Walmart Buying Vizio Sealed the Fate of Your Smart TV

Walmart just bought TV maker Vizio for $2.3 billion. Now, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if you just scrolled right on past that headline the other day. You might be surprised to learn I am not here to try to convince you that you should care. But I think that you’re gonna want to know what’s about to happen to your smart TV, no matter what brand it is.
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#hometheater #vizio #walmart #digitaltrends #tech #technology #technews #tvs #smarttv #streaming

[@Caleb_Denison]

Hi everyone! Vizio has requested that I clarify that while Vizio's smart TV experience is now referred to as Vizio Home or Vizio Home Screen, the platform itself, at least internally at a corporate level, is still referred to as SmartCast, therefore Walmart's reference to SmartCast in its press release is neither comical nor out-of-touch as I suggested it to be in the video.

[@SethMSparks]

"... no, um, we meant to say that and aren't dumb. It's just the language we use internally." Because internal corporate speak is what every press department strives to have included in their announcements.

[@AdmiralBison]

Appreciate that they bring up that impotant issue, because that's the foremost concerne on consumers's minds. /s

[@God-k5b]

lol Walmart might as well buy Vizio. Both of them offer cheap great value items.

[@mtmadigan82]

I think what you meant to say is they threatened to sue you and cut off access to items for review😂

[@God-k5b]

@@mtmadigan82 lol. Imagine simping to Vizio 🤣

[@JGKingCrusher]

The very reason we loved things like Netflix, Amazon, etc. was to get away from the ads. They pushed it until they dealt the DVD sales a huge blow, then put commercials back in. I really hope there is a huge financial backlash on these companies.

[@bigalexg]

amen bro, playing the long game, effing cartels

[@syloui]

Should be. Without growing subs the justification for green lighting every dogshit tv show and movie just to pad the library won't make any more sense. DVD sales could at least recoup that cost before, but there's only so far a tax write off can go

[@Bamapride1985]

At least have the option to pay a little more to get the ad free versions instead of having ads forced on you while paying high premiums like cable tv. I'm not a fan of ads but at least they give you an option to pay a little more and not have to deal with the ads.

[@FreedomAndLiberty2024]

I'll take ads over being forced to purchase streaming content from Amazon or Apple, but I'd prefer to have neither ads nor limited streaming options.

[@Frost_Tiger]

It's not gonna stop they will find ways. Plus I rather buy a regular TV than a smart one cause at this point their gonna treat them like smart phones if not already with pseudo contacts or whatever they have now. Also streaming is done they're no different than a cable box but... it's an app less development for a boxes means more money saved for them

[@richardkarl659]

If memory serves me correctly, there was a TV show in the 1980s called Max Headroom. A side story in the show was that people were paid to watch TV commercials. TV stations monitored the consumption of TV commercials where their success was measured by how many commercials were watched and by how many people. The people who watched these commercials were paid a small fee. The more they watched commercials the money they made and the higher the station ratings were. That dystopian future is now reversed where we have to pay not to watch commercials even though 99% are irrelevant to our personal lives.

[@Caleb_Denison]

Yes! And they developed “blipverts” which were super-fast ads that could be consumed in seconds. They cause problems, of course.

[@crosslink1493]

Great show, I remember it well. Only lasted one season IIRC. "Max" was the narcistic alter ego of the shows star, an aggressive news reporter who accidentally fell into a computer and shorted it out, transferring his ego onto the computer network. Supposedly the computer graphics process to make "Max" constantly shift between TV screens (or multiple TV screens at once) made the show unprofitable. That would be easy with today's technology.

[@RockyRoads1]

Wasn't that a thing a while ago where you could just go to a website and get paid to watch ads?

[@acoupleofschoes]

The same year Max Headroom came out, Carl Sagan's novel Contact released. It had almost the inverse situation with ads happen in it's alternate 1980's. A device was created that automatically muted the sound whenever an ad came on over antenna TV. Advertisers stopped paying for ads, television companies stopped producing shows because they weren't being paid anymore, and the only thing left on TV was religious services, QVC-esque shopping networks, and news. It was a really odd, dystopian feature to just mention in passing and never expound on the fact this future doesn't have any scripted TV.

[@robertgaines-tulsa]

The smart TVs will monitor if you're actually watching the TV. If you go to the bathroom or get a snack, it will pause the ad. It will probably just continue playing the content or force you to watch ads when you return. It will get worse. Your car won't start until you have watched an ad. They are already making features like heated seats and air conditioning a monthly premium. Jesus Christ, something's got to give.

[@johnr4660]

I own a couple Vizio smart TVs. I run Roku boxes and over the air antennas. Yes I'm old. With their latest update, their SmartCast took over the tuning of the antenna input and put it in a menu format. Doing so created delays in switching channels and loss of video signal to the point some stations were not received any longer. So, out of spite, I disconnected my TV from the internet. I refuse to let someone else control something that I bought years ago without giving me an option.

[@oswaldedgar5467]

Same here.

[@joelstanley3894]

Had the same problem. It made my Vizio's a completely worthless. off the internet and factory reset to use them at all. I Only stream with a laptop, HDMI cable.

[@cglaurer]

I was so disgusted and angered by this update. I’ll never buy another Vizio.

[@teeser2436]

Did the same and my 48 in Vizio 2012 still going strong I don’t watch TV that much. I’m old too.Hate the pictures on new TV’s.

[@michaelbeckerman7532]

@@cglaurer Like SO many other companies out there today, Vizio is doing everything it can now to turn its customers against it. The only company trying harder to do this today is Roku.

[@PBradleyRobb]

Ah, the accelerated enshitification of smart tvs.

[@fonkenful]

And that’ll be the most family friendly reference to Juice Media joy could post

[@jolness1]

Of just about everything sadly.

[@war2thegrave]

'Smart' TV's were always garbage. 'Smart' TV features are better implemented in dongles.

[@ChickenMcThiccken]

its just going to make the business go out of business. the only silver lining is the cheap price of a 50 inch which is like less than 300 dollars now.

