LaserDisc Database
https://forum.lddb.com/

The Chinese are spying on my LD viewing.
https://forum.lddb.com/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=8449
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Author:  remav [ 02 Jun 2019, 19:54 ]
Post subject:  The Chinese are spying on my LD viewing.

...Ok, so probably not the Chinese per se, ...more likely my Roku account is the beneficiary of the data, but...

I've been working on yesterday's garage sale find, a near mint Kenwood LVD-300.
Took a little work, but finally seems to open/close/play without error *almost* every time. Last thing I did was to insert Jurassic Park CAV to test the step/multi speed functions. So, I let it begin playing to the Universal Earth Turning logo & it tested perfectly as I stepped through a few frames & tried the multi speed. Suddenly in the bottom of my bargain basement TCL 49S401 Roku TV a couple of options appeared labeled "More Ways to Watch" & "Play from Beginning". A generic picture of a Jurassic Park cover displayed with this. I didn't have time to press the indicated "*" on my remote to invoke the options to explore further & so far I've been unable to reproduce it.

I shouldn't be shocked at this. I work for a large telco & know we grab every piece of information that technology will enable us to grab, but I really hadn't thought that any output from my Laserdisc player would be snooped & identified on the back end.
(so be careful where you play your pron :o )
Anyone else had this happen & know how I might get it to happen again? My guess is that it would bring up the same screen as one gets with a voice search on Roku.

Author:  signofzeta [ 02 Jun 2019, 22:25 ]
Post subject:  Re: The Chinese are spying on my LD viewing.

I’m not so sure I buy your story yet but at the same time I wouldn’t touch any of that crap. My mom bought one of those TCM Roku TVs. I tried to explain to her about some of the NUTS spying stuff I’ve been reading lately but she didn’t care. I guess if you don’t connect it to your phone or anything there’s not a lot they can do with anonymous TV viewing habits alone...maybe...but still. Things are getting very sinister out there and it’s hard to know who to trust but one rule of thumb I try to go by is to pay for everything if possible. A $10 Android with Pluto TV is probably broadcasting your entire life to anyone who will pay. Facebook isn’t to be trusted, Google is only slightly better. Free games and such are an open door for hacking.

Data has a way of gaining or losing its usefulness over time. It’s best to not record any more of it than you need, then it can never be subpoenaed or ransomed.

Author:  remav [ 03 Jun 2019, 16:52 ]
Post subject:  Re: The Chinese are spying on my LD viewing.

No offense taken at your healthy skepticism. My jaw dropped. I had the player running through my receiver & HDMI into the TCL, which certainly presents an easy opportunity for the TV to do the same kind of check that any simple song recognition app can now perform. The voice remote already needs something on the back end to process the sound & figure out where & how I can watch a movie, so there's no magic. I'm just not sure how I tripped it. I didn't have the TV remote in hand as I performed the LD tests. I'll keep trying to reproduce.

As for the TCL purchase, I have to say its quite amazing for a 49" 4K UHD for well under $300, while solving:
1) Spouse factor. (Stated not allowed to go larger & this 49" was actually a bit smaller than the ancient Philips 43" due to bezel)
2) Built in Roku meant I was able to gain a needed HDMI input.
3) Satisfied #1 & #2 while leaving me enough money to continue adding to my LD collection :thumbup:

Author:  remav [ 03 Jun 2019, 17:03 ]
Post subject:  Re: The Chinese are spying on my LD viewing.

Well, that was an easy mystery to solve. One Google on - Roku "More Ways to Watch"
Apparently I "opted in" at some point.

https://support.roku.com/article/115005 ... r-roku-tv-

Never made the connection/assumption that it would include content from LD.

Author:  xtempo [ 03 Jun 2019, 17:18 ]
Post subject:  Re: The Chinese are spying on my LD viewing.

It is weird how outside sources are recognized. Would that also me it could tell what games you are playing or just movies?

Author:  rein-o [ 03 Jun 2019, 17:31 ]
Post subject:  Re: The Chinese are spying on my LD viewing.

The only way "outside sources" are being picked up are due to your microphone and voice.

I can't tell you how many times I am talking about something then decide to do a search on my phone and it will
automatically auto fill the subject that I was talking about after I type 2-3 letters.

Author:  remav [ 03 Jun 2019, 17:58 ]
Post subject:  Re: The Chinese are spying on my LD viewing.

"There is no privacy; only privacy settings."
(Can't remember where I read that... so true.)

Author:  rein-o [ 03 Jun 2019, 18:07 ]
Post subject:  Re: The Chinese are spying on my LD viewing.

remav wrote:
"There is no privacy; only privacy settings."
(Can't remember where I read that... so true.)

Power off is your privacy.

Author:  xtempo [ 03 Jun 2019, 19:18 ]
Post subject:  Re: The Chinese are spying on my LD viewing.

Everything is pretty much in standbye. I have seen a manual shut off switch on electronics for years.

Author:  rein-o [ 03 Jun 2019, 19:27 ]
Post subject:  Re: The Chinese are spying on my LD viewing.

Yeah, I forget about the ole standby.

Author:  remav [ 03 Jun 2019, 21:54 ]
Post subject:  Re: The Chinese are spying on my LD viewing.

...and under the heading of "You Can't Make This Stuff Up"
I was literally just sent a news item about my employer's "win" in an international 5G idea presentation. Our submission was named:

"Project Skynet"

(everybody have their Two-Million sunblock ready???)

Author:  sonicboom [ 05 Jun 2019, 16:29 ]
Post subject:  Re: The Chinese are spying on my LD viewing.

This article reminds us that in some ways an old CRT really IS better....

https://www.cnet.com/news/samsungs-warning-our-smart-tvs-record-your-living-room-chatter/

Author:  signofzeta [ 05 Jun 2019, 17:07 ]
Post subject:  Re: The Chinese are spying on my LD viewing.

That and the decade plus of dumb TVs that came in between CRT and LCD. Or if you have an Apple TV hooked to a monitor.

I’ll have to make sure I don’t accidentally buy anything with voice control. I can’t imagine what on Earth I’d ever want it for though.

Author:  forper [ 05 Jun 2019, 21:20 ]
Post subject:  Re: The Chinese are spying on my LD viewing.

signofzeta wrote:
T
I’ll have to make sure I don’t accidentally buy anything with voice control. I can’t imagine what on Earth I’d ever want it for though.


Try nothing with a mic. You don't have a cell phone?

Author:  signofzeta [ 05 Jun 2019, 23:10 ]
Post subject:  Re: The Chinese are spying on my LD viewing.

Oh, sure I do. But I didn’t buy it by accident.

Author:  deckardbr [ 19 Jun 2019, 22:49 ]
Post subject:  Re: The Chinese are spying on my LD viewing.

If you got past the Universal logo and into the beginning credits (with the thumping score) I bet Roku picked up the soundtrack as part of DMCA technology just like youtube uses when it wants to flag copyrighted content.

It recognized the movie and assumed you were playing it on a dvd or streaming off amazon or something.

Author:  rein-o [ 19 Jun 2019, 23:42 ]
Post subject:  Re: The Chinese are spying on my LD viewing.

And since he bought the LD used and Universal didn't get a dime off the used sale they want to get money since its sort of that gray area
and they feel it was actually stolen intellectual property.....

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