EVERYTHING is a damn smart tv now
[1]https://www.sceptre.com/TV/4K-UHD-TV-category1category73.htm...
Some of the larger ISPs are also piping cell phone communications to VOIP at the edge using built-in features in the modems, and these are hopelessly insecure by regulatory action.
Take a look at the Cypher-Con talk on cable modems. Pretty damning. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hk2DsCWGXs)
Someone in the future will make decent money converting smart tvs to dumb tvs.
As much as you think this scenario is paranoia, your visitors will think you not connecting your TV is just as paranoid.
Cover the light, I thought!
...the annoying light is adjacent to the IR receiver.
Cover the light, no remote.
Is this intentional?
No Ads with the custom launcher.
I don't have to be logged into anything I don't want to be, the devices are... not excellent but probably the best you can get right now for the price range.
Media format compatibility is good. Bluetooth connectivity exists for peripherals (incl audio bars and headphones). It has USB ports to take a thumbdrive or other android support peripherals (incl USB audio DACs).
Good support for CEC and the remote has IR support for controlling other hardware (ex - I can make it work with my Epson projector just fine).
I don't really like the toblerone remote form factor - and it should be against the law into include dedicated streaming service buttons (netflix... blegh), plus every now and then I have to reboot the device. But generally speaking... if one died I'd probably buy another as the replacement.
Anyway I think the real threats will be:
1) Aggressive wifi search connecting itself, including deals with ISP routers to allow them to bypass you or even other devices.
2) Time-bombs causing the TV to become non-functional or degraded if you don't connect it to the internet, after the warranty or return window has expired
3) In-built 5G modem connectivity (everyone says this is to expensive but manufacturers could cut bulk deals and could limit the bandwidth usage, even just sneaking in firmware updates has a lot of abuse potential)
2) I've designed a system like this for a TV rental company, although legally a general retail TV manufacturer wouldn't want to do this because it causes reputational damage.
3) There's material cost for the modem and then there's a subscription cost for the connectivity. Either of which would reduce their profitability.
I spent a decade working in consumer electronics, working with all the major brands you know well, many of the white companies who make the components and the ODMs who make the boxes that will get a brand stamped on them by whoever is buying it.
Ultimately the TV business is barely profitable, most big brands sell TVs as something of a loss leader so that they can sustain their brand name. You spend each night with a Samsung, LG or Sony remote in hand looking at their product? Then they're winning in their eyes. Also because of the relatively high value of the TV it sustains their overall turnover without actually contributing to profitability. When a manufacturer launches a new TV they get about 8 months to make a profit on it, after that they're probably losing money because of downward pressure by retailers to drop the price. That's driven by consumer demand for cheaper rather than better products by the way, consumers have some responsibility for the state of the market.
The Smart apps systems cost the TV manufacturer, they have to supply the servers and infrastructure. They may make a small commission if a customer signs up to a streaming service on their device, but otherwise your general use of Smart technology costs them money every day.
Ultimately, most TV manufacturers have zero interest in spying on you. LG's biggest blunders can all be traced back to a lack of care and due diligence in their handling of data. Most of the time the 'mass data collection' is just accidental, someone in the development team thought it would be a good idea to collect data and some researcher is horrified by how much data gets sent back. Sometimes, someone gets the idea that viewing data could be used to put ads on the product, but ultimately they're not interested in what you watch, they're interested in grouping you into an advertising bucket so they can suggest you watch another movie with a Hemsworth in it.
I'm not saying that there shouldn't be oversight, and that these companies don't do stupid things for money, but ultimately there's never malice, or a desire to spy. Most of the overreach is incidental to the overall goal.
If someone doesn't want to use smart TV tech, then I'd advise them to not connect the TV to the network. There are set-top boxes out there that can do the job easily enough, and some of them might not even spy on you. One thing to remember is that many Android boxes you buy online, especially the "IPTV" ones, are riddled with malware. So don't think that by disabling Samsung and going to Kodi, you're making yourself safer.
Then where did ACR come from, and why do more and more TVs ship with it nowadays?
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2015/02/samsung_telev...
Any "Smart" TV that has a camera to see who is watching (to customize content and ads) does just that...
In some extremely dystopian future that I'm sure is coming quickly, a television may be equipped with video surveillance capability that can identify eyeballs in real time and decide exactly what animal is viewing what part of the screen and estimate from bloodflow in the face and pupil dilation the extent to which they care and are paying attention, but we're definitely not there yet.
Right now, this is still just snake oil they're selling to ad buyers. Why I get almost all fast food, beer, and insurance ads, even though I don't drink, haven't eaten fast food since 2002, and haven't changed insurance providers since 2008.
Needless to say, from that moment onwards, no wifi and no ethernet for the TV. I got an Xbox with Kodi connected to it. I am not saying the Xbox is immune to data harvesting (probably they collect a fair bit), but feels less intrusive and obnoxious than the whole package of the smart TV.
Because it's not an option if you're McKinsey, a data broker, a private security firm, or anyone contracting them. Data collection is an obligation, a requirement. They need to know about what's everyones up to, even if it's only through real time metadata.
Face recognition cameras everywhere, automatic photo radars, license plate readers at busy corners, everything going through apps in potentially always operating and recording pocket pcs we call smartphones, with potential trojans everywhere, in potentially everything. TV's are just one evocation of the disease, mainly directed at old folks, because nobody else cares about TVs and cable subscriptions anymore.
Anyone with just an once of understanding about how computer networking actually operates will actively put up all sorts of firewalls and air gaps around anything they own, because why not.
Anyone else, who shrugs at geek talk, is nothing but fair game, and will remain until someone suddenly pulls the rug from under them. Think massive actionable intelligence used against large parts of a population in a war, or a conscription, or a coup, or a full scale invasion, or whatever. Anything less will only be laughed at and dismissed.
You're offering a comprehensive law against that? That's not enough, far from it. Pass anything, I guaranty you the hydra will still be well and thriving anyway.
Or would it be best just to never connect the TV to a network and use a computer to access streaming services.
As content providers consolidate on shared infrastructure (AWS, gcp, etc) the chances of good and bad actors using the same IP increases. This decreases the effectiveness of firewalls that operate on ip:port matching. Most firewalls do this.
Realistically, what you probably want as a tech savvy consumer is home network level DNS blacklist. It is not a firewall and it doesn't technically block traffic. It does prevent traffic from leaving the device if the DNS the device wants to send to is blacklisted. This exists (pihole) and can be added to a network fairly quickly. Bad actors could bypass your DNS or use known ips directly. Whitelisting dns would also work with the caveat that you'll need to update the list frequently and I don't think pihole was designed for this.
All of that is fairly complicated. A wireless keyboard and mouse and HDMI cable are cheap and laptops are plentiful. You will have the same adversarial content provider issues with a laptop, though. Scriptsafe and ublock can help. Laptops actually shut down when you tell them to. Your tv is probably on even when the screen is off.
I made this decision recently when I inherited a Sony TV with a house. It has not been connected to a network and I use a laptop to stream. I also run pihole, scriptsafe, ublock, and I pay for most of my streaming providers. They're still getting data on me, but less than most people.
no need to overcomplicate, your concerns are valid but we're not there yet. Above has worked fine for 2+ years as is.
Love that predatory bullshit, and it keeps on happening with every TV platform.