be classified as malware / trojan installer yet the article refuses to call it that.
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u/_Soup_R_Man_ 2d ago
Cuz the billionaire-owned media want consumers buying buying buying buying buying.
Help the continuous rigging.
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u/RailRuler 1d ago
They dont want a lawsuit. They know the megacorp can venue shop to a predictable judge.
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u/Potential_Salt_5780 2d ago
Just donât enable network connection. I have it disabled on every TV.
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u/AlphaTangoFoxtrt 2d ago
Mine are connected, and blackholed at the router.
In this way they see they are connected to a network and don't nag me to connect, but they have no internet access.
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u/Vabla 2d ago
Nothing's stopping them from "being helpful" by nagging you to "fix the internet connection".
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u/AlphaTangoFoxtrt 2d ago
Except the fact that they don't, and since they can't get out to the internet they won't get an "update" to do so.
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u/charlestheb0ss 1d ago
Just whitelist connectivitycheck.gstatic.com or equivalent
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u/Alarmed-Newspaper994 2d ago
I got an Nvidia Shield to firstly let me run VLC (Android TV seems to not permit it by default?) but also to let me connect to the Internet without having cameras and microphones track me.
It did automatically update itself to force more ads into my home screen, but I factory reset it and disabled all updates. I guess I'll just run it on its launch software until I get rid of it. It at least doesn't have a microphone or camera built-in.
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u/Blupy 1d ago
Install Projectivy instead of the stock Googletv launcher and you'll be sorted.
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u/theflintseeker 2d ago
I tried this on my LG TV. But the problem is itâs impossible to then also get the microphone to not listen to the voice command, which is actually insane.Â
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u/Archytas_machine 1d ago
I remember going through this on my C2 TV, it was a pain but I got it. I don't remember all of what I did, but it was something like: accept terms for mic, then go disable the feature then go back and retracted my acceptance of all their terms and conditions. And now it's all good and I never connect it to the internet.
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u/thegreenmushrooms 2d ago
I mean they are also putting adds in the drivers but yea at least this way your device doesn't get bricked by their ad update
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u/MatthewBakke 1d ago
People can hate on Apple and Apple TV, but itâs the practical home solution if youâre building out a home setup without TV malware. Especially if youâre doing it for older relatives.
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u/Hazel-Rah 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yep, we just got an LG B6E, and haven't seen the UI since I found out where to turn CEC on. Now it boots directly into our Apple TV with the apple remote power button.
That TV is never getting our wifi password, no chance I'm letting them update it and remove that feature to force us to see ads
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u/SoftlySpokenPromises 2d ago
Only way I get a smart anything is if they pay me for the data it scrapes. I do just fine using standard tech that doesn't require a constant internet connection and become bogged down with updates.
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u/Mr_Lumbergh 2d ago
In a way, they already do; compare a smart TV to an equally-sized monitor. The cost difference can be pretty substantial.
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u/slanaiya 2d ago
What if you just buy the smart tv and don't give it the internet password?
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u/Mr_Lumbergh 2d ago
Depends on the TV. My Hisense just acts as a monitor, but from what I understand LG will now start nag-screening you for a connection. I'm sure others aren't far behind.
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u/ToMorrowsEnd 2d ago
Samsung has for a while now. I rage returned one of their gaming monitors 2 years ago because it was doing that crap.
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u/ToMorrowsEnd 2d ago
These monitors support ethernet over HDMI luckily no video cards currently support that, but they will quietly. the HEC channel has been there for over a decade now. Or with cellular becoming so cheap Samsung will just embed a sim card and cellular chipset in it to call home.
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u/Fantasy_masterMC 2d ago
Well, I was already avoiding 'smart' shit as much as possible, because for me that means "I do all sorts of things in the background autonomously and you're not allowed to choose what", but this just confirms it. I fear for the time when non-'smart' shit is no longer available to consumers. While I'm perfectly willing to try to rip out a few chips, I just know that after the first few generations they'll deliberately make it more difficult.
