Mastodawn

LG TVs’ unremovable Copilot shortcut is the least of smart TVs’ AI problems

https://pawb.social/post/36697935

LG TVs’ unremovable Copilot shortcut is the least of smart TVs’ AI problems - Pawb.Social

> Even with LG’s concession, it may become more difficult to avoid chatbots on TVs. > > LG says it will let people delete the Copilot icon from their TVs soon, but it still has plans to weave the service throughout webOS. The Copilot web app rollout seems to have been a taste of LG’s bigger plans to add Copilot to some of its 2025 OLED TVs. In a January announcement, LG said Copilot will help users find stuff to watch by “allowing users to efficiently find and organize complex information using contextual cues.” LG also said Copilot would “proactively” identify potential user problems and offer “timely, effective solutions.” > > Some TVs from LG’s biggest rival, Samsung, have included Copilot since August. Owners of supporting 2025 TVs can speak to Copilot using their remote’s microphone. They can also access Copilot via the Tizen OS homescreen’s Apps tab or through the TVs’ Click to Search feature, which lets users press a dedicated remote button to search for content while watching live TV or Samsung TV Plus. Users can also ask the TV to make AI-generated wallpapers or provide real-time subtitle translations.

harrys_balzac Dec 19

I will need to replace my TV next year and I’m really not looking forward to it.

I will be hooking my two consoles (Series X and PS5), then all I need is something that I can put Emby and SmartTube on.

Are the Onn sticks still a good option?

sun_is_ra Dec 19

if you could purchase a basic/dump TV with no features at all and buy raspberry pi separately, you could install Android on raspberry pi and connect the two together

Pechente Dec 19

Not sure if it changed in the last year or so since I bought my tv but isn’t the issue that there are essentially no dumb tvs? The closest I could find were big monitors intended to be commercial public displays but they came with their own set of issues. In the end I bought a smart tv and I it’s quite bad.

sun_is_ra Dec 19

searching “non-smart tv” on amazon yield many results as long as you don’t require highend brand like samsung or LG

harrys_balzac Dec 19

I’m trying to avoid Amazon but I’ll look there to see what I can learn.

harrys_balzac Dec 19

That’s what my search keeps coming up with - commercial display models. I don’t know enough about them to make a good decision, though. I guess I’ll keep digging.

Those displays are made to be very bright and usually have a lot of backlight bleed.

acosmichippo Dec 19

it’s not that complicated, just get a smart TV and don’t connect it to your network. quite easy to never use any of the built in apps if you only use your own inputs sources.

Pechente Dec 20

That’s exactly what I do but that doesn’t magically shield me from the bad software running on these machines. The OS is still unstable, tries to apply a bunch of filters that need to be disabled, has extreme lag unless gaming mode is being used and has stupid UI decisions like putting the audio level exactly where the subtitles usually are so that changing audio will obfuscate them. Once every 24h I‘m also getting a warning that the tv is not connected to the internet, despite network connectivity being explicitly disabled.

acosmichippo Dec 22

The OS is still unstable

sounds like you have a crappy TV then. I literally never have to touch my LG.

tries to apply a bunch of filters that need to be disabled

well sure, but image processing in general is good to have in a TV. I wouldn’t say having options on how to do that is a bad thing.

has extreme lag unless gaming mode is being used

again, that’s due to the image processing. lag is fine if you are just watching the TV, and if you want to play games there is gaming mode. so i’m not sure what your complaint even is here.

and has stupid UI decisions like putting the audio level exactly where the subtitles usually are so that changing audio will obfuscate them.

this has nothing to do with the “smart” functions.

Once every 24h I‘m also getting a warning that the tv is not connected to the internet, despite network connectivity being explicitly disabled.

again, this is not a thing for most smart TVs, you just have a shitty one.

hitmyspot Dec 19

I have an LG. They have a jellyfin app. Just block the access to other stuff and it’s fine, if not actually good.

I don’t use or need a seperste streaming box. I don’t get data mining or ads.

harrys_balzac Dec 19

I need Emby - a friend runs his stuff on it. I’ll eventually move towards self-hosting all my own stuff, but that’s months away.

iAmTheTot Dec 19

Jellyfin and Emby are kinda the same thing.

harrys_balzac Dec 20

So, I can use Jellyfin client to watch stuff off his Emby server? Interesting.

youmaynotknow Dec 20

No, you cannot. If your friend has an Emby server you’ll need the Emby client for remote viewing (unless you friend is willing to go through a whole lot of hoops to provide direct DLNA remotely, which is a real PITA).

