I despise the fact that electronic devices need to be "set up". What about you?

[Lliam]

We just had to replace our five year old flat screen TV. It was cheaper to replace it than to repair it.

We only use our TV to connect to our laptops so that my wife and I can watch movies together.

Why can't you just plug the motherfucker in and have it work? I don't want "smart" devices.

I tried to do it myself, but wound up having to call Samsung tech support and get instructions from someone in the Philippines. The steps we had to go through to get the TV to recognize my laptop were not intuitive at all, and the written directions were crap.

It's as if you bought a new car but had to call the manufacturer to program it before it could be driven. That's probably where electric cars are headed.

Before digital, products were made to work right out of the box.

I also hate the fact that companies use tech support people in India or the Philippines. Not that I have a problem with Indians or Filipinos. It's just hard to understand them. I wish that they used more Americans for tech support for Americans. But they don't want to pay wages to Americans.

End of rant. LOL

[Telekinetic-Potato]

I'm sorry, but it's not that complicated. I have respect for old people but I you guys take this " I don't understand new technology" thing too far.

My grandpa was programming computers on cardboard using a hole puncher and he's polish. You're telling me you can't follow simple instructions?

The TV needs to be connected to a router so you can wirelessly connect to it with your laptop. The router is like an intermediary.

Imagine you were sending mail to a friend, the router is like the post office where you drop off your mail.

All you have to do to set up any smart TV I've used is put in the internet password, choose which language you want it in and hit " accept "

What do you mean it's too much set-up? You do it once and then for the next 3-7 years it wipes your ass for you.

[Lliam]

My router sends info to my computer. I tether the computer to the TV with an HDMI cable. I don't want the TV connected directly to the router because I don't trust "smart" devices. Smart devices can be monitored and controlled by outside entities.

You have no idea what steps the tech person had me go through to get the new TV to see my computer. One step was to push two buttons on the remote simultaneously.

[Telekinetic-Potato]

What TV did you buy? Just get a visio. It's picture is always above its competition for a given price bracket and you can skip the internet set up and still use an hdmi cable.

And if you don't trust the smart TV there's probably ways to block it from broadcasting the microphone or camera like buying a TV that doesn't have that stuff or setting up a firewall or destroying the microphone/ camera.

[sawno]

Sounds like you bought the wrong device. I also don't like smart tv's and there is an option that does exactly what you like. Large computer monitors. Same size, can't do anything else other than displaying your console, laptop and media boxes. Which, in a world where even cable TV often goes trough its own separate box is perfect. Then you just plug the laptop in, or a media center or whatever you want and it acts as a display.

[Lliam]

Wow. I didn't know that.

[TrueConfection]

I'm with you. I can set the electronics up, but why would I want to? Why does my neighbor need a smart phone to turn on the porch light? All this electronic fun is slowly diminishing our ability to freely use whatever it is we own. Look at what Google did in CO with shutting down everyone's smart thermostats so they couldn't use their A. C. Now vehicle manufacturers are requiring monthly subscriptions to use the heated seats in your own car. 😡

End of rant. 😂

[Jamie05rhs]

"Now vehicle manufacturers are requiring monthly subscriptions to use the heated seats in your own car.". Wait- WHAT? Is that true?

[Lliam]

Exactly, TrueConfection. I heard about the thing with the AC thermostats. I hadn't heard about car seats.

[exitseven]

I heard that too. Any car that would do that is not one I would buy

[TrueConfection]

Thank you for the MHO ❤

[VIVANT]

I remember just plugging stuff in when I lived with my Great grandmother in early 2000s. remember it fondly. I didn’t even like synchronizing my pedometer to my phone, but the clip on kind break immediately. I think anything simple will fail so we are forced have to buy all things purely set up electronic. I hate the fact t if anything is off any temporary glitch— there will be nothing I’ll be able to do.

[Jamie05rhs]

@VIVANT Complex things fail, too, though.

