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are there custom ROMs for TVs like there are for Android phones?
Not on that number. I think there is lineage os for shield tv but I’m not sure about anything else
I recently bought a projector that I had to trick into not connecting to Wifi by telling it that it was connected to ethernet until it gave up. It will never know the wifi password. It gets an HDMI signal, it shows the HDMI signal, that is its purpose.
I don’t know what brand the author got, but Google’s own software has a setting to get rid of the Google stuff: https://support.google.com/googletv/answer/10408998?hl=en
As for the performance: TV manufacturers have used terrible SoCs ever since the first chip hit TVs. That’s why you shouldn’t buy TVs online without evaluating them in a store. I have a TV where all of the smart crap died of years ago and it was sluggish our of the factory. But it’s not just that; even devices like Chromecast slow down over time as more features get added, higher bitrates are being decoded, and more advanced video formats start to get used.
Set up your TV in basic TV mode, don’t buy bottom of the barrel TVs expecting a premium experience, and use some kind of replaceable, external device if you want smooth media playback. TVs and TV hardware are ridiculously cheap these days (just check the inflation correction on a VHS back in the day, VHS players and DVDs went for what equates to about 2000 dollars today!).
You get what you pay for. And if you’re using ad driven stuff, you’re getting a discount, so don’t expect anything to get cheaper by kicking out all the data collection software.
The author of the article is under the mistaken impression that losing the “smart” features into the TV increase the price. It’s actually the opposite.
By injecting ads and bloatware into the TVs, the manufacturers earn more money, by far, than the cost of the features. A dumb TV would cost more.
The best solution is to decouple them; get the cheapest TV you can with the video quality/size you want, then attach your own device to stream content. I use a modified Fire Stick due to price, mostly with Stremio/Torrential/Debrid, but there are lots of options.
Don’t connect them to the internet. Problem solved.
Nah. Not good enough for me. I thought I would just do that but the thing still has to boot android in order to show you the HDMI input. So it has to constantly suck power like a vampire in order to keep a SoC running, and if it loses power, it has to boot the system again.
I got a cheap TCL and it smells like burning plastic, even when its “off”. I suspect it’s because of that SoC constantly running.
Next time I’m buying a computer monitor instead of a smart-but-not-connected TV.
Projectivy launcher, problem
solvedadequately duct taped.Stop connecting your TVs directly to the internet, I don’t care what OS it’s running. The trend is clear with TV manufacturers, and if your current TV OS doesn’t yet inject ads into your streaming box’s HDMI stream, why risk it updating? Because that’s coming soon enough, and I imagine what it does, an update requiring your TV to have internet connection won’t be far behind.
Wait for the popups insisting you connect and upgrade before you can use the TV
Projectivy is great. Some bugs here and there, but overall I love the much simpler UI and that I can actually keep my “continue watching” row at the top.
Yeah a alternative launcher is the way to go, I use FL launcher but it’s similar. And what I like about android on the TV is that you at least get access to the system via adb and can turn off some things like the default launcher.
Is there a consensus that Sony tvs are better due to android TV on them?
No I specifically bought a Sony for my parents for ease of use and it is one of the worst purchases I have ever made.
I picked this specific model after looking for 3 months.
No where in any of the documentation or reviews did it say by plugging in a HDD I can only record a channel if I’m watching it and not record one channel while watching another which is a total deal breaker.
Also it has developed a fault where it basically shits its self every couple of weeks and the picture pixelates. It needs to be unplugged for a week and plugged back in. I’ve tried a new power pack but it doesn’t really help. The only other thing I could do is get a new main board but can’t source one with 6 months of searching eBay.
Do yourself a favour and buy a cheap LG panel and stick a streaming stick in it and never connect it to the internet.
I do appreciat the fact that sony TVs have native android, the TV menues are also more intuative IMO
Though regardless of the TVs OS, its best to not plug a TV directly into the internet. If you can afford it, get a dedicated android box, fire stick, or any other smart dongle you can afford.
TVs, your kitchen fridge, or even cars now seem to be a privacy nightmare. Updates also dont happen often enough or the manufacture chooses to drop support leaving consumers home networks at risk.
Wouldn’t the android box, fire stick connecting the internet be doing the same thing that you don’t want your smart TV to be doing?
I always always thought getting one of those was to either circumvent the TV OS limitation (Example LG webOS) or to improve user experience on entry level smart TV or older smart TV.
The one upside to a dedicated streaming box is the guaranteed security updates.
Netflix for example may choose to support the app on your fire stick or nvidia shield for a longer time then on a specific TV.
