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NVIDIA Shield Pro (the 2019 model is the latest version) with a couple of customizations STILL is the absolute best for avoiding ads.

It is the most powerful outside of the latest model AppleTVs, but with the added benefit of being completely customizable.

Personally, I HATE ads, so I use a combination of customizations to eliminate them completely.

A custom “launcher” - this is a little weird to wrap your head around if you’re not familiar with Android OS devices, but it basically means “replacing” what you see when the device turns on. A few years ago, Google couldn’t help themselves and started adding more and more advertisements to their “home page” for the Shield’s default launcher app, so I switched to the “Wolf” Launcher and have never changed, though I would probably recommend “FLauncher” now since you can still (at least last I checked) get that directly from the Google Play Store without any “side-loading” (which means to install things from non-Google sources)
I love YouTube, but hate ads, so I downloaded and installed a 3rd party YouTube client called “SmartTube Next” - which although DOES require a side load installation, COMPLETELY ELIMINATES ALL ADS, AND in-video sponsorships, and even intros and other annoying filler content in some more popular videos.

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ArtificialLink@yall.theatl.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
You are the best. Never even knew bout this i hate google tv’s home page thank you

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Fjor@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Think I will buy a Nvidia Shield Pro, it seems like the overall best solution. Thanks for the detailed insight!

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- JDPoZ@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Absolutely! Just remember, no device is perfect. The Shield Pro just has the least crappy things that streaming boxes tend to have and the highest POTENTIAL of all the devices out there due to the availability of Android OS applications.
  
  Make sure you do those customization actions I described and I can pretty much guarantee you’ll enjoy the device. If you have any other questions that a Google / YouTube search won’t solve, don’t hesitate to comment here again.
  
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  - Fjor@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    Appreciate it! Thanks <3
    
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Sanity_in_Moderation@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
I want to sincerely thank you for this post. We have the same attitude towards ads. I am getting a new TV soon and small trying to find one without the ads on the launcher screen. I didn’t realize a 3rd party launcher was possible. I an definitely going to put that to good use. And will also use Launcher Manager to replace it. My current TV has the factory install launcher with all updates disabled to stop the Google ads.

I use YouTube premium to avoid ads and to give the channels I do watch more money.

Right now I am leaning towards a Samsung or Sony. Do you have any input on those brands?

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- JDPoZ@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  I like my LG OLED CX. Does every type of visual format (DolbyVision, HDR, etc.), has “VRR” (variable refresh rate) to allow syncing with game console frame rates / GPU screen refresh rate.
  
  If I had to choose something else from what I have now (which is 2+ years old now), I’d probably go do as much research as I can and visit sites with detailed comparisons of every major TV model like RTings.com and watch any video reviews I could of my TV of choice if available by this guy.
  
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  - PipedLinkBot@feddit.rocks [bot] ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
    
    this guy
    
    Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
    
    I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.
    
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Fjor@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
My problem is that this is a Panasoic TV, there is no Play Store like on normal android TVs, so dont think i can side load anything?

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- JDPoZ@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  No. Don’t use the TV’s built in “smart functionality.”
  
  In fact, I would recommend blocking it from the internet altogether.
  
  In my experience “TV software updates” never improve any functionality… they use them for better analytics and at worst, literally pushing ads.
  
  Buy a dedicated smart device and use that for your streaming.
  
  Specifically I recommend buying an NVIDIA Shield Pro 2019 model (the latest).
  
  You can get them at any Best Buy or Bezos store.
  
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- brenstar@midwest.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  The Nvidia shield is the android tv with google play services. It would be your drop in replacement for the Panasonic interface you are currently using.
  
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