• cheery_coffee@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    They make it hard to activate the TV without joining a network.

    I heard that Samsungs would join any open WiFi network even if you didn’t give it permission. My LG you had to scroll below the screen with no scroll indicators to set up the TV without WiFi. I think Roku used to give access to the TV over the HDMI cable (because the Roku supported Ethernet over HDMI and the TV just connected to that).

    Definitely don’t connect your smart TV to the network, it’s a bad idea.

    • CeeBee@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      They make it hard to activate the TV without joining a network.

      Last I checked it was mainly Samsung that did this. I’ve been buying 4K TVs as a monitor for about a decade now. I tried to upgrade to Samsung 42" a few years ago. After a couple hours of trying with no luck, I looked it up online and found people complaining about the same thing. The model I purchased had zero way of being used without first connecting it to the internet. Turns out that TV was one of the models that Samsung could remotely brick. I returned it immediately after.

      • cheery_coffee@lemmy.ca
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        1 year ago

        That’s insane, everything I hear about Samsung lately mashes me want to stay far away, from their fridges to their washers and their TVs I only hear bad stuff.

        • Jakeroxs@sh.itjust.works
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          1 year ago

          I have two Samsung TVs and they work fine, I don’t use the smart interface aspect at all (though I did let them connect to the Internet as controlling them with my phone via the app is nifty sometimes) but I use one for my PC and the other for a Nvidia Shield TV.

          Not sure why Samsung would remotely brick your tv, but once you set it up I don’t think you need WiFi anymore

    • PhiAU@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      What the fuck do I need to “Activate” a TV for?

      If I cannot use a TV without connecting it to the Internet, it is not fit for purpose and is going back to the store for a refund.

      Yes I live in Australia and we have consumer protection rights.

      Limited warranty companies hate us.