• @SkyezOpen@lemmy.world
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      4011 months ago

      Any way to connect it to an internal network so I can still cast from local devices? Otherwise it’s just going to exist plugged into a laptop.

      • @Bluefruit@lemmy.world
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        4211 months ago

        Something like a chromecast would be the easiest solution.

        Me personally, I just like having a media pc hooked up to my tv. I bought an amazon fire tv cause it was fairly cheap for 4k and its never been hooked up to the internet.

          • @SmoothLiquidation@lemmy.world
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            2211 months ago

            It is a problem, my shield tv started having ads on the home page, but I was able to install a new launcher on it to fix that.

            Overall having a media player plugged in to a disconnected tv is the way to go. It is easier to replace a chromecast than the whole tv.

      • @IrateAnteater@sh.itjust.works
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        1611 months ago

        Depends on your router. Some have the ability to disable internet access to single devices while leaving their internal network access intact.

      • @finestnothing@lemmy.world
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        1111 months ago

        You probably can give it a static ip through your router and block any access to the internet for it. Could even set up pihole to block the ads from coming in to any device. That said, it’s possible the TV has built in ads or error messages to show in place of the ads when offline/blocked, or may just not even work if offline for longer than x minutes/hours/days

        • Patapon Enjoyer
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          811 months ago

          I think a PiHole wouldn’t work cause the ads come from the same place as the videos

          • @cm0002@lemmy.world
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            1011 months ago

            Samsung, AFAIK, doesn’t have a streaming service so that doesn’t matter.

            We weren’t talking about ADs on some streaming service, we’re talking about ADs displayed on the TV from Samsung themselves

            Also, AD proxying with content isn’t always guaranteed, I’ve seen YT do it ofc

          • Boomer Humor Doomergod
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            611 months ago

            Not sure about Samsung devices but I’ve got a few Rokus and my pihole does a great job of blocking ads.

            They still push “promotions” into the menus and every month I have to go through and turn them off, but I don’t see ads in the UI.

        • @SkyezOpen@lemmy.world
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          411 months ago

          I have an old Intel nuc that I could slap a hard drive in. It wouldn’t have to handle all traffic, right?

      • @pezhore@lemmy.ml
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        811 months ago

        That’s how I handled my “smart” TV - I had a spare minipc from my old homelab, threw Linux on it and plugged it into the HDMI port.

        It has never connected to my network, despite the BestBuy employee insisting it would need firmware updates for better picture.

        • @elephantium@lemmy.world
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          711 months ago

          Omg, that reminds me of a time when a retail employee insisted that installing Linux on a particular machine would rock crashing the hard drive. This was, oh, maybe 2006 or so.

          I did not buy a new computer that day.

      • unalivejoy
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        11 months ago

        You can probably get a DNS based ad blocker and configure your router DHCP to assign it to devices.

    • @Zachariah@lemmy.world
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      711 months ago

      I’ve heard some will seek out open wifi in the area. I wouldn’t be surprised if they start having cellular data capability soon just for the ads and reporting back to corporate.

    • @ForgotAboutDre@lemmy.world
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      611 months ago

      Don’t buy a Samsung tv is even better. There software gets worse every year. Recent tvs now can’t change inputs when first powered on. They also need to detect a device to change the input.

    • Anas
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      611 months ago

      At this point, just get a cheaper non-smart TV

      • Patapon Enjoyer
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        11 months ago

        They don’t sell good TVs that aren’t Smart anymore. You could get a monitor but that comes with size, featureset and price limitations.

        • Veraxus
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          1511 months ago

          Even monitors are getting “smart TV” features these days… ostensibly so they can push non-consensual ads there, too.

          • @barsquid@lemmy.world
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            811 months ago

            I was looking at monitors recently, they do have Samsung “smart” monitors. That’s gonna be a fuck no from me. I hope we don’t see everything trend that way.

        • @Riven@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          611 months ago

          I’m leaning toward a projector hooked up to a mini pc for my next living room ‘tv’.

          I only ever use mine for movie nights or special occasions anyways so it’s always dark when I use it.

          Any other regular viewing I usually do on my pc.

