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Terrill Frantz, a cybersecurity associate professor at Harrisburg University, compares smart TVs to your smartphone. TVs on the market now have the ability to connect to the internet. They’re equipped with cameras, microphones, and in some cases, facial recognition technology. “How easy is it for somebody to hack into a smart TV,” I asked. “Well, presently, it’s fairly easy,” answered Frantz. The FBI says smart TVs are often poorly secured by their manufacturers, compared to computers or smartphones. Experts say cyber-criminals can hack in and change channels, play with the volume, and in a worst-case scenario, watch and listen to...

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...

This year at CES, HDR support is the buzzword heard from almost every single TV manufacturer, culminating in this frightening-looking slide from LG which proudly promised its set would be compatible with all four major HDR standards.Things aren't quite as problematic as they seem As a consumer, that many different video standards is a daunting idea that brings to mind the format wars of yore (think VHS vs. Betamax or Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD). Fortunately, while the fact that there are now four standards — HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG, and Advanced HDR — for companies and consumers to consider when...