'Whoever came up with this is a massive idiot': LG's gaming monitors and TVs are facing a user revolt

Yeah but this is going a step further. This is also happening for PC monitors which are a bit harder to keep away from internet seeing as they connect to your internet-connected computer. Router blocking will help there too of course but the average user will not be able to set this up.

I didn't connect my tv to the internet, I never accepted the terms of service. All you're supposed to do is display what the HDMI tells you to.

Sadly the vendor that recommended this TV didn't get the message that I wanted a dumb TV

I mean, that's a bit complicated, and they can always change the domains. I just block the whole-ass TV from WAN. I can still interface with it for smart home stuff on LAN, but it can't update or access anything outside my network. And since it has an IP on the LAN, it doesn't bitch and moan about not having network.

Unlike a lot of what I see on the internet your TV is 10000% listening to you (sole purpose is to target ads) anyway just disconnect or isolate your TV from the internet.

Here's the Gamers Nexus report.

TechRadar is a shitty content mill that, in this case, basically just half-asses a summary of the GN video, embeds a few Reddit comments, and calls it macaroni journalism.

Super short version for those who don’t want to fight the site, some lg monitors install upsettingly comprehensive spyware onto your computer.

Some lg tvs, years after purchase and with no warning, do the same thing to themselves. Like sleeper agents.

And I’m not talking “monitor the images” spyware, I’m talking “listen in on your every word and send the transcript to lg” level spyware. “We have clauses around wiretapping wormed into the user agreement” level spying.

🤣 RIP

They are not even asking though. They just install it.

Look! You can watch Netflix on this monitor!

Well, yes, there's a PC stuck on it, of course I can.

No, you can watch it without the PC!

Why would I want to use a monitor without a PC?

It's only half again as expensive! It's a steal!

I didn't know the smart disease had infected computer monitors too. Seems like a harder sell even for those unconcerned with privacy. What could it possibly do that the computer it's connected to wouldn't be used for? If it's a computer monitor it's usually physically installed in a space you set aside for computer related stuff so even if you wanted all the "smart" features of a smart tv you'd be unlikely to want them there .

I thought dumb monitors cost more than smart TVs?

go away. m'batin

The ads are inherent in the software which Windows 11 automatically downloads as soon as you plug in the LG monitor. It doesn't ask, and you will get the ads even with an adblocker because they are not shown in a browser, but in Windows itself.

The best solution is not to use LG or Windows.

This annoys me intensely. I don’t own a tv or monitor from LG, but I do have an excellent (dumb) washing machine and fridge, I would have updated my TV which is currently a fairly basic Samsung TV, because of it’s ads and I’ve decided they are on my shit list for this kind of thing.

I disable JavaScript. I don't see what you're talking about

https://removepaywalls.com/https://www.techradar.com/televisions/lgs-gaming-monitors-and-tvs-are-facing-a-user-revolt

Edit: removed old link because of DOS attack from browser by archive.is

The irony of a site talking about how invasive ads and tracking on TV are, making it impossible to read the article because of all the ads and tracking.

Try disabling JavaScript

When I'm at someone's house and the YouTube video kicks into 4k 60fps its noticeable.

Its almost too distracting when you're not used to it. When its gone I miss it for a day or two but ultimately wasn't the reason I enjoyed it.

I'll watch YouTube on my phone at 480p because I pretty much grew up on metered internet and it just feels wasteful. But I'm the type of guy to play at 1080p mid settings (uncapped distance and frames if possible tho) to give my PC a easy time. Even if have the media installed locally I'm going 720p tops because now storage is more important.

The only time I'll fully let myself enjoy high res high quality media is if its a physical form like a blue ray. Other than that in the back of my mind I'm always thinking about how ray tracing and crazy high rez is kind of a gimmick, and how I would rather have more frames or conserve my hardware.

You are licensing their property. You do not own the TV.

Sorry if I'm daft but what's the pihole blocking? The "Live on LG channels"?