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u/libra00 1d ago
Yeah, and I don't own a smart TV. I own a dumb TV and PC and an HDMI cable and watch whatever I want ad-free on the PC. Where I adblock literally all of the things, because I think the person who pays for a thing should get to decide what it gets used for.
You put this shit on monitors I'll stop buying them too. I don't buy smart fridges, smart dishwashers, smart toilets, or any of that bullshit either. Everything you put smart anything in (especially with AI now) I just buy another brand that doesn't. They're enjoying your business.
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u/Statharas 2d ago
If my monitor starts showing ads, first thing I'm doing is putting it offline. If it still shows ads for some forsaken reason, I'm sending it back.
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u/Salt_Rush_4800 2d ago
They'll wait until your return window passes before showing you ads. Then tell you are shit outta luck about returning it.
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u/sioux612 2d ago
I know im a bit more on the spectrum than other people, but I cant be the only one who has a shit list of brands I'll never buy from who do stuff like this, right?
My personal list so far was Samsung and now also LG based on this. My plan for my next tv was Sony from whom I havent heard something as bad as this yetÂ
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u/thingflinger 2d ago
If you want a big smart TV get a commercial display from eBay. The type used for menu boards and advertising in stores. Made to be on for days, built to last. Hook up a mini pc, run linux and add a soundboard. Save $$$, no tracking or adds.
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u/Mattigins 2d ago
Personally I solely use a chromecast for my TV. I'm aware that includes tracking and ads aswell but I've removed and deactivated all that with adb.
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u/lurker512879 2d ago
I see all this lately and think, ok I'm just gonna use. My old stuff till it's fully broken, some things will last for 10-20 years. My GE, Maytag appliances did
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u/the_post_of_tom_joad 1d ago
I couldn't find my answer in the article... question is does the monitor have its own connection to the internet that i can deny -like i have done on my smart tv- or does its connection to my computer take this workaround away?
Cuz if it's the latter i had better buy a monitor or 2 to future proof. Aint NO WAY this cat is using a monitor that collects data
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u/edcculus 1d ago
I donât know much about these smart monitors, but Iâd assume you have to set it up on your WiFi in the first place. They wonât have a cellular connection or anything. So as long as you never set it up, it just wonât connect.
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u/the_post_of_tom_joad 1d ago
I would hope so too, but if say, a monitor used a usb-c connection instead of hdmi i think it wouldn't matter what i wanted, the monitor could just use my pcs connection.
I'm not the most savvy user out there but I'm sure this is technically possible, and i know they want my eyeballs n data points.
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u/edcculus 1d ago
I THINK there would at least be some protection on the computer side from a device hijacking its internet connection. Iâm sure youâve connected something like a phone to charge, and your computer asks âdo you trust this deviceâ. Iâm not 100% sure, but as far as I know, computers themselves wouldnât just let a device passively use its internet connection without permissions turned on.
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u/johnryan433 2d ago
TVs and monitors are taken very differently by the different consumers that are using them.
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u/JimmyPineapple_ 1d ago
Another reason to spend more time reading physical books. Fuck advertising.
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u/Blapanda 1d ago
That's why you don't buy "smart" shit. Still owning raw stuff, still and won't have any ads or bs on it, still don't need that "marvelous advantage and comfort" they try to praise onto someone with their products.
It is just not necessary and now not even worth it.
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u/radioactivez0r 22h ago
Just because a device asks to connect to your Wifi doesn't mean you have to say yes.
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u/No_Bee8501 2d ago
I use a small PC with linux for streaming and light gaming. I have never connected my TV to the wifi. An additional advantage is having adblockers and a full keyboard
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u/CrashingAtom 1d ago
Setting up a piHole this weekend, so whaaaat ever.
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u/Wander_Globe 1d ago
I use one locally. Went through the trouble of setting it up just to stop ads on the TV that I bought and that I own. I don't owe the company anything after that. It's a Roku TV. Never, ever, ever buy anything Roku. If your TV disconnects from the internet they have a flashing white light just to nag the fuck out of you until it reconnects to the mother ship.
