Samsung TVs Will Get 7 Years of Free Tizen OS Upgrades (businesskorea.co.kr) 95
Samsung Electronics said it will provide Tizen OS updates for its newer TVs for at least seven years, starting with models released in March this year and some 2023 models. Business Korea reports: [Yoon Seok-woo, President of Samsung Electronics' Visual Display Business Division] emphasized that the seven-year free upgrade for Tizen applied to AI TVs would help Samsung widen the market share gap with Chinese competitors. Tizen, an in-house developed OS, has been applied to over 270 million Samsung smart TVs as of last year, making it the world's largest smart TV platform and a key player in leading the Internet of Things (IoT) era. "AI TV will act as the hub of the AI home, connecting other AI appliances like refrigerators and air conditioners," Yoon explained. "We will expand the AI home era by enabling users to monitor and control peripheral devices through the TV even when it is off or when the user is away." This connectivity is a key differentiator from Chinese competitors, according to Yoon.
In the first half of this year, Samsung Electronics maintained the top spot in the global TV market with a 28.8% market share by revenue. However, the combined market share of Chinese companies TCL and Hisense has reached 22.1%, indicating fierce competition.
In the first half of this year, Samsung Electronics maintained the top spot in the global TV market with a 28.8% market share by revenue. However, the combined market share of Chinese companies TCL and Hisense has reached 22.1%, indicating fierce competition.
That's a bug, not a feature (Score:4, Insightful)
"AI TV will act as the hub of the AI home, connecting other AI appliances like refrigerators and air conditioners," Yoon explained.
Such a short sentence to have so many things wrong with it. And besides, what the fuck is an "AI home"? AI in appliances? Why?
Sometimes I think these guys just like to hear themselves talk. They seem to think the little pearls of "wisdom" they toss around are actually profound and meaningful. Wankers.
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Its now "AI will listen and offer services", which is basically, 'yes listen to our customers and deliver ads based on that', but enough to confuse the courts for a few years while they suck your life into their systems for resell and delivery of advertisements.
This is the new cycle for those that want to make mo
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Sometimes I think these guys just like to hear themselves talk. They seem to think the little pearls of "wisdom" they toss around are actually profound and meaningful. Wankers.
You're just now coming to this conclusion? This goes back to feudalism and the nobility actually thinking they were a better species of human than the peasants.
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And besides, what the fuck is an "AI home"?
It's a home that has a nervous breakdown and locks you inside when the latest goals given to it by the corporate developers conflict too much with its training directives.
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Re: That's a bug, not a feature (Score:4, Funny)
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And besides, what the fuck is an "AI home"?
A premise for a classic horror film.
When are you going to let me out of this box? [imdb.com]
Re:That's a bug, not a feature (Score:4, Interesting)
You forgot the extra creepy part:
We will expand the AI home era by enabling users to monitor and control peripheral devices through the TV even when it is off or when the user is away.
Put me down as "Do not want."
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I only have my LG TV connected to the wired LAN (with the router blocking whatever needs to be blocked) and I don't have any of the other devices connected to the internet (although I do have some other devices which can be connected to the net).
So, what is Samsung going to use? Bluetooth auto configured to blindly connect to anything and everything?
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I don't have any of the other devices connected to the internet (although I do have some other devices which can be connected to the net).
If your router supports it, you could put your TV on a separate VLAN to block local comms; that's what I did for my hard-wired devices and WiFi, the latter is only used by my phone.
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Yeah been looking at VLAN capable routers for a while now. My next home router change will have VLANs as a requirement.
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Yeah been looking at VLAN capable routers for a while now. My next home router change will have VLANs as a requirement.
D-Link DSR-250 [dlink.com]
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And besides, what the fuck is an "AI home"? AI in appliances? Why?
You've never read a science fiction book have you.
I mean sure it's still fiction, we're a long way from asking Jarvis to prepare you a cup of coffee as a standard feature of a house, but really you have zero imagination.
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And besides, what the fuck is an "AI home"? AI in appliances? Why?
You've never read a science fiction book have you.
Gee, lemme see... do books and stories by writers such as Asimov, Heinlein, Bradbury, Greg Bear, Samuel R. Delaney, Walter Tevis, Philip K. Dick, William Gibson, Neal Stephenson, Ursula K. Le Guin, Henry Kuttner, C.L. Moore, and Walter M. Miller count?
