Smart TV Enshittifies Broadcast Signals - Software Privacy Security Identity 006

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My smart tv enshittified my broadcast tv signals.

However I don't enshittify myself.

So now I know this.

Now I go find a way to work around this.

Work through this.

In short, now my smart tv adds in additional ads.

Rewind to about 2018.

I had the same smart TV and the same TV antenna.

The smart TV had a separate input for processing the broadcast TV signal and outputting it to the screen.

Fast forward to about 2024 or so.

My smart TV did software update to route the broadcast TV signal through its smart TV apps. And took away the ability to watch the broadcast signals straight through the old 'dumb' app interface.

But in doing so now the smart TV app buffers and processes all the TV signal input before putting it on the screen.

The Smart TV adds a layer, and seems to put whatever they want in that layer and display that to me.

The smart TV adds additional advertisements that a put ads in from the smart TV layer.

This could seem not that bad.

However I did read Animal Farm folks.

Where I came from, the TVs grabbed analog signals from the airwaves, and we used a knob on the tv set to change the channel.

Why does this bother me so much?

Because all enshittification bothers me.

Side note, don't get me started about when, a little TV screen on the gas pump at the gas station, starts playing loud ads _right AFTER I start pumping my gas_ ...

The way enshittification works is, enshittification is a high level, gradual, non-transparent, and slowly shifts the value away from me, slowly shifts the value towards an unseen unheard silent holder-of-power.

A.) The MOTIVE behind the enshittified app update was to shift power away from the TV viewer, shift power towards the TV app service provider.

B.) The enshittified app development and enshittified app update was sugar coated, has a beautiful new interface

C.) The new enshittified app appears and at the same time the old app disappears so that it's an all-or-nothing changeover there is no option for the app user to keep using the old app

So let's bring this back to the positive.

What to do about this?

I can think of some options:

1.) I immediately stop watching the enshittified tv app for now. (ever heard of a boycott?)

2.) Find or make a "dumb TV" device. A TV device that doesn't shove ads at me.

3.) Become a media producer and produce my own content and start a media company and set my own terms.

4.) go to live local events.

In conclusion, my smart TV enshittified my broadcast TV signals. However I don't enshittify myself. So now I know this, I go find a way to work around this. I work through this.

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#0210, lemonmama.com, by author Morgan Jassen, with commercial interest, 2026-03-25.