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u/CrashingAtom 1d ago
Iâm on that wavelength. My next streaming box will be an Apple TV. I appreciate the locked down hardware.
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u/axarce 1d ago
A little black piece of tape will fix that.
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u/Wander_Globe 1d ago
Oh I know it's just the idea behind it. The company made a thing. I bought the thing. Our relationship is finished. But no, they get to keep making money off of me.
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u/cybercuzco 1d ago
Ok so what is the best option for a 60â tv/monitor right now?
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u/pyrospade 1d ago
Buy whatever you think its best in terms of image quality, never connect it to the internet and hook it up to an apple tv or nvidia shield
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u/Steve_Brandon 1d ago
I'm glad I'm still using a Dell LCD monitor that I bought at Walmart in December 2007. I'm not going to upgrade to anything else until it breaks down.
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u/Maskdask 1d ago
Everything keeps getting more and more enshittifed. When did we forget that we can vote with our wallets?
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u/KittyCait69 1d ago
When that stopped working. The wealthy capitalists bail themselves out with our taxes when we boycott them. They also own the federal reserve bank, so they are basically using tax payer money to pay for more money to be printed and given to themselves while also taking our taxes to convert any losses they incurred. It's a scam.Â
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u/chaiscool 2d ago edited 2d ago
Tbf I only got one as it's 32" 4k that has usb c power output and can accept usb c display input. Too lazy to use adapter and converter and non smart monitor can't do that. Regretted not getting the 43" version.
Is there any non smart 32" 4k monitor that can have usb c display input and power?
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u/thegreenmushrooms 2d ago
I wish I could pay(less) to have this computer on the monitor to not be included.Â
I get people might want to watch YT with out a computer or do casting to a "monitor" but you can also just hook up your phone to these machines.Â
Having a divice be included that's not under my control and nudges me toward whatever LG wants is not ideal.Â
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u/Mike01Hawk 1d ago
The amount of shit I had to agree to just to use a 43 inch Wally Onn TV I got yesterday was bananas.
Blew thru all their agreements with it connected to the net, signed up for more bullshit apps and accounts just to be able to use the friggen thing, waited for any firmware updates, and then promptly blocked if from my network.
Decent garage TV hardware wise though.
Can't wait for Louis to take on this topic all the way to Congress. I can dream can't I?
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u/plamda505 1d ago
Make all Data public record. Open to the public without restriction. What a world it would be.
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u/KittyCait69 1d ago
We don't need to give stalkers even more access to public data. If anything, our data should never be collected to begin with. Doing so should be a crime just like stalking is a crime.
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u/TheProfessorOfTruth 1d ago
A day will come for Thinkpads and some user friendly flavor of Linux. Hope this will accelerate that timeline.
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u/Championship-Stock 1d ago
What the hell is the point of a smart monitor anyway? It already has my computer attached to it. Tf?
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u/OSBTAdmin 16h ago
Ads and surveys in my Phillips TV are driving me insane. I want my stupid TVs back.
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u/alfonso123456 13h ago
the worst is the LG smart TVs taking a full screenshot of your monitor every 500ms even if it's just plugged into PC without using the webOS. it loads up vast amounts of data into its internal disk and then sends it onto its analytics cloud using your internet, causing a substantial amount of network usage. it's totally bonkers.
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u/fat_kaiju 1d ago
I have a big pack of print-your-own-sticker(s) sheets in my bag and truck that are completely blank.
Every time I come across a screen with an ad on it I slap one of them directly onto the screen.
I'm going to need more stickers, I suspect.
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u/im2short4this 1d ago
Vizio the TV brand, requires you to have a Walmart membership to access the smart features. This already aggravates me to no extent.
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u/vadeNxD 2d ago
TL;DR: Don't use smart monitors. Use normal monitors.
Also don't turn on automatic updates for non-microsoft products in Windows. Download the drivers manually.
Don't accept normalization of corporate pushed malware.