[@narutobroken]

Give me a dumb TV and an Apple TV 4K. No ads, as fast as an iPhone.

[@digitaltrends]

Make sure to watch our Vizio Quantum Pro review: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZ7YkKSVmaaHmdU

[@ryanjones1688]

I think advertisement has too much reach in the U.S., there's over saturation of it and it's absolutely everywhere to the point that it's off-putting.

[@deepee1544]

And Canada.

[@AdmiralBison]

This critique was brought to you by Wall Mart. Seriously, until we finally transition to a Socialist Economic system, advertising and marketing will be increasingly pervasive in order for corporations to reach their monthly, quarterly, semi, annual forecasts that never satisfies their 1% shareholders.

[@mikesecor6074]

@@AdmiralBisonare you a communist, is so leave, Ty

[@AdmiralBison]

@@mikesecor6074 Are you a corporate bootlicker?? I'm on the side of consumers and workers, how about you leave.

[@genericdude6551]

When I visited Russia their TV ads were a lot worse. They were ever-present.

[@zentec010]

when I see too many ads I actively ignore the product or service.

[@williamjones7821]

Me too. Spectrum / TimeWarner is carpet-bombing my mailbox, and a certain African-American "comedian" comes on TV to describe how he bought a basketball team with his credit card. I will not do business with them. EVER.

[@Mango_B]

They will drive customers AWAY with constant ad bombardment.

[@gearheadtechnology]

but you already own the TV lol

[@Derek.Mitchell]

No it won’t. Netflix’ profits went up once they locked accounts to households. Amazon stock went up after they removed prime video features, added ads, and charged their prime customers $3/mo to get their old experience back. All of these monopolies will copy each other, taking turns inventing new ways to screw their customers. People will just buy the thing and the customer experience will be increasingly compromised for the sake of shareholder profits.

[@JonnyFlash80]

​@compunerd but you don't have to use their garbage "smart" features. There's plenty of streaming sticks and boxes out there that do a much better job than what's built into most tvs.

[@saintkupo]

@@JonnyFlash80Apple TV is really the best no ads in the UI at all.

[@americanbadass88]

dont hook the tv up ONLINE and bam NO MORE ADS. smart tvs are TRASH anyways. i use my Xbox one and PS4 as a streaming device when im not gaming. which is rare because TV has become utter TRASH anyways.....

[@joycedudzinski9415]

Bought a TV from Walmart a couple of years ago. Hooked it up to an air antenna. Started watching channels that I like, but eventually it was the same shows that repeated over and over again. I am unplugged the TV for over a year and recently I plugged it back in to see what was on there. Turned out, when I rescanned the channels it was the same shows that repeated from the last time I had the TV on. There was one new channel that shows older 30, 40, 50 films. This is the only reason the unit is still plugged in now.

[@tactileslut]

Johnny Carson is still on on my area.

[@Turk_2023]

That's the same with all smart tv's You have to hook an antenna up to get real channels.

[@cigarobsession]

Get a shield pro, use a better, free launcher. No more platform ads. I never use my TVs as anything more than a straight display panel, they aren’t even on the network.

[@thebag-lt6wv]

recommed any good launchers??

[@FJB2020]

​@@thebag-lt6wvFLauncher seems to work well with the latest firmware..

[@joe45678tc]

They never tell, I see similar post all the time.

[@secularbunghole]

No ads for me thanks. I canceled Prime when they added them and only buy physical media now. No more streaming services that continue to go up in price and give inferior video/audio.

[@online_now6834]

When Vizio first came out their TVs were phenomenal and lasted forever. We still have some running from 2006, the past 5 years Vizio has been trash...

[@MrSchimpf]

The entire push to FAST on Vizio devices has bogged down their OS and I was glad when mine died! And since I work tech support for a living and they count SmartCast as an input, trying to get someone to the correct HDMI input is an exercise in frustration when they're seeing Ion Plus or whatever instead of their regular inputs.

[@BoricuaBoy88]

Mine is from 2020, and it's really good. It just depends on the price you pay. Usually with these budget brands, there's a larger drop-off in quality between their higher end and midrange models. Their new OS is also great. Super snappy.

[@rene.s.s]

I bought a Vizio M that I liked but died after 5 years. I currently have an OLED that looks nice, had software issues (not as bad as most) and seems to be doing OK. I’ll be casting my commercial free apps Netflix, Max, YT Prem

[@dalesplitstone6276]

I bought a 65" M-series a little over a year ago so I could have a bigger picture. This television doesn't even have aspect ratio choice, so I now have to watch letterboxed DVD content with a smaller picture than on my old 55 inch.

[@JetScreamer_YT]

I love my OLED. When I bought it the GUI was awful. But it has improved a bit.

[@GetOffMyLawnInc]

It's worth mentioning that you can still buy a disc player, a library, and leave your TV offline. Even further, there are completely legit options for digitizing a physical library. Walmart doesn't actually own anyone just yet, you can still save yourselves.

[@michaelbeckerman7532]

Caleb, you made mention of the fact that "advertising always works" but there's another side to that story: advertising blowback. In today's modern world, people are so entirely sick and tired of being marketed to 24x7 everywhere they look that many of them will take their revenge on advertisers by going out of their way NOT to purchase things that are constantly shoved in their face, just to spite them. Ever hear anyone say, "I'm so sick and tired of watching that damn ad from X company. I swear to GOD I hate those people. I will NEVER buy one of their products, no matter what, as long as I live!" Well, sure. That company got that person to remember them, but they also made a life-long ENEMY out of them. Great job there, guys! That's the dirty little secret that no one ever wants to talk about in the advertising industry: when you over-advertise to people they actively seek to take their REVENGE on you for annoying the living hell out of them and guess what their weapon of choice is to strike back at you? Their WALLET!

[@lisaleone2296]

Agree. There are people who are easily swayed, I'm more likely to boycott something I'm sick of.

[@kptamc]

If advertisers only knew how sick people were hearing the ads and tune them out, go take a pee break or fix a sandwich while the ads are playing. When you bug the daylights out of people they tend to pay less attention.

