What a totally expected turn of events!
After luring customers with low prices, Amazon stuffs Fire TVs with ads
Submitted 1 year ago by FlyingSquid@lemmy.world to technology@lemmy.world
Comments
dylanmorgan@slrpnk.net 1 year ago
ares35@kbin.social 1 year ago
buying a 'dumb' tv is getting harder and harder to do...
how long until you are forced to hook a new 'smart' one up to the internet, just to "set it up"--even if you have no plans on ever using the 'smart' features or embedded apps?
guiguinofake@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
Roku tvs already do that iirc
PlungeButter@lemmy.world 1 year ago
You can choose not to connect a Roku TV to the Internet during the initial setup, and you just get access to live TV and the HDMI inputs with (obviously) no streaming channels or updates. It works fine as a dumb TV.
And the credit card thing? That’s after you create your account on their website, you can just close the browser window. Or click the button saying “skip” or “later” or whatever it is.
ares35@kbin.social 1 year ago
does this link to make an account without a payment method not work anymore?
https://my.roku.com/signup/nocc
slaacaa@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Looking forward to the 1 yr free trial of my new TV, before I have to subsribe to Samsung+ for just 15.99 per month to turn it on.
Mog_fanatic@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I cannot stand how believable this scenario is.
Jaggle@lemm.ee 1 year ago
Unlock additional HDMI ports for only $5.99 a month!
PigsInClover@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Agreed. You can buy the displays that are marketed to businesses and usually come without all of the invasive smart features.
They definitely cost more on average, but they’re also built to run more often or constantly, and hold up far better. They’re even a lot more customizable.
You can buy some that come with slots where you put in a raspberry pi or another computer of your choice, instead of whatever OS that comes with smart tvs.
At this point, I’m starting to regularly check if there are “for business customers” options available when I need something, because the options for regular consumers are getting so bad with all this data hoarding and ad pushing.
RecallMadness@lemmy.nz 1 year ago
If you buy a Sony Bravia you can put them into “pro mode” which keeps all the signal processing, but lets you turn off android.
coffeebiscuit@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Just don’t connect it to the internet.
Thekingoflorda@lemmy.world 1 year ago
That’s the point they are making. Currently that’s possible. But what is stopping the producers to force you to hook it up to the internet?
ChrisLicht@lemm.ee 1 year ago
I can’t figure out why the cheap TCL I bought 5 years ago isn’t packed with ads. Maybe because it’s Roku-based?
Adramis@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 year ago
Probably because it’s Chinese spyware. www.tomsguide.com/…/tcl-smart-tv-security-flaws
Speculater@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Get a projector and a screen. They’re all dumb.
EngineerGaming@feddit.nl 1 year ago
Not always an option. You’d need to dim the lights every time and - most importantly - have a whole spare wall in your home.
Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
Been awhile but boy I really feel like my LG setup was pretty darn close to this sort of experience.
MargotRobbie@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Stuffing ads on streaming services? How could Amazon do such a thing?
Anyway, for your consideration, Barbie (at last!), now available on streaming services everywhere.
modifier@lemmy.ca 1 year ago
I have you tagged as ‘probably actually her’ just because I want it to be true.
MargotRobbie@lemmy.world 1 year ago
And as I’ve said here before: I just play her on TV.
SeaJ@lemm.ee 1 year ago
I completely forgot about tags. My first Lemmy tag is now ‘probably actually her.’
MrSqueezles@lemm.ee 1 year ago
This needs to become illegal. Ads are part of the price you pay for a device or service. If you didn’t agree to them at the time of purchase, they can’t be sprung on you after you’ve paid.
sviper@programming.dev 1 year ago
They agreed, they just didn’t read the terms and conditions
SasquatchBanana@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Fuck that. That isn’t an excuse. The ToS are abused by companies all the time.
DarkDarkHouse@lemmy.sdf.org 1 year ago
They didn’t agree at the time of purchase.