[VIVANT]

@Jamie05rhs

Sure but I’m saying like first day lol

[Jamie05rhs]

Then don't buy the cheap brands. Lol. Don't buy your electronics from Big Lots.

[VIVANT]

@Jamie05rhs stuff I want is hard to find that’s my point they are forcing people to have to hook everything up to phones I don’t want it I just want to plug in or put in a battery and go. Different strokes 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Lliam]

I'm with you, Vivant.

[Jamie05rhs]

@VIVANT what kind of stuff do you want? I'll help you find it.
(This is my thing. I'm an expert at this.)

[VIVANT]

@Lliam 👍🏼 👍🏼 life’s too short and I also don’t appreciate being hooked up by electronic IV 24/7

@Jamie05rhs

Well I have a record player which I LOVE bc you just plug in & go. My lamps are plug in. Speakers are plug in. Fans are plug in. I can’t imagine using any of that stuff through my computer or phone what a f’ing pain.

As for most recent, I want a manual pedometer every single one has stopped working fast and they don’t sell them in stores any longer... i do not want to have to charge them the one on my phone works great but I can’t use i when I’m charging my phone. Same with “”fit bit”I do not want an electronic set up pedometer.

[Jamie05rhs]

@VIVANT Ohhh. I see what you're saying. Yeah; I basically agree with you. I'm old school, too. The only reason I added my CDs to iTunes is because it's much easier to DJ that way.

[Jamie05rhs]

And I'm jealous that you have a record player. My parents have one but I don't have my own.

[Jamie05rhs]

Unfortunately, you asked me about the ONE THING that I know nothing about! 😂. Go figure.
I still don't even believe that pedometers are a real thing. I've always thought they were a scam. Like horoscopes and shit. Like, how can that actually count your steps? Like, I don't believe in the Easter Bunny, you know?

[WindAtMyBack]

Back in the "good old days" people didn't connect laptops to their TV.

Before the days of digital we had several days of classroom instruction to learn how to use a slide rule.

But yea, some of the electronic stuff has way too much of a learning curve. I worked in engineering for years. I always fought against that crap. It's usually a losing battle though. The marketing types want all these features, but they aren't the ones having to explain to people how to use it. And whoever picks the "defaults" on some of this stuff needs to have their head examined. The default should be to turn it on and it works.

[ManOnFire]

As an IT guy myself, I have to agree with you. I can't talk about my job, but I can say that all though IT is my job, in my personal life I'm not big on all that stuff either, I just know what to do. I don't care for the way technology is so infused into our world either.

On another note though I tend to love the Fillipina support girls, and I love when they laugh if I speak a little Tagalog to them😛 But I get what you mean lol.

[Lliam]

I like Filipinas, too. I don't speak Filipino, but I have some really good Filipino and Filipina friends. There was one tech girl that i got into a chat with and we had a good conversation.
My only problem is in trying to understand some of them over the phone.

[ManOnFire]

Language barrier is one of our modern problems, but love speaks the same language lol.

[sage2021]

I was just telling a friend that I really miss the old days when we had colored portable TV 's. I wasn't feeling well the other day and just wanted to stay in bed all day. The only thing is that the TV is in the living room. So I asked him wasn't it great in the old days when all you had to do to take the TV in another room was to just unpluge it, carry it in there and put it on a kitchen chair or dresser? No problemo.
My worst thing are these fricken cellphones! They have put undo stress into my life. I GaG on my cellphone, but had to have someone set it up for me first 🙄.
If you buy a TV at Best Buy don't they still have a geek squad of people that will come to your house and set it up for you? 🤷🏼‍♀️

[exitseven]

Call me. I will set it up for you.

[Lliam]

@exitseven. Thanks, bro.

[Lliam]

So true, Sage. Everything needs "programming". What unnecessary nonsense. I never had to program a stereo, turntable, VHS, DVD, portable radio, TV or phone.