[@michaelbeckerman7532]

@@kptamc I wish this was something that was actually discussed more and even taught in college marketing and advertising courses, but it rarely if ever is. People literally hate ads, regardless of where or when they are exposed to them. And, the harder advertisers try to inject ads into our daily lives, the more we hate and despise them. Advertisers need to understand that consumers will literally PUNISH them for overbearing and intrusive advertising - with the most powerful tool they have: their wallets!

[@FJB2020]

I have personally never bought something based on an ad. Nothing they offer is something that I need.

[@williamjones7821]

For me, advertising blowback began with Susan Sullivan (Falcon Crest) carpet-bombing my parents' living room with TYLENOL ads in 1987-1988. Now it's worse than ever, particularly "big pharma" with allergy and diabetes drugs.

[@richardjones6660]

The real value of the Vizio purchase is so Walmart can get all the data Vizio has on their customers. This way they can push targeted ads to the users.

[@jp93309]

In the 90s I worked for an ad company in SF that specialized in custom video ads beamed and streamed on TVs in Walmart stores. Having a captive home audience has always been in their sights.

[@michaelbeckerman7532]

Of course, it was. And do you know what the #1 thing is that people absolutely hate? Being advertised to IN their homes. Now, you can't even hide from advertising there.

[@banjocricketusa]

When a chain store has enough money to purchase a 2.3 billion dollar company, it's clear to me their retail prices are way too high.

[@Jeph629]

Walmart's market cap. is over $530B. They spent

[@tabernathy0428]

Not just a chain store. It's the world's largest retailer for multiple decades now.

[@ThePilottribune]

I don't ever use the "Smart" part of my TV's. In fact, I don't even connect them to the internet after getting it all set up. Just turn off the wifi or unplug the ethernet cable and no more "Smart" TV. I use either my Roku Ultra or Apple TV to stream my stuff. Every now and then I'll reconnect to check for updates, but otherwise my "Smart" TV's are rather dumb.

[@LXXXIX]

I do the exact same thing

[@racineurr.8924]

Hello, I thought about doing the same for some time. May I ask you what are the ups and downs of doing so? I have an Apple TV and also a Roku Express. What is the biggest benefit of making a smart TV dumb? You still need an Internet connection for ATV and Roku.

[@poppy87]

You're basically switching one smart platform for another.

[@stevec5465]

​@@racineurr.8924 TV manufacturers do not update their firmware on a consistent basis. If you have an apple tv, Roku or firestick, they are updated more often than your TV does. At least. that's what I have seen.

[@michaels7258]

Yep

[@ronaldclayton4232]

I bought a 39in Vizio regular non smart TV on sale for $109 from Walmart in 2018/2019 not long before everything went smart(was super cheap at the time)and its still going strong.

[@Caleb_Denison]

Hey everyone! Thanks for all the great comments. Sounds like a lot of you forego connecting your TV to the internet. Has that ever caused you a problem? Here’s hoping forced internet connection is never allowed, right??!! Maybe those of us in the U.S. should advocate for regulation around this? What do you think?

[@LeezahB]

While I don’t think forcing an internet connection should be allowed, for me there is a benefit to connecting to the internet, ads notwithstanding. I will pay extra to opt out of them.

[@limkloosterboer]

Recently only my KZbin app for whatever reason presents me Asian news, while I'm in Europe. And it won't refresh. Not even after an re-install, nor is it a DNS issue. Otherwise Netflix would certainly flip. But it's beyond ridiculous that we might be forced to see ads in menu's or apps whilst society is so hard on 'giving consent'. I really do feel violated

[@MatthewBrannickWilliam]

Never even thought about that possibility. I would never comply with such nonsense. I'd either stick with an old TV that didn't require or work at finding some kind of work around

[@ModeMan101]

There seem to be a lot less people concerned about the implications of piracy than there are about seeing ads.

[@YuanLiuTheDoc]

I use a Hisense U8H-U8K with Ethernet so I am able to disable WiFi. When I got U8K thanks to Hisense support, I already had a year's worth of experience with the combination of Apple TV and Google TV, and decided that I was not missing anything if I forego Google TV. So, I reset U8K to dumb TV. But if I also unplug Ethernet, even the dumb TV will prompt me upon restart, upon wakeup, and occasionally during programs that my Internet is off. This does not make me happy. During the few hours (cumulative) of unplugged use, I haven't experienced any real problem except that annoyance from the prompt. For me, this is a consumer choice problem. Either you can sell me a true dumb TV (not going to happen as you have already laid out in one episode of You Asked), or you can give me the option to turn the TV dumb including not having to have Internet connection. I wouldn't mind having to connect to the Internet for specific tasks such as firmware update, but not all the time.

[@jmbrady1]

honestly, whenever these businesses put ads on everything, it just tells me not to do business with them, I have adblockers installed for a reason, they are only reinforcing my reasoning

[@dennispennington9773]

I have ad blockers and I hate ads. When watching regular OTA TV ads come on strong but they do not appear to be affecting me much. This is because I do not buy brand named products.

[@OMNITEK]

"we followed the money right to our studio".....pure gold of the year.

[@polarys425]

I've had 4 Visio's. The first had two mainboard replacements, Costco let me (they suggested it when I was shopping for a tv to replace it) return it after 2 years and said board replacements. Then we got another, it went back before 90 days as it started acting screwy. My wifes dad had one that we ended up with, and it didn't like turning on unless you unplugged it and plugged it back in. The only one I've had luck with is a small one in my shop. 25% success rate.... Won't buy anymore, and they'll likely be worse being owned by Walmart.

[@TearlessGosling]

There is a really cool thing where you can buy a modern tv, leave it off the internet, hook it up to a PC; and never have to see ads again. My a95k will never get connected to the internet, and Sony is really good about offering offline firmware updates that are installed via USB.

[@ModeMan101]

Unless you're not using any streaming services (or are paying extra for ad-free tiers) I don't see how that gets around seeing ads completely.

