What the…???
Curses. Maybe the next step is to get a good computer monitor and use the fetch box and apple TV. I thought Samsung would be the least intrusive, as I believe they dont use an Android OS… or has that changed?
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We just bought a new Sony Android 75X9500G (2019). At 2 days it is awesome for our needs but I was gobsmacked on the setup when it asked if I wanted to use my Android mobile to set it up, or go about everything manually. Throwing all caution to the wind I used the mobile and my google account.
Other than surrendering anything that may have remained of my private life to google the automation was pretty special as well as flawless.
The shopping experience also reinforced that the highest end TVs are awesome when one has that kind of content, but when FTA, old DVDs, Blu-Rays and the likes of youtube are the normal fare, the Choice reviews hinted by top end TVs having ordinary scores for SD and HD, so it is obvious that some TVs are better at upscaling content than others to their very high resolution electronics.
This TV does a good job with ST and HD FTA and recordings of same as well as what was recently high end Blu-ray content, that is quickly falling behind state of the art yet remains mainstream.
Therein lies a trap that people are being sold (and sometimes pushed into) the latest greatest, where there is almost nothing to ‘feed’ that level of technology beyond a few computer games and the odd movie, so far, and Choice mentions that. In the shops the demo units are displaying the ‘retail demo mode’ or top Blu-ray content, few have FTA connections so what you see is not always what you will watch quality wise.
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Like 3D TV and quaraphonic vinyl record players?
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I read your post with trepidation, Phil. I note that the linked article is a USAmerican one, and I’ve thankfully not heard similar complaints yet in Australia. I have a recent model Samsung TV at home, and certainly haven’t encountered anything like what is described.
If this is something that develops over time as the customer uses the TV, it could be really difficult for us to test this in the lab. That’s where our community can really help shine a light on the longer-term pros and cons of ownership.
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Hi Gordon, the microphone will be in the remote control. As far as I know, there are no longer any LG TVs with built-in camera.
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Hi Sue, when we conduct our TV tests, we make note of the OS and the version that was used in the lab ( we don’t allow the TV to apply automatic updates as we might never end the test ! ). Even manufacturers that have android-equipped TVs sometimes hedge their bets and have other models that use their proprietary OS instead.
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Upscaling video can be a really big ask, especially with a standard definition source being upscaled to an 8K display. Such TVs need very powerful processors, and these can use a significant amount of electricity.
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Sony TVs in Australia going back some time have had the option of using a connected device for control. All the easier if it was a Sony tablet device or mobile phone. That might date the experience. Perhaps not as intrusive as @PhilT recent experience. Still, in our older examples the tablet and phone were linked to personal accounts which held identifiers.
Our more recently purchased small screen TCL TV insisted on a Google registered owners ID to set up the TV, enable updates and all sorts of features with the built in Apps. Somehow we bypassed this, but then system software updates would not proceed. After 6 months or so one of the less technically sceptical family members while staying for a while fixed all of that. Suspicion is that they used their Google personality to complete the setup. Prior any smart functionality was provided through a Fetch, with the TV ignorant of the home network.
When Choice again looks at Smart TV’s I’d hope that we can have a more in depth assessment of what is required to provide a fully functioning TV as per the advertising brochure, how easy or hard, and how compromising the choices. I suspect this also requires going through the update procedure at some part of the testing.
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Hi Mark,
when we test TVs, we manually update the firmware during the initial setup of the TV, and then turn off automatic updates. Most consumers would want to leave automatic updates turned on, but in the lab this would present a constantly moving target. In terms of a fully functioning TV per the advertising, that would almost certainly require that the user accepts any and all agreements, and there can be several. Trying to determine the way in which the various agreements are inter-related is not an easy task, but we do check to see whether or not a TV can function as a TV ( being able to receive free-to-air broadcasts ) even if the user declines all of the agreements during setup.
Unboxing a new TV can be quite a momentous occasion in the home, with family members eager to get viewing ASAP, but it is worthwhile questioning whether one needs/wants to agree to various policies, rather than just clicking “Agree to all”.
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… and whether the text of those agreements is available prior to purchase.