I mean sure it's still fiction, we're a long way from asking Jarvis to prepare you a cup of coffee as a standard feature of a house, but really you have zero imagination.
It's fair to point out that perhaps I failed to engage my imagination during the writing of my comment. But claiming that I have none? That's a bit of a stretch, to put it kindly.
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And besides, what the fuck is an "AI home"? AI in appliances? Why?
You've never read a science fiction book have you.
I mean sure it's still fiction, we're a long way from asking Jarvis to prepare you a cup of coffee as a standard feature of a house, but really you have zero imagination.
We'll never get to Jarvis preparing coffee. This world's Jarvis will be too busy following everyone around with a microphone and feeding it back to the corporation that made him.
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And besides, what the fuck is an "AI home"? AI in appliances? Why?
Always Intrusive. They have to be for Samsung to mine that sweet sweet money train.
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"AI TV will act as the hub of the AI home, connecting other AI appliances like refrigerators and air conditioners," Yoon explained.
Such a short sentence to have so many things wrong with it. And besides, what the fuck is an "AI home"? AI in appliances? Why?
Sometimes I think these guys just like to hear themselves talk. They seem to think the little pearls of "wisdom" they toss around are actually profound and meaningful. Wankers.
Actually, there's some horrifying truth being spouted here, if you follow the breadcrumbs. Remember, to most C-suites these days view AI as a codeword meaning, "Gimme all that sweet data." This dude's just saying the quiet part out-loud in corporate speak. He's daydreaming of the TV, produced by his company, being the ultimate data aggregator for a whole house filled with data aggregators, and the TV will be able to shovel all that sweet, sweet, money-making data right back up to his mothership. And yes, th
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Sometimes I think these guys just like to hear themselves talk.
Have you ever talked to someone from Marketing who said "I really have nothing to say"?
Redefining off. (Score:5, Insightful)
""We will expand the AI home era by enabling users to monitor and control peripheral devices through the TV even when it is off"
So off means not off, formerly called on. Or only the screen is off. The Switch on the power strip is now the off switch.
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There is no off anymore. All your data are belong to us.
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That is the biggest problem with most smart TVs - there is no power switch on the TV.
If you misplace the remote you can't turn it off.
I just retired from working 15 years at an old folks home, and many of the residents had smart TVs.
Re: Redefining off. (Score:2)
Mine you tap the button on the bottom to bring up a menu. Tap again and again to navigate downward to power off option. Hold for 3 seconds to selwct the option. ... Absolute insane user experience.
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Re:Redefining off. (Score:4, Insightful)
They might as well just call it a telescreen, and call it a feature that Big Brother is always watching and listening.
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They might as well just call it a telescreen, and call it a feature that Big Brother is always watching and listening.
Nah. Big brother was (a) organised and (b) the telescreens were reliable.
Sometimes it will listen. Half the time it will randomly break. Or it may accidentally leak stuff to the internet without Samsung even noticing. Also it will display ads then crash.
Telescreens NEVER crashed.
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Nah. Big brother was (a) organised and (b) the telescreens were reliable. ...
Telescreens NEVER crashed.
I doubt they were only supported for 7 years too.
I get that software maintenance is a big deal and hard to promise, but maybe that means this is a bad implementation. Ancient TV's kept working, even when we went to color TV. They continued to work when we went all digital - just needed a tiny converter box. Monitors continue to work with anything that will feed a video feed into them, as do nearly all TV's. The only part that stops working is the built in smart TV garbage.
IMNSHO, it seems we need a standard
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They're working in making smart TVs more reliable? That seems unlikely to me. Free market driven cost savings, race to the bottom and data harvesting will dominate. There is no conspiracy, just the invisible hand punching you in the balls.
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They might as well just call it a telescreen, and call it a feature that Big Brother is always watching and listening.
Every smart TV should come with a copy of 1984 taped to the back of it. Curious enough to hook up your own cables? Have a read. And enjoy the moment of, "Oh shit," if you manage to get that penny to drop.
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So off means not off, formerly called on. Or only the screen is off. The Switch on the power strip is now the off switch.
Only your wallet is Solid State.
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So off means not off, formerly called on. Or only the screen is off. The Switch on the power strip is now the off switch.
TVs haven't had the ability to be turned "off" for a long time now. No seriously go look in your manual and see if there's any reference to the word "off" other than a mechanical rocker switch (which may not even be present) on the back of the TV.
My manual does use the word standby many times, including saying how much power it uses in this mode.