[@frommatorav1]

@@ModeMan101 I do subscribe to ad-free versions of all my apps, with the exception of Prime. I'm testing the waters to see if I just start using it less or whether to pay the $2.99 premium. I know for a fact that KZbin, Hulu and Peacock are completely obnoxious with ads. I've never tested Paramount without ads to know the difference. My Max and Apple are without ads too. Max comes with my internet AT&T service at no extra cost.

[@Caleb_Denison]

Yeah; the how to operate a “dumb TV” video is coming. Along with other workarounds

[@interceptor001]

@@ModeMan101 Use a browser like Vivaldi to stream that blocks ads very good.

[@TearlessGosling]

@@ModeMan101 plenty of legitimate and illegitimate ways around ads once you are on a computer.

[@STV-H4H]

Last week I opened Amazon Prime (first time in a month or more, I’ve been an Amazon Prime member since it launched) and that new ad revenue scheme was first thing I saw. Trying to shake me down for yet more money. I already, like many of us, subscribe for the free shipping service as well as the tv stuff. I’m seriously reconsidering if the free shipping is worth it.

[@andreamitchell4758]

tankfully I still have 2 4k sticks with updates blocked, too bad the 4k sticks have garbage wifi and theyr drop connection all the time even when tey are less than a foot from the router. But I will NEVR buy another fire stick unless it is able to have updates blocked and ads removed the full screen video ads on boot or wake up is the last straw for me I donlt even use my TV's anymore besides that all content is garbage these days anyways

[@johnrehwinkel7241]

Totally not worth it. You can get better deals (and often free shipping) elsewhere, and not support a company that abuses its employees, its vendors, and its customers.

[@pabl0sauced0]

At this rate, in 40 years toilets will have a little screen that makes you watch an ad before you can even flush💀

[@lance_374]

Don't give any ideas

[@deepee1544]

🤣 sad but maybe true!

[@AndreeBZ]

Working on it. Will send ticker for investors in a few weeks 😂

[@overnightdelivery]

Why do you think 40 years? I'd say less than 10.

[@pabl0sauced0]

@overnightdelivery yea, I recently found out about the Wendy's surge pricing bs and AI can now make lifelike videos so it seems like the dystopian future isn't that far off.

[@Smedleydog1]

I have bought 7 VIZIO TVs over the last 15 years and 6 of them are still going strong. I replaced my 60in M series a year and a half ago when the power supply died, it was around 10 years old. I bought a 65in 4k QLED P series to replace it. The P series works with Alexa (Amazon). I imagine Walmart will turn that feature off. 2 of them are in our camper so we don't stream anything on them. They have held up well, considering they are in a camper bouncing up and down the road. I leave them in the camper all year long, in the freezing winter and hot summer.

[@Anonymous98766-e]

The internet: Mankind’s greatest and worst invention.

[@ALEXANDER-mx6dk]

It's the modern day version of the Tower of Babel if you think about it. *Genesis 11:1-9, "all people used to speak the same language. Their unity of language allowed them to collaborate efficiently. They decided to build a grand tower, so tall it would reach into the heavens."*

[@JimWalker-bs4et]

Nuclear Weapons

[@tim3172]

@@ALEXANDER-mx6dk LOL at the sky fairy drivel.

[@JonnyFlash80]

Eventually, corporations destroy everything good just to earn that extra advertising dollar.

[@pmscalisi]

@@tim3172it’s funny how people get so triggered about a story 😂😂😂😂

[@danabell2709]

My LG doesn't connect to the internet. It connects to a mini-PC that handles all streaming and local media for it. I do see some ads but miss a lot of the behaviors I hear friends and family complain about. It's nice :)

[@igorschmidlapp6987]

I don't buy smart TVs. I prefer dumb TVs with a lot of HDMI inputs...

[@nanais007]

Guy at best buy told me dumb tvs don't exist anymore.

[@gingergobble5539]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@manicmarauder]

@@nanais007 I would say he lied, but honestly it's not like Best Buy trains people, so he probably just isn't aware, but they do still exist. You have to go out of your way to look for them, but they are still being made. They're just not the top of the line models that most people are programed to lust for.

[@lilah66]

@@manicmarauder Buy a pro monitor

[@michaelbeckerman7532]

@@nanais007 they do exist, but their numbers are shrinking every year. Also, their sizes are shrinking as well. Good luck trying to find a dumb TV today above 40" in size. You can't.

[@robertgaines-tulsa]

You can't even watch your own property without watching an ad first. My next TV is going to be a computer monitor. I watch streaming on a Linux computer, anyway. I want full control over my TV, and I'll save up if I have to. I mostly just watch KZbin and Twitch. Otherwise, streaming services are garbage. Get out there and buy your stuff and physical discs while you can.

[@brucenorman8904]

Went to my local Walmart yesterday morning, their DVD section was basically gutted, extremely limited selection. Lots of empty slots.

[@lvsluggo007]

Straight monitors are gettting seriously hard to find.. And if/when you do, they're often significantly more expensive than an equivalent 'smart-tv".

[@robertgaines-tulsa]

@@lvsluggo007 Wait, they don't make computer monitors anymore?

[@lvsluggo007]

@@robertgaines-tulsaI'm sure there are a few, usually very large (70-100") and VERY expensive. Pretty much all tvs today are smart-tvs. Smart-tvs have HDMI ports so you can *use* a smart-tv as strictly a monitor, just don't connect to the internet..

[@TheGamingNinja505]

This is why it’s important to buy physical media. Get the movies you want in true 4k with no ads, better sound and you never have to worry if it goes to a different streaming platform. The only negative for now is that many shows don’t have a physical release.

[@TheGamingNinja505]

@ruger6049 true, it’s not for everyone. However if you’re into Films and tv shows, and you like to watch it more than once then owning the physical copy is great.

[@davidperry4013]

I like blu rays and DVDs more than having like fifteen million different platforms or getting driven away from companies or products due to intrusive and creepy ads.

[@stinkywiselteets1]

I used to work for an electronics/circuit board manufacturer. We would have training classes every two or three years. Our trainer told us in one training class, to never buy a TV from Walmart! It may be a name brand TV, but when they are manufactured for Walmart, they are made cheaper.

