Is Vizio spying on you?

Mikey081057

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/02/vizio-smart-tvs-tracked-viewers-around-the-clock-without-consent/

stangman67

I don't see the big deal. If the info being collected isn't paired with any information about the user, it is completely harmless.

decal

If you are doing anything electronically you are being tracked.

msg

and I thought it was only relatives in heaven I had to worry about.

tonyb

Tracking user info is one thing, channels you watch, what you click on with your 'puter, etc. Listening or watching though is another story . I think this problem was brought up by earlier smart TV's with cameras in them. I don't know if anything was done legally to prevent further issues. I guess the first rule of spying technologies is we don't talk about spying technologies.

mhardy6647

Don't you all trust the equipment manufacturers? Certainly they operate to high ethical standards, and have their customers' best interests at heart.

-- and, while I am hallucinating, I'd like a unicorn, too, please.

Nightfall

Who connects their smart TV to wifi? Most people use another much faster device for Netflix, Hulu, and such anyway. Roku, Oppo, Xbox, etc.

[Deleted User]

I guess I'll stop frolicking around the house with nothing but a raccoon
tail on.

pitdogg2

rednedtugent wrote: »

I guess I'll stop frolicking around the house with nothing but a raccoon
tail on.

yea better to use a squirrel

tonyb

Nightfall wrote: »

Who connects their smart TV to wifi? Most people use another much faster device for Netflix, Hulu, and such anyway. Roku, Oppo, Xbox, etc.

I do, works fast for me and one less component to turn on. Too much of what we have is redundant in purpose.

msg

yeah, I've always found smart tvs to be cumbersome to operate. maybe they've gotten faster.

Can I take this opportunity to gripe about the lack of control of those other devices, like Roku and their automatic adjustments, app updates, and layout liberties the channels take? I don't know who makes these decisions, but some of these changes are leaps backward in practical functionality, with over consumption of screen real estate (Amazon), <annoying>autostarting episodes</annoying> when I just want to read a summary (yes, you, Netflix), changes that require repeated button presses to advance the catalog, and loss of 5-at-a-time catalog jumps with FFWD and REW keys. Makes no sense. It worked fine. Leave it alone, or give me the option to choose to revert. Change for the sake of change is dumb.

My personal favorite gripe as of late - Roku's decision to force their scrolling Cityscape screensaver on me with advertising. Can't I just get the bouncing Roku logo, please? I've started using the TiVo apps where possible.

polrbehr

tonyb wrote: »

Nightfall wrote: »

Who connects their smart TV to wifi? Most people use another much faster device for Netflix, Hulu, and such anyway. Roku, Oppo, Xbox, etc.

I do, works fast for me and one less component to turn on. Too much of what we have is redundant in purpose.

Me too. And not wifi, it's hard wired.

heiney9

Nightfall wrote: »

Who connects their smart TV to wifi? Most people use another much faster device for Netflix, Hulu, and such anyway. Roku, Oppo, Xbox, etc.

My smart TV uses Chrome Cast and the remote is an android tablet that you "cast" anything or app you want to watch from. It's faster than the Xbox and Sony BDp. and much better integrated.

H9

heiney9

msg wrote: »

yeah, I've always found smart tvs to be cumbersome to operate. maybe they've gotten faster.

Can I take this opportunity to gripe about the lack of control of those other devices, like Roku and their automatic adjustments, app updates, and layout liberties the channels take? I don't know who makes these decisions, but some of these changes are leaps backward in practical functionality, with over consumption of screen real estate (Amazon), <annoying>autostarting episodes</annoying> when I just want to read a summary (yes, you, Netflix), changes that require repeated button presses to advance the catalog, and loss of 5-at-a-time catalog jumps with FFWD and REW keys. Makes no sense. It worked fine. Leave it alone, or give me the option to choose to revert. Change for the sake of change is dumb.

My personal favorite gripe as of late - Roku's decision to force their scrolling Cityscape screensaver on me with advertising. Can't I just get the bouncing Roku logo, please? I've started using the TiVo apps where possible.

Most of those you gripe about can be set. Amazon and Netflix both have controls over auto starting, just to name one. User profile settings are your friend.

Yes, there are some things that can't be controlled like app updates, etc. If you want that control then you'd need a full blown operating system (like Windows 7 or 10) to control all aspects. I can tell you most people don't care about controlling to the nth degree. They want these devices to make the decisions for them.

H9

Nightfall

heiney9 wrote: »

Nightfall wrote: »

Who connects their smart TV to wifi? Most people use another much faster device for Netflix, Hulu, and such anyway. Roku, Oppo, Xbox, etc.

