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Samsung To Roll Out In-TV Ads To Legacy Displays Via Software Update
An anonymous reader writes: According to an insider at Samsung's growing advertising team in New York, the second-largest consumer tech manufacturer in the world is planning to retrofit older network-connected TVs to display tiled ads via a software update. The South Korean company, which has seen a 20.9% decline in television sales in Q1 of 2016 under fierce competition from China, has included 'baked' ads into the interface of its recent TV offerings, and also experimented with injecting ads into users' streamed video, transmitting voice commands to a third party -- and, ironically, battling Android over its own AdBlocking technology.
Seems like a move straight out of Google.
I hope Samsung have got good medical cover. If this isn't a great example of "employing the foot gun" I don't know what is !
"The South Korean company, which has seen a 20.9% decline in television sales in Q1 of 2016 under fierce competition from China..." So they give consumers MORE reasons NOT to buy their TVs?!!!
Seriously what the hell!
The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
I should buy a Samsung TV
But what if I don't want ads?
A key success metric will be milliseconds-to-first-lawsuit. 4 digits? 5? It'll sure be a non-Samsung shopping opportunity for me if my TV starts exhibiting this behavior.
they can now go and fuck themselves
The problem with slashdot is that most of its users were bullied and stuffed into lockers as kids!
This means Samsung is going to refund me part of the cost of the TV, right? Because I sure as hell didn't pay full price only to help them to subsidize their poor business with additional ad revenue.
I'm done with ads. I will pirate ad free. Forever and ever. You can't make me like your ads. I am not watching nor participating. Arrest me now fuckheads. I hope all ad companies die and I hope all companies who support ads die. Find another way to make money or fuck off forever.
just saying...
I've got a probably 5 year old LG "Smart TV". Once in a while it pops up a message saying it wants to download and install a 400 MB software update. Stupidly, it does this when you turn it on to watch something. Sure, I have 22 minutes to watch the Big Bang Theory that I recorded on TiVo. Let's spend that time updating the damn TV. Not. The first few times, I let it do that - hoping beyond hope that it would fix the god damned thing. You see, it takes 30 seconds to switch inputs on this terrible TV. Press the menu button, wait while it loads, choose input select, wait while that loads and finds any DLNA sources, etc. Realize that "HDMI 1" is conveniently on screen two. Switch to screen two. Select the input and press it. Select it again because it didn't "highlight" the first time. It finally changes. But their software updates are more designed to spy on you than fix issues. It turns out it is better to not connect the damn thing to your network at all.
Looks like Samsung is now another that just won't get connected to a network. There is no point in connecting these anyway. Their apps are all terrible junk that is beaten all to hell by Roku, Chromecast, etc.
The next TV I buy will have to work out of the box because anyone is clearly nuts to plug one of these things into the internet.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
On something that I paid full price for?
This seems like bait-and-switch to me, and potentially actionable fraud.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
I've got a few years old Samsung Smart TV.
Every month or two, I get a notice about another service being discontinued. I think I'm down to maybe three whole apps that still work on it.
Sure, these are invasive ads that weren't a part of the product I bought. But at least Samsung is finally adding in place of their constant stripping of functionality.
When you're a Smart TV owner, you take victories where you can find them.
Just kick the TV off the network and it can't possibly get ads injected into it's interface.
Most of these things default to ads for their own products if they aren't able to find the network or ad hosts. That's how they've been dealing with people who put DNS-based ad blocking on their networks.
I remember the old days, when a TV was just a TV. About all you could do with it was use an antenna or attach it to a cable service. But even cable ended up being a scam, it originally was not supposed to have ads. As the subscriptions were supposed to be split between the carrier and the networks, but I guess businesses figured out they could change the deal on us and we weren't going to do anything to stop them.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
pretty soon we're going to reach the advertising event horizon.
In the aftermath of which, humans will evolve wings and curse the ground.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Dear Samsung,
What part of "NO" was unclear?
Signed,
Every Consumer In The World
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
Juries, please: THINK BIG on this computer-fraud-and-abuse logic bomb case. It needs to be financially devastating in addition to the time the criminals spend in prison. While they're in prison, their wives need to be selling themselves into prostitution just to put meals on the table. Wipe them out. "We, the jury, find in favor of the plaintiffs, to be awarded 100% of Samsung's assets."
Most of these things default to ads for their own products if they aren't able to find the network or ad hosts.
Or it'll be made so it "needs" to be connected to the internet to "validate" something or other and won't work unless it gets to phone home once a minute or so.