AtariDump Dec 21

They are not when it comes to playback.

hitmyspot Dec 20

LG has both so it keeps your options open. Some tvs don’t have either or both and you need a seperate box to act as your client.

Some people prefer not to connect their smart tv and instead connect a box they have more control over. I find the LG app to be perfectly good for me and prefer to keep it simple and just block other network access.

I think laptop or mini pc is the best. Casting might not be an option, but its nice not having to deal with apps at all if you want to watch something on the TV, and picking up a cheap wireless keyboard with touchpad makes it a nice combo.

harrys_balzac Dec 20

I was thinking I’d do a pinhole and maybe a minipc. I’ve never had much luck with casting.

Linux on minipc with a cheap wireless keyboard like the k400 is a great combo. Won’t be seeing ads with that, since on browser you’ll have ublock origin for things pihole can’t block.

harrys_balzac Dec 20

Very true. I’ll need to buy a pi and play with that first.

if youre getting a minipc you can run pi hole or adguard on that instead of getting both. unless you just want a pi, theyre pretty cool

harrys_balzac Dec 20

My router points to adguard, so I’d probably just run pi hole on the minipc.

yeah i have a pi with adguard on it as my backup dns if my server is down for maintenance or it exploded. you could also use unbound on it to keep your dns snappy too since it has a cache, and it keeps your dns from leaking. whatever that means idk i have it though lol

youmaynotknow Dec 20

I’m in the same boat, need 2 new TVs in May of 2026. Seriously considering Sceptre TVs for that.

harrys_balzac Dec 20

I haven’t heard of Sceptre. I’ll take a look.

youmaynotknow Dec 21

This is the link to their website. I apologize for not adding it in my previous comment.

www.sceptre.com

Sceptre Inc.

Sceptre Inc. Store

harrys_balzac Dec 21

Thanks for the link!

When you get a new TV, make sure it supports CEC so you can bypass all this bullshit.

CEC allows your input devices to change inputs, control power, control volume, etc.

My current setup is a Samsung QLED, Xbox, and Apple TV. All support CEC and I never touch the Samsung remote and have no idea what’s in the Samsung menus anymore.

If I turn on the streaming box, the tv turns on, the input changes, and all I see is the streaming box UI. Same for the game console. CEC is fucking incredible and an underrated thing that doesn’t get the flowers it deserves. It just works.

Edit: imagine your TV is dumb monitor with a KVM. That’s what CEC feels like when it’s setup correctly.

Boomer Humor Doomergod Dec 19

This post deserves to be a Technology Connections video

Oh my god he would have so much fun with CEC. What a wonderful and cursed protcol

AtariDump Dec 21

Hey, I remember your website!

JoeBigelow Dec 21

Woah is that actually rargb in the wild, in 2025!?

AtariDump Jan 2

RARBG DUMP v3

Get Working Torrent Links from the DEAD RARBG website's Dump.

I detest that man so much now. His first videos were good, then his ego started growing, then the bitchy gay man presentation started. I find that so off-putting. Drop the 'tude and give the facts my man.

TheGrandNagus Dec 20

Imagine complaining about highly informative and high effort videos (that you don’t have to watch, btw) because he complains about industry trends too much and seems a bit camp.

Imagine a person having personal preferences - holy shit what a mind-blowing concept that must be for you

TheGrandNagus Dec 21

Re-read my comment, you plonker. I said you don’t have to watch, i.e. having preferences is fine.

If your preference is that people “act straight”, however, I’ll call you out on it.

God, what a fucking moron you are. Such a simple point that you completely failed to grasp.

My suggestion is you go get some therapeutic services for the difficulties that plague your mind.

I don’t like the guy, it hurts your feelings, that’s a you problem you little baby

deranger Dec 19

CEC has nothing to do with this; it’s an app that’s installed not a button on the remote.

The search button referenced can use copilot but it’s not necessary (ie you can use the default webOS search) nor is the button copilot branded.

My point about CEC is that it doesn’t matter what silly crap they install on the TV. You won’t see the unremovable apps and ads if CEC will bypass that junk entirely.

A good CEC setup will kind of feel like your TV is a dumb monitor and there is a KVM that switches all the auto and video when you pick up a game controller or streaming box remote.

I never see my TV’s software and I never touch my TV’s remote.

It’s not even an app, it’s just a link to the copilot website

Nope, CEC sucks. It makes lots of simple stuff complicated and it often does things on its own.

Just don’t connect TV to the internet or purchase a dumb PC monitor.

What devices have you tried it with?

I’ve been very happy with Samsung’s implementation paired with Apple and Microsoft devices.

