DIYer picks a “little insane”-looking setup for less tracking, more control.

  • Laser@feddit.org
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    5 months ago

    All my Android TV devices boot into the Android TV home screen which does have ads. How do you avoid this?

    • Dyskolos
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      5 months ago

      Maybe a regional thing? They do the maximum they’re allowed by law.

      Also i use another launcher to replace the google one. Also i have a google-tv not android-tv. Though it wasn’t different on my shield or other tvs.

      Also i use pihole. So even if there might’ve been an ad someplace, i wouldn’t have seen it anyway 😁

      If there was one single ad anywhere i would return this shit and indeed built my own. With blackjack and hookers. And linux.

      • Laser@feddit.org
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        5 months ago

        I don’t know what you consider an ad. The Android (or Google?) TV launcher looks like this:

        Discover tab is an ad. IIRC, “Apps” also contains ads for applications to spend money on one way or another. The whole area below is an ad. Under your application-specific entries, there’s more ads (something called “popular movies” or so). And no, you can’t change the launcher to start by default as you can with phones. This is on a device sold in the EU.

        • Dyskolos
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          5 months ago

          Can’t tell for android-tv, my last one was the nvidia shield and i don’t recall any stupid “discover” tab there. Just the apps i want. Or maybe by default and i disabled them… Would be totally pissed if I had to live with them. Especially because i only need one app on a tv.

          On google-tv (android-tv is dead) i can change the launcher and hence those forced tabs aren’t an issue. That’s why i sorted the tvs by OS. Wouldn’t touch samsung & co.

          If there was no other way, I’d attach a shield to it and forget about the “smart” of my tv. Maybe even a chromecast-shitstick.

          • Laser@feddit.org
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            5 months ago

            This is both on the TV itself and on an added Android TV box that I have; neither allow removing the ads fully or changing the default launcher. Same problem but different ecosystem with the fire sticks.

            If there was no other way, I’d attach a shield to it and forget about the “smart” of my tv

            I bought the Android TV box for AV1 support, does the shield feature that?

            • Dyskolos
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              5 months ago

              Weird, considering you’re also europe. Though with firesticks i would really expect that.

              Av1 means your tv’s 1st external input? If it’s hdmi then yes. There are cheaper boxes out there, but if you stream legally those might be troublesome (netflix), the shield ain’t.

              But overall: “smart” - tvs suck big hairy, sweaty monkey-balls. The digital future ain’t a bright one for the critical thinkers and simple ad-haters

                • Dyskolos
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                  5 months ago

                  Oooh the codec lol. Dunno if the shield did or do use this one. Never really cared as i really only use one app, and it transcodes on server if need be.