TheBampster@lemmy.world 1 year ago
And you are surprised?
cestvrai@lemm.ee 1 year ago
Actually kinda surprised that chromecast doesn’t have ads, at least the model we have.
We have a dumb projector with features such as “select source”.
bamboo@lemm.ee 1 year ago
The original cast-only chromecasts didn’t have ads as far as I know, but they’ve all been discontinued and replaced by the google tv chromecasts which have ads integrated throughout the interface, mostly just for streaming services, movies, etc.
pseudonym@monyet.cc 1 year ago
Fuck seriously? I have a Chromecast from like 7 years ago and I was considering getting a newer model just because, you know, improvements and stuff. But definitely not if there are ads. Holy shit no.
modifier@lemmy.ca 1 year ago
Google TV has ads, though they are for the moment easy to miss or ignore.
For the moment.
AWittyUsername@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Didn’t used to. Stopped using it once adverts showed up
Aceticon@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I have a nearly-dumb TV (chosen for that and never connected to the Internet) and a separate little Android TV box I got from AliExpress for 25 bucks were I only use Kodi.
The TV is maybe 4 years old, the little box maybe 1 year (I had a 10 year old similar thing before but it can’t handle newer video formats so I switched).
Have yet to see a single Ad.
Mind you my setup is as is because I’ve long ago learned that you want your fast-changing-cheap-tech bits separate from your expensive-long-life stuff, so in this case I want my digital video file decoding hardware separate from the much more expensive large digital TV screen.
Evilcoleslaw@lemmy.world 1 year ago
and a separate little Android TV box I got from AliExpress for 25 bucks were I only use Kodi.
Yeah, so you may not be seeing ads, but there’s a non-zero chance you have a botnet infested device on your network instead.
squidspinachfootball@lemm.ee 1 year ago
Is there a way to check if the little Android box you already have is one of these infected devices?
killeronthecorner@lemmy.world 1 year ago
There’s been a lot of articles recently about those cheapo boxes being filled with spyware straight out the factory. Might wanna check that out.
Aceticon@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I did.
It’s not on the list.
LWD@lemm.ee 1 year ago
[deleted]n3mo@programming.dev 1 year ago
Not sure why you’re being downvoted. But you’re correct—some TVs have been found to automatically connect to open wifi networks to phone home.
QuinceDaPence@kbin.social 1 year ago
Yeah. I have a Vizio smart TV but each time you turn it on it acts 100% like a dumb tv until you press the smart button.
I have a seperate shitty little HTPC that's used for all the media and my brother uses his xbox.
Smokeydope@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Amazon being greedy and bake ads into their devices? Who could see that coming?!
jabjoe@feddit.uk 1 year ago
TigrisMorte@kbin.social 1 year ago
Anyone that didn't know that was the end game was not paying attention.
snownyte@kbin.social 1 year ago
People said "Aw, they won't do that" when streaming eclipsed cable television. Yet, here we are.
Anybody who ever says "they won't do that" clearly doesn't have a clue how nothing is off the table for capitalism.
Jeff@lemm.ee 1 year ago
Glad I use Apple TVs on LG devices.
qwertyqwertyqwerty@lemmy.one 1 year ago
I have the same setup. Apple TV’s have ads too, they just aren’t intrusive.
Mereo@lemmy.ca 1 year ago
The Apple TV is expensive for a reason. It’s a good product with good hardware, which means it has a smooth interface. When something is extremely cheap, YOU ARE THE PRODUCT.
Snapz@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Remember that “deal” always has depth behind it. They are waiting to reach critical mass so they can “throw the switch”. Streaming services, “smart” devices, subscription services… You should only engage with these “deals” if you understand the bigger picture and have a plan to disengage quickly as soon as they pull their bullshit.
Your black Friday TV is NOT the same as the TV that brand typically sells. It’s a different sku, all the parts are deliberately sourced lesser quality versions and it’s literally designed to break/fail earlier than the “normal” version. You’re not getting a deal on the TV you wanted, you’re buying a lesser TV - Not necessarily a bad thing if you know what you’re buying, but you need to know what you’re buying.
FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 1 year ago
There is a big lack of consumer education in the U.S. I don’t know how to solve it in our oligarchical society. The corporations don’t want consumers educated.
ZzyzxRoad@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
There should be regulation of the private sector. There has to be some accountability for these corporations. The onus can’t be on the consumer one hundred percent of the time. It really shouldn’t be at all. Buyers should only be responsible for deciding which products would be best for them and their budget, not for having to predict which corporation will utterly fuck them over the least out of the only three corporations they have to choose from when they’re all trying to scam them out of their money.
I’m so sick of being scammed every single time I buy something. The government needs to step in and do their job instead of just handing out a few fines here and there.
dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.de 1 year ago
I do wonder what makes some people despise ads.
I myself do, but I’ve never been told to or even been echo chambered (well maybe now, but not always). Going back over tens years and detested them.
But at work some people think ad-blockers shouldn’t be a thing as it’s stealing as the internet runs on ads and I just can’t see that point of view. However valid it could be.
I don’t want to see them all my digital life as they are on the real world. Christ I’ve seen them on the pissing motorway ffs.
MrPoopbutt@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Ads can be a reasonable price to pass for free or discounted content.
The issue is that every day, every year, they are finding new ways to shove even more ads. The more they’re shoved, the less reasonable it becomes. Where the line between reasonable and unacceptable is will vary per person. However, there is a point where enough becomes enough and you just become done with them.
greenskye@lemm.ee 1 year ago
In theory, I’m fine with some ads. Useful ads in places where it makes sense (like shopping). Small, unobtrusive ads that fill up otherwise empty space. But ads are like capitalism and cancer. They just continue to grow and grow and get worse and worse until they’ve utterly destroyed the thing they were meant to support. If you let them in, it’s only a matter of time until they completely take over. No one has managed to do ‘reasonable ads’ for any great length of time.
It’s just one of those things where in theory it sounds workable, but in practice it’s highly destructive and corrosive towards everything.
aceshigh@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I concur. The problem isn’t the ads themselves, but ads in a capitalist society, where profit has no ceiling and neither do the amount of ads.
elrik@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Advertising is intended to manipulate preferences and choices. Why would I willingly subject myself to such manipulation?
Krauerking@lemy.lol 1 year ago
Because we pride ourselves as being uncontrollable unique individuals? Where as others just want to get through the day and focus on their one thing?
Isycius@lemmy.ca 1 year ago
Well, I’m okay with old concept of ads. But it was them that decided that ads must double dip with customer information and it was them that decided that ads viewed by people who are engaged to the ads doesn’t count as ads that was ‘seen’.
Continuous race to the bottom since then.
netchami@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
Am I the only one who sticks to old school solutions like a dedicated HTPC running Linux and Kodi instead of ad-infested Android TV sticks/boxes?
TheMusicalFruit@lemmy.world 1 year ago
An Apple TV box doesn’t have ads.
Sanity_in_Moderation@lemmy.world 1 year ago
PSA: It is incredibly easy to get an alternative launcher for android TVs. Zero ads. Literally none.
BigTrout75@lemmy.world 1 year ago
How is this surprising?
vacuumflower@lemmy.sdf.org 1 year ago
In my humble opinion until the producers of such appliances learn honesty through pain, it’s much better to have a pirate streambox (with something like
torrentflixor Popcorn Time or whatever, I just download torrents and watch on my laptop, so don’t use these things).Rhoeri@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Who didn’t see this coming?
01189998819991197253@infosec.pub 1 year ago
When you’re served ads, you’re not the customer, but the product. The customers would be the advertisers. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this, mind you, until it stops you from consuming the context you intended on consuming. Then it becomes a problem.
netchami@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
Put your network behind NextDNS or a self-hosted solution like Pi-Hole or AdGuard Home.
