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Smart TV's, Do They Get Computer Type Viruses When Watching Internet On The TV?


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Old 26-07-2014, 12:20
Styker
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Are smart TV's at risk from getting computer type viruses when people watch video streaming on the TV? If so, does it happen much and anyway of getting a tv version of anti virus software on the tv?

What's the worst case scenario if a virus does get through on a smart tv? The TV is effectively finished or an expensive repair will fix it?

I'm thinking I would mainly like to watch my youtube account on smart tv and general catch up tv programmes. What do you think and or what are your experiences on this?

Thanks in advance of your replies.
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Old 26-07-2014, 12:28
chrisjr
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No.

Or at least the likelihood of anyone devising a virus to attack a TV is so minuscule as to be effectively zero. One would also have to ask to what possible end anyone would want to do that.

A TV is not like a computer. I very much doubt you would do anything like internet banking on the thing or anything sensitive like that. So it is difficult to see what a virus writer would gain from targeting something like a telly.

Oh and you have to remember that you can't install any old bit of software on a telly. Despite the "Smart" designation they are in reality very dumb and very limited in what you can do with them. If the manufacturer does not have an app to do something then in most cases you can forget it. Installing third party software (which would include a virus) is virtually impossible.
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Old 26-07-2014, 12:32
Nigel Goodwin
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Agreed, NO!!!

As there's no method provided of downloading and running a program in the set, and every set is completely different, it wouldn't be possible anyway.
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Old 26-07-2014, 12:38
Styker
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Thanks guys. Though I'm just trying to play my play lists on youtube and its just doing that circular motion, I'll try another.
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Old 26-07-2014, 12:42
chrisjr
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Thanks guys. Though I'm just trying to play my play lists on youtube and its just doing that circular motion, I'll try another.
Are you going into YouTube using a YouTube app on the TV (which many have) or via a web browser on the TV?

If you are using a web browser then forget YouTube. As i posted above "Smart" TVs are anything but. Any web browser they have will be severely limited in what it can do compared to a PC browser.playing audio and video clips is most likely one of the things it can't do. Hence why many TVs have a specific YouTube app to handle that.

Though whether you can access playlists etc using that app is another matter.
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Old 26-07-2014, 12:45
davor
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A hacker could in theory hack into your tv and get access to your camera and microphone, or eventually could hack into your Chromecast (if any), and play anything on your tv screen. Having said all this, all connected devices are hackable, so I wouldn't worry much about it, Viruses however are not available on smart tv's yet. The main reason for this is that smart tv's do not have built in hard drives and the apps you install on your tv are never actually fully installed locally, but are stored on the remote server of the tv manufacturers.
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Old 26-07-2014, 12:57
Styker
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Are you going into YouTube using a YouTube app on the TV (which many have) or via a web browser on the TV?

If you are using a web browser then forget YouTube. As i posted above "Smart" TVs are anything but. Any web browser they have will be severely limited in what it can do compared to a PC browser.playing audio and video clips is most likely one of the things it can't do. Hence why many TVs have a specific YouTube app to handle that.

Though whether you can access playlists etc using that app is another matter.
I was told that it had a youtube app but it doesn't seem to, it seems to have internet browsing available on it and I loaded youtube that way. I wasn't going to load my yt account at first but pressing all the keys via the remote was a bit of a pain so decided to go into my account.

The sound enhancements don't seem to be available when on youtube which makes the sound average and from the limited useage of the Tv so far, I haven't seen the Dolby enhancement become available yet. I hope it does when I play a movie and that it sounds at least pretty good. Good action films are a way of working out how good or not sound levels are. Crimson Tide is a good one to go by.
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Old 26-07-2014, 13:08
grahamlthompson
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I was told that it had a youtube app but it doesn't seem to, it seems to have internet browsing available on it and I loaded youtube that way. I wasn't going to load my yt account at first but pressing all the keys via the remote was a bit of a pain so decided to go into my account.

The sound enhancements don't seem to be available when on youtube which makes the sound average and from the limited useage of the Tv so far, I haven't seen the Dolby enhancement become available yet. I hope it does when I play a movie and that it sounds at least pretty good. Good action films are a way of working out how good or not sound levels are. Crimson Tide is a good one to go by.
To play youtube via a browser you probably need adobe flash player (Your PC will most likely have adobe flash installed).