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
Why the fuck did you buy tvs that need to be plugged into the internet? Stuff plugs in to the tv not the other way around. It's easy enough to get all the content online on your tv without putting the fucking thing online itself. TVs with OS, multiple hunded mb updates, to a fucking TV? I will never buy a smart tv and none of you should either, or before too long our tvs will come with a power lead and rj45 socket (or they'll not bother with that and go wireless only) and that's it. All a tv should do is display exactly the content you put to it. HDMI/USB or just plain old aerial signal. Fuck smart tvs, and shame on anyone who bought one. Throw them in the bin with the 3d TVs. Curved screens are the only gimmick that actually add anything of value (if you're in the sweet spot that is, otherwise you need't've bothered).
Wanna buy a shirt?
https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
Remember the simpler times when you turned a tv on and it just displayed exactly what you wanted?
About once a month my current TV will become unresponsive to all controls (remote and buttons on the back). My only course of action is to pull everything from the wall and unplug the damn thing for 30 seconds.
At least it doesn't play ads. Our current one is connected to the internet only because my wife cannot figure out the Roku or the Xbox One to stream......
"Action without philosophy is a lethal weapon; philosophy without action is worthless."
I purchased a new Samsung TV in December 2015 and this was not discussed as even a possibility when I chatted through options and scenarios with the store. I chose an internet-connected TV because I live in an apartment building that cannot get satellite TV, so my best option for a wider set of programming was for a net-connected TV... I took a NetFlix subscription and already had Amazon Prime.
However, for Samsung to start injecting commercials into the non-program parts of the TV [for example in the menus] would be a complete breach of the terms and conditions under which the set was purchased. It would be a bit like you purchasing a car, running it for 6 months, then being told by the manufacturer that, "Hey, we've decided your car is now a taxi. You'll have to take fee-paying passengers about when you drive. We won't ask you to change the route, but we will keep all the proceeds of the free rides you need to give."
Not happening.
In the UK at least I think this would fall fall of the "Goods and Services Act", might likely be "false advertising" [for failing to disclose the intent to push adverts], etc, etc.
Interestingly, this isn't the first time that Samsung have tried this. They did it a couple of years ago in Australia and New Zealand, where subscribers to paid network services [like NetFlix] suddenly saw crude, badly-formatted adverts appearing in the middle of (paused) Amazon Prime streaming content. There was uproad, and Samsung pulled the firmware update, hastily claiming it was pushed in error...
We might need to get ready for the same level of uproar if they try again...
These companies really suck.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
Smart TVs are a decent idea but like everything else related to communication or multimedia, it needs to run Free Software. We have all already been given tons of proof that nearly anything that you use to interface with the rest of the world (even if the user is just a "consumer" but moreso when they're not) is too easy to abuse if it can be made to primarily serve the interests of anyone else.
The user needs to be the top, final authority and master, and Free Software is the only way anyone has come up with so far, to make that be the case. Every other approach keeps failing, with apologists ending up using hilarious phrases like "strike a balance."
There is nothing wrong with it being networked; running proprietary software is its problem. If it's your machine, then the more powerful it is, the more powerful you are so the more it's worth. Or to put it another way: it's ok to phone home, if its home happens to be your home.
As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
Made me think of idiocracy
Is this the future of Samsung TVs?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj7c0J_V1L8
This is beyond rediculous. Why would you pay for a TV that pulls this shit on you? I do not pay premium dollars for a television set that shoves gods-be-damned ADS in my face! All I need a TV to be is a monitor, that's all. I don't even understand why anyone would buy a so-called 'smart' TV in the first place; doesn't everyone either have a DVR, a media center computer, or just watch cable/satellite/OTA broadcasts? On top of all that are the news stories we've all read about how these so-called 'smart TVs' are spying on us. What's next? Are they going to require you to watch streaming ads before it'll allow you to watch whatever you're feeding to the TV to watch? Why is anyone putting up with this shit?
I will NEVER buy a 'smart TV'. Ever.
Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
These companies really suck.
It's worse than that. To them, advertising is the Holy Grail and nothing but nothing is more important.
Customers? Fuck 'em!
User experience? Who gives a shit?
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
I've got a probably 5 year old LG "Smart TV". Once in a while it pops up a message saying it wants to download and install a 400 MB software update. Stupidly, it does this when you turn it on to watch something. Sure, I have 22 minutes to watch the Big Bang Theory that I recorded on TiVo. Let's spend that time updating the damn TV. Not. The first few times, I let it do that - hoping beyond hope that it would fix the god damned thing. You see, it takes 30 seconds to switch inputs on this terrible TV. Press the menu button, wait while it loads, choose input select, wait while that loads and finds any DLNA sources, etc. Realize that "HDMI 1" is conveniently on screen two. Switch to screen two. Select the input and press it. Select it again because it didn't "highlight" the first time. It finally changes. But their software updates are more designed to spy on you than fix issues. It turns out it is better to not connect the damn thing to your network at all. Looks like Samsung is now another that just won't get connected to a network. There is no point in connecting these anyway. Their apps are all terrible junk that is beaten all to hell by Roku, Chromecast, etc.
