"Spot test" goes back at least one year and affects multiple markets.
  • NekoKoneko@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    4 months ago

    Relatedly, Hisense also forces updates and disables use of the TV if you do not accept the update (via a full screen non-cancelable prompt).

    I learned this the hard way after Hisense broke my TV via an update that I didn’t want and then refused to fix it even after 6 months of escalations and emails.

    • BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.todayEnglish
      0·
      4 months ago

      My mom has a Hisense TV (because my parents invariably buy the very cheapest they can. They’d get a B&W if they could), and it just started something new - on start up, it now shows a static page of color wash, then you choose a channel. It doesn’t start on the same channel you turned off last night. Must be a new update came through. She let it sit on the screensaver all day, because it never occurred to her to try to change the channel.

      Not a big deal, but weird, and NOBODY asked for this.

    • henfredemars@infosec.pubEnglish
      0·
      4 months ago

      They’re not alone, either. I had to downgrade my Visio just to use the features that it shipped with. I’m sure this is illegal, but no one cares unless you’re rich.

      • NekoKoneko@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        4 months ago

        I outright told them it’s illegal, since they are unilaterally altering the terms of any T&C agreements when we started using the TV and materially interfering with our ownership and use of the TV we purchased. They didn’t care. I then sent it to our state attorney general and nothing happened.

    • leoj@piefed.zipEnglish
      0·
      4 months ago

      Was gonna say, LG does the same thing.

      So far my only TV that hasn’t forced things in an absurd way has been my Sony… Guess what Sony just did? (Sold their Bravia TV line to TCL…)

    • roofuskit@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      4 months ago

      I know they’re different manufacturers, but TCL tried this shit and I just factory reset and never setup the Internet on it. I use an android TV box for the smarts.

      • triptrapper@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        4 months ago

        I got a TCL last year and it wouldn’t let me use the TV until I set up the internet. After 4 factory resets I figured out how to put it in store demo mode, and plugged in a separate streaming device that connects to the internet. Now I realize I could have connected the TV to the internet and then blocked it at the network level.

        • Peffse@lemmy.worldEnglish
          0·
          4 months ago

          If you are using a network level block, make sure it’s a black hole and not just a DNS filter. I tried a DNS filter with a Roku and found that they bypass it with hardcoded values, even when the DNS server was statically assigned and DHCP assigned.

  • Atlas_@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    4 months ago

    IF YOU BUY ANY TV, DO NOT CONNECT IT TO THE INTERNET.

    Televisions were never meant to be smart devices. There’s no reason your screen should have software of its own. That would be like your face having a mind of its own.

    Ummm, <eldrich horror rant text>

  • fritobugger2017@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    4 months ago

    Not trying to be a Sony Bravia shill but I have two Sony Bravia XBR (X950G and X900H) TVs. Neither of these has ever attempted to show me an advertisement. They aren’t the newest versions nor the most expensive. I don’t include YT ads since those are YT generated.

    • bluemellophone@lemmy.worldEnglish
      01·
      4 months ago

      Get 'em while that last:

      “In a major industry shift announced in early 2026, Sony is entering a strategic partnership where TCL will take a 51% stake in its home entertainment division, including Bravia TVs, with a new joint venture expected to be fully operational by April 2027”

      It’s the end of an era for the Sony Bravia.

  • Phoenixz@lemmy.caEnglish
    0·
    4 months ago

    Okay, so strike Hisense products from the list of brand I’ll ever buy from

      • grue@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        4 months ago

        This is why, for years, I’ve been trying to point out that “if you don’t like it, just don’t buy it” isn’t good enough. Boycotts aren’t enough; we have to force the law to change to prohibit the abusive corporate behavior.

    • EndlessNightmare@reddthat.comEnglish
      0·
      4 months ago

      I no longer get excited about new tech. For the most part, I feel like we peaked about 10 years ago. Medical advances are the outlier and represent real benefit, but consumer electronics are getting enshittified.

      • a4ng3l@lemmy.world
        English
        0·
        4 months ago

        As a 80s kid I don’t recall being hyped. If anything all sci-fi books were warnings for us. Younger generations embraced the black mirror shit thought.

      • xerxes@piefed.socialEnglish
        0·
        4 months ago

        Except a lot less fun. That one at least had cool lights, cool buildings, and flying cars. We got rotting infrastructure and Teslas.

      • MasterBlaster@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        4 months ago

        I actually commented on that somewhere. Cyberpunk is a good example of authors warning us of dystopian possibilities, not glorifying them.

  • ALoafOfBread@lemmy.mlEnglish
    0·
    4 months ago

    Anybody have un-enshittified 4k tv recommendations?

    Mainly want good picture quality for movies + high refresh rate for games.

    • dellhiver@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      0·
      4 months ago

      Well what about a PC monitor? You can get u to like 43" and beyond. Obviously they are great for gaming as well.

      The other very impractical mention - after TVs starting adding ads, cameras and microphones, I switched to a 2nd hand projector. Most have no smart features.

      All you need is a white or off- white wall to protect on to. And the ability to block some light coming into the room.

      Downsides:

      • They can be bulky and noisy. Particularly the 4k ones
      • might need separate speakers
      • Not as low latency as a tv but models do come with VRR
      • bulbs do get darker from prolonged use (and aren’t always cheap to replace)
      • you might need separate speakers
      • and there are the trailing cables
      • And you’ll never get the inky blacks of oleds. But for picture size and immersion for the cost, they are basically unbeatable.

      Some can project from a coffee table.

      For tv series and YouTube like content, I use a laptop. Then for big movies, I use the projector and 5.1 sound system (mostly 2nd hand as well.)

      • CatZoomies@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        2 months ago

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