Try playing back videos on the BBC News Website on your TV, you will most likely get video format not supported message.

The TV in common with tablet PC's don't normally support Adobe Flash. You need a separate app for Youtube and another for BBC News Video content.
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Old 26-07-2014, 13:25
Styker
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To play youtube via a browser you probably need adobe flash player (Your PC will most likely have adobe flash installed).

Try playing back videos on the BBC News Website on your TV, you will most likely get video format not supported message.

The TV in common with tablet PC's don't normally support Adobe Flash. You need a separate app for Youtube and another for BBC News Video content.
Just now it didn't play a video on YT saying it needs adobe flash, do you think its ok to download it via the TV or would I need a license for it or won't it be possible to load it anyway on the TV?
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Old 26-07-2014, 14:01
chrisjr
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Just now it didn't play a video on YT saying it needs adobe flash, do you think its ok to download it via the TV or would I need a license for it or won't it be possible to load it anyway on the TV?
I would be very surprised indeed if there was any way at all to install a Flash plugin on the TV.

You have to remember that you are not dealing with a computer type device. It's not even as capable as the most basic bottom of the range smartphone.
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Old 26-07-2014, 14:13
mac2708
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I think that it's a Samsung TV that you have and, from what I can see, there should be a youtube app or does this depend on model?
http://www.samsung.com/uk/tvapps/

Which model is it?

As has been said though it's highly unlikely that you can install Adobe Flash
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Old 26-07-2014, 14:34
Orbitalzone
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Of course non of the above will stop Norton and McAfee from launching TV Antivirus products, coming soon.
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Old 26-07-2014, 16:05
Styker
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I think that it's a Samsung TV that you have and, from what I can see, there should be a youtube app or does this depend on model?
http://www.samsung.com/uk/tvapps/

Which model is it?

As has been said though it's highly unlikely that you can install Adobe Flash
I don't have the exact model number to hand but its a H series, something like UE32H550. A 32 inch tv, with the smart capability.
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Old 26-07-2014, 16:10
Styker
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Of course non of the above will stop Norton and McAfee from launching TV Antivirus products, coming soon.
Re viruses, I've heard for a few years now that phones get viruses and I've definetely heard some people have got some kind of virus on their tv's too, as I'm not an expert, thought I'd ask. Prevention is better than cure afterall.

Also, any company can get computer viruses as can countries with their systems so whats to say that if a company gets hacked at their end, anyone recieving their programmes in whatever form won't get it either? And maybe one day there will be some in built protection.
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Old 26-07-2014, 16:47
Nigel Goodwin
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I've definetely heard some people have got some kind of virus on their tv's too, as I'm not an expert, thought I'd ask.
Just because you hear something in the pub doesn't mean it's correct

As for 'flash player' you can't download and install things on TV's (other than the manufacturers apps), which is why you can't get a virus.

As others have said, TV's aren't 'smart' they are particularly dumb - basically iPlayer and a few other catchup options, the rest is junk. Sets that have Skype are pretty handy though.
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Old 26-07-2014, 17:26
Rossby41
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I would think it would be very unlikely for TV to get viruses. They are running custom operating systems (often very closed), they very few people have access to the code of said system.
That said they're are a few TV manufacturers who are releasing TV's with more common operating systems (LG running WebOS, and Philips with Android).
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Old 26-07-2014, 17:38
mac2708
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I don't have the exact model number to hand but its a H series, something like UE32H550. A 32 inch tv, with the smart capability.
A search for that model finds mostly French sites however a review on Amazon for the UE32ES5500 says:
"Using YouTube and accessing the web via the browser is good - but very fiddly via their text inputting screen."

Whether it means youtube with a built-in app or through the web browser is hard to tell

http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B007JURCUU

If you could perhaps post the exact model number it may be easy to check a manual to determine what apps are provided
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Old 27-07-2014, 14:23
tealady
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Just now it didn't play a video on YT saying it needs adobe flash, do you think its ok to download it via the TV or would I need a license for it or won't it be possible to load it anyway on the TV?
The easiest way to use YouTube is via Chromecast. Navigation via a smart TV is awkward.
You are not going to get a virus for reasons above, plus you are also going through the manufacturer's servers.
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Old 27-07-2014, 16:30
Orbitalzone
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Just to throw this into the mix - the Stuxnet virus was created with a very specific task so anything is possible, it's just whether someone has a need to do such a thing.

