Originally published at: TV manufacturer makes more money selling data than TVs | Boing Boing
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I have an older Vizio that predates this built in online tv box. None of that shit, just a TV.
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This reminds me of a speech Eben Moglen gave at a convention years back, which I think indicated where we were heading and what needed to be done to head off these kinds of consequences…
Here is an annotated version if you’d prefer to read it…
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I have one of their more recent models. A pretty decent 120hz 4k set for gaming… 5 out of the 6 times I don’t have to reset it by holding the power button for 20 seconds when it’s powered off so I can actually hear audio from any signal coming in from an HDMI 
With smart tvs or streaming boxes you definitely have to pick your poison. Vizio, Roku, Google, LG or Samsung; they’ll all find a way to use you as marketing data. Cable and satellite tv companies have been doing the same for years too.
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I hate smart TVs, but that seems to be all they sell these days. I just don’t hook them up to wifi.
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Their newer models are absolute shite. Bought one recently for the basement and at least 50% of the time it locks up and I have to unplug it from the wall to reset.
On the other side, my LG in the living room has been amazing.
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I kinda feel the same. Ok bedroom tvs if you are willing to put up with the headache, but they are definitely not the tv brand you want to buy for elderly parents or relatives unless you constantly want to go over to their place to fix it.
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I read this today after going through the article posted here -
I trust Mozilla to be straight forward about these issues. Apple TV is our primary method of streaming content. I’ve never used Sony apps that came with my current TV or the one before it.
I have it set up - Apple TV>receiver>Sony. The ATV remote can then turn everything on/off and control the sound from the receiver. Though that remote overall does suck.
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I just don’t hook them up to wifi
I did that for a new smart TV my inlaws got. Unfortunately, though, you still have to wait 15 seconds for the darn thing to boot up.
I assume you can still get commercial models of TVs with no smart features, but you’ll probably pay a premium. I guess worst case you can always buy something sold as a computer monitor instead of a TV. They all have the same inputs now anyway.
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Yeah. I haven’t had to buy one in a while, but I might be moving out on my own soon and will need to look at options. Last time I gave in and got a ‘smart’ (lol no) TV because I couldn’t find a reasonably priced dumb TV.
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I recently bought a TV and was really disappointed to find that the majority don’t come with physical power buttons anymore. I did find one in the store that had one, but I suspect that within another year or so none of them will have them and you’ll be SOL without a remote. Plus the thing is probably spying on you if it’s never truly “off” anymore.
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This is new, how?
It’s a cliche to say, but all companies are data companies now. They have been for some time. There’s more money to be made by them selling us, than by us buying them.
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This is why you set up a pihole, so those devices (and anything else IoT-related) can never phone home again.
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That, and wonder nervously about how long it will be before cell data becomes cheap enough that IoT devices will literally be able to phone home at least a summary report with no intervention from you; and access to your network will only mean that the vendor gets the verbose report instead.
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For data with even marginal commercial value that time arrived years ago.
Modems are dirt cheap, and data can be purchased for pooled use at a rate of about ~$0.01/ megabyte.
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I keep my smart TVs (never enabled the WiFi and/or blocked their MAC addresses from my router) and streaming devices on power strips that I turn off when not in use.
Kills vampire power, offers extra surge-protection, and stops unexpected phoning home.
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Same here. Hopefully, it will continue working for a long time. Otherwise, I’ll have to start shopping for a short throw projector as a replacement. I’ve seen the “features” on newer Vizios and will do whatever is necessary to avoid them.
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I didn’t know about this particular brand, but I cannot help thinking, Vizio means “vice” in Italian. You know, like the Vice Squad.
So, shenanigans are practically preordained here…
“Vizio”: the practice of evil, above all intended as habitual inability of doing good (as a concept, it’s the exact contrary of “virtue”).
Brrrrr.
Vizio
/vì·zio/
sostantivo maschile
Pratica del male, intesa soprattutto come abituale incapacità del bene (è concetto diametralmente opposto a quello di virtù ).
- Nella teologia morale: vizi capitali , i peccati capitali (superbia, avarizia, lussuria, invidia, gola, ira e accidia), non come atti singoli, ma come abitudini: A vizio di lussuria fu sì rotta Che libito fè licito in sua legge (Dante); più generic. : il v. di bestemmiare; esser carico di vizi; prov. l’ozio è il padre dei v. .
Abitudine radicata che provoca nell’individuo il bisogno morboso di quanto per lui è o può essere nocivo: avere il v. di bere, di fumare, di giocare; in senso attenuato, cattiva abitudine, difetto.
“ha il v. di parlar troppo”
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Can’t you just go-around setting up their streaming device, and just use the tv? If you never connect the tv directly to the internet, and just connect your other devices, can’t you get an old style set without allowing them to send back usage reports?
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