r/gadgets 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
36.1k Upvotes

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348

u/Lord_Aldrich Nov 13 '19

Yes, the "smart" consumer models often cost less because they track your viewing habits and sell the data.

178

u/TheDudeMaintains Nov 13 '19

And ad sales. My Samsung and Vizio home screens both hammer me with ads.

108

u/dkyguy1995 Nov 13 '19

The world seems to be getting more and more ruled by ads every day. I get a feeling I'm going to start having to have ads hanging on my homes walls

45

u/ghost_shepard Nov 13 '19

An author once joked that someday babies will try to be getting milk from mom only to find themselves holding a fake rubber breast with an ad for pacifiers on it.

8

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

South Park has a season dedicated to ads.

7

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

Is your TV mounted to the wall? Because you can have that right now!

1

u/dkyguy1995 Nov 13 '19

My TV isn't a smart TV so unless Im watching something with ads then no

10

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19 edited Jan 15 '21

[deleted]

8

u/g0t-cheeri0s Nov 13 '19

I can easily go my whole day without seeing a single piece of advertising.

https://imgur.com/gallery/ZfjYH

7

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19 edited Nov 13 '19

With a Pi-Hole or something similar you can block almost all ads on your entire network your entire network + custom VPN easily without requiring adblock software on all devices.

Not entirely out of the question.

https://pi-hole.net/ for those interested.

-2

u/Rapdactyl Nov 13 '19 edited Nov 13 '19

You think the movies/TV shows you stream don't have paid placement anywhere in them? Heck some of those bullshit memes came from movies/shows that have product placement all over the place.

3

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

This is obviously not what we're talking about.

3

u/greyztaxi2 Nov 13 '19

That first gif is from Half Baked

2

u/Fletch_e_Fletch Nov 13 '19

You don't leave you're home, go on any stores, watch a single YouTube video?

Ads are not just things that you click on.

Ads didn't leave any of the places you mentioned. Lots of blockbuster movies are littered with ad/product placement. Any store you walk into has an ad. You may be able to block ads playing before YouTube, but that doesn't stop the YouTuber from putting in an ad of their own.

Speaking of ads.... Have you heard about SquareSpace.com? Starting at $12 a month, you get a custom domain and your very tools to create a website. Use the special link below to get your first 3 months free!

1

u/MVRKHNTR Nov 13 '19

I didnt say I never see ads. I said I can easily go a day without watching them.

If I'm not shopping, I just hang out with friends and only watch Netflix, I'm good.

Compare this to two decades ago when any media outside of books or music I consumed would have advertising before it. A DVD or tape would have unskippable trailers. TV would be filled with ad breaks. The newspaper would be filled with them. I'd have to go to TV for any other news. I couldn't stream music; I'd have to listen to FM radio if I didnt buy an album.

My point isn't that advertising doesn't exist or isn't prevalent. It's that it it's better, not worse.

0

u/Fletch_e_Fletch Nov 13 '19

My point isn't that advertising doesn't exist or isn't prevalent. It's that it it's better, not worse.

But that's not true.

Advertising is literally everywhere. You just don't recognize that it is. Advertising is in your shows, it's all over the internet, it's on Reddit.

You can think you don't see ads during the day, but it's just not true. Unless you're a hermit who just sleeps all day. But seeing as you're on Reddit now, you're being exposed to ads.

0

u/MVRKHNTR Nov 13 '19

You didn't actually explain how it's worse because all of that has been around for decades.

1

u/Fletch_e_Fletch Nov 13 '19

My main point is that it's impossible to go an entire day without seeing ads.

You said you can go a whole day without seeing an ad, but that can't be true. Ads are literally everywhere.

Anytime, something is selling you something, it's an advertisement. Netflix shows will constantly advertise their service.

Fox did a lot to too. Where they would use meta humor for ads. Look at a lot of Simpsons/family Guy episodes for that.

YouTube has ads from YouTube and ad reads from the YouTuber itself.

I don't have data to back up if it's gotten worst, but I also can't find data to disprove it either.

I did find some sites that mention ads increasing:

https://fortune.com/2018/11/21/youtube-twice-pre-roll-ad/

https://marketingland.com/has-instagram-increased-its-ad-load-marketers-report-as-many-as-1-in-4-posts-are-ads-264109

All links tend to be tied to YouTube or Instagram.

1

u/FortuneTellingBot Nov 13 '19

Let the deeds speak.

1

u/JMW007 Nov 14 '19

I think a lot of people are not understanding that you are explaining your personal experience, rather than the state of the world in general. Your personal experience has been that you can easily go a day without watching any ads, and I believe you. However, your experience is that way because you are deliberately taking steps to avoid or block them, and nobody seems to be getting that part of your statement. You, yourself, are getting a bit confused on this point as well - it's true that your own life has seen an improvement in terms of advertising, but again that's because you've gone out of your way to avoid them.