[@lvsluggo007]

Opps.. my bad then... I've bought two tvs from Walmart. one a 32" Samsung TV (not a smart-tv) about 10 years ago and a TCL/Roku "smart-tv" about 7 years ago that is "castrated" and is used strictly as a monitor for AppleTV..

[@ShotgunSandwichENT]

Vizio was my first big screen tv in 2007. They made it possible for a person without a lot of extra money to afford one those TVs back then. That was a day I’ll never forget. So I’ll always have a soft spot for Vizio. I rock a 77 lg oled today. Things have come a long way!

[@Alphahydro]

Probably was still 1k

[@CantankerousDave]

Same, I bought a 32” Vizio set back on 2007 that’s still running strong.

[@johnrehwinkel7241]

Don't let that LG update its firmware...

[@ShotgunSandwichENT]

@@johnrehwinkel7241 why? I always do. See nothing negative. What happened on your end?

[@plamenski5244]

the whole world is just a giant billboard, just nonstop advertisements everywhere. Mankind has peaked

[@paran0ia7]

For anyone unaware, with Google TVs selecting "basic TV" mode during the initial setup bypasses the need to sign in to anything or ever connect to your network. Combine this with the "power on to last used input" setting and you will never need to interface with the home screen. 4K-capable Roku boxes are like $40 if you still want access to streaming services.

[@stayedfaded]

I grew up in the 80s and never minded ad-supported television, though the quality of ads was much higher. Ad breaks were part of the shows, often setting up cliff hangers or jokes. The most popular TV shows these days are shot like mini-films with no room for anything like that.

[@BettMagnett]

KZbin ads were also made to originally be mostly only placed by hand by the uploader at specific points in videos and the creators even filmed cliffhangers just so they could put ads in and it feeling like a suspense build-up to a suprise instead of just an interruption.

[@bikeny]

Prior to 1978, the amount of ad-time in a prime-time (i.e, 8pm-11pm) 30-minute and 60-minute show was 5 and 10 minutes, respectively. So, no big deal. And we all appreciated those little breaks so we could truly run to the kitchen for the snack we left on the table. Afterwards, with deregulation, it started slowly, but we got to where we now have 10 and 20 minutes per of those blocks. I have been so conditioned to ff through the ads on my vcr that I can't even put up ads for 5 seconds. I may not buy a new tv (I moved back in 2022 and then again in Oct 2023, so I had given away my 2006 HP 42-inch Plasma tv back in 2022). I've been watching my non-ad version of netflix, amazon (though not since my 2nd move), and paramount+ via my pc and its monitor. I will check the amazon ad version and depending on much I get PO'd at it, I might kick in the $3. The ads on a platform when I would be searching for content is a despicable thing, IMO. If I couldn't click through it before the searching, I would probably cancel the account. If and when I do buy an actual tv (and if I can't find a non-smart tv, I will disable the smart tv's brain), I will do what I had been doing for years with that HP tv, connect my Roku box via the hdmi cord and have an Ethernet cable in the roku box. I certainly hope that would be a viable option.

[@damian9303]

@@BettMagnettAfter having heard the news of them introducing mid-roll ads and subsequently seeing more videos do that, I knew right away it wasn’t KZbin automatically doing it but a conscious decision by the creator. Even if you had the likes of Louis Rossman who had to fiddle with the finicky YT Studio uplift to get them all off

[@lvsluggo007]

Ads in the 80s actually were often fun/entertaining.. The crap today is just that.. CRAP.. Too much "Ask *your* doctor" about this drug that has side effects that include possible DEATH

[@PinkTigger33]

The new thing You Tube is doing with ads is giving the option to "skip" after a certain amount of time (like they've been doing already), BUT when you click, it doesn't respond and continues to play the ad in its entirety. The other thing I've noticed is that often once an ad starts, you can't even "stop" play and some ads are 3 minutes long!!! Those don't even give you the "skip" option, (which by the way does actually work on some ads, but not all like it used to). I have to refresh the screen and reload the page to get them to stop.

[@3184Patrick]

Makes me even happier to have a growing Blu-ray collection. I was just thinking the other day all I want is a monitor. Not a TV with streaming or wifi. Just a big old display that does 4K HDR, Dolby vision etc. doesn't even need speakers because who uses tv speakers on a 85" tv anyway.

[@miguellee3]

Dude, I’ve always been pro streaming and for digital content (for ease of use), but I’ve been reflecting on that stance as of late. I’m not liking where the industry is heading.

[@bzdtemp]

Philips makes some nice monitors where they use panels meant for TV's. I have one I have used for 5+ years now and still going strong, it has both HDMI and Displayports and more recent models of course support HDR and all that.

[@blueprint7]

You're just buying clutter.

[@GarrettTobyC13]

I'm about to start a 3d Blu ray collection. I can't for the life of me find a legal way to purchase and download a sbs 3d movie!

[@itsneight1260]

@@blueprint7 LOL... enjoy your brainwashing ads.

[@robertradke8026]

Great video. I have an older Samsung 55”. I opened the back and disconnected the smart board. It works perfectly for cable, DVD and Apple TV and of course antenna TV. I’ll be dropping the cable soon. Oh, and I have an LG too, and I don’t connect it to the internet. It’s 2 years old, no problems.

[@SSB2121]

I have a Nvidia Shield TV Pro 2019 plus Rokus and a Fire Stick but I just bought a micro PC for HTPC service. I haven't had a HTPC in a decade but because of ads here we go again.

[@deepee1544]

How does one load up an HTPC with movies and shows nowadays?

[@dkindig]

Yeah, Shield here too, piping Kodi through it, have been holding off on an HTPC until they got 4k HDR sorted out properly...

[@kylespevak6781]

I genuinely don't understand why people think ads are effective to the point of ruining every experience of everything. Like I genuinely can't think of any add that has ever influenced me to buy a product but I can think of tons of ads that have been so intrusive to my daily life that I have actively started hating the product and wishing death upon it

[@gds756]

Can't wait to have Walmart employees telling me Vizio is better than Samsung or Sony.