          • @Glitterbomb@lemmy.world
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            111 months ago

            I went with a projector in my living room for years. I had it hooked up to my main PC but it was always an awkward setup until i stuck a mirror behind my monitors. Basically have the PC on the wall opposite where you want the projection, and put the projector on your computer desk way off to the side, angled so it shoots to the wall behind you. Set up the mirror so when youre sitting at your PC, the wall behind you with the projection is reflected in the mirror as a sort of extra monitor on top of the others.

            I know it sounds terrible, but its super useful for quickly controlling the projector while still at the monitors.

            • @emeralddawn45@discuss.tchncs.de
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              311 months ago

              Or get a little air mouse remote for $20 on Amazon. This is what i use for controlling my pc when its hooked up to the TV and it’s so unbelievably good, even has a full keyboard on the back if I want to search something, full range of media controls on the front, and just point it and click to control the mouse cursor. Gamechanger.

              • @Aceticon@lemmy.world
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                11 months ago

                I’m doing the exact same thing with a Mini-PC running Linux with Kodi.

                Sure, for the linuxy stuff (management and other funcionality that has nothing to do with using it as a media player in my living room) it’s way better to use a real keyboard and mouse (so I mostly do that stuff remotelly from my PC), but for the whole side of using it as a media player device that remote is perfect and since I bought an air-mouse remote which also has the buttons of a normal media player remote - which works perfectly with Kodi, be it on Linux or with the Android Media Player I had before - I seldom need to actually use the air-mouse functionality to move a mouse cursor around.

                Absolutelly as you said a gamechanger.

              • @Riven@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                111 months ago

                That’s what I was thinking about doing. I’ve already been doing a little research. I’m either gonna do standard wireless mouse and keyboard just on my couch or coffee table or one of those wireless keyboards with a TouchPad built in as a mouse replacement. I’ve also seen tiny Bluetooth wireless keyboards meant for phones but they also work with pcs.

                I’m not planning on any crazy streamio RSuite setups as I don’t torrent often and definitely not for shows I watch. Standard mini pc running Linux is all I’ll probably do. Firefox with unblock serves me well on my main pc and it’ll do here as well.

                • @emeralddawn45@discuss.tchncs.de
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                  211 months ago

                  Seriously try one of the air remotes. It’s like a gyroscopic remote and it works way better than I ever thought it would for controlling a mouse cursor. They’re very cheap too, the one I have cost 30bucks, it can sense if you have it on the keyboard side or the media side facing up and disables the other sides buttons, deactivatable backlight on the buttons, and rechargeable battery, although it lasts for weeks without charging.

      • @PraiseTheSoup@lemm.ee
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        2711 months ago

        Where are you buying a non-smart TV in 2024? Genuinely asking for some links to something bigger than 32" and that is not a $3,000 “commercial display panel”.

        • @tektite@slrpnk.net
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          211 months ago

          For me it was craigslist. I spent $20 on a 32" Vizio that came with a useless Comcast remote so then I spent $6 online on a replacement Vizio remote. I did see some larger dumb tvs listed for more money as well.

    • @LillyPip@lemmy.ca
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      Yeah, but some new tech won’t work at all if you don’t.

      Plenty of people aren’t aware of that, and when you’re buying shit, it often obfuscates that fact.

      Most people will buy shit having no idea the thing will require you to connect it to your wifi.

      e: television is only one of the things. It’s getting harder to name things that don’t require this.

  • @Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world
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    9511 months ago

    Surgeons generally initial their incision site pre op; one of the general docs I worked with had the initials “HA”, and would do laparoscopic surgeries with 3 port sites… so our patients would roll in with “HA HA HA” written across their abdomen. Always got a kick out of it! ^_^

      • @Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world
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        2911 months ago

        https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/01/13/doctor-branded-liver/

        Yeah that was pretty fucked up. Psychopath got caught literally branding a patient’s liver.

        Pre-op, surgeons use a skin marker (washes off after a few days) to confirm the correct site, and will sometimes even write “NO” or put an “X” over the same site on the other side. If you go in for surgery on your left leg, then wake up with you left leg still fucked up and a bunch of stitches on your right leg… yeah not a good situation. And it’s happened. There are a TON of redundant checks now to prevent wrong-site surgeries, but people get tunnel visioned and still manage to fuck up every now and then. I was even in a case where we had a close call - cataract surgery. We did all checks, heard and read “left eye” probably 20 times just in the OR. Shit’s all good and we’re ready to start: “Uh… Doc? You just draped the right. This one’s left.”

