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Comment by RajT88 | Hacker News Reader

My wife and I bought a Fire TV for a particular use case:

- The hot tub room in the winter

- The outdoor patio in the summer

It was so cheap, we don't mind the ads on the home screen. If it dies from the moisture, we'll just buy another one. The apps are the key anyways, as I use a few totally ad-free apps to stream stuff:

- JellyFin

- VLC

- HDHomeRun (for my antenna on the roof)

PlutoTV is not ad-free, but has so much amazing shit, I don't mind it much.

Meanwhile, the big LG OLED we bought, I have been on a crusade to neuter all the ads without causing issues with downloading apps/updates/streaming. The RootMyTV exploit no longer works:

https://github.com/RootMyTV/RootMyTV.github.io

I have found blocking the IP of the local Akamai peer works for blocking some ads and the OS update check, but at the cost of other things which also use the CDN. It seems to use internal DNS, which complicates things.

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> It seems to use internal DNS, which complicates things.

I have the same TVs I resolved this with my router utilizing a firewall rule that redirects all udp port 53 traffic back to my pihole.

See - that would work if our TV was sending out DNS requests. It doesn't though!

Like, it seems like it has its own truly internal DNS resolver, which gets updated I presume via OS updates.

It could be doing dns over https (DoH).

yeah probably doing this, or using a secure vpn/tunnel or both.

I don't recall seeing HTTP traffic in the trace during TV startup and update check, so it's got to be a tunnel or internal.

I'd read reports of some smart TV's having internal resolvers, hence my guess at that.

I'll have to take another look though. If there's a DoH host I could block, that'd be nice.

Interesting, I wonder if newer OS updates are now using DoH. It's sad that I have to block upgrades for my TVs firmware for what could resolve potential security issues simply to have control over how my TV behaves on my network. This just re-enforces that I should continue to not let my TV upgrade it's firmware and continue to not let it access anything on the internet directly.

What security problems are you worried about? I never cared for security, there's no money they can get or data, and if there's someone who wants to hack my network with it, good luck lol itll be easier to phish anyway.

Yup I tried this too. Not working. Must be using DoH. Or some proprietary resolver.

There are still solutions out there:

https://gist.github.com/throwaway96/e811b0f7cc2a705a5a476a8d...

I also have a modern LG. I have rooted it, but it lives on its own VLAN on a default-outbound-blocked firewall config. I log all its requests, it's always trying to access something.

I give it access to a local DNS and NTP server (with restricted responses) and Jellyfin. I've also experimented with a squid proxy to allow specific web traffic that worked well (need to get around to setting up a CA and installing it on the TV). But for me it's just a Jellyfin streaminh screen.

recently realized you cant even start vlc if the fire cant connect to the internet. Bummer if your link is down

That's ridiculously stupid yes. Came across this too when my fibre was down.

You guys are just seeing a message from the home screen but you can bypass it by holding down HOME and pressing right to go to the app quick launcher. The home screen doesn’t work without internet but anything else that doesn’t need it will work

Thanks I'll try that next time!

Does it run Android? If so, you can try replacing the launcher with a user-friendly one.

It's really quite easy (for the average HN reader) to do this too, no cables required. I used FLauncher and followed this guide. https://gitlab.com/flauncher/flauncher#method-2-disable-the-...

Have you found a way to block ads while preserving the voice recognition feature? I have a C1 and a C2 on which I have successfully blocked all ads, but I can no longer use voice recognition for things like searching. It's a fair trade, but I wish I could have both.

I love how you think that TV can be throw away when used <3

You're like a Environmental Hero to me.

You'll notice I did not mention what we do with it when done with it.

Point of fact, we use the (many, free) electronics recycling programs available to us in our area.

Thanks for making dumb and uncharitable assumptions.

Recycling the TV is better than not doing it, but not wasting it is even better for the environment.

You'll be happy to know we're not wasting it. We use that TV frequently.

I understand, but when you describe your TV as a cheap consumable not worth being careful with, be prepared to trigger some emotional reactions with people who are concerned about the environment.

It is, because that's what it is. It's not a luxury item, it's like the dull butter knife you use first.

You're being overly confrontational over a very minor issue. There are much more effective ways to advocate for the environment.

Less than 1/5th of e-waste is actually recycled, and most of it ends up in places with little or no environmental regulation or health and safety protections for workers.

And that's the stuff that makes it into the e-waste stream. Most of it just gets tossed in the garbage with everything else.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVnu0doouJI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axYKPbr9_MA

Realistically what would you recycle them into? Art pieces and using old components for your legacy or simple electronics for reuse and then what? Besides maybe melting it for the trace amounts of metal, I don't see any use for recycled electronics.

Saw where ewaste goes in Ontario at least – a 20 ft deep hole in the ground at the dump

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