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Linux TVs

Thomson Alpha 100 cm (40 inch) Full HD LED Smart Linux TV with 30 W Sound Output & Bezel-Less Design (40Alpha009BL) - Thomson India

https://thomsonhome.in/product/thomson-alpha-100-cm-40-inch-full-hd-led-smart-linux-tv-with-30-w-sound-output-bezel-less-design-40alpha009bl/

MODEL : 40Alpha009BL You can get the Thomson Alpha 100 cm (40) Full HD TV and enjoy a cinema-like experience in the comfort of your home. This HD-resolution TV delivers a variety of colour tones and life-like images to improve your viewing experience. Also, it has an attractive bezel-less screen that enhances your viewing area and makes for a visually appealing addition to the design of your living room. Moreover, this TV has an up to 30 W sound output, so you can enjoy theatre-like sounds to go along with the eye-catching visuals.   Buy Now Specifications

Thomson Alpha 100 cm (40 inch) Full HD LED Smart Linux TV with 30 W Sound Output & Bezel-Less Design (40Alpha009BL) - Thomson India

Which Linux distro is running in Thomson TVs. What are the capabilties.

61 comments

Robin

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Unless you have the ability to root it, does it matter? It's likely a completely custom, stripped down distro anyway.

max641

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Just want to stay away from Android TV crapps and ads. ( Also, dont need root as of now - Based on forum posts, root access is not allowed )

hinterlufer

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Dumb TV+(mini)PC is the way

alexyeahdude

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Is it even possible to buy a dumb TV any more?

520

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Keep the smart TV off the network and the difference is usually minimal.

jonne

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Still takes a while to boot compared to a dumb panel.

520

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From standby isn't that noticeable. Definitely a bit of a difference in cold-boot times though.

HughJanus

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Can't speak for others but mine puts up big intrusive banners if you don't connect it to the internet.

Petter1

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Maybe you can trick it by using a private DNS server. Maybe someone already cracked their API and has a manual how to run your own server telling the tv „bro, everything easy“ Just google jailbreak (insert tv name) this should be a good start for digging.

wildbus8979

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Plenty of them will auto connect to what ever open network. So you can't guarantee that. Or various exploits that could exist in the wifi stack. It's not the same as buying a "dumb" tv.

520

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That is what we call 'breaching hacking laws'. In other words, if you catch your TVs doing that, lawsuits can be brought against the supplier.

wildbus8979

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No it isn't, there's no hacking involved in connecting to a wifi network. Plus different jurisdictiona might see it differently anyway. And good luck with your lawsuits against mega corps.

This isn't some hypothetical, this is something smart TVs are known to be doing, right now.

okrubbish

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Look at commercial monitors. They're the screen without the bloat.

papabobolious

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I think there's a few models that are not really advertised, don't know them though.

Seems unattractive for manufacturers since apparently 50% of income on TVs is user data.

devfuuu

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No.

Auli

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But if you don't connect your smart tv to anything how is it smart.

MigratingtoLemmy

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No, but you can likely remove the Wi-Fi and any other Wireless chips that you don't need (other than the IR). That, and use it as a display for a computer through HDMI

PowerCrazy

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Yes, as long as you never connect your TV to the internet, then it is for all intents and purposes a "dumb tv."

whereBeWaldo

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Thats what I'm currently doing but is it even possible to buy a new dumb TV nowadays?

Nibodhika

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Android TVs are also Linux TVs, in fact I have a good degree of certainty that most smart TVs are Linux, developing a whole OS from scratch is hard, much easier to use one that already exists.

infeeeee

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Samsung uses tizen, based on linux, maemo, bada: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tizen

LG uses webos, based on linux, ~~palmos~~: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebOS

turbowafflz

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WebOS isn't based on PalmOS. PalmOS was it's own completely unique OS for PDAs and phones, WebOS was Palm's Linux-based successor to PalmOS for the Pre. Eventually LG ended up with it and turned it into a TV and watch OS.

insomniac

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WebOS is such a sad story. It started as a pretty innovative and interesting mobile OS at a time when phone manufacturers bothered to innovate. Then it ended up being owned by the grossest software company ever, HPE, and now it’s a pathetically crappy TV operating system. What is LG even doing?

turbowafflz

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Yeah if it could use modern cell networks and the like 3 apps I actually need I would switch from my modern android phone to a Pre in a heartbeat. It is by far my favorite mobile os

astraeus

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That article made me realize how old my TV is, and certainly made me appreciate WebOS compared to the previous OS I could have had if I had gotten my TV two years prior.

SpaceNoodle

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Even webOS is Linux-based. It just doesn't make sense to use any other kernel for such an application.

stifle867

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IMO LG TVs with WebOS are the best user experience right now.

folak

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But you don't have smarttubenext

stifle867

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This is true and something to consider. There's also no app for Crunchyroll which is personally a huge downside.

