You can generally do firmware updates over USB if you actually need them.
Also sont devices will grant Ethernet over hdmi, which doesn’t require authentication like wifi, so make sure your set to box isn’t granting internet access to the tv.
Comment on Can you un-smart a smart tv?
otp@sh.itjust.works 10 months ago
Yeah, it’s usually the internet that makes it smart. The easiest way is to never let it connect to the internet at all.
The more complex, but potentially better, way to do it would be to let it only connect to certain parts of the internet that it needs (e.g. for updates?), but block it from communicating with other parts of the internet (e.g. where it gets its ads from) or your own home network.
I’m not an expert, but hopefully someone more knowledgeable comes along to help!
wise_pancake@lemmy.ca 10 months ago
jonne@infosec.pub 10 months ago
If you allow updates you risk it updating to a version of the software that stops functioning when disconnected. If it’s functional it’s just better to block internet access altogether.
droopy4096@lemmy.ca 10 months ago
manufacturer may very well integrate add and update endpoints so that it’s rather hard to distinguish. For example, say Samsung decides to serve adds and updates. Doing so through serives.samsung.com/{ads,updares} they leave you with 0 handle on what’s going on, since the only thing your routers and proxies can see is “samsung.com” and differentiator is “hidden” after that. So TLDR; is: you either allow internet access or you do not, there’s no “a little bit”
otp@sh.itjust.works 10 months ago
Good point! There would be “temporarily” though, which might work for updates. Of course, then it might just serve you the same ads forever that it pulls along with its update.
ringwraithfish@startrek.website 10 months ago
If you’re using it as a dumb TV, unless it shipped some critical firmware issue that prevents core functions from working (like HDMI input, switching inputs, etc) there shouldn’t ever be a reason to update it out of the box.
I’ve used smart TV’s for 10+ years now and figured this out of the awful experience from the first one. Never had any issues with the ones I’ve never connected to the Internet.
ryathal@sh.itjust.works 10 months ago
Newer TVs are getting even worse. If you don’t connect them to the internet and don’t agree to their TOS, you get a less useful tv. They purposely give you the worst experience they can without drawing adverse attention from regulators.
virku@lemmy.world 10 months ago
I am about to set up a pi-hole in my network. Would that help with this scenario?
anonymouse@lemmings.world 10 months ago
It depends. Using OPs scenario, if all data, ads and updates, are served from data.samsung.com, then the pi hole can’t help. But if ads are served from ads.samsung.com and updates from updates.samsung.com, then you can blacklist the ads while still receiving the updates.
My experience with a Vizio is that the pi is blocking a lot of the “phoning home” connections, but the ads seem to be integrated with the software that allows me to use apps, so I still see them when I use the TV’s apps. More and more though, I’m using the HDMI port with my HTPC.
jecht360@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Generally, no. Manufacturers just bake in a DNS server setting and it will only fail over if it can’t get to it.
sorghum@sh.itjust.works 10 months ago
The way to get around this is to have your router block outgoing dns requests to anything but your dns server (which I have my pihole do double duty for)
droopy4096@lemmy.ca 10 months ago
not at all
Tinidril@midwest.social 10 months ago
This is certainly possible from a technical perspective, but it’s unlikely that it would happen in reality. Consumer product companies are invariably going to want to outsource ads to a third party, not host them from their own systems. It’s also going to be a pretty small percentage of customers that would bother to do this, and they are probably not the ones that are likely to make purchases based on ads anyways.
droopy4096@lemmy.ca 10 months ago
from what I’ve observed so far outsourcing does not preclude proxying external entities through existing trusted domain.
Tinidril@midwest.social 10 months ago
Yes, but what would be the advantage of handling that traffic twice when your already paying someone else to do it?