LG TVs sound like a nightmare. They spy on what you're watching, listen to what you're saying and doing, open a doorway into your home network for malware, and put you on the hook for whatever some pedo decides to download through your IP address via one of these proxy-infested apps. Plus their monitors have been silently installing highly privileged adware that is also probably spyware on people's PCs, and popping up big unwanted ads for McAfee etc. that users can't turn off.
this post was submitted on 22 Jul 2026
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Samsung are the same, and even more aggressive with the adware. There's really not a lot of decent consumer hardware these days that aren't just obnoxious ad pipelines.
I have one. It's not connected to the Internet, and it doesn't complain about it. Works great for me.
Yep! My C3 is never on WiFi and we love it. Ad free Home Screen and we just use a different device to run all our applications.
Same thing here, I really don't understand point of connecting that thing to the internet any android box or pc gonna handle things better for multimedia living room
Especially when all of the media is streamed locally from our own server. Why would I need external connection outside the network? So LG can spy on me? I’m good.
“A residential proxy network is not an intended use for LG smart TVs, and LG Electronics is working with developers to remove the residential proxy option from their apps on the webOS platform,”
I guess their ecosystem is too fragile to suspend the developers immediately for what is pretty clearly abusive behavior.
botnet builders don't care, and they're doing this because they started at some point and nobody stopped them
Just an FYI to anyone looking, you can still actually buy mostly-dumb TVs.
I was looking for a TV to buy for my parents last year and it seemed like the only options available were "smart TVs," and I begrudgingly ended up buying a Philips ambilight unit. I was pleasantly surprised by how dumb the Titan OS on it was. Sure, it had WiFi, and the usual Netflix and other streaming apps, but I just didn't connect it to the WiFi, and from then on it was just a souped up version of their 15 year old TV. It did ask to be connected to WiFi, but stopped after being told no a few times.
I'm sure other manufacturers have similar "smart on paper, but dumb in reality" OSes, as it seems to mostly be a cost cutting exercise. The hardware in the TV would need to be more expensive to run an actual smart platform. So the manufacturers just make a low end thing that ticks the right boxes to be able to call it smart for marketing, thinking that's what people want.
Pro tip: Look for a hospitality TV, they come in smart and non-smart versions. Generally they're made tougher also. You do pay more vs a Walmart pos though.
Pro tip 2: Avoid the Samsung ones, their quality control is shit.
also don't buy LG, as they design devices that will brick themselves with no way to recover the firmware and will simply tell you you're shit out of luck
Do you know which models or years?
they did this to my two year old soundbar a year ago, which made the entire 5.1 setup useless since it's all driven by the soundbar
I dont know I had my LG C4 for 2 years now and it's one of the best pictures Ive had.
Oh yeah my LG OLED TV is fantastic for picture quality. although I'm still getting used to judder, and don't know how to fix that on panning shots. no combination of settings seem to work for me.
but I bought that before the sound system and before I had first-hand experience of how few fucks LG gave about me as a customer
I usually just search for my TV models calibration settings. Either reddit or some av forum usually has some good settings that work for me.
I've had a Dolby atmos boxed 5.1 sound bar with sub and rear speaker from Hisense since I got it. I think maybe once a year it losses handshake but just restart everything seems to fix it
unfortunately nobody else's recommendations have worked so I sat there rewatching several shots over and over again with different settings lol
Deeper protip:
Commercial Display
Best protip:
Don't buy a TV
Be careful with commercial displays, the refresh rate might be ridiculously low.
And brightness is pitiful because it's going to be on 24/7
Oh you can get 120 refresh rates on them
And OLED too
Just a matter of being willing to spend 5x-10x what you would for a data harvester
It did ask to be connected to WiFi, but stopped after being told no a few times.
That's still fucking awful.
It doesn't stop it just goes away then occasional will ask to connect. I just fucking no and move on. Wish could disable it even asking that.
Sceptre! They make dumb TVs! They're great! More expensive tho
I have a Sceptre ultra wide that was priced much more affordably then its competitors. I've long searched for more Sceptre products with little success.
Whose TV is it?
LG's or the resident?
Who is TV is it
Who TV innit?
Whose*
Thanks
It doesn't matter what brand smart TV I have, I never connect them to the internet. I manually download updates to flash drive and install them off the flash drive.
For smart features, I rely on Nvidia Shield TV Pro devices (living room & master bedroom) or Onn 4K (for other bedrooms).
I currently trust Nvidia, and yes, Walmart, more than Sony, LG, Roku, etc. For anything I don't trust on these devices, that's what I have PiHole servers for.
There's no reason to even keep them if they don't work out of the box.
TVs cost a dime a dozen now. Walmart was selling 85" TVs for $210 last time I was in there. There are a hundred units of a hundred models in every store with demo units set up for you to preview each of them. And color fidelity and resolution are basically standardized now, so everything at the same price point looks exactly the same.
If it doesn't work out of the box, who cares if it "needs an update"? It's defective. Return it and pick up another one made by a competitor.
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I do have a LG TV and I did connect it to the internet a long time ago. Im super annoyed at how they push updates in a way they try to make you press OK as you were doing something else.
Anyway, after accidentally triggering one, I turned the TV off interrupting it.
Now it just prompts me to continue it, to which I say no. It doesnt seem to be able to move beyond this now, so I've kind of locked it into where it is for now.
You love to see it.
Self identifying as the baddy makes my life easier.
Samsung, Apple, LG - who's next? Speak up, please.
Buy a Sceptre! I got one two years ago, as well as a monitor, and they're both great and dumb. Although I don't watch TV all that often.
Idk if anything has changed in 2 years. I paid like 600 for a 65 inch and maybe 80-100 for a gaming monitor? Both were purchased with the intention to get ahead of tariffs on electronics
42% of all 3rd party apps? Maybe don't make android TVs at all. They are not secure.
Glad I do not even need to block my TV in my home firewall.
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