Almost every smart TV platform is, at this point, a billboard for ads with your apps sprinkled in, but where...

Why do people still use those?

AZERTY
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41Y

Easy to sideload apps and use it for streaming, and I’m too lazy to set up my *arr self hosted media server with jellyfin again.

I got a 4K Max one because it was only 35€. I want to upgrade to a shield pro successor which is overdue by now.

Mkengine
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91Y

If you want to do this because of the full screen ads you may be too late.

You can easily change launchers on the Shield and remove all of Google’s nonsense through ADB as well though, unlike Amazon who locks down the OS very tight. Plus like another commenter said, you can just flat out install LineageOS and you’re good.

Mkengine
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31Y

Thanks for the tip, I didn’t know that.

nicetriangle
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51Y

Lol yeah the timing of their comment couldn’t have been more ironic

Lol, damn.

X3I
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21Y

You can run lineageOS on it though; problem solved

4k Max is so much faster than the Shield devices, i actually got upset that i invested so much money in two of them.

Interesting. I am not really happy with mine. Pretty laggy and it sometimes crashes. But good to know and makes the wait easier instead of getting that old tech instead.

Thalestr
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English
351Y

They’re cheap. That’s as far as some people think about it.

I use a fire stick because I’m familiar with them and they are much better than the shitty OS built into my TVs. Is there an alternative you recommend? I’m open to changing, especially with how theyve been pushing ads and paid rentals lately

snowe
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51Y

Apple TV. No ads at all, it’s faster than every alternative (unless you’re building your own server), and it is much easier to use than every alternative.

Can you install adfree youtube on it with sponsorblock?

If you have the money, I’d go for an NVIDIA Shield, or maybe an Apple TV. Well worth the money.

Otherwise, for budget, you could get a Chromecast, which gives you more control over it and has generally less garbage than the Fire TVs do for instance, since you can easily change its launcher and debloat with ADB.

@smeg@feddit.uk
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English
41Y

I’ll second the Chromecast (specifically the “Google TV with Chromecast” or something like that). It sounds cover-intuitive because it does come with its own home screen full of ads, but putting things like smart tube and a custom launcher on is pretty trivial and it was only £25.

Roku is pretty nice

Aatube
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3
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1Y

Due to how they made it on scratch based on the Linux kernel, finding apps to install is hard. It doesn’t even have a web browser, let alone SmartTube.

snowe
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41Y

Roku is literally chock full of ads, and they send whatever you’re watching back to their ad partners. I thought Roku was good too until I recently bought one of their top of the line boxes and it had ads _everywhere _ compared to my Roku tv. I immediately went out and bought an Apple TV and couldn’t be happier. No ads anywhere, and is way snappier than Roku.

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