Posted on 02/07/2018 2:17:45 PM PST by BenLurkin
Smart TVs represent the lion’s share of new televisions. According to market research firm IHS Markit, 69 percent of all new sets shipped in North America in 2017 were internet-capable, and the percentage is set to rise in 2018. Eighty-two million of these sets have already found their way to consumers.
Internet connectivity brings a lot of appealing functionality to modern televisions—including the ability to stream content through popular apps such as Hulu and Netflix, as well as to find content quickly using voice commands.
But that functionality comes with substantial data collection. Smart TVs can identify every show you watch using a technology called automatic content recognition, or ACR, which we first reported on in 2015. That viewing information can be combined with other consumer information and used for targeted advertising, not only on your TV but also on mobile phones and computers. For instance, if you’re watching a particular sports event, you could see an online advertisement from a brand interested in reaching fans of that sport.
This is the first time Consumer Reports has carried out a test based on our new Digital Standard, which was developed by CR and partner cybersecurity and privacy organizations to help set expectations for how manufacturers should handle privacy, security, and other digital rights.
The goal is to educate consumers on their privacy and security options and to influence manufacturers to take these concerns into consideration when developing their products.
“The Digital Standard can be used to evaluate many products that collect data and connect to the internet,” says Maria Rerecich, who oversees electronics testing at Consumer Reports. “But smart TVs were a natural place to start. These sets are growing in popularity, and they can transmit a remarkable amount of information about their users back to the TV manufacturers and their business partners.”
(Excerpt) Read more at consumerreports.org ...
Nope, and it had a much better programming lineup.
The old black and white motorola didn’t offer anything near the features and content of an internet connected TV.
Folks just need to understand it’s another Smart Phone. All data will be collected and sold, and used for targeted ads.
Awareness is the key.
I recently bought a Samsung tv and have it hooked to tv cable. to get the hulu/roku/etc, do I have to unhook it from the cable and connect it to a computer?
“Nope, and it had a much better programming lineup.”
Every Concert Leonard Berstein conducted with the Vienna Philharmonic and every Opera produced by the Metropolitan Opera Company is available online in HD. And sometimes surround sound.
The same with C&W concerts (Merle Haggard anyone?), rock, jazz etc.
And just about every movie, every TV series ever made. Without commercial interruption.
I doubt the TV lineup of the olden days should even be mentioned in the same breath.
You can buy a Roku device for Hulu and other services and plug it into one of your TV’s HDMI ports.
I have a Roku box connected to my TV and my internet modem. It works well, but I don’t use it very often. I have always assumed that somebody records the TV channels we watch.
Did it say you could connect to those services on the box? If so connect your TV to your WiFi or Ethernet. If your TV doesn’t directly support those services, the are inexpensive Roku model you plug directly to your TV.
I watch gun videos and right wing news on mine, hope they are paying attention and feed me advertising for things I’m interested in.
My thanks to you all for your responses.
We watch old movies on Roku. Recently found “Strategic Air Command” with Jimmy Stewart.
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