topic Re: New TV in Electronics

New TV

kismet — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 21:02:45 GMT

I have been thinking about a new TV for awhile. Seems the Smart TVs, from what I read, ask questions and some said that they can follow what I'm watching. Has anyone gotten one of the newer tv's and have been able to bypass the following and it's questions? I don't help determining what I watch.

Re: New TV

SilleeMee — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 23:18:26 GMT

I just followed through with the set up and then I turned off the wifi connection to my TV but not to my streaming box. That way there is no internet connection to track my TV. Streaming box is a separate thing.

Re: New TV

Caffeina — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 22:19:39 GMT

Do a web search for this article.

Re: New TV

Kachina624 — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 23:00:34 GMT

Good grief, what do you all watch that you're so paranoid about someone snooping on you? My viewing doesn't get more exciting than the evening news.

Never mind, don't answer.

Re: New TV

Mom2Dogs — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 23:05:31 GMT

We have Samsung TV's in our house...several of them. They are smart tv's, we have never had them ask us questions, the only thing I would say as far as following what we watched...using the remote and the down button we can see what we have watched earlier but I find that convenient.

There are several apps pre loaded which is nice and that brand also comes with SAMSUNG PLUS....a channel with lots of things to watch.

Re: New TV

Tori3569 — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 00:35:40 GMT

We have also had Samsung smart tvs and also an LG, probably for at least 10 years, probably more. I don't consider them new anymore at all.

No tv has ever asked me questions and the only reason it may "track" is to suggest shows one might like on the apps like Netflix.

Re: New TV

Desertdi — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 04:11:50 GMT

There should be a "setting" to disable the camera on electronics.

If not, and you can find "the eye"...cover it with black electrical tape...

Re: New TV

mrshckynut — Sun, 15 Dec 2024 22:13:06 GMT

@kismet wrote:
I have been thinking about a new TV for awhile. Seems the Smart TVs, from what I read, ask questions and some said that they can follow what I'm watching. Has anyone gotten one of the newer tv's and have been able to bypass the following and it's questions? I don't help determining what I watch.

@kismet have had and still have several smart samsung tv sets and never had one that verbally asks questions
lots of choices to pick in "settings" and any setting that offers private that is where it is set many new tv sets no longer come with the old type owners manual but all samsungs we have you can bring up the owners manual like any other app

mrshckynut

Re: New TV

gadgetgal613 — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 11:22:41 GMT

@kismet wrote:
I have been thinking about a new TV for awhile. Seems the Smart TVs, from what I read, ask questions and some said that they can follow what I'm watching. Has anyone gotten one of the newer tv's and have been able to bypass the following and it's questions? I don't help determining what I watch.

If you really think you have privacy these days, I have ocean front property in Arizona for sale. Different streaming services do track what you watch and make recommendations for additional viewing. Every device I've owned had/has a settings option located in the menu. There is where you can change the default settings to what you want. As always, Google is your friend for finding answers to your how to questions.

Re: New TV

emma181 — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 09:14:30 GMT

Hello!

You are right, many modern smart tv can collect data about what you watch as well as your preferences. This is related to data collection features for improving recommendations and advertisements. I have a Samsung smart tv. In Samsung, you can disable tracking features: turn off 'Smart Tracking' or 'Telemetry,' which may collect information about what you watch. In the privacy settings, you can disable features like data processing for content improvement.

Re: New TV

DJs mom — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 18:45:03 GMT

All of the tvs in my house are smart tvs and they include Smasung and Vizio. I have never had any one of them ask me a question.

Re: New TV

NYCLatinaMe — Sun, 05 Jan 2025 03:27:26 GMT

I don't think Smart TVs necessarily track viewers with cameras or asking the viewer questions, though if the viewer has Alexa or something similar, it can hear the customer, and if the customer sets up a camera on their TV, it is possible it can "watch" them. I didn't install the camera.

I think streaming does collect data regarding what the customer is watching on their service and this happens when one signs on and off, which one has to do to acccess these services. That is what one has to agree to. No agreement, no service. I think the customer can disable the storage of the customer's data in the customer's account for the customer's own viewing, but that doesn't stop the app from having the data you give to it. I don't think this can be stopped, and is the price we pay for using these services (on top of any $$$).

What customer reports says can be stopped is automatic content recognition, or ACR, a smart TV technology attempts to identify every show the customer watches—including programs and movies the customer gets via cable, over-the-air broadcasts, streaming services, and even Blu-ray discs. But all companies collect what one views through their own platform and I don't think this can be disabled. It is like QVC keeping a record of our orders. Our credit cards and bank cards keep records of our transactions. Yes we are being spied on all the time. And companies come up with mathermatical models to figure out something about us and sell us more stuff.

One can limit whether they show one ads targeted to the customer's perceived interests, but yes the company knows what the customer is watching regardless. The limitation is just in the targeting of ads because customer's find it creepy when that blouse I put in my shopping cart on QVC shows up repeatedly as I browse the New York Times online, but the TV version of that. But it still knows that I put that shirt in my shopping cart, it is just not showing it to us repeatedly. I also asked the NY Times not to tell me the articles I already read because I know that. And they do too. They did stop telling me, which made me feel better. But I know they know.

I think the customer can also limit whether companies share the customer's data in some instances. Sometimes streaming services or TVs or whatever will allow us to limit the sharing only to affiliates, but an affiliate is anyone they want to affiliate with, and we don't always know who they are, so does it matter?

In order to disable the small portion of the tracing that one can, one has to be vigilant, read all the fine print, and find all the settings in each of the devices and apps one uses, at set up and every time the thing upgrades. Which is frequently.

It's a lot of work.

Re: New TV

NYCLatinaMe — Sun, 05 Jan 2025 03:28:45 GMT

@SilleeMee wrote:
I just followed through with the set up and then I turned off the wifi connection to my TV but not to my streaming box. That way there is no internet connection to track my TV. Streaming box is a separate thing.

Hi @SilleeMee How can you stream without wifi? You use cell service?

TIA!

Re: New TV

SilleeMee — Sun, 05 Jan 2025 12:29:17 GMT

@NYCLatinaMe wrote:

Hi @SilleeMee How can you stream without wifi? You use cell service?

TIA!

@NYCLatinaMe

I use my Directv Stream set-top box to stream. My TV has the wifi turned off on it b/c I never use it.

Re: New TV

gardenman — Sun, 05 Jan 2025 13:54:48 GMT

Even if you do all of that, they'll still know a lot about you. They'll know what people in your area like and dislike. They'll know what your neighbors watch. They'll know what people in your age, area, demographic watch, do, etc. We're all just data points to the data brokers. Even if they don't know much that's specific to you, they can make very accurate guesses based on what they do know and how others in your demographic act.

Re: New TV

gadgetgal613 — Sun, 05 Jan 2025 20:02:56 GMT

If you stream, no matter what device, your data is out there.