[@rivergatenashville6352]

your walmart actually has people that help? at mine you have to spend 15 mins finding someone to help you.

[@TheOtherBill]

I wouldn't trust a Walmart employee to tell me where the restroom is.

[@rustyt115]

@@TheOtherBillLMAO

[@DarkMatterBurrito]

Doesn't Vizio use Samsung panels...?

[@gogereaver349]

there all loaded with ads now.

[@stephenlucas2576]

You think you have problems, ten years ago I had a difficult time finding a TV that would process an analog signal. I am not looking forward to being disappointed "by can't process analog signal TVs", Just because it has a yellow RCA input jack doesn't mean your VCR signal will display. (if it isn't broken, don't try to fix it)

[@miguellee3]

I turned off the WiFi on my C2 because the interface was a mess! Web OS is horrible so I just use it on an Apple TV. It worries me how everyone is adding ads to their services as it it was nothing - when that was the whole reason to “cut” cable

[@weston407]

LOL same!! I have the exact same TV and use an Apple TV 4K

[@ryans413]

My C1 is just as bad I literally only use the Apple TV app to use Paramount Plus and I use Crave so I can get HBO Max. Sometimes I use Netflix and You Tube but I mostly use those through my 4K Blu Ray player to avoid the adds. WebOs is awful i turned off the setting that automatically boots the tv to WebOs it’s on by default.

[@leeguenveur5853]

Caleb, Being blessed with over the air broadcasting from MT. Wilson Los Angeles, having never given our Vizio Quantum TV access via WiFi password or user name, never plugging in the RJ45 cable to our router and closing all open guest ports in our router, we wonder if and when our two year old Vizio will crash because it never had the chance to disembowel all the information that it has stored up in memory of our viewing habits??? Unless it could jump info to a neighbors Alexa spy box or their Vizio TV...🤔

[@amanasd26]

I will literally pay double for a tv that doesn't do this. I hate this timeline so much. Piracy is set to rise once more I think

[@Caleb_Denison]

I agree 100 percent. Two things are coming back: CDs for music, and Bit Torrent for piracy.

[@deepee1544]

​@@Caleb_Denison CD's never went anywhere 😊

[@Caleb_Denison]

@@deepee1544 True, but I suspect demand is about to skyrocket and, along with it, pricing. Like the vinyl surge, what’s now a great deal will soon be overpriced!

[@deepee1544]

@@Caleb_Denison yeah, I'm in Canada and one can barely buy a new release CD for less than $20 anymore.

[@ModeMan101]

@@deepee1544 Neither did piracy, unfortunately.

[@nufosmatic]

2:39 - My VIZIO television did not last very long. It lost it's teensie little mind and I replaced it with a Samsung. Now, the Samsung is slowly loosing it's teensie little mind (the Miricast feature has stopped working for no obvious reason). I'm thinking about going back to books, but the last Barnes & Noble in the area closed and Amazon is no longer reliable for delivering anything...

[@MSDOGS1976]

So people actually watch ads? I mute the remote and check my computer or something when one appears.

[@scottboettcher1344]

One thing I like about the KZbinTV streaming service is the unlimited DVR; I watch nothing "live". I wait until a show (news, live sports) is half-over and then ask Siri to jump ahead 2, 3, 4 or 8 minutes every time a block of commercials comes on.

[@andreisandulescu9171]

Agreed. They make for a good bathroom break.

[@GrymsArchive]

I get no ad's. Keep your smart tv stupid. Never hook it up to the net and use it as a monitor.

[@TheCyberMantis]

I trained my brain over the years to block-out all ADS. AD pops-up... my highly skilled brain immediately switches to "ignore mode". 😆

[@joshgomez7522]

I mute the ads when im watching on the tv or read the comments when I'm on my phone.

[@mavfan1]

keep telling yourself that.

[@mtnjhutch]

Intermission time is ad time. Bathroom breaks, snacks, I do anything but watch them

[@TheCyberMantis]

@@mtnjhutch Exactly. Commercials come on, i'm in the kitchen or the bathroom. 😁

[@lvsluggo007]

The mute button is your friend

[@tadecker82]

Sad, because my family has gone through 5 TVs in the last 10 years: 1 Westinghouse, 3 Samsungs, and a Vizio. The saddest part: Our Vizio is the OLDEST (10 years old), and the only one we HAVEN'T had to replace. I don't think I'll ever buy another Samsung (the current one has one quadrant that is much darker than the other 3, with no explanation), and the Westinghouse is just...weird. Our Vizio (not a "Smart TV", but running a Roku Stick) was purchased in 2014, and we've NEVER had a single issue with it. Maybe I should rush over to Walmart and buy any NON-"Smart" TVs they have left in stock, just to get ahead of the B.S. 🤷‍♂️

[@tonyyayo2115]

Where can I get the "free" ad supported TV??

[@JohnCline]

At 28 seconds in, the video says "Walmart Aqcuires Vizio?" How do you pronounce that second word?

[@JasonFoxLCB]

This has been a very, very long time in coming. (And I'm not exactly celebrating that it's arrived.) Way back in the day, around 2000 - 2003, I worked on the Walmart account at one of their agencies. At the time, Tivo was going to start letting advertisers put extra content onto Tivo boxes that users could, if they really wanted to, watch. So, not so bad for the end user as it was 100% a choice to view. Walmart wanted in on it and wisely knew they'd have to make something people wanted to watch as opposed to their standard commercials (of which I helped created quite a few). I was tasked with writing something that was chock full o' Walmart products while being enjoyable (which all good ads are, but most ads are not). So I wrote a six or seven-minute mini-show that was basically "Arrested Development" set in a retirement community with Seinfeld's parents. Remember the time frame. Walmart approved it, but the whole she-bang eventually fell through, much to my dismay. I did manage to repurpose the script by removing all the product placement, but dang it, "Golden Acres" was gonna be a blast.

[@2148aa]

So they spend this type of money to buy a TV company. It should be no problem putting back the manual checkout lanes.

[@Kid_Kazoo]

Im sticking with Roku. I love my tv.

[@lionelt.9124]

One question, will the TV's work when not connected to the internet for month's to years?