        It was the only left eye that day, all the others were right. So even despite all the checks, our monkey brains still find a way sabotage us.

        But that’s also why we do shit as teams, so when one of us fucks up, there are like 4 others there to call us out - hopefully in time to prevent any harm.

      • @plantedworld@lemmy.world
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        2511 months ago

        Yeah they do it with a marker when the patient is awake. Like “this is the surgery I’m doing on you, you cool with that? Ok I’m initialing that we are doing the right thing here”

        Like for an amputation they’ll mark the leg while the patient is awake “yes I want this one removed”

      • @Pretzilla@lemmy.world
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        111 months ago

        Yea branding can be legit for navigational orientation purposes during arthroscopy procedures, but they really need some cool universal orientation design, not dude or school initials.

        Something like Prince’s symbol, that the patient chooses. Way cool private organ art.

        And patient consent.

        Get your shit together, docs.

        • @snf@lemmy.world
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          211 months ago

          Calling it now, warding runes on internals organs will be the next wellness fad

  • @Affidavit@lemm.ee
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    6911 months ago

    I equate Samsung TVs with HP printers. I would rather go without than have to put up with their nonsense.

    • @barsquid@lemmy.world
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      3611 months ago

      We should form a club. Would be great to avoid some of this insidious bullshit. Ads on a TV I paid for and subscription to my own printer. I hope both companies fail.

    • Phoenixz
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      2011 months ago

      Actually, like HP printers, the older models are great. I have a 10-15 yo or something Samsung 1080p 50" flat screen that I found at the garbage. Been using it for a bedroom tv for 2 years already and it’s awesome.

      I wouldn’t buy a new Samsung TV now to save my life.

      I was dumb enough to buy a Samsung 4k curved monitor, 6 months in the front fell off, literally. The screen literally fell out of the frame. Sanding it back was only allowed in the original box which I threw out because I lived in a tiny apartment. Took 3 months of daily calls until they decided to send me a box. Sent the monitor in, and recieved a repaired on one month later where they replaced the motherboard, buttons and other stuff but failed to glue the screen back in. sent it back again, now in the kept box, and got a new one that at least works.

      • Pyro
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        711 months ago

        My Odyssey G7’s panel also fell off 2 weeks before the end of the warranty.

        In addition to that, the Odyssey series also has a weird issue where if certain conditions are met, the entire screen will dip in brightness and display horizontal lines. It’s very distracting. They’re aware of the issue (as many people have reported it) but they aren’t doing anything to fix it. I won’t be buying another.

  • @glitchdx@lemmy.world
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    3811 months ago

    I haven’t had a tv in years, and every time I get tempted by the screen size I have to remind myself about this shit. It’s just me, 30 inches is enough, and I haven’t seen an ad within my own home since 2012 (not entirely true, I’ve changed browsers a few times and had to re-setup adblockers).

  • edric
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    I use an adblocking DNS on my router (pihole can also work), and I haven’t seen any ads on my 2023 Samsung TV (the TV interface itself).

    Edit: Also wanted to add that a quick search can get you a list of samsung domains to block on your router/pihole to stop ads and tracking. I have around 10 samsung domains on my block list. Note that it might break the samsung tv function.

  • @TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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    3011 months ago

    Why do people buy Samsung bullshit? Honestly. Weren’t the multiple products known to catch on fire enough? No, you need more than “products might catch fire” and “everything they make is enshittified to the max”?

    Ever since my Samsung Galaxy S5 got an update that fucked it in every single way, I decided that there are no exceptions to the shittiness they work into their products.

    Fuck Samsung. Stop buying their awful, overpriced, bloated, half-functional, fuck-ass engineered e-waste. They might even be worse than apple and that’s saying something.

    • @aleph@lemm.ee
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      1111 months ago

      For Android phones at least (especially in the US), there aren’t many great alternatives. Regardless of what you think of Samsung and their bloatware, Galaxy phones have fewer glitches and far better customization options than Google Pixels.

      • @PraiseTheSoup@lemm.ee
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        611 months ago

        Maybe stop thinking that you absolutely need a flagship phone with the latest SoC to browse Lemmy and marketplace and you’ll find there are more options.

        • @aleph@lemm.ee
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          11 months ago

          I don’t think that anyway, but if you’d like to offer some suggestions that support 5G bands 41, 71, and 260/261 then I’m all ears.

