What is least terrible SmartTV OS for privacy? - eviltoast

My parents are getting a new tv, and are asking for recommendation. I think all I can influence is the brand/model (not realistic to propose rpi and more complex systems). I instinctively avoid google/android and lean towards anything else open source, so probably LG WebOS… But I had bad luck searching for more detailed comparisons. Maybe you have experience or opinions?

    • friek@sh.itjust.works
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      11 hours ago

      This is the way. I have an LG and bought one for my parents. Do the initial sign up/registration, then turn off Internet access. I actually thought mine was broken when I got it, but it was just my pihole blocking it. Temporary whitelist for setup, smooth sailing since.

      • kbal@fedia.io
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        10 hours ago

        That’s generous of you. If I’d mistakenly bought one that wouldn’t work without ever having a network connection, I’d be returning it and demanding my money back. Hasn’t happened yet, though.

      • FeelzGoodMan420
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        8 hours ago

        But you can just block all the ads on the home screen with pihole. Then you can still use the native TV apps. It’s a win-win.

        If you turn off Internet access then your parents can’t stream.

          • youmaynotknow@lemmy.ml
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            5 hours ago

            I used to be a fan of LG TVs (we have 3 of them, last model is a 2021 Nanocell). Because of this alone LG will never see my money again. Thanks for the warning.

    • jlow (he/him)@beehaw.org
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      10 hours ago

      Yeah, but is that an option realistically, if the parents want Netflix and Iplayer or whatever?

      I think just with electric cars all the options are a complete privacy nightmare …

      • Kongar@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        5 hours ago

        Ya, because it’s a TV. You connect those things to the inputs and drive the content from other things (game console, firetv, htpc, etc.

        I’m baffled by people negatively reacting to my post. It’s how tvs have worked for 50+ years. Just because they recently got the ability to execute programs, doesn’t mean you have to use it. Just air gap it and the issue is 100% solved as far as the tv is concerned.

      • Kongar@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        5 hours ago

        Why? That’s exactly what I did with my tv. It never saw the internet and works just fine. I literally don’t care what Samsung does or pushes out for updates because it doesn’t matter.

        I can still do everything I want from Netflix to streaming from my NAS etc.

        /shrug

        • delirious_owl@discuss.online
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          57 minutes ago

          Because some TVs will scan and connect to an access point, such as one your neighbor temporary enables. Then it uploads years of data that it collected on you in less than a minute.

    • FeelzGoodMan420
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      10 hours ago

      Better choice may be to connect it to the Internet but use a pihole to block all the BS (ad domains and telemetry domains). The fact is that you often get the best HDR picture quality with the native streaming apps. Also you’ll at least want it hooked up to the local network to stream content locally, if you have any.