Luisp@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
Have you seen the TV that has a second screen that just plays ads
Wahots@pawb.social 1 year ago
This is literally the oldest trick in the book, haha.
FrankTheHealer@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Oh no! Whoever could have foreseen this awful turn of events! Amazon would never (checks notes) stuff ads down our throats.
Etterra@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I’m pretty sure everybody saw this coming. Well, everybody with any brains in their head.
snownyte@kbin.social 1 year ago
I'll keep buying dumb TVs for as long as they're around to thrift for. There's going to be plenty of flat screen dumb TVs for a lifetime.
Snapz@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Whatever it is, I imagine it’s a horrible product that doesn’t work well and consistently disappoints its users.
vacuumflower@lemmy.sdf.org 1 year ago
No shit.
turkalino@lemmy.yachts 1 year ago
Had a firestick for 4 years, switched to Roku a couple weeks ago and I wish I did years ago
I can boot up the Roku, open Plex, and start a video stream without ever seeing an ad
ALilOff@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Everything has ads now, I don’t have a fire TV but surprised Amazon is this late to this bs game. The Xbox has ads now like with mw3 when you launch the console. My Visio Tv I spent ~1000 on a few years ago is stuffed with ads when you turn it on.
TigrisMorte@kbin.social 1 year ago
pihole
Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca 1 year ago
Is this…an ad?
Transcendant@lemmy.world 1 year ago
This is why my ‘smart’ TV will never, ever be connected to the internet. It’s an LG so I would expect it to not be onerous, but it’s often nagging me to connect to my router for stuff like AI tools.
No thanks. You’re smart enough already for my use, TV! HDMI only please.
Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca 1 year ago
I’m a firm believer that smart should be self contained. If a device needs the internet, it’s not that smart since it has to rely on outside sources to work properly.
MonkderZweite@feddit.ch 1 year ago
You can disable the AI in the settings.
knotthatone@lemmy.one 1 year ago
They’re not late. I’ve been using Fire Sticks for years and Amazon has been working hard the whole time to shove more and more ads all over the UI. The main row of apps gets smaller with every update and more and more ads are plastered around and between them to try to sell you more shit you don’t want or already have.
I managed to jailbreak mine before they locked them down and install a custom launcher so they’re actually usable, but the stock UI is god-awful. I’ll be replacing them once the next round of Apple TVs come out.
TrenchcoatFullofBats@belfry.rip 1 year ago
The Nvidia Shield Pro is quite capable. Sideload a different launcher and install Aerial Views and you’re good to go!
Tick_Dracy@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I got one cheap, but OMG it’s ridden with ads. I guess it’s too late for me to root it, no?
TurboDiesel@lemmy.world 1 year ago
It’s not new, Amazon just changed their policy allowing ads for non-media. The Fire devices have always been primarily vehicles for ads; they take up the entire lockscreen on the Kindle reader and Fire tablets. On Fire TV, the top 40-ish% of the screen is a giant ad, then you get a tiny carousel of recommendations, then another thinner banner ad, then “your” content like queue and watchlist.
eek2121@lemmy.world 1 year ago
My Apple TV has no ads.
Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
One of my home monitoring cameras suddenly started placing ad watermarks on my video feed - I shit you not. I feel like obstitricians are going to start slapping ad stickers on newborns bellies as they pull them out soon enough. I hate it. I’m not completely sure what the answer is, but I’ve always been a proponent of the micropayment idea as a way to navigate digital life with more focus and less dependence on ads but it’s not caught on at all because HEY FREE!!
hddsx@lemmy.ca 1 year ago
Thank gosh my PS5 doesn’t yet have ads when I launch a game
DanglingFury@lemmy.world 1 year ago
My tcl doesn’t have ads. Probably because it already knows I’ll ignore them and it’s selling that data
Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 1 year ago
TLC was discussed above lemmy.world/comment/5181873
Your comment sounds like you might already be aware, but maybe you were just assuming it’s doing the same spying most smart TVs are probably doing.