        • @herrvogel@lemmy.world
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          211 months ago

          Maybe stop thinking everyone uses their phones as glorified forum browsers. I mean that’s how I use mine, but I know for a fact there are plenty of people who expect plenty more from their shit.

      • @mihnt@lemmy.ca
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        511 months ago

        Galaxy phones have fewer glitches and far better customization options than Google Pixels.

        What? I ain’t trying to praise google here, because fuck 'em, but what on earth are you about with customization and glitches?

        I’ve had the Pixel 5 and 7 pro so far and I’ve wanted to stomp on those phones way less than any phones I’ve ever had from samsung.

        • @aleph@lemm.ee
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          11 months ago

          Yep, Samsung’s customization runs rings around Google’s. Don’t like the AOSP gestures? Samsung offer an alternative set that are arranged along the bottom of the display which frees up the sides for the user to add and configure their own with One Handed Operation+. Don’t like the stupid recents screen that was brought in with Android 10 that only lets you see one app at a time? No problem - you can use Good Lock to turn it into a stack, a grid, or a vertical list. Good Lock can also be used to customize the stock launcher, quick settings, edge lighting, the navigation bar, amongst other things.

          In terms of glitches, Google phones have been frequently dogged by hardware and software issues. With the Tensor chips, for example, many users have reported random drops in connectivity and WiFi disconnecting. This was a common issue with the Pixel 6 and is still apparently a common problem for 7 and 8 series owners. Then you also had the infamous fingerprint sensor troubles, which I hear have been largely fixed but are still not as good as Samsung’s optical and ultrasonic sensors. Many of these issues do get patches further down the road, but it seems with every new Pixel generation, there’s something else that crops up.

          • @TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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            011 months ago

            It seems like you’re trying to sell Samsung’s pretty extreme problem with feature bloat as a good thing. It is indeed a good thing that if I want to customize my launcher more than a little, I will need to download a third party app for that, rather than run software on my phone every day that I may have literally no use for.

            Further, I would a million to one prefer Nova launcher to the slow visual abortion that is the Samsung launcher.

            I am able to customize just about everything about my UI that I’ve ever thought of, and I’m quite picky. I haven’t had these hardware issues either. My last Samsung though? Installed an update, and boom not only was the phone a slow shitty mess, I could no longer unlock my bootloader and install another ROM. The good hardware was suddenly rendered useless unexpectedly.

            I couldn’t disagree with you more than Samsung has a single advantage over the Pixels I’ve had over the years.

      • @MeanEYE@lemmy.world
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        511 months ago

        This. Every phone upgrade I sit down and look at all the options. Generally I’d love to have a phone with physical keyboard which is at least to a degree business oriented. Before my last upgrade I was keen on Blackberry Key3, since Key2 fit the bill so much. Then they decided not to make phones anymore and I was again swayed to Samsung’s side with their Fold offering. Now I have fold with pen and bluetooth keyboard which sort of does the work. Pen is really handy for signing documents and annotating work my developers do.

        I am not brand loyal at all, but somehow the best offering is always from Samsung.

      • @elephantium@lemmy.world
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        311 months ago

        They are definitely niche appeal, but take a look at Unihertz. They make some phones that diverge from the current trends with flagship phones.

        • @aleph@lemm.ee
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          411 months ago

          The problem with Uniherz is the lack of 5G network support. I’m on T-Mobile and only 1 of the 4 bands are supported by Uniherz phones, so that means limited connectivity and no mmwave support.

          • @elephantium@lemmy.world
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            111 months ago

            Yeah, that’s true. Part of why it’s a niche appeal.

            In my case, I was having a hard time finding a reasonably sized phone. All the major manufacturers really jumped into the phablet trend (150mm x 70mm is where I start to feel like a phone is too big).

            • @aleph@lemm.ee
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              111 months ago

              I hear you. My personal limit is 155mm x 74mm and even I were willing to overlook the lack of connectivity, so many of the Google/Samsung alternative Android phones are just too goddamn big these days.

              • @elephantium@lemmy.world
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                111 months ago

                Right? All I want for Christmas is a phone that fits in my hand. Apparently, that’s WAY too much to ask for.

      • @GlitchyDigiBun@lemmy.world
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        011 months ago

        They exist. They’re just not well known. I love my LG Velvet. It’s as unobtrusive as a phone of this processing capability can get. Just about fully stock Android with a few minor apps from my carrier preloaded. It’s about 5yrs old now and not a bit slower than when I bought it. Decent camera, too.

