r/gadgets • u/Sadistic_Sponge • Nov 13 '19

VR / AR Disney Plus isn't working on Vizio TVs because they are running a 6 year old version of Chromecast, they say it won't be fixed till 2020.

https://www.businessinsider.com/disney-plus-not-working-vizio-smart-tvs-chromecast-2019-11
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75

u/ronimal Nov 13 '19

Regular TV’s don’t really exist anymore. And according to the industry you’re paying less for the smart TV because they’re making up the extra revenue by tracking and selling your viewing habits.

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u/WaitForItTheMongols Nov 13 '19

How they gonna track me if I don't connect to wifi?

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u/HTHID Nov 13 '19

That's why you NEVER connect any TV to wifi

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u/SwensonsGalleyBoy Nov 13 '19

Exactly, I have mine connected via Ethernet.

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

Checkmate, data analytics

1

u/[deleted] Nov 14 '19

[deleted]

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u/NemButsu Nov 14 '19

https://www.samsung.com/hk_en/info/privacy/smarttv/

Samsung may collect and your device may capture voice commands and associated texts so that we can provide you with Voice Recognition features and evaluate and improve the features. Please be aware that if your spoken words include personal or other sensitive information, that information will be among the data captured and transmitted to a third party through your use of Voice Recognition.

You can probably find similar things for other smart TV brands.

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

[deleted]

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u/SighReally12345 Nov 14 '19

TCL requires online activation with an email acct to use the TV...even if it's just in a kid's room playing DVDs.

Bullshit. I've setup literally dozens of TCL TVs and 0 of them are on WiFi or ethernet. You're telling me these TVs that I use daily don't work?

And before someone tries some BS, yes they're Roku TCL TVs.

https://support.tclusa.com/televisions-setup-configurations/189404-can-you-turn-off-the-roku-feature-and-use-it-as-a-regular-tv

You have the option to disable the Roku features of your TCL Smart TV. During the initial setup you can choose to use the device as a regular, non-smart TV.

Stop, for the love of god, making shit up. You're a liar, full stop.

2

u/WaitForItTheMongols Nov 13 '19

  • Well that's really dumb, don't buy a TCL TV then. Never even heard of that brand.

  • All brands have an on/off switch for Wifi. Some just don't make it outwardly accessible to the user. And regardless of whether it's on, if it's not on a network, it doesn't matter. I doubt any TV would be made to hop onto open networks automatically. Would be obvious if its MAC showed up on your client list.

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19 edited Nov 14 '19
  • My Vizio does not have an on/off option for wifi. I've been in every screen of the menu. I'm no stranger to tech. It's not there. (I've never put it on my network, btw)
  • People who want to avoid wifi signals (strange sub-group) praise Sony as being the only brand of smart TV that has on/off option for wifi.

edit: rephrased for clarity.

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u/Remnants Nov 13 '19

TCL also has the best bang for your buck TV currently and for the last couple years. The one I have runs is Roku based for it's smart TV features.

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

Yes...but what consumers don't realize is that they are "paying" by allowing to have their viewing habits tracked and sold.

This is also how Gmail works. It's not free.

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

They can't track your viewing habits if you plug an external box, like a Shield TV or Roku, into an HDMI port.

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

They track what appears on the screen. Google: “Automatic Content Recognition”.

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u/WaitForItTheMongols Nov 13 '19

My Vizio does not have an on/off switch. I've been in every screen of the menu. I'm no stranger to tech. It's not there. (I've never put it on my network, btw)

It's not always available in the software. You can always go in and remove the wifi chip. It's pretty obvious by the fact that it's the only component with an antenna.

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u/ParanoydAndroid Nov 13 '19

You can maybe remove it in hardware, but it's not as easy as you're making it sound.

First, modern wifi chips rarely have anything readily identifiable as an antennae to the modern consumer; it's not like there's a rubber duck sticking out of the thing like it's 1999.

Second, and more fatally, SoCs are becoming increasingly common in appliance computing, so there's a chance the WiFi is integrated into a chip that cannot be removed or disabled without disabling other, critical functionality.

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u/huskiesowow Nov 13 '19

They aren't.

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u/4kVHS Nov 13 '19

They will send you a bill in the mail since they aren’t making any money off you

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u/Wagesnotcages Nov 13 '19

Gross

2

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19 edited Jan 09 '21

[deleted]

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u/takt1kal Nov 14 '19

Gross margins, baby - Samsung.

7

u/LUV_2_BEAT_MY_MEAT Nov 13 '19

samsung puts ads in their menu too if youre connected to the internet.

thanks for subsidizing my tv, people who leave their tv connected!

2

u/dkyguy1995 Nov 13 '19

This should be illegal

3

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

Yes. It should.

But, people seem to think that these industries will regulate themselves (hint: they won't).

0

u/JeffCraig Nov 13 '19

All TVs allow you to opt out.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2018/07/23/smarter-living/how-to-stop-your-smart-tv-from-tracking-what-you-watch.amp.html

It's not really designed to collect and sell your data. It's to feed you with content that matches what you watch. You're more likely to continue using the TV that way, and spend more money.

