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Comment by whatch | Hacker News Reader

Maybe it's because I've never owned a dedicated TV and used a lot of computer monitors, but I've always treated TV as just another kind of output device, not independent system.

They try to use "smart" features to promote their products, but instead what they do with them shortly after the purchase has exactly opposite effect.

Also some of them (Samsung) intentionally break some (or all) smart features in some cases [0]. Even if they are legally allowed to do so (And of course they do. Who reads TOS...), it makes me really uncomfortable to buy any "smart" TV. It's a pity one cannot buy a dumb TV with quality picture and sound today.

[0]: https://www.archyde.com/samsung-blocks-the-tvs-of-russian-us...

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In fact, when my old TV broke down a couple of years ago (dead pixel columns), I replaced it with a 34" PC monitor. I actually paid through the nose to get less features (and more reliability).

It's a good thing that I'm blessed with a small living room, and I don't need 50" monstrosities ;)

A smart TV is dumb as long as it never sees an internet connection.

It could encode signal in inaudible high frequency audio that the Facebook app passively listens for.

I'm sure it does not because modern mobile OSes would alert the user to it, but even if it did, there's an easy fix: don't install the app. For when you do need Facebook, use the mobile website.

Currently you MUST install Messenger (or use Facebook's retro mobile site for old Windows Mobile phones) to send/receive messages.

Eventually, their mobile site will be nerfed and a popup will appear saying "Facebook is best experienced with the app".

Well, okay, I do have messenger lite on my phone and use it like two times a year. It doesn't have nearly as much crap in it as the full version, and doesn't relentlessly run in the background. Also doesn't spam me with notifications about things that aren't actual messages actually sent by actual people (looking at you, "you're celebrating %d years of friendship with %s").

It's cool to live in a place where Facebook never took off, I guess?

> Currently you MUST install Messenger (or use Facebook's retro mobile site for old Windows Mobile phones) to send/receive messages.

Are you sure? Their light website works just fine for me [1]

[1] https://mbasic.facebook.com/messages/

That's the retro mobile site, which may be in danger of deprecation and removal.

Facebook can only listen to audio if you give it microphone permission, and even then the iOS 14 beta would have made it visible if they were turning the mic on when they shouldn't be. Even if they make you install the app they aren't using it to passively listen for ultrasonic signals from your television.

There are encoded signals used by these things: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_People_Meter

Such BS, Facebook does not listen to audio passively. If it did, iOS 14 would have highlighted it.

Stop spreading fake news.

Also just because “Facebook” can listen, the TV still can’t receive updates and ads.

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