Newly purchased Vizio TVs now require Walmart accounts to use smart features
- Thread starter JournalBot
- Start date
Wait, you mean it'll be a dumb TV if I don't have a Walmart account? This sounds too good to be true.
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Because making your commodity device harder to use among a sea of commodity devices by pretending your so-called differentiator isn't just a different hand in the consumer's pocket is always a good long term strategy, amirite?
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Vizio TVs have always had the worst audio (expecting you'd buy one of their soundbars). I returned the two I bought. Garbage.
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Awesome! So next time I'm shopping for a TV I can automatically eliminate not only one manufacturer but one retailer as well! Every little bit to reduce the search space helps. Thanks Vizio and Wal-Mart!
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I think this line says everything you need to know. Don't buy a Vizio product. I bought a Vizio a decade ago and it just recently died, so this takes one brand out of the equation for me.
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I'd expect it to be the opposite - you need an account to turn OFF the features... But why complain about a gift horse I guess?
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In other words Visio is dead, not that I ever use any built in "smart" features on any TV set anyways
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BobbyBobberson
Ars Scholae Palatinae
Just get an AppleTV, get the VLC app, set up a network share, put your "backed up" movies in the folder, press play.
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Unfortunately, if you keep eliminating manufacturers and retailers based on the shenanigans they pull, you will run out of both before you find a decent TV.
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I read that as the TV won't even TV at all until you login with a Walmart account. As soon as you power it on it'll require a login before you can even select an input. So even the usual "Buy a smart TV but don't use it as one" advice is severely compromised.
I'd like to be wrong, but I don't think I am.
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Why would anyone buy a Vizio when Samsungs and LGs are as affordable as they are? OK, so Vizio is cheaper, but in this case, go for the upper brands, even if they're low-to-mid market models. Or, hell, just buy a TCL with Roku built-in if you're that hard pressed.
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I consider this a form of enshittification. Requiring you to login to an account for basic functions of something you bought and own is ridiculous and annoying. Companies need to be reminded that they do not own the products in our homes.
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Can you not just login, unplug from internet, and use as dumb TV or does it require a constant connection to continue to TV? Smart TV that delivers ads and stops working without internet sounds an awful lot like HP bricking printers with firmware updates for using 3rd party (or sometimes even legit HP!) cartridges.
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Indeed. As long as it's priced affordably, this is a net benefit. Is it truly not sending Walmart telemetry unless you have an account?
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Becuase like all of them they push and push and push you to use them "smart" and set up an account.
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Typical Anti-Consumer behavior from Walmart. Another example is how Walmart and PepsiCo engaged in price fixing. If you wonder why soda and non-soda beverage prices more than doubled since 2019, this is why. The FTC filed a lawsuit, however, the FTC eventually walked away thanks to the current administration. PepsiCo doesn't just make soda, fyi, so even if you don't drink soda, you have very likely been hurt by this partnership.
A few TVs are already beginning to require an internet connection for initial setup, and an "always on" requirement is just around the corner. It's going to go downhill unless governments step in, and I don't have hope at this point.
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And this is the short, short road to ads on everything. And after that, the prices can march back up because what are you going to do, switch to the other guy doing the exact same thing?
You are worth much more as a product than as a customer. Once that money printing cat is out of the bag, there's no going back.
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<sigh> ...
I'm old enough to remember when Vizio used to be a reputable brand (more or less).
I'm a bit confused by this line. Does "setup" mean setting up of smart TV features? Or is it a process you have to go through to use the TV at all?
If I take it out of the box, plug it in (to the wall, not the Internet) is it a functional TV at this point? Or do I have to go through Wal-Mart shenanigans to get it to do anything at all?
I'm old enough to remember when Vizio used to be a reputable brand (more or less).
(emphasis added)
I'm a bit confused by this line. Does "setup" mean setting up of smart TV features? Or is it a process you have to go through to use the TV at all?
If I take it out of the box, plug it in (to the wall, not the Internet) is it a functional TV at this point? Or do I have to go through Wal-Mart shenanigans to get it to do anything at all?
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Nah. All the ad tracking and phone-home bullshit will still work without a Walmart account.
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Anyone who hasn't read these Arstechnia articles needs to go do it now.
Am I the only one that remebers the P, M, and V lines? (Pro, Medium, Value) Then the D line. Now it is all V or D equivalent. The P's were very good quality
I have NEVER used any smart features on a TV. I use Apple TVs. And if people don't want to pay for an Apple TV I tell them to get a Roku. A Google whatever is just a data hovering device for Google's ad services.
I miss my cable card Tivo. Tablo is getting to be the only "free" OTA option around.
Vizio was great 10 years ago. Then they got caught in the race to the bottom price war. And lost.
Am I the only one that remebers the P, M, and V lines? (Pro, Medium, Value) Then the D line. Now it is all V or D equivalent. The P's were very good quality
I have NEVER used any smart features on a TV. I use Apple TVs. And if people don't want to pay for an Apple TV I tell them to get a Roku. A Google whatever is just a data hovering device for Google's ad services.
I miss my cable card Tivo. Tablo is getting to be the only "free" OTA option around.
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I can't seem to find the Pirates playing the nationals in my backup movies. Can you help?
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Kinda glad I don't really have any use for a TV anymore, smart or otherwise. My big-ass computer monitor is delightfully dumb in the best way.
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I have a PX75-G1 from....2019? Wow, that old?
It was among the nicest LCD TVs you could get at the time. It gets incredibly bright for HDR content. It was before 120 and 144Hz and VRR TVs became normal unfortunately.
It has developed an issue where the left and right backlight drivers are out of sync though. On fading transitions, you can see the right side dim like it's one frame behind the left.
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The phrase "own goal" comes to mind. Just make sure you disable WiFi so it cant phone home. Use an Apple TV instead.
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Note they specifically did not state that 'smart' TV behavior would not continue without an account; just that you'd be blocked from the little morsels of bait the trap provides.
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