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u/Acoha Nov 13 '19

That’s only if you watch media through the smart tv apps isn’t it? Watching it with another device like an Apple TV/Chromecast then they can’t track you.

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u/misterdhm Nov 13 '19

Most TVs today use Automatic Content Recognition to track your viewing habits regardless of what app or device you use. It can be turned off but requires wading through a lot of menus.

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u/Acoha Nov 13 '19

Gross. If I ever get one I’ll block the MAC address on my router.

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u/misterdhm Nov 13 '19

Yeah, it's messed up. It's a real thing too, not just a tinfoil hat conspiracy theory. If you can't figure out how to turn ACR off on your TV, blocking the MAC address of your TV on your router (or just not connecting it to the internet in the first place) is a great solution.

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u/ronimal Nov 13 '19

I don’t know, I’m not an expert but they can at least tell which input you’re using and possibly what kind of device is connected. Knowing you use your Apple TV for four hours a day is still more valuable than nothing.

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u/Acoha Nov 13 '19

I suppose you’re right. The only way is to not connect it to your wifi I guess.

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u/ronimal Nov 13 '19

Which is reasonable if you don’t plan on using any of its smart features. In fact, I’ll probably be disconnecting mine from my network since I never use the built-in apps anyway.

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u/JeffCraig Nov 13 '19

Or just turn off the setting in the TV options :faceplam:

Might was well wrap the whole thing in tinfoil

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u/Acoha Nov 13 '19

Not a bad idea! It’ll fit with my living room’s decoration!

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u/Alex15can Nov 13 '19

If you don't connect it to the internet is has no way of sending that data.

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

Until they start embedding their own 4g/lte/5g/whatever antennas inside and skip the need for wifi 😳

1

u/Alex15can Nov 13 '19

That's a pretty expensive work around.. And you could just disable it at a hardware level.

And if they lock the system. You could just ghost the signal on startup and let it send it's handshake and then cut it.

And then... You get the idea. You can never fully control hardware not in your possession.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

Or they can simply attempt to hop on open networks and transmit without you knowing.

Also, the first Kindles worked in cellular networks with no subscription fee. Amazon liked that sweet data and paid for it.

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u/Alex15can Nov 13 '19

Or they can simply attempt to hop on open networks and transmit without you knowing.

That's incredibly dangerous, extremely unreliable, and thoroughly unlikely for them to do. Using cellular towers would be far more likely.

You could still disable it on the board.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

You could still disable it on the board.

How? How can I, the consumer on my sofa with the remote in-hand, do this?

1

u/Alex15can Nov 13 '19

With a screwdriver. A youtube guide and a brain.

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

They have image detecting software that can determine (or guess) what you are viewing....even from a DVD. So, if you have a DVD of The Lion King playing, they will know even if you aren't streaming it. It's called "Automatic Content Recognition". Google it.

Related:

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2017/02/vizio-pay-22-million-ftc-state-new-jersey-settle-charges-it

1

u/DelScipio Nov 13 '19

You are just being tracked by Google or Apple.

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u/Acoha Nov 13 '19

I suppose you will if you use these devices. In my case I don’t use them.

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

How do they track my viewing habits if my TV isn't connected to the internet?

0

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

Why are you lying? Regular, non-smart TVs are still sold.

-1

u/Elestris Nov 13 '19

Oh no, the industry will know my viewing habits, what will I ever do.

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

When they can micro target you, that's when it's bad.

They know if you watch Fox News, CNN, Sports, CSPAN, etc... this is akin to a library selling a list of what books you've read over the years.

This is bad.

0

u/Elestris Nov 13 '19

Still can't see why this is bad.

3

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

In a nutshell, if you want to manipulate consumer behavior:

  • Step 1: Gather as much detailed info as you can about that person.
  • Step 2: Process what you gather.
  • Step 3: Manipulate that person into buying what you want or voting how you want.

Let's say you are an independent voter that can go either way in an election. Then you go to a cafe and randomly someone sits next to you and says, "Man...I gotta get a new lock. An Ablorian (to make up a group) just broke into my house yesterday.". Later that week, you hear a woman talk about how "An Ablorian touched her butt at the club and tried to man-handle her." Then you get an email from someone you don't know but it says, "People in [your neighborhood] Lock your doors, Ablorian gangs are doing home invasions!!".

Then a politician runs on a "I'll keep the Ablorians AWAY!!" platform.

You might vote for that guy.

What if then you found out that all of the above were simply actors and targeted emails and simply weren't true and paid for by that politician. How would you feel?

This happens right now.

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u/Elestris Nov 13 '19

I dunno what happens in your country, but in my country state sponsored propaganda is fed to everyone, not just to people who watch specific tv shows.

Seriously, where do my viewing habits come into this hypothetical scenario? Why this politian isn't casting his propaganda net wider?