[@johnrehwinkel7241]

Yup. Works fine.

[@vivisimonvi]

I've turned ad watching into a little game. I'm literally talking smack to my TV of how horrible each product is that comes on. I can't be the only weirdo that does this.

[@TheLexikitty]

Y’all connect your smart TVs to the internet? One of my LG panels told me it could run Alexa when I powered it up and I just immediately disconnected it from the network…

[@whiskyguzzler982]

I canceled Prime the day ads started.

[@thefingerofgod69]

I watched this segment on Walmart’s purchase when it first streamed. Now I am able to report back on what has come of it. I purchased a Vizio tv in 2020. I use it with an Apple TV. Everything was fine but a few months ago (3? 4? 5?) I started noticing that when I would turn on the TV (as I normally do with the Apple TV remote) it would turn on, go to the Apple TV interface (as normal) but then some sort of Vizio TV overlay would pop up, loud and intrusive add running in a small window included!!! That interface has now started to pop up even long after I have been watching the TV. I thought I was safe but it seems that I will be forced to be shown things even if I don’t want that.

[@Will_Parker]

I'm so glad I scrapped all my streaming services last year. I ONLY watch stuff I own on physical media, so the only ads I'm getting right now are the subway product placements in Chuck lol

[@daneg]

I have a very large optical disc library transferred to Plex. but...uh...the places that sell discs are disappearing. and the prices are high because (e.g.) you don't have best buy offering $5 door buster blurays anymore. so I'm not sure how much longer I'll even be able to add new movies/shows to my collection. streaming killed physical media and not they're forcing commercials down your throat. it's like the worst case scenario for consumers.

[@DxBlack]

Are there any modded TV roms like with phones?

[@kalree]

Cory Doctorow calls this process "ensh*ttification."

[@thistlemoon1]

Does this mean that Vizio products will start requiring proprietary everything now? Like the ONN products? Don't lose the remote for soundbar because there's no replacement.

[@jimv1983]

I've never seen an ad like he mentioned he saw on a Sony TV on my Sony TV. Who is buying Vizio TVs in the first place? 🤣

[@joe45678tc]

18 million people according to the video.

[@jimv1983]

@@joe45678tc I feel bad for those Vizio buyers considering how high the failure rate is within the first three years of ownership.

[@BionicMerlin]

I'd be more influenced by the presence of an audio out jack instead of being forced to use SPIDF, which may also become "obsolete". I use my TV as a monitor most of the time.

[@kirk5637]

There are billions of people living without a TV. I didn't watch TV for 3 days last, I'm still alive and the sun is shining. Just saying.

[@delallegood5799]

I haven't owned a TV for twenty years.

[@thinkfloyd2594]

watching this is 'watching tv'; just saying...

[@WVURxMan]

Don't get any additional ads if you just get to your Chromecast from your phone. It just goes straight to the stream. The streaming service might have ads, but that's unavoidable.

[@kyledeeter1903]

Caleb is gonna be taken out by some agent for hire from Walmart

[@Caleb_Denison]

Sounds like I should hire body guards on Fiver?

[@crwhite5881]

I created my HTPC years ago and use my TV as a stand alone display, i.e. NO Smart TV and no being bombarded by ads..... works for me!

[@GalaxyTaco95]

Yeah honestly the quality is going to depreciate now that Walmart bought them out

[@amanasd26]

Of course it will get worse as the cheaper the tv sells for the more product it can push

[@robertradke8026]

Yeah like a department store should buy a TV manufacturer. It’s as bad as Amazon buying MGM. WTF?

[@kevinolive]

I didn’t think Vizio was high quality to begin with and avoided them. I remember going to Costco(?) with my brother and his son to get him a cheap TV for his PS3 and Vizio was what they got.

[@FJB2020]

Quality? Lol

[@BruceRichwineJr]

Apple will eventually implement some type of ads that aren’t as intrusive as other platforms, but will continue to be the best streaming platform in the business.

[@Stroker-Z28]

That's funny!

[@BruceRichwineJr]

@@Stroker-Z28 what’s so funny? What device even comes close to the Apple TV where ads are not an issue? Plus, there isn’t a device that’s even close to the fluidity of the interface.

[@blmartech]

​@@BruceRichwineJrNvidia sheild ...

[@BruceRichwineJr]

@@blmartech nah, I’ve had that too. Unless you’re a tinkerer/pirate it doesn’t mesh with an entire ecosystem as well as the Apple TV. If you have an iPhone which most people do, at least here in the US, it’s a no brainer.

[@blmartech]

@@BruceRichwineJr most people do not have iPhones. Women do, but definitely not men. Nvidia meshes just fine unless you have a locked down apple ecosystem that isn't friendly.with anything that isn't apple. Who h is one very good reason to always avoid apple products.

[@kentharris7427]

I recently purchased an 48 inch LG OLED TV, I use it as a computer monitor. The old 4K TV just defaulted to HDMI-1 every time. The new LG comes up on a screen that shows current videos to watch. So far I haven't found a way for it to default to HDMI-1. I'm sure I will be seeing advertisements on it pretty soon.

[@online_now6834]

you dont' actually own your TV anymore....

[@tim3172]

How so? If you take it offline they come and take it from you?

[@michaelbeckerman7532]

@@tim3172 not yet, but you did hear about that new TV that came out recently that has a second LCD panel on it just for running ads WHILE you are watching your shows, right? On that TV, if you DARE to disconnect it from the Internet, they charge your credit card several hundred dollars more for doing so. That TV sold out in less than two days on its initial production run of 250,000 units. How incredibly sad is that?

[@nbrown5907]

When I worked at Walmart decades ago they had Emerson for the store brand. I guess Vizio will be the new store brand and everyone will be able to afford one lol.

[@gobbletegook]

Say it with me people.....CHIIIINAAAAH!

[@DJ-ci2ji]

Caleb. I am looking to replace a sony bravia kdl 46ex400 with a similar size TV for my living room. Its brightness is slowly fading but it's still brighter than the LG 4k TV in my bedroom. Solutions for ads on TV that can run for over an minute is to build a Raspberry Pi Hole.