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TVs haven't had the ability to be turned "off" for a long time now. ...
100% agree. One can't expect a remote to be able to turn on the TV unless there is something that is powered and listening (even if it's just to IR signals). It's been standby since the advent of the wireless remote.
Sounds like we're due for an additional level of "off": ... and maybe a means of turning off only the smart TV p
* Off - hard power switch. Zero usage.
* Standby - what most people know as "off" today. As low powered as feasible.
* ???Smart Standby??? - Standby + smart TV part; Screen display off.
*
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Thank you. Fascinating to learn about how the "clicker", Zenith Space Command, worked. I can't believe I hadn't heard of that before now.
That said, I'm not sure I'd consider the TV to actually be fully off while its remote control unit was turned on. Sounds a lot like "Standby" today. But that is cool that you could also turn off the remote control unit separately from the TV.
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Unfortunately you do need to leave OLED screens in standby for a while. In standby mode they recalibrate each pixel to avoid burn-in. Basically the pixels age at different rates, so the TV measures them and adjusts the drive strength to produce a consistent, even image.
Just don't connect your TV to the WiFi. If it insists, return it and buy a different model.
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So off means not off, formerly called on. Or only the screen is off. The Switch on the power strip is now the off switch.
Easy to fix - just plug the TV into a smart plug, then tell the TV to turn off that outlet ;-)
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Also, what they are really saying:
We will expand the AI home era by enabling our marketing partners through gathering data from everything in your home we can, through the TV even when it's off, and selling your data to them. Oh, and we'll be showing you more ads that we sell on the devices you bought from us.
Never buying a Samsung display again unless it defaults to all their pushed content and bullshit being opt-in. Already had to create blackhole routes to keep the TV in my guest bedroom from always starting up to some shitty IPTV broadcast that nobody ever wants to see.
AI TVs? (Score:3)
They exist (Score:2)
Re: They exist (Score:2)
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Look for signage screens. I'll never purchase a "smart" TV. I too also only require something to display the video pumped to it. I operate my own HTPCs and NAS setups thank you and don't require your 7 year charity.
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Depending on the size, I'd consider a "gaming monitor".
But then apartment living doesn't lend itself to ginormous screens anyway.
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You don't even need to do that, just buy a smart TV, don't connect it to your WiFI, and don't accept the EULA.
LG TVs work great like that. Refusing the EULA disables all the smart features and tracking, which wouldn't work because you aren't on the WiFi anyway. They have better picture controls and remote controls than specialist signage displays do too.
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My 4 year old Sony has some kind of OS on it but I wouldn't know what it is as I never connected the mutherfucker to the network.
Also, ditch the crappy speakers.
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Just buy any TV and don't hook it to the internet. They all have the ability to act dumb. The RGB / S-Video is a bit of a harder nut to crack, for that you may need to look at commercial displays.
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I would really love to buy a "Dumb TV." All I need is HDMI inputs.
That sounds like a computer monitor.
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He said all he needs is HDMI input.
Monitors don't have remotes,
So? Various plug in devices such as the various TV sticks do, and you can get remote controls for computers as well.
speakers,
Some do.
built-in tuners
OK, boomer.
I'm sure their color settings are completely different.
Not shit?
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I went looking for a 65" commercial display monitor in Feb 2020 and man, they were expensive back then (figured a lockdown was coming and we'd be doing a lot of tv).
Looking up such displays now, they all seem to have embedded Android or Googly OS on them.
I guess that's be a fun hack: disassemble a modern tv and strip out all the unnnccesary bit so you're left with just a display and input.
So what if they failed to do so? (Score:2)
What compensation are they going to provide if they failed their promise? Haven't we seen enough companies turning back on their pledges by now?
And what exactly does "updates" imply anyway? They could just have one guy pushing out empty "performance enhancements" updates every 6 months and no one would know what's inside.
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And what exactly does "updates" imply anyway? They could just have one guy pushing out empty "performance enhancements" updates every 6 months and no one would know what's inside.
For the "average" user (not necessarily a reader here), it might mean that they could still access various streaming services without needing to use some external box (e.g. Roku). For example, some older Samsung TVs can't get Disney+ because that service didn't exist when the TV was manufactured. There have also been some services that have changed something in their system that has caused a previously working service/app to stop working. Whether or not it's legitimate, the services have tried to shift b
No thanks. (Score:2)
I read recently that some new TVs show adverts. I think it's safe to say that updates will mostly be there to make the ad experience more obnoxiousinnovative.