        • @aleph@lemm.ee
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          11 months ago

          They exist. They’re just not well known.

          Really? Which others support US 5G network frequencies apart from Samsung, Google, and maybe Motorola? LG have been dead in the water for some time and their software support is atrocious.

            • @aleph@lemm.ee
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              11 months ago

              It only supports sub6 5G frequencies. That means no mmwave.

              I’m on the go a lot and my area has good >6GHz coverage. I prioritize connectivity above pretty much all other factors, so I’m not really interested in devices that don’t support all the frequency bands used by my carrier.

    • @Thteven@lemmy.world
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      1111 months ago

      Their SSDs have been pretty reliable for me at least. Knock on wood

      I don’t buy anything else from them though.

      • @TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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        011 months ago

        Fuck! I forgot that I have a few of those… I guess I can expect to replace them or put out a fire in the near future

          • @TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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            211 months ago

            Hey if anyone can make it catch fire, they can. How the fuck did they manage to catch washers on fire??

            • NιƙƙιDιɱҽʂ
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              111 months ago

              660,000 washers were recalled because 51 had issues. That’s 0.007%…I think you’ll be alright.

                • NιƙƙιDιɱҽʂ
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                  11 months ago

                  Any electrical device can catch fire.

                  • 2009 - Crosley®, Frigidaire®, Kelvinator®, Kenmore®, Wascomat®, and White-Westinghouse® clothes washers were recalled due to an internal defect in the washer’s drain pump can cause heat to build up, causing a fire
                  • 2016 - GE models WPGT9350, WPGT9360 and WPGT9150 recalled after receiving 71 reports of internal washer components burning or catching fire.
                  • 2014 & 2020 - Whirlpool recalled a series washing machine models in a safety recall due to fires
                  • 2023 - Frigidaire recalled 13,600 due to fire hazard

                   

                  I’m not trying to defend these companies by any means, and you are correct, the acceptable rate of washer fires is 0, but literally any electronic device can cause fires without exception. Don’t let statistical anomalies cloud your perception.

    • @BenVimes@lemmy.ca
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      11 months ago

      I will never again buy a Samsung product after they refused to honour the warranty claim on my dishwasher. It had a legitimate design defect, I alerted them well within the warranty period, and I provided all the appropriate receipts. They just plain ignored my complaint while putting on a contrite facade in every interaction.

      • @TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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        411 months ago

        With Apple, I hate so many things about them, but I can kind of understand why people buy their shit. I just can’t wrap my head around it with Samsung. It seems like it all comes down to brand recognition. I don’t know.

    • @omxxi@feddit.de
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      411 months ago

      I have banned Samsung from my list of trusted electronics since long time ago, two cell phones that strangely started to behave erratic and slow exactly when the warranty expired. I don’t want to buy more programmed obsolescence BS.

    • @weeeeum@lemmy.world
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      211 months ago

      To be honest, with a company as massive and diverse of Samsung, you are guaranteed to have multiple products that catch fire in one way or another. Samsung makes up 20% of South Korea’s entire economy, that’s the monolithic scale of Samsung.

      • @TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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        111 months ago

        Are you implying that it’s just normal for products to catch fire? Unless we are talking about a once a century event related to cars, grills, ovens, etc, I can’t say I agree.

        Phones aren’t supposed to catch fire. Ever. Washing machines also should never catch fire. It is not normal or okay

        • @weeeeum@lemmy.world
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          011 months ago

          It’s certainly not normal but it’s frankly inevitable. All it takes is some fraying wire, failing insulation, manufacturing defect on the PCB or components and something slightly flammable nearby (usually the product itself). That and how much stuff people usually have plugged in, somebody is going to experience a fire eventually.

          Regulations on Chinese garbage are practically non existent. There are countless cheap chargers that will start fires. One nearly caused one in my home as a kid.

          • @TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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            11 months ago

            And yet I doubt anyone has heard of a washer (or phone) catching fire that wasn’t made by Samsung. Why are you defending them?

              • @TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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                111 months ago

                Well I’m not sure what you call a lot, but I’d expect the percentage of cheap knockoff garbage to still be pretty low but I expect a huge company like Samsung to be much, much closer to zero.