It's still the best user experience and I seriously dread having to use other people's TVs now. Even major players like Samsung are seriously lacking in comparison.

lemming741

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I rooted mine before the patch, and the homebrew store has an ad-free sponsor blocking yt app

folak

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stonks

GustavoM

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"Honey! Our TV isn't showing up channels!"

"Gee, fine. Hold on."

ssh gnu.linux@1.2.3.69
cd /sys/devices/tv/channels
cat channels_list
[none]

Ah, *beep.

aluminium

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"Honey the remote stopped working"

God damn it the last update installed libir 2.1.5 which pymote 4.7.0 isn't yet compatible with.

merthyr1831

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babe hold on i need to flash nix-os on this thing*

*and figure out how the fuck to use nix-os

merthyr1831

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"Smart" TVs are such a waste when they lock all the hardware and firmware into a device that'll either be unsupported in a few years or too slow to work with new apps.

I'd much rather a dumb TV and stick a Roku/Raspberry Pi. via HDMI. You get all the same control but none of the bullshit

Grass

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i just want a dumb tv with the latest panel tech and no planned obsolescence. I have so many computers that can provide "smarts" already

luthis

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More importantly, can we get root access.

skullgiver

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[This comment has been deleted by an automated system]

Steamymoomilk

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Sudo apt remove Chinese-spyware

Problem solved

Buffalobuffalo

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The chinese-spyware repo has been deprecated, the new spyware is under tiktok-py-systemd. Be sure to update so you're protected against the latest anti-spyware being developed.

Steamymoomilk

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TikTok in a nutshell

Dariusmiles2123

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I’m really happy with my android TV, but it makes me feel bad to know that my computer is free from GAFAMs but my TV keeps telling them what I’m watching and doing.

About the mini PC on the side, the ecological impact of having a second device turned on is preventing me from doing that.

hinterlufer

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Something like a ASRock 4x4 with a 5800U should draw about 10W in idle, but you can certainly shut it off when you're not watching. I use a small tower because it also holds some storage for my home NAS and jellyfin server.

merthyr1831

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A small secondary device is not going to hurt your power consumption just for video playback. ARM chips are capable of 1080p playback just fine and have really decent power consumption numbers to boot.

utopiah

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I'm against Android but I admit it's getting harder and harder to get "connected" (not to say "smart") device without it on. Anyway I did give up on my 55" Samsung TV for a video projector from Nebula. It's so compact it sits under the former TV stand. I installed VLC on it and connect to my RPi4 with a DNLA server on it and watch content I downloaded before. Not a perfect setup but quite happy with it. Until then I was using LibreElec on the RPi to drive the TV.

chockblock

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Using LibreElec, were you able to get any streaming services running like Netflix or YouTube?

I would like a UI I could use with a remote but the wife still needs Netflix so Kodi wouldn't cut it.

jawsua

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Try Flex Launcher: https://complexlogic.github.io/flex-launcher/

chockblock

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This looks really intriguing. Have you installed it on a raspberry pi? I'm having some difficulties and wondering if there are other packages I need to install first.

jawsua

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I haven't, just something I came across when I was researching the same thing. Part of my plans soonish, tho

utopiah

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I specifically do not use streaming services. I don't have the discipline to avoid binge watching and I trust dark patterns to be too good to keep me hooked. I only rely on files I download. I believe, maybe naively, that the extra step keeps me in check.

IMHO VLC as a UI is sufficient and it works well with the remote of the Nebula video projector. I don't need Kodi anymore. Sure sometimes you don't have nice covers but if your filesystem hierarchy is clear, directories are sufficient. It does look less "sexy" but again in my context of being mindful of screen time that's a feature.

max641

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That's a nice idea.. ( even though, I want to avoid Android )

Ps: I guess your samsung is Android TV and not Tizen

utopiah

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Whenever I'll hit a limit with Nebula I might tinker to see if I could replace Android with Linux proper. It might be all supported hardware but I truly don't know.

PS: iirc the Samsung TV was Tizen, it was a relatively old model but now it's gathering dust so I don't know.

folak

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https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/m5/ buy a banana pi or whatever and install lineageOS

possiblylinux127

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That's a terrible device and a bad deal. Don't buy it

Kusimulkku

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Time to run Doom on it

z3rOR0ne

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I basically don't use TV. I have a simple, old wide screen 16:9 monitor that was gifted to me. Good enough.

aluminium

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I'm doing it the other way round. I'm using a 50" TV as a monitor for 4 years now.

0x2d

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probably stripped down embedded thing compiled in buildroot

Secret300

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I just want a display. No "smart" crap

Linux TVs

Thomson Alpha 100 cm (40 inch) Full HD LED Smart Linux TV with 30 W Sound Output &amp; Bezel-Less Design (40Alpha009BL) - Thomson India

Thomson Alpha 100 cm (40 inch) Full HD LED Smart Linux TV with 30 W Sound Output & Bezel-Less Design (40Alpha009BL) - Thomson India