this post was submitted on 19 Dec 2025

291 points (98.7% liked)

Technology

77815 readers

2674 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.

Our Rules

Follow the lemmy.world rules.
Only tech related news or articles.
Be excellent to each other!
Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
Politics threads may be removed.
No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
Only approved bots from the list below, this includes using AI responses and summaries. To ask if your bot can be added please contact a mod.
Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.

Approved Bots

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

L3s@lemmy.world

enu@lemmy.world

technopagan@lemmy.world

L4s@lemmy.world

L3s@hackingne.ws

L4s@hackingne.ws

291

LG TVs’ unremovable Copilot shortcut is the least of smart TVs’ AI problems (arstechnica.com)

submitted 22 hours ago by tonytins@pawb.social to c/technology@lemmy.world

89 comments fedilink hide all child comments

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.

top 50 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] simplejack@lemmy.world 100 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago) (10 children)

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.

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 45 points 21 hours ago (5 children)

This post deserves to be a Technology Connections video

[–] rarbg@lemmy.zip 13 points 19 hours ago

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

load more comments (4 replies)

[–] deranger@sh.itjust.works 17 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (2 children)

CEC has little 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.

CEC is awesome, it just doesn’t address the issue raised by putting copilot/other AI apps on the smart TV itself. For that you just disable the internet connection.

[–] simplejack@lemmy.world 15 points 20 hours ago

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.

[–] Cort@lemmy.world 2 points 18 hours ago

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

[–] victorz@lemmy.world 3 points 9 hours ago

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.

[–] setsubyou@lemmy.world 3 points 13 hours ago

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.

load more comments (6 replies)

[–] peetabix@sh.itjust.works 27 points 13 hours ago

We need a custom replacement ROMs like Lineage or Graphene for smart TVs.

[–] harrys_balzac@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 21 hours ago (5 children)

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@sh.itjust.works 3 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

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@feddit.org 13 points 21 hours ago (4 children)

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.

[–] harrys_balzac@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

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.

[–] cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 21 hours ago

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

[–] acosmichippo@lemmy.world 2 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

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@feddit.org 3 points 11 hours ago

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.

load more comments (2 replies)

[–] hitmyspot@aussie.zone 2 points 20 hours ago (5 children)

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.

load more comments (5 replies)

[–] Lfrith@lemmy.ca 2 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

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@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

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

[–] Lfrith@lemmy.ca 3 points 18 hours ago (3 children)

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.

load more comments (3 replies)

load more comments (2 replies)

[–] galaxy_nova@lemmy.world 11 points 4 hours ago

All I want is a DisplayPort and maybe some os with freedom of Linux why is that too much to ask for. The fact I can’t have vrr with my $600 GPU is absolute bullshit

[–] Arghblarg@lemmy.ca 10 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

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@lemmy.world 7 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

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.

[–] ada@piefed.blahaj.zone 3 points 18 hours ago

Exactly our setup.

[–] taiyang@lemmy.world 10 points 16 hours ago (4 children)

My webos keeps wanting to update to add AI shit and I keep saying no but it won't take that as a permanent answer, so every time it turns on it's required (and if I turn it on with my one and only button on the thing, it takes a while before the prompt goes away and requires remote input).

I'm looking into ways to jailbreak it or something, just family won't exactly let me do that randomly.

[–] dickalan@lemmy.world 9 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

I routed my LGCX by simply going to a website kind of like how you could do that back in the day for iPhones but I don't think that's applicable anymore but people are definitely looking into hacking the fuck out of this television so there might be some jailbreak in the future for you

[–] naticus@lemmy.world 7 points 15 hours ago (3 children)

Yeah that method doesn't work on newer firmware, but luckily there are newer methods (like dejavuln), and they keep things up to date on available methods and possible versions at https://cani.rootmy.tv/

[–] dickalan@lemmy.world 2 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (1 children)

Cool, thank you for that, I wonder if I can get any better features with my TV with that new root I'm going to poke around on that website thank you again so much. Lol it's the same website I used never mind but thank you in any case

load more comments (1 replies)

load more comments (2 replies)

[–] taiyang@lemmy.world 2 points 14 hours ago

That's also how you hacked old consoles back in the days. Early as Dreamcast, lol

[–] QueenMidna@lemmy.ca 3 points 14 hours ago

Can you DNS block the webos update site?

load more comments (2 replies)

[–] starblursd@lemmy.zip 9 points 12 hours ago

This crap is why my LG TV lost its internet privileges last year and built a htpc to do all my media needs.

[–] spongebue@lemmy.world 9 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Every article like this makes me want to hug my 13-year-old Costco Sharp (is that brand still a thing?) TV that barely has apps and doesn't get butthurt when I don't do anything with them

[–] finalarbiter@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

I feel that. I got a 50" 4k Sceptre from walmart maybe 4 or 5 years ago that has absolutely no smart features. They'll have to pry that out of my cold, dead hands before I consider 'upgrading' to a so-called smart tv.

load more comments (1 replies)

[–] NutWrench@lemmy.world 8 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago) (1 children)

The problem is, you can never trust companies whose products can update over the air. (like "smart TVs"). The company can promise all kinds of things they won't do and then sneak something awful into a future update. I will spend a little more on "non-smart / no WiFi" TVs in the future.

[–] Rooster326@programming.dev 3 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

How exactly?

They don't make no Wifi TVs. You can choose to not give it your Wifi Password.

And please don't say digital signage. That costs 10x what a TV does and the picture is significantly worse.

load more comments (1 replies)

[–] mostlikelyaperson@lemmy.world 5 points 9 hours ago (3 children)

I am genuinely curious, this whole thing is most likely an effort to sell more TVs, but does that actually work? Is there a significant segment of customers which buys TVs based on whether or not it has a (link to a) chatbot in it? Or did some exec just decide “our products need to have AI now” with 0 research done.

I would really like to see data on this.

[–] TheGrandNagus@lemmy.world 5 points 8 hours ago

Or did MS pay them to include it, knowing they could hoover up a lot of data, perhaps even with a clause in the contract to also share that data with LG?

load more comments (2 replies)

[–] Xyphius@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 hour ago

I've never owned a smart TV. I still don't see a point in owning one. Why in the world would someone need copilot on their TV?

[–] xep@discuss.online 4 points 8 hours ago (3 children)

Is there a manufacturer that doesn't ship a bunch of bloat with its televisions? Maybe Panasonic or Sony?

load more comments (3 replies)

[–] vrek@programming.dev 4 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Wait... While this is horrible... How did LG say anything in a January announcement when it's still December?

[–] Zorque@lemmy.world 3 points 16 hours ago

Probably one of those pre-announcements. Or they had AI determine the announcement date.

load more comments