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[–] 45 points 8 months ago (16 children)

Unfortunately the firmware was the issue, not just OS software. So factory-resetting didn't help us. But yeah, that definitely radicalized me to the "never connect it to the internet" camp for future TVs.

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  • [–] 23 points 8 months ago (15 children)

    Buying the TV and then not connecting it still rewards the bad behavior.

    We have to boycott these fucks and lobby to get the behavior outlawed.

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  • [–] 15 points 8 months ago (2 children)

    I mean, that's great in theory. But the amount of manufacturers of non-smart TVs is tiny, and if you are interested in the best panels and display technology, refresh rates for gaming, etc (even removing affordability), it's very very hard to just boycott if you want to have a modern TV at all.

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  • [–] 2 points 8 months ago (2 children)

    You're implying there is an option other than not owning a TV. Please send us specifics so we can join you.

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  • [–] 2 points 8 months ago (1 child)

    You used to be able to still buy 'dumb' TVs from Sceptre up until a year or so ago, but even they've stopped selling them now. (I'm kicking myself for not buying one when I had the chance...)

    But the important part of my comment was this:

    and lobby to get the behavior outlawed.

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  • [–] 1 point 7 months ago

    It's happening, but do you really believe a bunch of nonprofit low income "woke" "DEI" loving hippies are going to lobby more effectively than billion dollar corporations - er, sorry, PEOPLE - will lobby? These people literally bankroll candidates for office to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars and have hundreds of lawyers to pick apart any resistance.

    Sure, lobby. Just understand we are just continuing the fight on principle, not because it will have any impact.

    We can't give up, but we aren't going to win, short of a literal uprising and even then it's probably just going to remove the lipstick from this political pig, and the pretense of "for the people" will fall away.

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  • [–] 3 points 8 months ago (8 children)

    Getting the ad-subsidized tech without the ads sounds like a win to me

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  • [–] 2 points 8 months ago (5 children)

    [Citation needed]

    There is zero fucking evidence whatsoever that the alleged "savings" from the ad "subsidy" are getting passed to the consumer.

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  • [–] 1 point 8 months ago (4 children)

    Automatic litterboxes, fancy toothbrushes, vidya consoles, air purifiers are all examples of physical items often sold at a loss in anticipation of a future revenue stream off the top of my head. Ad specific, lower end smartphones are cheap to free because the money comes from selling your data (by way of tracking apps the manufacturer is paid to include). That their motives aren't altruistic kinda goes without saying. I would be very surprised if televisions were excluded from this process, and need a new explanation for walmart's sub-$50 ad-choked tv selection

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  • [–] 1 point 8 months ago (3 children)

    I wasn't asking for a citation that their methods aren't altruistic; I was asking for a citation that they aren't enshittifying the product with ads or subscriptions or whatever and then gouging you for full price anyway.

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  • [–] 1 point 8 months ago* (2 children)

    Well that's all you get for free man, hope you're having a nice day :)

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  • [–] -1 points 8 months ago (1 child)

    You are paying for features you don't use (such as Internet access). That's not a win.

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  • [+] 15 points 8 months ago (1 child)
  • [–] -5 points 8 months ago

    Even if that were true, you're still paying more than you would be for a "dumb" TV that doesn't have those features. So everybody loses but the company selling the hardware still sees a sale. They lose a lot more if they pay the cost to produce and then never sell the device.

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