Smart TV - Ads on the Menu Bar

[MrShak1982]

Surely there must be a way to disable this? If I'd known I'd be getting this I'd have brought a different brand. It's annoying me to the point where I'm serious considering getting rid. Sounds dramatic but it feels invasive. 

[HJD1]

Easy for you to say! Mine's been getting worse since 2017 so returning it isn't an option. Just noticed some upper edge bleeding this week too. Give it another year and Samsung won't even make my top 10 brands of choice!

[Alex239]

That sucks. I just stuffed my piece of ***** of a tv back into the box and returned it. When they asked “why?” I said “The horrible interface, the world’s worst remote and the God awful omnipresent ads.” They said samsung’s ads were the number one reason people returned their tvs. You listening samsung? You guys suck.

[ad1994]

Do you have any images of the bleed? I have purple / blue edge bleed. Trying to push that it is a manufacturing fault and needs replacing.

[James27]

I got my TV in 2018 and this ***** has only just started appearing.
Samsung won't change unless it's against the law.
We bought their TVs outright, it's not licensed! they have no right to do this, only the ability through updating the TV's software. They can turn it off any time they like but they won't as it makes money for them.

https://members.parliament.uk/constituencies/

Find your MP, send them an email.

Ask to make it illegal for manufacturers to include adverts in the operating system on their smart devices.

[User101101]

My samsung TV is currently ad free. I have monitored and recorded the ad sites my TV was connecting to and blocked the following URLs in my router firewall settings.

tag.sp.advertising.com
banner.advertising.com
mail-ads.google.com
adservice.google.com
fw.adsafeprotected.com
ads.everesttech.net
ssbsync.smartadserver.com
c1.adform.net
ad.doubleclick.net
dsp.adfarm1.adition.com

adservice.google.co.uk

ads.samsung.com

samsungads.com

ads.samsungads.com

There may be some I missed, will update if I see any more ads pop up. Terrible we even have to consider doing this on a premium product.

[User101101]

*Previous post edited instead to make it clearer*

[HJD1]

Thanks for this.
I just did a factory reset on my three year old set and their unwanted TVplus 'service' and adverts piled on back in a few minutes! Slowed down the tv response to remote control, guide taking seconds to appear. Just like an old computer full of malware. For some reason, a while after blocking 'services' on my router, the internet access on the lan port connected to the TV stopped. Still connected to the local network but not the internet. If I changed the TV i.p. address manually the internet worked again but the auto setting reverted to the original i.p. address and no internet access. Almost as if Samsung were messing up my internet access as a punishment for blocking their adverts! This has happened twice before and forced me to reset everything.
I have bought 5 Samsung TVs since 2010 but I am probably going to completely disconnect my 'no longer smart' tv from the net and just use an Amazon stick or similar to access online content. Hopefully this will keep my Freeview tv working in the way I intended not reduced to a POS by Samsung's post market 'additions'.
They've certainly had the last of my money and I suggest people don't waste their's on this company.

[Nick4477]

This is actually bull*****. We paid and own the TV. Not Samsung. How the hell is this legal? Does Samsung actually believe their customers want this ***** on their TVs?

I put every domain Under the Sun into my firewall and I also am using an ad preventing DNS server. For the life of me the sponsored ads still won't go away. There has to be a way to get rid of this stuff. Firmware update Maybe?

[HJD1]

I installed AdGuard on my router yesterday and so far the ads have gone. Still early days though!

[HJD1]

Spoke too soon! The adverts have still gone but now there is no video on the Amazon Prime app, only sound. Typically I see about 1 second of the program and then the screen goes black with normal sound. BBCiPlayer works fine.

Don't suppose anyone out there has tried a VPN which also blocks adverts?