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Thereâs a KDE spinoff for TVs: https://plasma-bigscreen.org/
Someone else posted both of these, separately, but Iâm going to put them together, as they are my solution of choice:
Serious question: How are you supposed to control Kodi? I tried to install it, but I realized I had to use the mouse/keyboard to do basically everything. Can I control it through a remote or my phone at least?
When I ran it I used an old wireless xbox controller.
If you have a TV/receiver that supports CEC you can use your regular remote. For Android there is also the Kore app to remotely control Kodi. See Kodiâs wiki page on remote controls for more options.
I use a cheap âair mouseâ current one has been going 5+ years but went through about 10 before that but I started using Kodi yeah I donât remember 2005?? UGHâŚ
I use a little wireless USB remote control designed for controlling TV interfaces. It works beautifully.
There are countless 2.4GHz, Bluetooth and even Zigbee remotes which you can use directly or through Home Assistant or another home automation solution.
It may sound a bit hacky, but thereâs a web interface that you can use to control kodi from any other device on your network. Just enter the address and a logon that you set up and presto. Thereâs a default interface, but you can download some custom ones through the add-ons browser. It functions as a remote, plus you can scroll through your collection on your tablet/phone/laptop while watching/listening to something else on your tv. The main advantage over an app is that it will work on all of your devices through a web browser.
I use this remote. specifically made for Kodi https://osmc.tv/store/product/osmc-remote-control/
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Hmmm itâs also a really good solution
You canât watch 4k Netflix or Amazon Prime with that setup, or can you?
I use a Pi-Hole and a firewall to block ads and didnât opt in to their smart features, so my LG TV somewhat works.
The post was about bringing freedom and privacy to smart TVâs, those services are opposed to both.
Yes, but my requirements currently (sadly) include 4K Netflix and Amazon Prime. Privacy is not an ultimate state, itâs a spectrum. Better privacy doesnât mean you can achieve complete privacy.
If you need complete privacy, donât buy a TV at all. Buy a huge screen, e.g. from a signage company like SwedX. Add a Raspi to it. Be done.
âŚpeople actually care about 4K or amazon prime video?
I have a 4K tv and some TV shows I watch come out on Amazon Video first. Iâd love a recommendation for an alternative which doesnât involve me trying ten torrents until I finally find one that works and has a good quality.
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Return it for a full refund and find one that doesnât?
Then you throw it out.
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I just buy the TV for itâs image quality, and never even setup the TV OS to connect to the Internet. I rely on a dedicated dongle or PC and let the TV be a display.
This is the only way.
Yup, same here. Itâs annoying to have the prompt permanently in the menu, but you kinda get used to it.
Another option that I do, is to go with a projector. Theyâre rarely smart, are just as cheap as tvs, and more portable.
Itâs a cool solution tho, the problems is that I donât want to have my living room without any sun light in order to see my tv. But in the future I think is a cool solution.
It used to be a problem, but even the cheaper ones are so bright now that you can still watch even with sunlight.
True⌠and an âultra short throwâ projector actually fits pretty much in the same space as a regular TV. Still a bit expensive though.
Had never heard of those, they sound very cool! Will have to look more on them :)
The thing with projectors is that they make quite a bit of noise, which is rather distracting imo. Apart from that, they are indeed neat.
I have a Smart TV, but instead of having it connected to the WiFi directly, I have linked it with my PC and it receives the content through it. With this I avoid ads and I do not have these privacy problems.
Some secretly scan for open wifi networks and connect to them without any user interaction though.
Not mine, I have a scansoft on my network and I notice it right away if there is something connected to my WiFi that should not be there. If itâs my neighborâs WiFi, I donât care.
It could still exfiltrate you viewing habits and other personal data through your neighbourâs wifi.
Yes, but only if it knows that it isnât MY WiFi. Apart need also the Password to conect.
Dude if theyâre willing to go that far, youâre already fucked and nothing you do will stop it.
I donât think so. One can always destroy the WiFi card of the TV.
In many cases itâs enough to just disconnect it, e.g. with carefully applying an exacto knife.
You should look into Hospitality TVs, mostly stripped down for business use https://www.cdw.com/search/?key=hospitality tv
I donât have a SmartTV, but my whole network is covered by a local piHole installation. I also gave up trying to tell the normal user about the problems. Many just donât want to know or think they know better. Since then, I simply let those run into the knife. To all others, I recommend piHole.
Donât forget those who do know and simply donât consider it important, or consider the trade off between convenience and privacy to be acceptable.
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Yeah, the best you can do currently is not connect the TV to the network at all and use a set top style PC you can control to handle all media playback. It would be amazing if there was an ecosystem of privacy respecting custom firmwares for these devices.
You can get big screens without smart bullshit if you look for digital signage stuff. They are more expensive because they wonât display ads but they might be more reliable.
I never considered that. I wonder if thereâs any sort of digital signage that comes with home theater/gaming features like HDR and variable frame rate.
There could be hdr screens for shop window displays but probably nothing with more than 60Hz refresh rate.
Unlikely, as theyâll be tailored for image sharpness and visibility with a good amount of ambient light.
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LibreELEC / CoreELEC are pretty decent firmware replacements for those cheap Android TV boxes with KODI as a really nice UI. Definitly better that what most SmartTVs offer.
There are some Smart TVs that even have a camera on the frontâŚ
No problem, also compatible with PC
And about mics. I think that you can always git some wiresâŚ
xD yeah I got a new TV but I checked there was no camera and microphone, thatâs stupid. On PC there is better solutions like a switch thing so you can still do meetings with webcam.
I recently searched and found a used but pretty decent Sony flatscreen TV that was made just before SmartTVs became a thing. Pretty happy with it as I think 1080p is sufficient⌠cheap too ;)
Avoid LG
At this point I would just get a really big monitor.
https://www.theverge.com/2017/3/7/14841556/wikileaks-cia-hacking-documents-ios-android-samsung
https://hackaday.com/2021/10/22/vizio-in-hot-water-over-smart-tv-gpl-violations/
Just use a dumb TV flat-screen and an HTPC. Saves money and you have full control plus no ads.