It’s a growing privacy minefield and some guidance here can help out consumers. In addition to which is the recommended setups, some suggested topics include:
Smart TV
Which Smart TVs allow for customizable DNS so that you can reroute traffic through AdGuardHome/pihole
Which OS track the most/least
Specifying unique quirks and reduced functionality per TV OS when used offline
Dumb TV + Streaming Box
Using AOSP vs Android TV box
Are Foreign TV Boxes a privacy nightmare
Is there a privacy-friendly OS that can be flashed to devices? If so, what models/devices/chips are compatible
Therefore, any apps that depend on some kind of device integrity checks passing, will not work on LineageOS, and while there might be some ways to bypass these checks, we neither support nor endorse any of them.
The block of text above implies that media sources with DRM such as Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, etc will simply not work or work with Linux as a terrible 480 resolution, apart from other non-sense on top of it such as HDMI requiring High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection.
Media company treats us like thieves and would like to make sure that we are not stealing their content so everything has to be online (and do advertising analysis on it as well for extra income, also they dont want you to buy irrevokable media anymore) so the only private way to watch content you own such as BluRay discs and DVDs is to be insane, rip it yourself and self host it in your own Jellyfin server. That is a rabbit hole in of itself and well beyond the scope of this so the
TLDR: this quest for a secure and privacy respecting TV/Projector device leads to self hosting of media services because media companies want you to not own your media and just rent and stream in perpetuity, all the while having no sense of privacy.
I do agree that most Android TV boxes (especially the cheap Chinese ones) are insecure in nature.
There is potential in having a harm reduction guide or a section recommending potential alternatives. I’m mostly concerned about a lack of focus if we do add it.
What do you think about advising folks to set up their own media server on a NAS and then stream everything through Jellyfin? Or would a simple recommendation for an Apple TV be enough to keep things simple? And don’t even get me started on Raspberry Pi and Kodi - that’s a whole other can of worms lol
Done a PR in relation/based to/on this post:
[Stripping identifying bits]
I wasn’t sure if I could fit a guide so I did make it in a recommendation format, not the best one for sure and may have conflict of interest so I would appreciate if people want to comment on improving it, of course it isn’t necessary but just saying.
I think one device worth mentioning as something capable like the Shield is the Ugoos Am6b+. One can slap CoreELEC on there and get a really good plex/emby/jellyfin box.
Thread title (because reddit is fuckin stupid): Remux lovers rejoice. The CoreElec team has successfully supported ALL Dolby Vision profiles including P7 FEL. Time to finally replace the Shield Pro 2019!
This might be pointing out the obvious—but you always have the option to not connect a Smart TV to the internet and use it as a regular HDMI monitor.
And either avoid these cheap Aliexpress Android TV boxes completely, or check that you can unlock the bootloader to install an open source OS
Honestly I get it, that's a super valid to do and pretty much the good advice but for some people, that's not an option. Not to mention some hypothetical scenarios where in general you don't trust the hardware nor the software of the TV. (what if say LG Puts a Sim Card on the TV that connects to 3G/4G and uses that to bypass you not having internet and collect the data that way using their WebOS? This is hypothetically speaking but you get the idea.)
^ There's also the long term thing, another hypothetical scenario, what if a regime government forces TV Companies to require users to connect to the internet? Or even without a government order the company/companies just decides it wants to do that with their TVs out of the blue
I say that depends on the future landscape of emergency management. Some modern smart TVs could theoretically turn on by itself during an emergency (only if they have Consumer Electronics Control, or CEC). That requires a cable box though, and probably won't happen in most countries. Japan does have this implementation when sending out J-Alerts with certain models though.
Maby this article can give a more detailed insight. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/08/tv-industrys-ads-tracking-obsession-is-turning-your-living-room-into-a-store/ I would say, go for a TV without internet connection and use a separate streaming device so your TV stays "Dumb".
– LoSee21