I have an LG OLED but I don't use the TV OS

I have a LG oled tv and keep it off the internet

I connect it occasionally

So then you don't keep it off the Internet, it would seem.

Just return it if it doesn't work right. You don't need to tolerate this.

That won’t protect you, if you run Windows.

When Windows sees the device as LG through HDMI, Windows Update will pull in and install the adware.

Thats the outrage, here. They didn’t just sell something new, they retroactively enshittified dumb displays.

Do you have a dumb TV to recommend? I went searching online a few years ago and literally couldn't find anything other than giant digital screens used to show the menu at fast food restaurants.

Probably, just cut the wire connecting the mic.

I have a tcl smart TV and it has a physical switch on the base of the TV that turns the mic on and off.

I was also able go download a program called productivity sweet which bypasses the TV's base menu and just loads to a hdmi output screen and apps you want to see so there's no adds or anything

I got a scepter two years back. Specifically because they advertised no smart bullshit.

I bought a Dell monitor back in 2022, though I wasn't caught up with their support towards the Israeli atrocities back then. Would recommend literally anyone else besides Dell or LG. Maybe Samsung, if they offer dumb monitors?

Sceptre is really the only brand I'm aware of making dumb TVs still.

3840 x 2160 Ultra HD Resolution
MEMC 120
HDMI 2.0
ARC & CEC
Edgeless Design

I looked into this last year when my TV broke.

I didn’t care a great deal about picture quality so you may want to look into that part, but I ended up buying a (I think 4k?) Sony Bravia. It’s a “Google tv” but it allows you to set it up as a regular TV instead and never connect it to the internet.

The HDMI CEC has bug and it doesn’t always work, but it’s not reason enough for me to connect it to the internet to update it. Otherwise it works fine.

https://www.samsung.com/us/business/commercial-tvs/all-commercial-tvs/

Through abusing the windows update mechanism, I think

If it's USBC, can't it just do whatever it want?

I think I remember one of the rabbit hole on went down was that one of the few ways to get a non smart TV that's still 65+ inches these days is if you bought a commercial TV for menus in drive through chains like McDonald's. So a lot of reaturants statistically you would be safe from the TV itself but you have that self order menu now which is way worse. Or just their security cameras feed into the same systems flock uses.

If its an average nonchain restaurant they probably use cheap smart TV ob the wall for sports. Even if they don't have any other bad survalience tech they'll probably have that.

Everytime I bring this up there is one person that reminds me there is a brand that does basic non smart TV I just don't remember the name or have ever looked into them.

Amazon sidewalk was intended as a low throughput, mesh to let their devices get out.

The monitors arent pushing the software over USB. When Windows detects an LG monitor it installs the software. This is doesnt require the monitor to do anything other than identify itself as being LG.

The issue is, manufacturers are only going to get more and more insidious with this until they either have full unfettered control over what you are allowed to view on your own screen, or are stopped in a meaningful way by strong regulations.

HDMI and USB-C inputs can both potentially carry an Ethernet signal, bypassing a need for WiFi permissions.

Devices could look for and join hidden/ghost mesh networks from other complicit manufacturers devices without permission.

Device drivers could be bundled with software which will enable tracking through the connected machine.

Hell, we’re fast approaching the point that every TV could be equipped with a basic data SIM designed to directly phone home and act as a kill-switch once a device has been deemed EOL after its warranty expires.

I’m not saying that these are already in place just yet, but that we are well and truly oblivious, slowly simmering frogs.

From the Gamers Nexus video I watched on this, the software gets installed via Windows Update, so I think you'd have to block OS updates too. For the moment, the fix appears to be Group Policy Editting to tell Windows not to install hardware related software automatically when it detects said hardware connected.

Edit: That's just for the PC monitor side of things. The TV side might work, though you'd be blocking TV OS updates.

You don't have to connect your TV to the internet. I'm going to use my Steam Machine as a cable box, or if you're younger, a "Roku"