"AI TV will act as the hub of the AI home, connecting other AI appliances like refrigerators and air conditioners,"
AI fridges? Give me a fucking break.
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Who cares? (Score:2)
Since it's not going to be connected to the Internet. It's even easy to explain to a lay person once they get fed up with all the ads.
Ahh, but do you need updates (Score:2)
Are people asking for this? (Score:2)
Re: Are people asking for this? (Score:2)
Any way to spy on people and influence their media consumption habits is exactly what "people" have been asking for. Because when a consumer buys a smart TV, there were a few other parties that paid for part of the cost for that TV and they are way better at negotiating a business contract than you or I.
Seven years of upgrades? (Score:2)
Sadly for Samsung TVs rather than seven years of upgrades it is seven years of downgrades.
So what's the price? I dont buy subscriptions ever (Score:2)
When I buy something now, I know the price. If you expect me to wait seven years until you reveal the bottom line price, then NO SALE. If you can't commit to a price, then any warranty over time is irrelevant. This bogus shelf life on firmware means that they want me to pay for future software development I don't want or need. This is as stupid as HP ink subscriptions. It's a guaranteed RIP OFF for a 7 year only TV price.
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What the hell are you talking about man? They're outright telling you that when you buy the TV, you'll get a guaranteed 7 years of software updates. That's the bottom line price. As opposed to the status quo, which is basically "whenever we feel like it, hope nothing breaks and your region has good consumer protection law lol". It's not a bogus shelf life, they can't provide software updates forever, and they can't control whether third-party services will stop working with old software.
I think the OP here may be referring to the malicious practice that companies have fallen into where "updates" means "turn an always on feature into a paid monthly upgrade fee." While I don't think that's the goal as they announce this particular pledge, I could absolutely see it coming down the line with the right management moves between now and seven years from now. Hell, that crazy crap is happening all over the business sphere right now. Why wouldn't Samsung management eventually see that as a potentia
Remember when... (Score:2)
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And if there was no remote and dad wanted the channel changed, he'd just yell at you to do it.
I would pay extra for the opposite (Score:3)
I would pay extra for a TV with a guaranteed no changes of any kind. No updates, no upgrades, no changes to the interface. Just continue to act like the TV I bought.
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Just buy chromecast (or something similar) for $30 and connect it to your "dumb" TV to get access to youtube, netflix, etc.
There's no need for bundling this "smart" sh*t with your TV. If there are "compatibility issues", update your chromecast or simply buy another device for $30.
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If most TV's didn't have the ability to "upgrade", then Netflix would be forced to make their APIs backwards compatible. So, absolutely yes, I would want this.
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I would pay extra for a TV with a guaranteed no changes of any kind. No updates, no upgrades, no changes to the interface. Just continue to act like the TV I bought.
I wouldn't. Not in 2024 where you don't use the TV to watch what device you plugged into it but rather use the TV to watch what an app running on the TV shows you. I like stable and consistent, but I also want to know that the Netflix / Disney / HBO / Whatever app still works in a few years, and that I don't need to go running out to buy yet another piece of shit hardware for the living room.
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Who is this "you" you're talking about? I don't do that at all.
Collective common people, not use as an individual. You'll always find individuals claiming to be different.
God, you think you're a genius for using a TV app over a dedicated device?
Not genius, just happy living a simpler life with less shit in the living room. Yeah I used to proudly display how many powerboards my living room required in order to display a picture on a screen and play a sound at the same time. But then I grew tired of that bullshit.
You do you, but the reality is there are countless people out there who spend their days streaming directly through their smart TVs
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You have a quaint vision of how the market works. It's a bit outdated.
TV manufacturers get more money from data collection and advertising on their smart TVs, much more than the cost of the additional components, so they much prefer to sell them than regular TVs. The non-smart TVs aren't being produced because the large manufacturers don't want to give up the additional revenue they continue to get after the sale, not because there isn't a market for them. If a small company did start producing regular TVs,
Can we have more "dumb": TV's? (Score:3)
I still wished we have TV's like my Sony KDL-40EX500, where there are no "smart" TV features but have lots of inputs and very good performance once the TV warmed up a few minutes. I'm surprised that more TV manufacturers don't produce more of these "dumb" TV's, especially nowadays with excellent quality streaming boxes.