[@jazz3685]

I know one thing their return policy is A One all you need is your receipt and the only question they will ask you is “Do you want another tv or your money returned “ Best Buy or any other stores don’t compared

[@areneesouder]

I just bought a Vizio TV a couple of months ago, so I'm curious about what this means...

[@richardnolan4763]

When I bought my 2 Vizio TV's several years ago I never gave Vizio my permission/authorization to access the internet in their terms/authorizations to be able to watch "stuff" online through their brand of TV's (I don't give the other brand TV's I have permission either because I saw it as "SPYWARE"). I have a roof antenna because I live dozens of miles from OTA (Over the Air) TV broadcasts plus I use ROKU for other streaming program/broadcast reception. ALL TV brands are now using a version of what Vizio is doing (SmartCast). They all have also eliminated the "recall" feature on their remotes...something I cherish for the ability to switch between channels during commercials. I have several old HDTV TV's that don't have internet functionality AND still have remote control "recall" capability. I hope the TV industry doesn't somehow "obsolete" my older TV's superior functionality while also lacking their "spyware".

[@lgrantnelson2863]

When my TV broke I got a projector and hooked up a DVD player I already had. Later I got a Blu-ray DVD player from a thrift store for about $10, and the picture greatly improved. I also built an 8'x 5' screen. After a while I picked up a TV tuner, and then a HDMI multi input switch. No internet. Just plain TV and video. It's kind of funny that in the book 1984 the guy was controlled by an interactive TV on his wall. The author just got the date wrong, but I would say it was prophetic.

[@carolr7823]

I won't be purchasing any Visio Products anymore. Walmart ruins everything.

[@dhaynes325]

I bought a Series about 4 years ago and that was the last Vizio I bought. I have switched to LG and love it. Vizio fell off and now they have been bought by Walmart. I rarely and I mean rarely buy anything from Walmart so I am good for now.

[@mgreg8134]

I very seldom use my smart TV as a TV. I use it for my computer monitor where I can eliminate ads all together, with browsers like Brave or adblockers like Origin which block ads and trackers. The thing I worry about is the quality of Vizio TV's. They have been the only TV I have owned for the last 20 years and I have never had one fail on me. I have only purchased a new Vizio to upgrade the picture quality.

[@Saltpork305]

I run vizio 32 inch TVs as cheap monitors. I don't even connect them to my network. My actual TV is a 720p unit from 2007 or so with a roku, Chromecast, DVD player and antenna. I don't feel I'm missing out. If I want to stream I do it at my PC.

[@macforme]

I LOVED your video... I cut the cable 10+ years ago and don't watch TV at all. So I am sitting here pretty smug. OK, OK, I do get my news over the net but we have mute and skip options ( for now)

[@Bob3519]

Easy fix, either buy or build your own Android, Kodi or Plex box and use that for your own “Smart TV” functions. You will not need to use the Software from the TV manufacturer.

[@JonnyFlash80]

Interesting. I stopped using Vizio smartcast soon after getting my 2019 p series quantum x, because it was laggy garbage. Maybe its better now, but I bought a fire TV cube and never went back.

[@systemBuilder]

Just get a Roku streaming Stick! We use a Roku premiere plus from 2017 with our quantum x 2018 TV...

[@rgruenhaus]

Working for the cable company in the field till 2008 vizio was always the brand of TV's that had the most problems for customers buying vizio products so we always steered people away from garbage TV's because they called us thinking it was a cable problem and it was always components on the Vizio TV.

[@CobraTheSpacePirate]

I envisioned this years ago with refrigerators. Like if Walmart bought Electrolux about the same $2.49b. Have an android tablet built into the refrigerator door and some sensors / camera inside. Every time that you go to open the door you can see sales ads for groceries or new coffee maker. They could gather info on your eating habits to know from all customers automatically what should be kept in stock, on going trends in shift to some new food fad like suddenly Mediterranean diet is popular and so keep humus or whatever...at one point Walmart could have door to door shipping. If you run out of milk, the tablet knows and prompts if you want to automatically order another gallon that will arrive in less than 24 hours.

[@james-np7fj]

I've got a 14 year old Panasonic plasma, which isn't smart and I just stream movies and videos from my computer via an HDMI cable. If I were to replace it I wouldn't not have it connected to the internet. So far, I've never had a problem with the plasma set, and intend to keep it as my main TV. I try the best I can to avoid ads, and I"m am sick of getting ads everywhere I turn. I also now pretty much avoid Walmart. They have just become a huge conglomerate, killing all the smaller and less know shops, manufacturers and stores. I know now I will not be ever buying a Vizio.

[@Rebelnightwolfe]

I still have a TV I bought back in 2013. Still works and I have full control over it. You can't escape a smart TV these days.

[@lvsluggo007]

But you CAN "castrate" said "smart-tv".. If you don't have the chops to do it, there's likely a teenage boy on your block who CAN, for a small fee...

[@johnroberts4823]

I have a 2007 Vizio and still works!

[@Micah__]

Reminds me of my Xbox Series X. You pay 500 dollars for a console yet they shove ads down your throat on the Home Screen and on top of that it’s actually gotten worse through updates.

[@peterhess2610]

I DVR almost everything I like to watch. This way I can zip right through all the commercials. As an avid sports watcher I no longer lose precious time watching all those ads and I can use that time doing more useful things. I’m wondering when the advertisers are gonna find a way to overcome this very useful feature. If there’s a hundred ads I’ll, maybe, be interested in three of them. It makes me so happy knowing all the $$$ advertisers spend trying to get me to buy their products is going right down the crapper!

[@Ness_and_Sonic]

Okay, so what happens if I choose not to connect the TV to the internet and set up a different system like say using it for a computer monitor? I wouldn't get the smart TV functionality, but I'm not really interested in that.

[@littleshopofelectrons4014]

I recently bought a LG OLED TV. I only use it to connect to my HTPC (home theater PC) through a HDMI port. I never use streaming. To avoid any future ads can't I just disconnect the TV from the internet?