It's the sort of thing I'd imagine NDS used to do when they were bored
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Old 27-07-2014, 16:44
Nigel Goodwin
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Just to throw this into the mix - the Stuxnet virus was created with a very specific task so anything is possible, it's just whether someone has a need to do such a thing.
Sorry, but nothing whatsoever to do with TV's - it's an attack over a Windows network at a programmable system. TV's aren't programmable, and you can't even download (or upload) any programmes to them. And assuming you even could, you would have to know the full inner workings of the TV and the processor it runs on (different in pretty well every set).
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Old 27-07-2014, 17:10
Styker
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Just because you hear something in the pub doesn't mean it's correct

As for 'flash player' you can't download and install things on TV's (other than the manufacturers apps), which is why you can't get a virus.

As others have said, TV's aren't 'smart' they are particularly dumb - basically iPlayer and a few other catchup options, the rest is junk. Sets that have Skype are pretty handy though.
It was on news reports that I heard about the viruses. But if I can access the internet from the TV which it seems I can how come they are free of getting viruses? Because they don't have hard drives like someone posted earlier?

A search for that model finds mostly French sites however a review on Amazon for the UE32ES5500 says:
"Using YouTube and accessing the web via the browser is good - but very fiddly via their text inputting screen."

Whether it means youtube with a built-in app or through the web browser is hard to tell

http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B007JURCUU

If you could perhaps post the exact model number it may be easy to check a manual to determine what apps are provided
This is the TV I bought. http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-dvd-...02063-pdt.html

If anyone likes the look of it as well but doesn't want the smart version its going for just under £250 the non smart one.
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Old 27-07-2014, 17:17
Orbitalzone
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Sorry, but nothing whatsoever to do with TV's - it's an attack over a Windows network at a programmable system. TV's aren't programmable, and you can't even download (or upload) any programmes to them. And assuming you even could, you would have to know the full inner workings of the TV and the processor it runs on (different in pretty well every set).
Sigh............ of course. The point being that viruses can be engineered to do an incredible range of things, in the case of stuxnet it was to damage centrifuges for separating nuclear material in Iran.

Anyway, I'll go thrash myself with some birch.
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Old 27-07-2014, 17:17
Nigel Goodwin
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It was on news reports that I heard about the viruses. But if I can access the internet from the TV which it seems I can how come they are free of getting viruses? Because they don't have hard drives like someone posted earlier?
Haven't you realised that the News (and particularly Newspapers) make up much of what they report?, particularly anything to do with technology where they don't have a clue.

You can't catch a 'virus' by 'going on the Internet' - you catch a virus by downloading it and then running it - this can happen automatically in some circumstances, by exploiting security holes in the OS.

This can't happen on a TV though because it doesn't have the capability of downloading anything, or running anything - and even if it did, it would have to be specifically written for that exact model of TV, and completely different to any other virus.

Do you think you could 'catch' a Windows virus on a Sinclair Spectrum? - and there's a LOT more chance of that, as at least a Spectrum is a programmable system that can download and run programs.
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Old 27-07-2014, 17:22
anthony david
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People buy smart TVs for services such as BBC iPlayer, though sadly few do ITV player or 4OD, together with other apps via the companies portal. They do this well and conveniently but that's all, web browsing or anything else like that is dire. If you want more, use a computer or a tablet, plus a TV connection if you need a big screen.
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Old 27-07-2014, 17:28
mac2708
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I was told that it had a youtube app but it doesn't seem to, it seems to have internet browsing available on it and I loaded youtube that way. I wasn't going to load my yt account at first but pressing all the keys via the remote was a bit of a pain so decided to go into my account.

.
What you were told about youtube and what it actually has appear to be two different things.
youtube may be available as an app from the App Store but it's not specifically mentioned in the spec which says

- Catch up TV: BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, 4oD, Demand 5, BBC News, BBC Sport
- App store
- Custom homepage
- Full internet browser
- Social media: Facebook, Twitter
- Skype-compatible

Ask the Currys salesman who sold it to you
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