    • @Swarfega@lemm.ee
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      211 months ago

      Can confirm. I had an S6 and hated it. Sold it early to get away from it. I’ve never done that before or since. My kid needed a tablet and so I got him a Samsung as it was cheap. Same thing. Bloated to hell. He also has a smart TV which again is Samsung. Even that is bloated. I’ll never buy Samsung again. I can’t understand why they are so popular. I guess advertising works.

    • @mihnt@lemmy.ca
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      211 months ago

      Their PC monitors are still solid. At least with that you’re just getting the screen. The second they add shit I’m out.

      • Phoenixz
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        311 months ago

        My monitor literally had the screen fall out 6 months in. Took a total of 5 months of daily bullshit calls with them to get a replacement

    • @Ajen@sh.itjust.works
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      111 months ago

      Can you recommend a manufacturer who doesn’t display ads? It doesn’t help to single out one company if they’re all doing it.

      • @Swarfega@lemm.ee
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        111 months ago

        My old 2015 Android TV doesn’t. Neither does my LG. But the LG could be because I always disagree to all consent message or because I push all DNS traffic through AdGuard and NextDNS.

      • @TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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        111 months ago

        What? The device has very little to do with ads. I block ads on Android with ddg app privacy protection and Firefox + ublock origin

          • @TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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            011 months ago

            How was I supposed to know what kind of device you meant? You weren’t specific at all. Literally buy any other TV and then just never connect the WiFi. Done.

      • @fritobugger2017@lemmy.world
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        111 months ago

        I’ve bought 2 Sony android TVs in the last 5 years (one 5 years ago and one a couple of weeks ago), both are connected to the internet. Neither shows ads.

  • @Diabolo96@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    11 months ago

    The hardware they use on these TVs is complete shit* anyway, so your actually better off not using them for anything other than a TV. Buy an android box or one of those mini PCs instead.

    *every time I saw the specs of these “smart” TVs a few years back, I would internally scream. I don’t know if it has improved since, but I highly doubt it.

    • @thanks_shakey_snake@lemmy.ca
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      1411 months ago

      Or just plug in a regular laptop when you want to watch something. That’s my move.

      On top of crap hardware, “smart” TVs are a pretty serious security vulnerability, too. Better to not have it on the same network as your primary devices.

      • @Diabolo96@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        11 months ago

        Connecting and deconnecting cables can cause damage. It’s best to have a dedicated hardware.

        Plus, you can literally turn your mini PC into an emulation box to play retrogames (snes, megadrive, ps1) and the new generation of “retrogames” (ps2, ps3, wii, nds). And if the hardware is good enough (modern amd APUs and 16gb ddr4) you can even play switch games on it.

    • @i_stole_ur_taco@lemmy.ca
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      211 months ago

      Any recommendations on shopping for an Android set top box? Every time I start down the rabbit hole I feel like I’m just getting AI-written SEO scam fake review sites.

      • @Diabolo96@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        11 months ago

        I can’t really give you recommendations because you’re from Canada and I am from a shitty third world country, so my needs and available choices are likely vastly different from yours. My only source is AliExpress, and I mostly don’t care about the Android box being certified by Google so Netflix & co. work (at least I believe that’s what the Google certification is for) because I sail the high sea.

        TL;DR: Better to ask local groups.

        That said, here’s my recommendation based on my own limited experience:

        • A Xiaomi box would be a good choice if you want a product from a big international company.

        • A Mecool Android box is also a good choice since they are Google certified and have decent hardware like DDR4 RAM and somewhat decent CPUs. Just avoid the boxes with the AMLOGIC 905Y4 CPU (which uses the weak ARM Cortex-A35 cores) and only go for the ones with the AMLOGIC 905X4 (ARM Cortex-A55 cores). Otherwise, they both have the same GPU (Mali-G31 MP2) which should suffice for an Android box.

        • A more specific recommendation would be the Kinkhank G1 which has an AMLOGIC 905X4, 4GB DDR4, and 32GB of ROM and is Google certified.

  • Andromxda 🇺🇦🇵🇸🇹🇼
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    2011 months ago

    2 easy solutions:

    • Don’t connect your TV to the internet
    • If you need an internet connection for some reason, run a network-wide DNS filtering solution like Pi-Hole or AdGuard Home, and make sure to set it as the default DNS server in your router
      • VaultBoyNewVegas
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        1011 months ago

        Yep. I never use the smart TV features. I’ve a fire stick and yes I see the irony but the firesick is almost used exclusively for Kodi.