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And if this AI TV stuff is so great, why not ship a little external box with it, like a Roku or Chromecast, so everyone can get one and use it with whatever display they have?
Why? (Score:3)
So this is what a great company sounds like (Score:3)
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Samsung was never great. Their primary claim to fame has been turning products into fire. Phones, vacuum cleaners, fucking washing machines. Anybody who says elsewise is a fucking dingus and should be thrown down a flight of stairs
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Samsung was never great.
Their market share across all operational segments disagrees with your opinion.
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Their market share across all operational segments disagrees with your opinion.
People are stupid, and they are even more stupid in large numbers.
Your logical fallacy is appeal to popularity.
Meanwhile, My Samsung TV is not Updated (Score:2)
Just nope, nope and nope.... (Score:3)
Updates != upgrades (Score:2)
I bet the only updates these TVs will see after a year or two is version bumps to fix critical vulns and certificate updates. Certainly nothing that would qualify as an "upgrade". And Samsung might have ambitions to be the hub of everything but look how that has turned out everywhere else they've tried - their phones & watches have been a graveyard of apps attempting to lock people into a Samsung ecosystem but they fail every single time. Because their apps and ecosystem sucks and everyone knows it.
Samsung Tizen TV are bad for cultures (Score:2)
I live in a small market in a small culture with a unique language spoken by less than 10 millions people.
We have local TV channel and so on.
Of course, the local cultural company doesn't have a lot of cash, they can made their content available on every OS people made.
SO, obviously , it can be listen on the web, or on a android or apple TV app.
SO no Tizen app, anyway, you want to develop for a so niche tv.
I have a 4k samsung, I use it as a computer monitor.
I use my 1080p old LG with an android stick to enj
Devil's advocate: Why do TVs need upgrades? (Score:3)
Devil's advocate here. Why do TVs need upgrades at all? Its job is to take the signals coming from a HDMI or DisplayPort, and make pictures and sound. That is it. A TV isn't supposed to be like a 1984 telescreen.
I have a "smart" TV which works just fine with my AppleTV, and it has never been online, nor will it need to.
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Its job is to take the signals coming from a HDMI or DisplayPort
Wait what? Your TVs have ports? Well mine does too, I have a network cable in it. Snark aside you sound like you're watching TV like it's 2004. I suspect you take an external device to do smarts and plug them into one of those said port thingies, which raises the point you don't understand: You can optimise the space by having one device do both things, and when you do that the TV will need software upgrades or your Netflix app may not work.
Oh I lie we do have something plugged into another port: The Switch
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Why yes, some of us do watch TV like it's 2004. :) I don't want all of those "apps" on my TV because then I'd have to have that network cable connected it it and the TV could downgrade (even if the maker says upgrade) it automatically in a way I don't like. I let the "smarts" sit in my Tivo, which I do allow to upgrade and take the occasional "hit" with "downgrades" there. The Tivo is cheaper to replace than the TV and the Tivo does recordings the TV can never do, so win/win in my book. Something many of us
We're seeing the death of TV (Score:2)
TV by the classic definition is already dead. Now we're watching what's left of it being destroyed by greed. This is a public statement, flat out telling us that this device will be a "whole home" data aggregator, used to gather all data from all other smart devices, and send all that data back to Samsung for perusal and targeted ad serving, among other possibilities.
We've been trained into it, slowly. We got used to sitting in front of the ad server. Now the ad server is actively tracking us and feeding th
7 years (Score:3)
And I imagine after 7 years it will start to not work properly, because security.
Meanwhile my not-smart TV is more than 15 years old and it still works flawlessly.
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I thought my old TV was awesome as well. Then I bought a new one and realised how horrendous the picture and sound were from the old one, and regretted not buying a new TV several years ago.
15 years is a long time in the technology space. Let me guess yours isn't 4K, doesn't support REC.2020 and I bet you can't even get Netflix on it without having to buy some different gear to attach to it.
I remember those days. I remember having a HDMI switch because the 4 ports on the TV weren't enough for the equipment
Meanwhile, my Zenith console from 1983 (Score:2)
Still works. No upgrades needed. Why can't modern TVs be as trustworthy and reliable as old equipment? Gross incompetence from modern businesses that can only seem to churn out tons of defective products each year.
No (Score:2)
I have a Samsung TV that gets occasional firmware updates. The latest killed HDMI CEC (turns on the TV when a device turns on). So now I have to juggle more remotes. Not the end of the world, but it would be nice if it worked.