I think few people would return a TV (or other electronic device) for full refund on the grounds that when they got home and used the device the dozens of pages of legalese contained unacceptable terms.
As long as I have the option, I would not buy a TV containing an operating system from Google.
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True. Thanks for the reply.
P.S.
I default to ‘Not Agreeing’ as the consequences are not evident unless you go the other path.
Doubtless consumers will never see a plain English explanation of what each option will or will not deliver in advance of that point of no return click. It would be great to have a mandated ‘Undo All’ or ‘Opt Out of All’ at the end before any damage is done. Some Software in the old days asked a number of questions re settings before finally asking for a confirmation to proceed to install. That approach seems to have been overlooked, purposefully?
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This is where things get messy, certainly. With TVs, there is not only the OS that needs regular updates, but the installed apps as well. We have noted that, generally, OS updates, if left to the automated process, will simply notify you after the update has been applied.
In the case of apps, if there are changes to the functionality that require review and re-acceptance of the agreement, this will be usually be presented for user confirmation.
Of course this is not always the case, and manufacturers may choose to change the way in which these updates are delivered and authorised by the user.
Some manufacturers seem to have taken steps to put at least some of their agreements into plain English, but they can still be very wordy, and I wonder how many consumers take the time to read and understand them.
I’d like to see the manufacturers provide a guide in a tabular format, listing all of the smart features, and for each, which agreements have to be accepted for them to function. Some of the agreements are complementary with others, and may be necessary for multiple smart functions, some of which are provided by third parties, eg Amazon, Netflix, etc.
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The norm increasingly appears to be when opting our or declining there are popups warning ‘by not agreeing you will not be able to receive…’ 
Scary thought I will be bombarded with random advertising rather than targeted advertising! 
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I have always preferred going with a dumb TV and a smart box. The TV is not connected to the Internet but the box is - and is much more likely to be updated than is last year’s TV model.
And the box can be turned off while watching free to air TV.
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With my new LG TV I’ve not agreed to any message that has popped up, so some functions are not available, sadly including installing SBS OnDemand and ABC iView apps.
By agreeing to their terms they will monitor my watching habits and inflict advertising on me, based on what they think I might want to see. They don’t seem to understand that I don’t want to see any advertising!
There is a web browser, so I’ve watched OnDemand and iView on that, but for reasons unknown after a couple of weeks of it working well, iView no longer functions, although all the listings and menus etc are still there. The problem is that trying to view a program just results in a blank screen, which sucks big time.
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I wonder with the evolving terms and conditions for smart devices, where one in effect reduces their personal privacy and allows indiscriminate monitoring of ones use of the devices, whether the product T&Cs should be provided immediately before purchase so that one can see what may be the impacts of agreeing or disagreeing with the T&Cs after the products purchase. Some will possibly ignore them (the ‘don’t care’ consumer), but many will be interested and may influence their ultimate purchase decision.
Getting these T&Cs after one has unboxed the product in anticipation of its imminent use is a bit late to have a change of mind.
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You need to get a media box. Really, VodafoneTV is pretty good and not very expensive. It does run on Android but so does your LG. I bought a VTV for my cousin who I swear is the last of the luddites. She loves it. Of course I will always also promote AppleTV. VTV doesnt do 4k, the latest AppleTV does. Other Android boxes probably do, too.
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Where does the signal come from? Surely not via nbn satellite, which would render it rather useless.
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For the VTV, the signal for FTA comes via antenna. ON the AppleTV, its all NBN, including live streams. Is that a problem for you? I got the impression that it was all about not giving your info to LG just so you could get updates. (MInd you I defy anyone to get updates without giving info) but media oxes tend to be more up to date and less intrusive.
It’s mainly about not wanting to watch advertising for me, they weren’t looking for info about me, other than what programs I watch, so they could produce some sort of profile for advertising purposes.
I’m not at all interested in AppleTV or any other streaming service, just abc and sbsonline due to to our very poor tv signal from behind a high ridge, the tv transmitter being ~30km the other side of that ridge. I suspect VTV is going to suffer from the same lack of signal strength if it comes from the same tower.
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