6 best apps to install on smart TV
While you can use it to play games on your console or watch movies or shows on your favorite streaming platform, TV channel, or cable subscription, did you know that it can do so much more?
Almost everyone has a Smart TV these days , but not everyone is happy about it. And now, news that Smart TVs are taking pictures and tracking everything you watch down to the millisecond is sure to add to that discontent and give you another reason to ditch your Smart TV.
Smart TVs are capturing everything you do
Privacy concerns are one of the main reasons why you might not want to buy a Smart TV. Now, a 2024 study has found that some of the top Smart TV brands, such as Samsung and LG, are using something called Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) to periodically capture what's on screen.
Once captured, the information is sent back to the company’s servers, where it is analyzed and used to serve targeted ads. Over time, the system builds a unique fingerprint of the content you want to see, delivering increasingly targeted ads to your home.
At a high level, ACR works by periodically capturing the content displayed on the TV screen and comparing it to a content library to detect what is being viewed on the TV. It's essentially Shazam-like technology for audio/video content on Smart TVs.
The study found that Samsung Smart TVs running the Tizen OS can take screenshots every half a second, while LG WebOS TVs can take screenshots every 10 milliseconds. However, Samsung and LG aren't the only ones using ACR technology; the study notes that "ACR is deployed by all major Smart TV manufacturers," but there hasn't been much scrutiny of how this privacy-invasive technology is used.
What’s more, these Smart TVs track on-screen content even when using external devices, with the TV in “brick” mode via HDMI. So when you boot up your console in the evening to play games, ACR technology still tracks your activity and adds it to your user profile.
How to Stop Your Smart TV from Recording Everything You Do
Unfortunately, as you might expect, these companies don’t make it easy to opt out of having everything you do recorded. However, each Smart TV will have a range of options you can change to limit the amount of activity recorded and the data uploaded; research shows that it doesn’t stop the process entirely.
For example, Samsung Smart TVs should reject or change the following settings:
While LG Smart TV owners should:
There are a lot of settings to keep track of, and even then, Smart TVs will still record some data.
The most effective way to prevent your Smart TV from recording your every move and protect your privacy is to stop using your Smart TV completely and switch back to a regular TV if possible. Disconnect your Smart TV from the Internet and switch to an external streaming device instead.
While you can use it to play games on your console or watch movies or shows on your favorite streaming platform, TV channel, or cable subscription, did you know that it can do so much more?
The growing popularity of large-sized, high-resolution TVs is an example of people's ever-increasing need for entertainment.
There are plenty of Smart TV platforms to choose from, like Apple tvOS and Samsung's Tizen OS. But there's one Smart TV platform that's better than any other: Google's Android TV.
Smart TVs are great for streaming content, but no matter how smart they are, you can run into more problems than with a regular TV. Here's how to fix common Smart TV problems!
Using a Smart TV without the Internet may seem counterintuitive at first. However, with the right apps installed, you can stay entertained, informed, and even productive.
The good news is that changing a few key settings can instantly boost your Smart TV's privacy and reduce unnecessary tracking.
Smart TV warranties are a safety net, meant to protect you if something goes wrong. However, you can accidentally void your Smart TV warranty without even realizing it.
Many users complain that dialogue in movies and TV shows is too quiet compared to other audio or not clear enough to hear on Smart TV.
Your Smart TV remote is missing again. Maybe it got stuck between cushions, lost in a pile of laundry, or just disappeared. Before you get frustrated, try these simple solutions to control your Smart TV without having to run all over the house.
Your living room is more cluttered than it needs to be. Smart TVs are so advanced these days that a modern TV comes with a whole layer of convenience that you no longer need.
Smart TVs are the centerpiece of most modern living rooms. But like all technology, they don't last forever.
Can a smart TV replace a streaming device, or do they work better together? If you're torn between the two, it's time to analyze their strengths and weaknesses and consider whether owning both is worth it.
After dealing with the clunky interface and sluggish performance, many people have finally decided to ditch Smart TV apps altogether and switch to using the Apple TV 4K full-time.
This week, many LG smart TV owners (including on Reddit) started seeing warnings that Google Assistant would no longer work as of May 1.
If your Smart TV suddenly becomes sluggish, you don't need to automatically search for an upgrade. Instead, adjust these settings to boost your Smart TV's performance.
Using a laptop with an external monitor is a great combination for productivity and getting work done. But over time, you may find that your laptop suddenly runs out of battery quickly and the battery life starts to decrease.
There’s no denying that foldable phones are pretty cool. But after using them for a while, there are a few quirks to them. Here are 5 major downsides to foldable phones that you might not expect!
Adobe has brought AI video creation technology to the masses in a new way, although it has yet to create a finished movie using the technology.
Genshin Impact 5.5 Code helps you exchange for Primordial Stones, Magic Minerals, experience and many other rewards.
macOS Catalina and iPadOS include support for a new feature called Sidecar, designed to let you use your iPad as a secondary display for your Mac.
This is a set of Nokia 1280 wallpapers, if you have ever texted to get 1280 wallpapers, brick phone wallpapers, then try looking at these wallpapers.
Venus Aerospace has revealed the first images of its new hypersonic aircraft called the Stargazer, which can reach a top speed of 11,115 km/h, equivalent to Mach 9.
Bloating can happen to anyone. The good news is that breakfast is a great time to add a few ingredients to your meal that can help reduce bloating. That ingredient is bananas.
OpenAI has just officially introduced a remarkable upgrade to the AI image generation capability in ChatGPT, an important step forward instead of using a separate image generation model like the previous DALL-E.
Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has just officially released its latest large language model (LLM), DeepSeek-V3-0324.
Gboard has long been the go-to keyboard on Android phones. However, many people have recently switched to Samsung Keyboard and haven't looked back.
Send sweet and romantic weekend wishes to your lover. Although they are just words or messages, they will be meaningful spiritual gifts, helping to strengthen your relationship.
HBO's Harry Potter remake is expected to premiere in 2026. Here's what makes the TV Harry Potter a success.
Beautiful moon pictures are not rare on the Internet. This article will summarize for you the most beautiful moon pictures in the world.
Now, AMD has responded to the issues with its underperforming flagship CPU line with a new update that could deliver a few more frames per second.