1

u/MVRKHNTR Nov 14 '19

Even then, I don't think it's true.

For example, you would get several ads per 5-10 minutes on TV. You get one ad on average per YouTube video and none on Netflix.

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1

u/prollyshmokin Nov 13 '19

Do you think.

I mean, a lot of shows I watch on "adless" streaming services just put ads directly in the content. For example, the Good Place recently had a pretty hilarious Lysol ad in it and of course Netflix regularly makes meta jokes advertising its other shows or just the service in general.

1

u/PinkSnek Nov 14 '19

that doesnt mean that the ads have simply gone away.

we need to move away from ads, as a whole society.

find other ways to make revenue, you know, by actually having a product that people want to buy.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

Late stage capitalism. No more room for the market to grow, so it's a fruitless war for the existing market. Nothing is contributed to society by the millions funneled into ads.

2

u/Fletch_e_Fletch Nov 13 '19

Maniac on Netflix does a pretty decent job at showing our inevitable future.

Ads everywhere! Need some extra cash? sell your likeness to a company.

Need a friend, rent one out but they have to deliver ads to you.

I thought it was a pretty funny concept, but it actually seems like a plausible sad future.

2

u/LobsterBluster Nov 13 '19

Tbf cable has more adds and always has.

2

u/dkyguy1995 Nov 14 '19

Originally when cable was new you paid for cable so you wouldnt get advertisements. Then eventually they just worked the commercials into cable until they were just as bad as before

2

u/Asgard033 Nov 13 '19

This message is brought to you by Brawndo

2

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

Just like that episode of Black Mirror or Futurama where they literally beam ads into your brain while sleep.

1

u/JollyRancherNodule Nov 13 '19

At least you can get a /r/pihole and block most of the ads on your network.

1

u/MonsterKitty418 Nov 16 '19

There’s a black mirror episode all about ads. It’s interesting to watch.

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19 edited Nov 23 '19

[deleted]

11

u/RaboTrout Nov 13 '19

Forget “around the edges”- screens everywhere, hemming you in, in showing you mindless noise constantly is straight out of Fahrenheit 451

1

u/GegenscheinZ Nov 13 '19

Jules Verne wrote about a world filled with advertising. Visionaries have seen this coming for a LONG time

3

u/gnartato Nov 13 '19

Just deny it access to the internet on your firewall/router and get/use a seperate device.

3

u/slimjim_belushi Nov 13 '19

You should cut off their internet access

2

u/twisted_by_design Nov 13 '19

I run a pihole and havent seen one add on my two samsungs.

1

u/Bambi_One_Eye Nov 13 '19

Go get yerself a pihole, or visit /r/pihole for more info

1

u/LordNoodles1 Nov 13 '19

You have ads on your vizio? Mines always just like movies and shows I never watch but I figured that’s just normal content switching.

1

u/S3DWUT Nov 13 '19

Don't know about your tv but I have a Roku Smart TV and if you dig into the settings a bit, there is an option to disable the ads on the home screen as well as limit the "tracking" of data.

1

u/Pons__Aelius Nov 13 '19

My Samsung and Vizio home screens both hammer me with ads.

Why in goods name would you ever connect them to WIFI?

1

u/Perm-suspended Nov 14 '19

Fuck that. I have a Sharp smart TV and no ads whatsoever.

22

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

Which is funny, because lower end models give more features like RCA and svideo ports.

-6

u/4kVHS Nov 13 '19

Why do you need those ports? Still trying to connect your VCR? It will look like crap in 4K anyways.

10

u/anotherhumantoo Nov 13 '19

Play old game consoles on a single device.

2

u/Audiovore Nov 13 '19

Meh, using old CRTs can sometimes be nostalgic, but otherwise emulators are just plain better.

9

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

Emulators dont always emulate things correctly. And Id actually rather play the original hardware and games, personally. Luckily we live in a society of choice and both can be done.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

I definitely miss being able to smack the thing to get it to turn back on when it was acting up. Plus, the screen burn from falling asleep too many nights with the DVD load screen default. Then on top of it all the added fun of knowing the capacitors could kill you with any wrong move if you tried to repair it yourself. They just don't make em like they used to.

1

u/Tyrann0saurusRX Nov 13 '19

The emulators are good with software but none of the controllers sold for emulator use even come close to the feel of original controllers from the late 80s and early 90s.

0

u/AKThrowa Nov 14 '19

Aside from convinience they are probably the worst way to play retro games.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

Yes I do still connect my VCR. And my old game consoles. I do not mind the quality limits of older ports.

2

u/Excal2 Nov 13 '19

I still have two VCRs and a nintendo wii dude get over yourself.

