Author Topic: Home Entertainment  (Read 9085 times)

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Offline DaveR

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Home Entertainment
« on: September 04, 2013, 07:48:01 pm »
I decided to get a new tv today. After wandering around Currys for a while, I was amazed at how far technology had moved along, with 3D enabled Smart tvs apparently becoming the norm.

In the end I plumped for a 46" Samsung 3D LED Smart tv, reduced to £729. It's excellent, in addition to the normal freeview capabilities, it can connect wirelessly to the internet connection and has Apps like iPlayer, 4OnDemand, Youtube all built in. It can also play movies, etc from a usb stick. Very pleased with it indeed.  $good$

Offline Yorkie

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Re: Home Entertainment
« Reply #1 on: September 04, 2013, 07:52:30 pm »
A wise choice - enjoy!  Smart TV is indeed smart.   ZXZ
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Offline Ian

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Re: Home Entertainment
« Reply #2 on: September 05, 2013, 07:51:32 am »
There was a reports on Samsung smart TVs in the Register some time ago.  Apparently, they can become targets for viruses, so I suspect you need to make sure you have protection in place :-)))
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline Merddin Emrys

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Re: Home Entertainment
« Reply #3 on: September 05, 2013, 08:23:01 am »
We bought a 40" Samsung LED 3D Smart tv back in January, it's great, very impressive, not heard about any virus problems though!
A pigeon is for life not just Christmas

Offline DaveR

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Re: Home Entertainment
« Reply #4 on: September 05, 2013, 08:28:34 am »
There was a reports on Samsung smart TVs in the Register some time ago.  Apparently, they can become targets for viruses, so I suspect you need to make sure you have protection in place :-)))

I found this very useful analysis of the potential problem - seems there's not a lot to worry about:

"Thanks for posting. I read the article and it appears the hack occured by accessing the TV over WiFi....here's the excerpt:

"To exploit Auriemma's vulnerabilities requires only that the devices are connected to a wi-fi network. As background, Auriemma explains that when the device receives a controller packet it displays message informing users that a new 'remote' has been detected, and prompts the user to 'allow' or 'deny' access. Included with this remote packet is a string field used for the name of device. Auriemma found that if he altered the name string to contain line feed and other invalid characters, the device would enter an endless loop."

The above excert tells me that in order to access the TV via WiFi one of three (3) things must occur:

1. The WiFi network is unprotected (very bad and the end-user should know better) sad
2. The attacker knows the SSID password
3. The attacker is using specific scanning gear to detect the network and generate random passwords to enter

The key here is that attacker must get on the network and hope (or know) that a smart TV is on it! After that the end- user must accept the malious Packet String to allow the attacker to infect the set. The article continues with...

"...users can avoid the situation altogether by hitting 'exit' when prompted to 'allow' or 'deny' the new remote device."

My point here is that although this incident may have occured it's not as simple as jusy saying..."my Smart TV got infected". Specific actions had to be intiated by the attacker and the end-user had to comply with a specific request. The action by the end-user goes back to Computing 101...you don't open emails and/or their attachments that are from someone you don't know or click on mysterious links....and in this case...you don't allow access to your Smart TV by consenting to access by or installation of a remote that's not in your hand!

So, let's not push the panic button just yet. As most in the forum will probably agree that the incident described was a direct result of "code being sent" which had to be accepted by the end-user versus a virus that typically infects an OS as a result of a "passive" action by the end-user (i.e. clicking on a link or opening and infected document).

To be clear 99.9% of TV apps (which when opened could also be viewed as a passive action) are most likely clean as they come directly from a legitinate source and are installed via upgrades to the firmware via USB download or OTA install from the set manufacturers support website."

http://forums.cnet.com/7723-7596_102-580248/buying-a-smart-tv-do-i-need-an-anti-virus/

Offline Yorkie

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Re: Home Entertainment
« Reply #5 on: September 05, 2013, 12:24:22 pm »
There was a reports on Samsung smart TVs in the Register some time ago.  Apparently, they can become targets for viruses, so I suspect you need to make sure you have protection in place :-)))

Always use a condom when watching Smart TV!    _))*
Wise men have something to say.
Fools have to say something.
Cicero

Offline Merddin Emrys

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Re: Home Entertainment
« Reply #6 on: September 05, 2013, 12:47:32 pm »
 :o  :laugh:
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Offline SteveH

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Re: Home Entertainment
« Reply #7 on: January 18, 2017, 10:14:11 am »
Been watching pirate TV online or with a Kodi box? You may get a scary letter through your door

Warning letters from Internet service providers to be sent out this week.
Many of the North Wales’s big Internet service providers (ISP’s) are getting ready to start sending out letters when they detect that a broadband connection has been used to watch pirated TV shows or movies.

Article and 33 comments.... http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/been-watching-pirate-tv-online-12465424

Offline Bosun

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Re: Home Entertainment
« Reply #8 on: January 18, 2017, 06:39:39 pm »
A word of warning..........