My smart TV uses Chrome Cast and the remote is an android tablet that you "cast" anything or app you want to watch from. It's faster than the Xbox and Sony BDp. and much better integrated.

H9

Your TV is more powerful than an Xbox One? What brand, I'll have to keep it in mind next time I'm looking

heiney9

Nightfall wrote: »

heiney9 wrote: »

Nightfall wrote: »

Who connects their smart TV to wifi? Most people use another much faster device for Netflix, Hulu, and such anyway. Roku, Oppo, Xbox, etc.

My smart TV uses Chrome Cast and the remote is an android tablet that you "cast" anything or app you want to watch from. It's faster than the Xbox and Sony BDp. and much better integrated.

H9

Your TV is more powerful than an Xbox One? What brand, I'll have to keep it in mind next time I'm looking

I didn't say that, in the reference of the thread, the TV loads the apps and programs, as well as, faster integration than the Xbox. All content is controlled by an Android powered pad, bigger than most smart phones. It's cast straight from the pad, no onscreen menu's or sequence of buttons to push.

Nightfall

Smart TVs must have gotten a lot faster the past few years, my TV loads Netflix slooooow as molasses.

Nightfall

As far as integration I don't even have to touch a remote, just say "Xbox go to Netflix" out loud and it drops everything and puts Netflix on the screen. Pretty nifty.

heiney9

Yes, as I said this TV uses the Google Chrome Cast platform, built into the TV. It just happens to be a Vizio M series.

H9

Nightfall

Does that mean you are able to download apps? Like you're not stuck with whatever the TV comes with anymore?

heiney9

Yep. Whatever is compatible with Google Chrome Cast in the case of a 2016 Vizio M-series TV. The D and maybe the E series might be different.

Vizio has 4 series of TV's

D, E, M and P series. The M and P series have a wireless charging, Andriod tablet that's best used for Smart TV navigation using Google Chrome Cast platform. It's also the TV's remote, but it's a bit clunky for that. They also give you an old fashioned push-button remote for basic tv setting and functions.

It's slick, really slick.

My previous TV was a 6 year old Panasonic Plasma.......un Smart Tv

Nightfall

Is Kodi?

Nightfall

Oh I see, never mind. You're casting from a tablet. I was thinking the apps are running native on the TV.

mhardy6647

I was just thinking -- in the context of smart TVs, ours... rides the short bus.

Nightfall

Your TV can charge your tablet wirelessly? What kind of witchcraft is this?

heiney9

No silly. The tablet comes with a wireless charging station.

msg

You'd think. None of what I've mentioned can be controlled on a ROKU 3. Try it. If you can figure it out, I'll send you a 6 pak of your favorite brew. Bet you can't.

ROKU 2 still has an older UX, so it's mostly unaffected, except for the screensaver thing.

Displeasure with loss of previously available functionality is considered controlling to the nth degree? Interesting. Seems a pretty basic, reasonable expectation to me to have my stuff left alone.

heiney9 wrote: »

Most of those you gripe about can be set. Amazon and Netflix both have controls over auto starting, just to name one. User profile settings are your friend.

Yes, there are some things that can't be controlled like app updates, etc. If you want that control then you'd need a full blown operating system (like Windows 7 or 10) to control all aspects. I can tell you most people don't care about controlling to the nth degree. They want these devices to make the decisions for them.
H9

mdaudioguy

msg wrote: »

You'd think. None of what I've mentioned can be controlled on a ROKU 3. Try it. If you can figure it out, I'll send you a 6 pak of your favorite brew. Bet you can't.

ROKU 2 still has an older UX, so it's mostly unaffected, except for the screensaver thing.

Displeasure with loss of previously available functionality is considered controlling to the nth degree? Interesting. Seems a pretty basic, reasonable expectation to me to have my stuff left alone.

I don't have the scrolling screensaver with my 3, although I recently noticed it on my older stick. Pretty sure autostart can be turned off too. I'll check and PM you my addy for a 6 pack. lol

mdaudioguy

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201638020

http://www.idownloadblog.com/2016/05/10/how-to-disable-autoplay-on-netflix/

Do these instructions work?

mdaudioguy

msg wrote: »

My personal favorite gripe as of late - Roku's decision to force their scrolling Cityscape screensaver on me with advertising. Can't I just get the bouncing Roku logo, please? I've started using the TiVo apps where possible.

You can still choose the clock screensavers. I've actually turned the screensaver off altogether, since when we're not using the Roku, it's DirecTV or the TV's off. I hate switching to Roku only to have to hit a button to clear the screensaver.

mrloren

Kentucky Fried Movie, the last skit, is that what Vizio is looking for on the news.

Seriously, The NSA has tons of this data in their over sized server farms of what we watch and stream on our devices.