[MrOracle]

As an Audio Video integrator, I have to deal with this constantly. You can't just take a TV out of the box and use it - in fact, if you don't have an Internet connection to set it up with, you can't use it at all. And trying to corral my busy customers to get them to set up accounts and log into/activate things is like herding cats. I've had to change my billing to make that process hourly instead of fixed rate, because customers would hold me up for hours on jobs for this.

Even getting paid, it's very frustrating.

[TheSpaceGnome]

Agree with all of that, but you can just ignore the setup prompt, not connect it to the internet, and use it like a dumb tv, it would still work with your laptops, all you would have to do is press input on the tv buttons/remote till you hit hdmi or display port or whatever your laptop port has, and it will show on the screen just fine.

The rest of what you said is painfully accurate and i hate all of that bs and miss the 90s.

[Lliam]

Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy. As I said, even the tech support person took a while to get the TV to recognize my laptop.

[TheSpaceGnome]

its getting worse then..

[NathanDavis]

personally... I do like the annoyance and also figuring it out myself, lol

I even do it for others... few older people at my street who really don't want to bother with it so they call me and I gladly help them out, lmfao

however, I always go to YouTube or some online guide first... not calling tech support, lol

[lightbulb27]

drives me nuts, this smart stuff is dumb. One of the reasons I went to Macs is they had easier setup... program installations were always easier.

I gave up trying to get the "ring" video camera to work. this is why I buy old cars, less complicated.

Tv's... we gave them all away. Not worth the headaches. yes, it's stupidity, but it's all software now.

and they want me to wire up my refrigerator to the i-net. nope...

[musicbrain5]

I don’t hate it, but I’ve also never had issues setting anything up. I try to stay away from the stuff that has a lot of features, because the “smarter” it is, the more trouble it can possibly give me. I don’t even have an actual TV, just a projector and a screen hooked up to a sound system and a cable box.

[art84]

I have a smart TV and needs to be set up to connect to the apps like logging in and stuff. So annoying especially if someone logs off the app then you need to redo the information. Even updating the firmware on the TV and stuff. My mom and dad don't know how to use apps so I have to do everything.

[Juxtapose]

I don't have a problem with electronics as I grew up with them more but you should avoid smart devices as much as possible because they are going to be used to spy on you.

[Lliam]

Yup. That's one of my problems with smart devices. I don't want them in my home for that reason.

[jshm2]

You're not the brightest, then.

I set up TVs, laptops, phones and all sorts, nearly every day. But to someone like you doing it once in a while, of course it's not going to be intuitive.

You should have took the installation package and not been such a cheap ass.

[Lliam]

Fuck yourself.

[Bethany22]

I have a smart tv, but I only have it hooked up to the internet, not to my computer. I could probably figure out how to do that though if I wanted to, since I'm a part of the tech generation.

[slatyb]

I agree with you about the setup. If it's wireless, then all you should have to do is enter your WiFi password, pick a language, done.

[Jamie05rhs]

I'm sorry, Lliam. Next time you need TV tech support, just call me; okay? I got you.

[Lliam]

I'll keep that in mind. :-)

[Jamie05rhs]

😎👍

[Sevenpointfive]

for some devices it should be easy, but for others i get the hassle. i don't want anyone using my devices unless they have permission

[exitseven]

The documentation for a lot of devices were written in China and poorly translated into English so they can be hard to follow.

[Blueeyes81]

To all the people of this post this will be us someday. Currently I don't mind but I'm sure tech will pass me by sooner or later.🤷‍♂️

[Luopio27]

Amen. Modern day electronics are guaranteed dissapointment.

[JustinTheGreat]

I mean it’s probably just because of your age 😅 and I mean that respectfully lol.
Setting up a computer or a smart tv is pretty simple to anyone of my generation or younger.

[Anonymous]

Well isn't that what you're getting for buying a "smart" TV instead of a regular Display device?