The move embodies how ads are a growing and virtually inescapable part of the TV-viewing experience—even when you’re not watching anything.
As you might have expected, LG didn’t make a big, splashy announcement to consumers or LG TV owners about this new ad format. Instead, and ostensibly strategically, the September 5 announcement was made to advertisers. LG appears to know that screensaver ads aren’t a feature that excites users. Still, it and many other TV makers are happy to shove ads into the software of already-purchased devices.
LG TV owners may have already spotted the ads or learned about them via FlatpanelsHD, which today reported seeing a full-screen ad on the screensaver for LG’s latest flagship TV, the G4. “The ad appeared before the conventional screensaver kicks in," per the website, “and was localized to the region the TV was set to.”
LG has put these ads on by default, according to FlatpanelsHD, but you can disable them in the TVs’ settings. Still, the introduction of ads during a screensaver, shown during a pause in TV viewing that some TVs use as an opportunity to show art or personal photos that amplify the space, illustrates the high priority that ad dollars and tracking have among today’s TVs—even new top-of-the-line ones.
The addition of screensaver ads that users can disable may sound like a comparatively smaller disruption as far as TV operating system (OS) ads go. But the incorporation of new ad formats into TV OSes’ various nooks and crannies is a slippery slope. Some TV brands are even centered more on ads than selling hardware. Unfortunately, it’s up to OS operators and TV OEMs to decide where the line is, including for already-purchased TVs. User and advertiser interests don’t always align, making TV streaming platforms without third-party ads, such as Apple TV, increasingly scarce gems.
I was always torn over what TV brand to buy. This helps narrow it down further.
This narrows it bit too much, LGs were the one of few remaining beands.
Unfortunately LG makes the best panels, and many other brands use LG panels(not as good as what LG puts in their own units).
The solution here is to buy their ad subsidized tv and never connect it to the internet.
To which remaining TV brands? They’re all gonna do this kinda stuff.
They all will do within 2 years because fuck I peasants… Ain’t the free market grand?
There are some large computer monitors, depending on how big of a screen you want. There’s no smart crap in those, just DisplayPort and HDMI inputs.
Selection is an issue. Doubt they got large oled formats.
Depends on your definition of large; I’ve got an amazing 48" 4k 120hz OLED monitor that does no “smart” features.
Alienware does a 55" that I think is the largest available rn though I can’t vouch for the inclusion or lack of ads or smart features.
65+ inch but really 70
55 is decent but if you got wall space and distance why not go big.
Totally fair, makes sense. Didn’t want to presume lol. I don’t have a space big enough for something that large but maybe one day haha. Hopefully by then they’ll be making gaming oled monitors that big. I have purchased some cheaper smart tvs for work that are 75 or 77 inches and man, the size is crazy. Those are cheap LEDs though iirc, cost less than my 55" oled tv.
Yea I’ve got a 65" OLED with Dolby Vision. I’d have a hard time going back to anything else. But why even worry about smart features at all when an offline TV is effectively the same as a monitor anyway for less money and more entertainment specific features.
Thank you daddy capitalism.
I hope I can continue to make the smart TV dumb by never giving it network access. When that fails I’ll have to hope the pihole handles some of it. The other fun option might be to put it on a VPN in the EU and hope that it enables some gdpr options.
Either way you’re right, it’s likely inevitable.
EU vpn is cute but it is still feeding the parasite.
Best TV is the TV that never touched the internet. It ruins their entire business model 🐸
Peasants will never get ahead unless we start obstructing this bullshit.
My Samsung I bought last year required an Internet connection during setup, but after it updated it “allowed” me to disconnect it. Just to be extra safe I connected it to a guest network that I changed the password on so it couldn’t remember the credentials. The menus have ads (that never change), but I set the TV to default to the last HDMI port when it turns on.
I wish they had an AOSP sort of approach to TV where I could install a new ROM and customize the TV OS with whatever changes I’d like, so I didn’t need extra devices to view Plex and my streaming channels. DRM shuts that dream down pretty quickly though.
I hope that some privacy forward brands will emerge, but there just doesn’t seem to be consumer demand or awareness.