Your TV set has become a digital billboard. And it’s only getting worse.
Your TV set has become a digital billboard. And it’s only getting worse.
TV software is getting loaded with ads, changing what it means to own a TV set.
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My HiSense Vidaa OS TV shows ads for newer TV’s from their online store.
Is an Apple TV box a good platform choice to avoid this?
I'd probably opt for an external streaming box and simply use the TV as a monitor instead of the whole system (as it was originally)
That’s what I’m planning to do and curious if Apple TV box is a good option. Fire stick is riddled with ads. Not sure about Roku and Apple TV.
Roku is chocked full of ads too, and regularly sets the default for the "Select" button to open those ad sites or apps. Roku used to be great. It has now been completely enshittified.
I mean, it could be worse. It could not work at all when put behind a pihole. I keep all my Roku devices in their own group and haven't seen ads on them
I have mine behind a Pihole too. It blocked all the ads at first but Roku seems to actively varying the ad servers and they've started showing up again. I haven't had a chance to see if I can block them again.
No matter how you feel about Apple in general, Apple TV boxes are really the only way to go these days. Everything else is designed to aggressive sell to you whether you like it or not.
It's either that or use something like a Raspberry Pi and settle for websites, which also have a habit of streaming you lower-quality content.
I don’t see any ads in my Apple TV interface aside from some shown in the streaming apps themselves. We’ve been very happy with ours, keeping in mind the whole family already had iPhones.
If you have other Apple devices the Apple TV is the best option.
Plex makes an app for it, and infuse makes a fantastic media server client.
Also enables all kinds of useful home automation integration, and FaceTime via your television(this is a game changer).
AppleTV is the media box to use if you hate ads and value your privacy. Its Home Screen is just a grid of apps. No ads. None. It’s also way faster (CPU speed) compared to the competition.
Replacing a smart TV OS with a device made by Google or Amazon defeats the purpose. You’re still going to get ads plastered all over your Home Screen. And they still lag and stutter unless you pay a premium price for an 5 year old Nvidia shield. Either use an AppleTV or build your own HTPC.