I have an LG "Smart TV" from about 4 years ago (that came with a DAMNABLE, hard-to-use, Wii-like Remote. But my TV has the same terrible menu structure as what you described.
However, because the TV actually DOES support both IR and WiFi commands to do many of the menu'ed things with a single command, there are two ways around it:
1. Get one of the free LG "controller" Apps for your favorite Mobile Device. I know of at least two on the iOS App Store. I assume that there is at least one on Google Play. At least one of those has a "one-click" Input Selector.
2. Get a Logitech Harmony Remote. Not shilling; but the people who put together the Control Definitions must have super-secret knowledge; because not only do they have VERY useful remote commands, like a SEPARATE "Power On" and "Power Off" (not just "Power Toggle"), but also the ability to do nice things like "One-Command" Input Selection.
I used to use the controller App on my iPad; but since I got the Harmony Remote, life with my LG TV is GREAT! Best $50 I ever spent ($52 on Amazon to be precise).
In the old days, there would be a post listing the IPs to block. Now the posts are all whiny, reactionary, babies crying about Samsung and imagining that they're interesting enough to spy on. The dumbing-down of Slashdot has been a tragedy.
I have a 550 series Samsung LCD TV, and giving it a garbage DNS setting (its own static IP address as the DNS address) seems to prevent it from "connecting" to the internet while still letting me stream to it from my PC.
I'm baffled at this sort of thing. I just have an HDMI cable from my PC to my TV - why on Earth would I "stream"?
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
Just curious, how will these sorts of ads be displayed to viewers, and when?
Are they talking about doing this while watching Cable TV programming? While streaming using one of the built-in apps, like Netflix or Vudu? Just while viewing the Smarthub screen?
Does anyone know?
Palaces, barricades, threats, meet promises
Doesn't roku still have ads on its main screen?
Or did they change their mind on that?
Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!
Nice list of addresses to block, you whiny, reactionary, baby. Put up or shut up.
- In Soviet Korea, only old people loose all their bases to Natalie Portman's petrified hot grits overlords.
They are altering the deal.
Pray that they do not alter it any further.
General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
I would have thought, in the UK for example, this would violate the computer misuse act (Samsung were not authorised to install ad-displaying software by people) or the criminal damage act (a television which doesn't display what the user wanted to the same degree as before has been damaged). How do they get away with vandalising people's property like this? There's not even the "you have to copy our software to use our software in the way advertised, so sign an EULA" nonsense with a television.
The day my 2010 Samsung TV starts showing me ads is the day I disconnect its network connection.
No internet = No ads.
I've got plenty of external set top boxes that do not force ads down my throat.
my PC is far away from my TV
I have a long HDMI cable. They make those.
and because it's more convenient to be able to access my library and control things with the TV remote.
Wow, really? Can't argue with taste, I guess. Nothing's easier than a mouse, to me.
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
When spying is getting closer to being free with every improvement in IT efficiency it doesn't take much 'interesting' to be interesting enough to spy on.
Just get it over with right away and add a Clippy who gives me suggestions on what to watch instead of what I really want to watch.
Was there not a TV available without the networking and no "smart" features? Last I checked they still have dumb TVs in large sizes, so there's no need to pay more to get features that you're not going to use. I could be out of date though, maybe the dumb TVs are all gone because there's no way to put advertising on them... But that's ok, I can keep mine for 15 years if I don't break it and I don't go all hipster and demand 4K.
Looks like Samsung is now another that just won't get connected to a network. There is no point in connecting these anyway.
Wrong. There's already TVs that you have to connect to the internet or they won't work at all. Surely Samsung will just do this (if they haven't already).
Personally, I think this stuff is great. It's fun to see how much crap consumers will put up with.
I stopped considering Samsung for phones after the incredibly poor experience I had with my Galaxy S3. Ever since, I've been hesitant about buying anything else Samsung makes because they've now demonstrated they're willing to throw any old crap onto the market in the hope it makes some money.
If Samsung is going to pull a cliche Darth Vader move (I've altered our agreement....) on existing customers, then it sounds like it's time to write off Samsung complete.
Apparently Samsung has learned nothing of the mess Sony has gotten themselves into (and are continuing to suffer for, to this day).
and, ironically, battling Android over its own AdBlocking technology
That was Google, not Samsung. Samsung was upset when Google removed Adblock Fast (which isn't their own app, it's a third party dev's app) from Google Play, and actually reached out to Google to get them to reverse their decision.
HDMI can only go up to about 50 feet without additional hardware.
True, but my PC is in the living room anyway, since I'm a geek and all that (it's silent, though). I do use a 50' cable, though, since I'm not going to run it across the center of the living room. Sometime this summer I'll switch to a fanless PC under the TV, displacing my X-Box since I hardly use that.
Anyway how long is your mouse cord?
