Consider leaving the TV disconnected from the internet and using it as a dumb TV connected to a good third-party device like an Nvidia Shield (those are a still probably the best mass market player devices despite being a few years old. Nothing official, but there is a good chance a refresh could be coming soon).
Having a kodi box that has all the apps that I would have on roku with a nice ui would be the dream. I’ve never gotten kodi to a point where my wife could install a Hulu app(for example) if she wanted to watch hulu. The YouTube experience was also terrible. Kodi fits my ideals for “open platform” and doesn’t for my “I don’t want to be doing IT for my family”
That’s a very good choice too if you’re fine with some tinkering. Dolby Vision on the shield is what had me considering the Shield, but I read something about proper Dolby Vision support in the new release of Kodi (can’t confirm).
No, in a way it’s just another Android TV box. But it only has Google’s spyware crap in it instead of that plus all the sketchy malware that’s been found on no-name Android TV boxes. Plus it has (still) pretty high-end specs compared to most other third party players, so you can throw full phat UHD remuxes with Dolby Vision and full quality lossless Atmos at it without it chugging. The AI video upscale is one of the only upscaling solutions that is actually worth using (depending on personal taste).
That’s all from my research, I haven’t actually bought one either bcus its a bit expensive for me too. If you’re up for a bit more work and want to save a good bit, consider the DIY Kodi box that another poster mentioned. Something like LibreELEC if you’ve got a Raspberry Pi lying around somewhere, or just install Kodi on an old PC or laptop if you have one laying around for a HTPC.
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They’re coming for you. Don’t worry. Soon, it might be that you can only escape this by buying a completely Roku free TV.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/04/hdmi-customized-ad-insertion-patent-would-show-rokus-ads-atop-non-roku-video/
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Consider leaving the TV disconnected from the internet and using it as a dumb TV connected to a good third-party device like an Nvidia Shield (those are a still probably the best mass market player devices despite being a few years old. Nothing official, but there is a good chance a refresh could be coming soon).
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Having a kodi box that has all the apps that I would have on roku with a nice ui would be the dream. I’ve never gotten kodi to a point where my wife could install a Hulu app(for example) if she wanted to watch hulu. The YouTube experience was also terrible. Kodi fits my ideals for “open platform” and doesn’t for my “I don’t want to be doing IT for my family”
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That’s a very good choice too if you’re fine with some tinkering. Dolby Vision on the shield is what had me considering the Shield, but I read something about proper Dolby Vision support in the new release of Kodi (can’t confirm).
I’m thinkin of buying a nvidia shield but the price tag is intimidating for what it is.
Is it like, you can load wacky third party shit?
No, in a way it’s just another Android TV box. But it only has Google’s spyware crap in it instead of that plus all the sketchy malware that’s been found on no-name Android TV boxes. Plus it has (still) pretty high-end specs compared to most other third party players, so you can throw full phat UHD remuxes with Dolby Vision and full quality lossless Atmos at it without it chugging. The AI video upscale is one of the only upscaling solutions that is actually worth using (depending on personal taste).
That’s all from my research, I haven’t actually bought one either bcus its a bit expensive for me too. If you’re up for a bit more work and want to save a good bit, consider the DIY Kodi box that another poster mentioned. Something like LibreELEC if you’ve got a Raspberry Pi lying around somewhere, or just install Kodi on an old PC or laptop if you have one laying around for a HTPC.
https://www.tomsguide.com/how-to/stop-your-snooping-smart-tv-how-to-turn-off-data-collection-for-every-brand
Just to echo, LG’s smart tv is an ad platform just like the rest of them, and it’s gross.