      • @elephantium@lemmy.world
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        211 months ago

        For now …

        I wouldn’t put it past them to start trying to mesh network their way out of local network jail. Are your neighbors as diligent as you are about privacy and security?

        • @TexasDrunk@lemmy.world
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          211 months ago

          I’m pretty sure at least a few of them do that already. I’ve seen too many reports of tech savvy people not knowing why they got updates when the TV has never been connected.

          • @elephantium@lemmy.world
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            111 months ago

            Very possible. Or maybe “just” connecting to any open wifi networks that might be available…

            OTOH, I take “non-tech-savvy” reports with a healthy grain of salt. “Never been connected” could simply mean “I didn’t plug it in to the Comcast box”. Or “I connected Netflix, I didn’t connect the TV”.

            • @TexasDrunk@lemmy.world
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              311 months ago

              These were tech savvy people who I generally trust, plus a few Internet reports of dubious trustworthiness (like everything else on the internet).

              I wish I could remember the brand.

    • @breakingcups@lemmy.world
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      1111 months ago

      Smart TVs are cheaper than dumb TVs because smart TVs can send your watching habit data to be sold. I wish I was joking.

          • @Voyajer@lemmy.world
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            411 months ago

            Nothing a little bit of electronics surgery can’t fix, clip the antenna or put a 50 ohm resistor in it’s place. Better yet pull out the power amplifier or cut any power traces.

      • Brave Little Hitachi Wand
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        411 months ago

        That’s good. My fallback plan was to get one of those school style overhead protectors and just do pantomime shows with coloured paper and wires

    • Wugmeister
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      211 months ago

      My current TV is an old one I got from a friend of my dad when he got a bigger one. It’s a bit glitchy, but it’s not smart, and that’s what matters.

        • @YerbaYerba@lemm.ee
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          211 months ago

          My samsung tv would put them on the status bar after switching channels or inputs. I’ve since done a factory reset and never reconnected it to wifi. The UI is substantially faster now. I’ll avoid samsung products for good after buying this tv.

              • @Algernon@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                111 months ago

                That’s crappy. I have an S95. I’ve never used the built-in OS since it just goes to an Apple TV. If they started showing me ads when I switched inputs, I might replace it.

  • @MystikIncarnate@lemmy.ca
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    811 months ago

    I did a network analysis of outgoing traffic/connections from my Samsung TV. I don’t have the results anymore, but with the TV sitting idle, the amount of connections was… Staggering. Just, a lot of different connections, and I have no idea why.

    Unfortunately, we use our TVs smart features so we don’t have a lot of options for keeping it from doing these things.

    I’m still pretty salty that it’s basically special order to get a non-smart TV. You basically need to buy a commercial model to get one that doesn’t have or need an internet connection to do what you need it to. I don’t have that kind of money, and I don’t have enough money to just throw away a TV because of this shit.

    • @starman2112@sh.itjust.works
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      11 months ago

      You basically need to buy a commercial model to get one that doesn’t have or need an internet connection to do what you need it to.

      You can just not hook your TV up to the internet

      How many times do I have to leave this comment

      • @MystikIncarnate@lemmy.ca
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        411 months ago

        That’s really not what I would want. If I’m not going to use the smart features, I wouldn’t want them baked into the display, it’s just more shit that can go wrong that I don’t need. The OSD menus are all built into whatever “smart” bullshit is included. So you have to plug it in once and a while to check for updates and whatnot so it doesn’t get all fucky for no reason.

        If I want a basic bitch display, I want it to be a basic bitch display. I don’t want the risk or complexity of having that extra bullshit.

      • @kofe@lemmy.world
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        111 months ago

        I have mine connected through my laptop as a second/larger monitor, but I also just don’t gaf

      • @MystikIncarnate@lemmy.ca
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        111 months ago

        As far as I can see, the only ones doing it are the dollar store quality manufacturers. They usually pair it with a sub standard panel, so they’re not popular. If you want the fancy display tech, like HDR, or OLED or something, then you’re stuck to “premium” brands who try to harvest your information through the “smart” features.

        Stuff like, watched time, content identification, etc, is all very lucrative in the advertising sector. Knowing what people are watching is important to knowing their customers for higher market penetration.