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The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers has established viewing distance recommendations tied to screen size and field of view. Its standard 30-degree rule suggests sitting about 1.6 times a TV's diagonal size away for general viewing, while a 40-degree rule (1.2 times diagonal) offers a more immersive experience, and a 62-degree rule caters to those wanting an extreme, theater-like setup.
Smart TVs still rely on remote controls, and many now support using a smartphone as a substitute via built-in IR blasters or app-based connectivity. Certain Android phones have infrared hardware and pre-installed universal remote apps that let users pair with their TV brand and control power, volume, and navigation. Devices from Apple, Samsung, and Google lack this IR hardware, but alternative software-based remote options exist for those users.
A tech review explains that standalone streaming devices such as Roku, Fire TV Stick and Chromecast can meaningfully improve on a smart TV's built-in software. Because smart TV manufacturers license operating systems from companies like Amazon, Google and Roku, performance varies widely and often degrades as the hardware ages, leading to lag and crashes. Adding a modern streaming device can restore speed and reliability at a fraction of the cost of replacing an entire television.
A Gamers Nexus investigation accused LG TVs of covertly recording audio and monitoring viewing habits, sparking backlash even after LG issued a response. However, reporting shows this kind of automatic content recognition tracking, which fingerprints audio and video to identify what's being watched, is used industry-wide, not just by LG, and users typically consent to it through dense terms of service.
LG issued a detailed statement pushing back on a Gamers Nexus investigation alleging its smart TVs capture audio and network data even while asleep or offline. The company said voice processing only activates via a wake word or remote button press, and that features like Automatic Content Recognition and ad targeting are opt-in, not default.
LG issued a statement rebutting claims that its smart TVs spy on users, asserting that wake-word audio is processed locally and only converted to text if a wake word is detected. The company said Automatic Content Recognition, voice recognition, and interest-based advertising are optional and disabled by default, and that speech data isn't stored or transmitted once the TV goes offline.
LG issued a statement responding to findings from Gamers Nexus, Level1Techs and independent researchers that its smart TVs log and upload user data, including ambient audio. LG says its TVs don't continuously record or transmit conversations, that wake-word detection happens locally, and that features like Automatic Content Recognition and voice recognition are optional and off by default.
An investigation by YouTube channel Gamers Nexus, working with independent security researchers and Level1Techs, found that LG smart TVs scan local Wi-Fi networks to catalog connected devices and nearby network names, even while offline or in standby mode. The TVs also use automatic content recognition to track viewing habits and have microphones capable of capturing and transcribing nearby conversations, with the collected data reportedly funneled to LG's advertising arm.
LG issued a statement to Tom's Hardware rejecting claims from a Gamers Nexus investigation that its smart TVs constantly log data and record ambient audio even in standby mode. LG confirmed its TVs scan local networks for other devices, a common smart-TV feature, but insisted voice data is only processed when a remote button is pressed or a wake word like 'Hi LG' is detected. The company said no audio is transmitted unless that wake word is recognized, and wake-word detection itself happens on-device rather than being sent to servers.
An investigation by Gamers Nexus, in partnership with Level1Techs and independent researchers, found that LG OLED smart TVs continuously scan local networks for nearby devices, track Wi-Fi and location data, and can record microphone audio even in standby mode. The TVs reportedly stored this data locally when disconnected from the internet and uploaded it to LG Ad Solutions once reconnected.
An analysis breaks down why cheap and expensive smart TVs differ mainly in their system-on-a-chip, which handles video decoding, upscaling, and app performance. Budget TVs often lack AI-assisted upscaling, are capped at 60Hz refresh rates, and tend to run menus and apps more slowly, while pricier models handle 120Hz output and sharper image reconstruction.
Many users are reporting that their YouTube feed, including grids and video titles, fails to load across Android, iOS, web browsers, smart TVs, and even the YouTube TV app. YouTube has acknowledged the problem in a support forum post and is investigating, while suggesting switching networks or disabling Wi-Fi as a temporary workaround.