My mouse (well, mice, why have just 1?) is wireless, of course, designed to work well on a couch. USB cable from my PC to a convenient place near the center of the room for the wireless receiver (without having the cable visible, of course). Since I only use my TV as a monitor, the only routine thing I can't do from a mouse is turn the TV on.
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
I'm in the market for a 4K display. Who's making one that's not loaded with Android or other crapware?
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
I want my TV to be as dumb as possible. I don't want my TV to receive software updates. I want external devices that I can throw in the trash if they pull this kind of stunt.
LK
"Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
I don't really buy things that are advertised. Eventually I hope that for the vast majority of people, individual reviews and word of mouth drives sales and not slick advertising campaigns.
In practice it will probably be a hybrid of both, but I can dream. Hopefully fake reviews and sites that take bribes for good reviews are called out for their bullshit. It was definitely really shitty in the 1990's when most Gaming magazines became fronts for studio funded "reviews" that amounted to an advertising service. I hated paying a premium for a gaming magazine only to have a significant number of the reviews turn out to be bullshit. This really did harm the game review industry in the long run, and gamers have been skeptical of pretty much every review for the last decade or two because of it.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
Have you ever seen Chinese TV? Some of those shows and networks already have pop-up ad crud all over the place on top of the shows. If Samsung wants to complete in China, this probably is not as much of an outrage as it is to US or European customers.
This posting is provided 'AS IS' without warranty of any kind, implied or otherwise.
If you want OTA TV, get a separate tuner box (e.g. HDHomerun http://www.silicondust.com/pro... ) It has drivers for Windows/Mac/Linux. 32 inch monitors are now around $500 Canadian (under $400 US ?). Hook it up to a small PC, and you're ready to go.
And another thing that is one of my pet peeves. TV monitors are being built like it's the 1950's. 60 years ago, CRT monitors had pictures that shrank as the TV aged. There was also a horizontal bar across the top of the picture, 45 pixels high, which is why the 525-scanline TV sets ended up being used as 640x480 monitors.
*MAJOR RANT* Idiot TV manufacturers are *STILL* building digital TV screens with major overscan. Try using a digital TV set as a computer monitor; I dare you. You'll soon notice that your "1920x1080" TV is showing only 1750x950, if that. Whereas a computer monitor actually shows the full picture.
I'm not repeating myself
I'm an X window user; I'm an ex-Windows user
In the Idiocracy movie, they had TV's with like 500 ads surrounding a tiny viewport with the actual content in the center. That movie was more prophetic than I could have imagined.
I have an "old" Sharp, non-smart LCD TV with an expected lifetime of 60,000 hours of use. At five hours per day it should last 12,000 days or 32 years. Newer LED back lit TVs will last longer - 50 years? No wonder sales are down. and prices are way down from a few years ago so profits gotta' be down. Besides, why would folks (the majority of owners) who are happy with what they have replace it.? Also, millennials aren't watching TV either.
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. George Orwell
It's easy: if it's advertised on a Samsung TV, boycott it. If enough people do this, the advertisers will stop buying ad space on Samsung, and the situation will solve itself.
On the other hand, "get big in 5 seconds" ads seem to do just fine even though most people should be educated about them by now, so... yeah, the problem will still solve itself. More speedily so.
"Everybody's naked underneath" -- The Doctor
It better have an amazing panel.
I don't get this.
If you don't provide a Wifi password for your TV, it can't change features on you, it can't effectively spy on you, it can't inject ads. It can't do anything "smart".
I bought a Samsung "smart" TV years ago. I never bothered setting up internet access on it. Why would I? In what world would that ever make sense? I also don't have a problem with the TV being "smart", because I never granted it the resources required to actually DO anything.
I don't understand the feature, but I really don't understand the kerfuffle over the feature. If you give your TV internet access, wouldn't you expect it to deliver internet content? Isn't that the point?
First, they came on tapes, DVDs and BluRays. Didn't matter if we owned or rented them, previews were always there. Sometimes, they couldn't be skipped.
Now, they're coming on our smart TVs. Never mind that we paid a bit of hard earned cash for the damn thing, it's ours. It stopped belonging to the store or the device vendor once the store accepted my money, and watched me struggle to put that monster in the back of my car. Except, now people appears to be meekly willing to take this crap before putting a stop to it. "Well, it's a nice enough TV with all that fancy smancy shit on it, that I can't do without. So, a little ad is fine.. I guess."
Next, they're going to insist on doing the same crap with our phones. "Mom, I'm sorry about Dad, we're on the.. " "We're interrupting your call to bring you a word from our sponsor. Your call will resume momentarily". Just remember, you pansy passive asswipes, that when this shit starts happening, it's because most of you sniveled about not being able to get by without smart TV features.
Seriously, knock this passive crap off, people. If I had a smart TV, and it starts showing ads, it'll be back at the store I purchased it from in a heartbeat.