The funny thing is you can just use an external box and never connect your tv to the internet at all. Let it collect all the data it wants. It’s not like it can tell anybody.
Comment on Roku wants you to see a lot more AI-generated ads
klu9@piefed.social 3 weeks agoMy TV (dumb but attached to a Roku Express) died last month and since then I've been watching on computer + Zen Browser + uBlock Origin, with zero ads.
And noticing that I don't see a single TV for sale in nearby shops that is not a (usually Roku) smart TV, i.e. data surveillance capitalist tool.
muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
foggenbooty@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
It may not be that way for much longer. Take a look at Amazon Sidewalk. They’re using low power, long range mesh technology so Ring Doorbells and Echos can communicate without access to the internet. That may not sound like a big deal, but the potential is huge.
If companies like Amazon/Google are able to create a “side network” they could use it to provide low bandwidth backhaul for other companies that want to get telemetry from their airgapped devices.
So, for example, you get a new Roku smart TV and don’t connect it to your Wi-Fi, but your neighbour has a Ring doorbell so it just uses that.
Mesh tech is awesome, and so is tech in general, but we are so slow at regulating it. This stuff needs to be opt in at the absolute minimum.
muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
While that is concerning, it’s not something that would scale well. Mesh networks don’t have the bandwidth for all the telemetry data from tons of users all at once. It wouldn’t work unless they cut back on the amount of data they wanted to get and they will never be asking for less data.
foggenbooty@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
The data would have to be scaled back, no doubt about that. Right now they collect everything under the sun because they can. Remember, this would be data they otherwise wouldn’t get at all.
If I were to predict how it would work I would say they would continue to send back full fidelity data over Wi-Fi the same as today, but mesh would be used as a fallback if nothing is available. That data could be bundled to once a day, or week or whatever they decide makes sense and would only include summary information like, how much time spent on each channel per day, SSIDs scanned in the area, etc.
artiman@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
Why not librewolf, Firefox has native vertical tabs since Firefox 136
klu9@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
Video playback smooth in Zen but jerky in Firefox. Haven't tried in Librewolf or Firedragon.
foggenbooty@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Are you using Linux? Do you have the right codecs installed? Firefox shouldn’t be jerky.
klu9@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
Linux: Yes, Linux Mint Xfce 22.1
Codecs: Yes,
mint-meta-codecs.Everything seems fine in Zen, Falkon, FreeTube, SMPlayer, VLC etc.
But the one time I tried watching video in Firefox recently, it was jerky.
TachyonTele@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
I'm fearing when my tv finally dies. It's a 15 year old 75", and I know i won't have the money for a new one when the time comes. Especially not enough to shop around for a dumb tv the same size.
GloriousGherkins@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Instead of looking for a tv, look for a commercial display. They’re basically a computer monitor the size of a TV. Samsung makes a line that we use at work, and the cost is similar to a mid-range TV. They can function completely without internet.
Something like these: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/…/3538895735
TachyonTele@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
Awesome advice
01189998819991197253@infosec.pub 3 weeks ago
Amazing! That 55" is about what I paid for the Roku tv before all of this blatant “shit on the user” bullshit, and it still suuuuuuuuuckssz