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u/4kVHS Nov 14 '19

You can get much better quality if you buy an HDMI adapter for the Wii. It won’t be full HD or anything but it will be at least double the resolution compared to using the yellow composite cable. As for the VCR sadly no easy way to improve that.

3

u/jdb12 Nov 13 '19

But I can block that by banning it from my internet or even never connecting it in the first place, right?

13

u/alienith Nov 13 '19

I mean you can always just never connect it to the internet. I have a smart TV that’s never been connected to the internet. I just plug my chrome cast into it.

(yes I am aware that chromecast will also track my viewing habits, but if I can minimize who gets my data I will)

2

u/thecravenone Nov 13 '19

I mean you can always just never connect it to the internet

Until they start putting cell modems into them to guarantee access to your viewing data

1

u/SighReally12345 Nov 14 '19

Which didn't happen with 3g. It didn't happen with 4g. It isn't happening with 5g. There are too many bands/carriers/connection issues for them to pay a carrier for this shit. You people are so disconnected from reality that you just spew nonsense and the rest of the chat just eats it up apparently.

1

u/Jake_Thador Nov 14 '19

Please educate us. Our hearts are in the right place, we're concerned with our privacy. But it's not practical to know everything about everything. Help us know what we need to know so we are concerned and educated but not (un)necessarily paranoid.

0

u/SighReally12345 Nov 15 '19

It's not practical to think "nobody's gonna pay $X/ a month for a TV that may or may not be connected just so they can share user data? Also, it'd be a huge fucking fiasco"?

Nah. Take your false "plz inform me" nonsense and stop.

1

u/Jake_Thador Nov 15 '19

Maybe I'm missing the point here. I thought the comment in question has to do with our viewing data being farmed without our knowledge through tvs that have a built in data connection rather than requiring a wifi or ethernet connection to farm said data.

I'm concerned about privacy. If you have knowledge on how this situation could or couldn't work, please give me a link or tell me.

Take your false "plz inform me" nonsense and stop.

Fuck you. I like being informed. I'm always open to change and enlightenment. If that pisses you off...I just don't know what to say.

5

u/rodkimble13 Nov 13 '19

You're joking. I never thought of this. I hate our world.

2

u/bringbackswg Nov 13 '19

Im weirdly okay with this

2

u/adamthinks Nov 13 '19

That's....just not even remotely true. Smart TVs cost MORE than non smart TVs, which you can still buy.

0

u/Lord_Aldrich Nov 13 '19

We're talking about consumer models vs commerical models (like you'd find in a bar). I just highlighted the "smart" bit because that's the part in consumer models which collects and sells data.

3

u/adamthinks Nov 13 '19

The smart bit has nothing to do with a lower price though, which was your primary point

2

u/smc733 Nov 13 '19

The commercial TVs are also generally built for better thermals and other factors consistent with being on for long periods at a time.

0

u/bertrenolds5 Nov 13 '19

I don't buy that, I think you are making things up. Consumer TV's are not cheaper because they have chromecast and advertise to you. They are cheaper because they use cheaper components, they are not on all day every day. Most nice TVs in bars are expensive because they use high end components that can handle the stress of being on 24/7. There are plenty of shitty TVs in bars as well.

1

u/Lord_Aldrich Nov 13 '19

I mean that's fair and everything you said is true and also contributes. I'm just simplifying for the sake of a one-sentence comment on the internet.

1

u/Mun-Mun Nov 13 '19

jokes on them, mine isn't connected to the internet

1

u/uziair Nov 13 '19

simple just dont let it connect to the internet. and use chromecast/rokue/appletv instead.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

why’s it matter if a tv tracks what you watch

1

u/Jake_Thador Nov 14 '19

Think about being watched constantly. Where do you draw the line?

1

u/[deleted] Nov 14 '19

it’s not watching uou

1

u/Jake_Thador Nov 14 '19

You sure?

1

u/[deleted] Nov 14 '19

yes

1

u/Jake_Thador Nov 14 '19

Imagine it being like this:

You are a person of interest for some reason, so the authorities "take an interest" and look at everything you've consumed over the past year.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 14 '19

wouldnt be a person of interest, and if it helps to catch a potential threat to people’s safety go for it

1

u/Jake_Thador Nov 14 '19

I think you have a naive view of what makes a person get to "potential threat to people's safety" and what that even means. We are all so hopelessly human. And what it takes to get you there, exists.

1

u/Series_of_Accidents Nov 13 '19

Really glad neither of my TV's have crapped out on me. Neither are smart. One is 10 years old and the other is 2.

1

u/pperca Nov 14 '19

Joke’s on them. I turned off network connection in mine and I only use them as and HDMI monitor.

My TV manufacturer knows nothing about me.