- cross-posted to:
- [email protected]
- cross-posted to:
- [email protected]
LG and Samsung have both announced their 2025 smart TVs at CES this weekend, and some of them will include access to Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant. Both TV manufacturers are chasing the artificial intelligence hype train with dedicated AI sections on their smart TVs that include a shortcut to a Copilot web app.
LG is adding an entire AI section to its TVs and rebranding its remote to “AI Remote,” in an effort to sell consumers on the promise of large language models. While it’s not clear exactly how Copilot works on LG’s latest TVs, the company describes access to Copilot as a way to allow users to “efficiently find and organize complex information using contextual cues.”
LG hasn’t demonstrated its Copilot integration just yet, but it has shown off its own AI Chatbot that’s part of its TVs. It appears Copilot will be surfaced when LG TV users want to search for more information on a particular subject.
Samsung also has its own Vision AI brand for its AI-powered TV features this year, which include AI upscaling, Auto HDR Remastering, and Adaptive Sound Pro. There’s also a new AI button on the remote to access AI features like recognizing food on a screen or AI home security features that analyze video feeds from smart cameras.
Microsoft’s Copilot will be part of this Vision AI section. “In collaboration with Microsoft, Samsung announced the new Smart TVs and Smart Monitors featuring Microsoft Copilot,” says Samsung in a press release. “This partnership will enable users to explore a wide range of Copilot services, including personalized content recommendations.”
I asked Samsung for more information or images of Copilot in action, but the company doesn’t have anything more to share right now. I’ve also asked LG and Microsoft for more information about Copilot on TVs and neither company has responded in time for publication. Without any indication of exactly how Copilot works on these TVs, I’m going to chalk this one up as a gimmicky feature that LG, Samsung, and Microsoft clearly aren’t ready to demo yet.
I just bought a new LG TV with QNED screen. It will NEVER be connected to the Internet, or any network. The ‘smart’ part might as well not exist on the TV.
Not even one time for a firmware update?
I’m in this same situation and at least for me, no, not even once for a firmware update.
If the TV is displaying the image that’s coming from whatever input source I’m using, then the firmware is already just fine.
Fair, but I mean, there could be bugfixes, etc, that’ s what firmware updates are for.
I’m not arguing with you really, but at least one firmware update opportunity seems like a good practice for just about everything, IMO. I have a current Samsung TV, and it has been allowed to connect via my guest network exactly one time, after which I deleted the relevant settings.
If you’re just using the HDMI ports, there’s not really many bugfixes you’re likely to need. Most bugfixes will be to the “smart” part. Which, if you don’t want to connect it to the internet, you aren’t using at all.
I’ve needed firmware updates to fix issues with HDR or eARC before.
Yeah, it’s not outside the realm of possibilities. But by far, they’re more likely to be updates for the smart features.
To each their own, just surprised more people don’t see it as a consideration.
I updated a Phillips (I think?) TV - years ago, so this was over-the-air, not internet - and the built-in Program Schedule started showing adverts that were obviously in the update.
Eventually the ads stopped appearing, so at least there was some form of expiry date, but no, I’m very wary of consumer updates.
TVs should remain as display devices. I even keep the tuner equipment as a separate device to upgrade separately - sorry if that doesn’t increase their market share.
What next? A toaster with butter spreader built-in?
Yes, but the it burns the logo of the highest bidder each month onto your toast.
🤔 interesting idea…
(Calls patent office)
I mean, that’s at least a feature that you can look at and say “Huh, I’m not lazy enough to use it myself, but I’m glad it’s there for Granny who has arthritis and can’t hold the knife very well anymore” UNLIKE the AI which is basically just there for Samsung/LG to get money from Microsoft and for Microsoft … ??? … Profit???
If you want to do firmware updates on a “disconnected” TV, i would recommend putting the firmware update on a usb stick and update the TV that way.
I use my TV as basically just a dumb display panel. If it can display 4k/60, then there is no bug that needs to be fixed. I don’t even use built-in audio.
I connected my other TV to my network once when my Nvidia Shield wasn’t working. That TV is still showing advertisements in the main menu for shows that were released 3 years ago.
Your use case is nearly identical to mine. Still wanted to be sure there weren’t bugs in HDR or other display features that needed to be addressed.
Look I’m not saying ZOMG HOW CAN YOU NOT GET A FIRMWARE UPDATE, I’m just surprised both that so many people don’t and that so many people don’t even seem to see why they might want to.
I completely understand what you’re saying; in general, I tend to agree that if a firmware update is available, it’s best to install it. I keep the firmware up to date on all my networking equipment, and the first thing I do when I set up a new PC is install Windows updates (or apt-get update in Linux).
I have two TVs. One in the living room, and one in the bedroom. After the brief time I had my bedroom TV connected to my network, it immediately started serving me advertisements. I hate ads with a passion. When it comes to network security, privacy probably comes second to blocking ads in terms of priority. When it came time to replace my living room TV, I first tried to repair it, but after spending too much on a replacement mainboard that didn’t do shit, I just bought a new TV. There was no way in hell I was letting it connect to the internet and download advertisements.
I have an extensive Zigbee network for home automation, 10GB fiber links between my servers and my home office, etc. My home is very much “connected.” TVs are just one of those things that I will never, ever, under any circumstances, allow to connect to anything other than a video cable. If I’m paying $1000 or more for a device, I’ll be damned if it’s going to show me advertisements.
You’re wasting your breath. These people are smart enough to know that you can connect (hell, even to an ad-hoc network if you’re so f’king paranoid) once to FW update then hard-reset. These people are just being pissy. They also know that “IF dIsPLaY PIcTuRe No BUg PosSiBLe” are absolutely lying to themselves because they’re not actually that technically illiterate.
I hate it when people pretend to be dumb just to continually underscore a feeble point.
I was coming around to that conclusion, but thank you for validating it! :)
I know we’re taking about LG, but firmware updates really are as likely to break as to fix core functionality in my experience.
My Hisense TV is automatic, full-on lockdown-until-you-update. You literally can’t use the TV until it updates. And lo and behold, after an update that I did everything to try to decline but couldn’t, we couldn’t connect to the Internet. Cue to 4 months of arguing with Hisense support to get a working TV again - a TV I paid for, to which Hisense applied an update against my will, that broke it.
The only updates I trust at this point and welcome are Valve updates to my Steam Deck.
Not OP but I have the same stance that none of my TVs will connect to the internet.
It was going well until my in-laws watched our home and ended up connecting our Vizio tv all they could watch Netflix…
It updated the firmware and now the volume controls are all messed up.
Omg I hate Vizio TVs so much.
What so they can update their tv to add Microsoft’s ai shit?
Especially not one time for a firmware update.
Firmware update for a TV, what a time to be alive.
I had firmware updates for a 1080 Philips TV from ~2010.
You could do it via USB.
I mean, they’ve been displays connected to a mini computer for awhile now…
Can’y speak for every TV, but some of them should support downloading the firmware update from the manufacturer, tossing it on a USB stick, and plugging the USB into the TV to update.
Why would I want a firmware update?
Just use a thumb drive