In a moment of madness in September of last year I changed the whole system from Sky to BT, the lot; telephone, broadband and television. Whatever you do in life, don't make the same mistake unless you want to suffer the eye-watering agonies of dealing with BT. It took four weeks, then BT twice failed to turn up for appointments after I'd waited in all day -  then lied about the reasons why they failed to attend, (their lies were confirmed as outright lies by their sub-contractors) then cancelled another date and accused me of lying that I'd had appointments confirmed and agreed, even when I read out the texts and e-mails out to them that confirmed the appointments. They then had to apologise when they found I was actually telling the truth. They offered me £10 for my inconvenience. Now, the broadband keeps dropping out and never reaches the promised speed. Although, they claim it's 'within the acceptable parameters' of their service. And, their television service is rubbish. But, they have kindly told me that it will only cost £300 in early termination fees to cancel the contract..... 

You have been warned.
Being negative only makes a difficult journey more difficult. You may have been given a cactus, but you don't have to sit on it.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Home Entertainment
« Reply #9 on: January 18, 2017, 07:28:33 pm »
That's cheered me up no end Bosun.    I left Talk Talk after threatening to take them to Court and moved to BT       :o

I hope that I don't encounter the same problems as you have but thanks for the warning.      $good$

Offline Merddin Emrys

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Re: Home Entertainment
« Reply #10 on: January 18, 2017, 09:24:17 pm »
We moved everything to Utility Warehouse around 2 years ago, not a single problem!
A pigeon is for life not just Christmas

Offline Fester

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Re: Home Entertainment
« Reply #11 on: January 18, 2017, 11:39:48 pm »
Terrible amounts of hassle Bosun, I've been paying through the nose for Sky for about 20 years I reckon, and their customer service is appalling.
I wont bore you with the detail, but I have spent innumerable hours on the phone over the years, only to find that what I agreed doesn't actually happen.
I'm sure they do it on purpose to make you phone back, so they can make yet more money.
Most of my friends have now moved to Kodi or Amazon Ares boxes, and they have been getting WAY more TV than me for next to nothing.  I'm going to get one, (legitimately from Amazon) in a week or so.
In reality, the creators of these devices will always stay one step ahead, and there's not much Sky or other rip off broadcasters can do about it.
Fester...
- Semper in Excretum, Sole Profundum Variat -

Offline Bosun

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Re: Home Entertainment
« Reply #12 on: January 19, 2017, 09:03:51 am »
This is interesting, we've actually looked at Amazon and other box things in John Lewis, but have absolutely no idea what system/facilities etc we are actually looking at!!

Has anyone got any experience of these 'alternative' setups, especially Amazon which seems to be popular, (possibly because of Clarkson, May and Hamster) or a sensible guide to them? But is it a box - or is it a stick....?

I doubt if I would be the only one interested in a sensible alternative to Sky/BT.
Being negative only makes a difficult journey more difficult. You may have been given a cactus, but you don't have to sit on it.

Offline Ian

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Re: Home Entertainment
« Reply #13 on: January 19, 2017, 09:20:02 am »
We have the Amazon Fire box (which runs Kodi, a software upload), Netflix, Sky, Freesat and Freeview. We also have a device which records 1080p shows in MP4 onto a memory stick for transfer to a media server.

One theoretical option which could save money is this: ditch everything other than Freesat / Freeview. Take out a sub to Lovefilm.  Using the Apple TV set up a media server, then rip the Lovefilm DVDs and Blu Rays onto the server. LF costs £7.00 per month and there's no limit to the number of DVDs / Blu Rays you can have. Essentially, for £84 per year you can get every film and every TV show you want.

Bosun: Apple TV, Netflix and Amazon Fire are little boxes which operate through the internet, so streaming all your shows. They have a wide range of free shows and many for which you have to pay, albeit on a per show or per series basis.

Fester:  the new Star Trek series is appearing in June on Netflix.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline rhuddlan

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Re: Home Entertainment
« Reply #14 on: January 19, 2017, 09:37:28 am »
Hi,
     Once the kids left home we cancelled our sky subscription and used the dish to get TV  in the living room by freesat using a humax recorder..   This changed our way of viewing TV as we watch recorded stuff mainly. I would add this has the added advantage of allowing you to ff through all the adds to get through series much more quickly. We have TV in another room  using a freeview aerial. We did that about five years ago.
     Like Bosun, I should like someone to suggest which is the best way to go to update this so we can get catch up etc. I would add that we pay a low rate for wifi ( not fibre) as we only really presently use it for browsing,emails and such. I have never streamed anything and wouldn't know how to.
     Can you record from these kodi things?
     Your views would be appreciated, particularly if they are a jargon free as possible as I confess to being a bit of a dinosaur, just about coping with the rigours of Windows 10!
     Free viewing is the only proposition I'm interested in. I won't( on principal) buy papers or subscribe for TV to certain" empires!
     Finally sport is of minimal interest aside from rugby,which I can get live on the main channels when I want it!
Thanks very much.