That said, I haven’t see how things play out with other TV brand and input devices from Sony, Roku, etc. I only know that my setup has been pretty damn bulletproof.

I’ve used many throughout the years. There’s always something goofy going on. Watching something on input one might automatically switch to another input that is just doing a network software update check in sleep mode. Or someone picks up a game controller and accidentally presses a button which will also suddenly switch inputs.

CEC is only good if the devices connected to it are very limited and if you want to do all software updates for everything manually.

LG’s implementation is both good and bad. It doesn’t automatically switch over, but it pops up a dialog box asking if you want to switch inputs whenever another input is connected or device turned on.

Samsung did neither, and I always had to manually switch inputs.

It may depend on the LG TV or maybe it’s a setting. I just bought a new one and have a Google streamer on it and use it’s remote to turn on the streamer, soundbar and TV with a single button. I never see the LG UI itself unless I need to change a setting, and I’ve disabled it’s wifi entirely. I don’t get any kind of popups from the TV, it just works cleanly with the streamer.

youmaynotknow Dec 20

Same here. I have my PS5 and Chromecast w/GTV via CEC, and haven’t seen the TVs UI in a long time. No issues whatsoever.

TheGrandNagus Dec 20

Find me a 60", 4K OLED with proper HDR support and ease of wall-mounting that’s anywhere near the price of a TV.

I’d love to buy a monitor and use it like that, but it’s a fantasy.

You can just never connect it to the internet. That’s your 60” wall-mounted monitor.

dggaming.org/best-dumb-tvs/

Best Dumb TVs 2025: 8 Non-Smart Options That Still Exist

Find the best dumb TVs without smart features. We tested 8 non-smart TVs from $104-$849 for privacy-conscious buyers. Updated 2025 guide.

DG Gaming

TheGrandNagus Dec 21

So a TV then

setsubyou Dec 20

That’s what I do. I have an LG OLED from 6-7 years ago and I have no idea what the UI looks like. But to be fair this is only because I don’t watch traditional TV at all. It’s just an Apple TV for most streaming services and a Mac Mini for some other things like adblocked youtube (with one of those cheap gyro mouse and keyboard bluetooth remotes). I guess I wouldn’t have to use the satellite TV though, I could get iptv via my fibre isp too, but that’d cost money.

The Mac is not good at supporting CEC other than switching source when it wakes up, but even that’s not an issue because I can still use the Apple TV remote to control volume even when something else is the active source. Speaking of volume, my setup also includes a Samsung sound bar which also has a remote that I never actually have to use. Everything mostly just works.

Yup. It’s awesome.

When I turn on my Switch 2 with its remote, the TV starts with the Switch HDMI input. When I turn the TV off with the remote, the Switch 2 turns off. The Switch 1 did the same thing. Stuff like this is awesome.

My last TV’s remote could even control playback on my Chromecast.

LG magic remote can’t though for some reason. Disappointing.

Arghblarg Dec 19

We don’t need/want a huge TV, so we just use a monitor with an external speaker and dedicated media box.

Smart TVs these days are just too invasive to even consider in my home.

acosmichippo Dec 19

if you’re using a dedicated media box anyway, a smart TV not connected to your network is basically the same as a dumb monitor.

Exactly our setup.

tiredofsametab Dec 19

I haven't gotten this yet. Not sure if my TV is too old (2017 IIRC) or because I'm in Japan. I plan to just move my current PC into the living room when I can afford to upgrade but RAM prices just went nuts and video cards are still very expensive here (relative to wages but also because PC gaming is a niche hobby). I hate it.

If your TV isnt too far from your desk getting a fiber optic hdmi cable and a powered usb extension cable if needed might be more convenient and let you keep your PC where it is now. Fiber optic hdmi cables can get pretty long without issues.

I have one that is 22 meters long that supports HDMI 2.1 that I use to send a 4k/120 hz signal to the TV with VRR.

tiredofsametab Dec 20

Thanks for the advice; I'll check into that. It's probably 6 meters at most if I run the cable behind things. My keyboard and mouse might work but it might be tight depending upon which version of bluetooth their dongles run (I don't have bluetooth on the motherboard).

If you are fine with controller, Steam’s Big Picture mode comes in real handy for launching and playing games without needing a keyboard.

But something like the k400 which has a touchpad does come in useful for navigating the desktop. Not great for games, but serviceable for typing and controlling the mouse if you ever feel like using the PC to browse the web or launch video files on the TV.

For keeping things neat I got a cheap packet of cable clips with adhesive and stuck them along the bottom of the baseboard.