Unless the set top box (apple or whoever) has an aerial/satellite /Cable input you still need to use the normal TV to watch standard channels, exposing you to the UI adverts.

I had considered buying an Apple TV, but my Samsung TV does everything I want just with stupid adverts, which I won't be able to get away from if I have to swap sources to Apple TV and back to live TV

[–] Quicky@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Depends where you are, but you can watch live TV on a lot of the apps for UK broadcast services. It’s less convenient obviously because you’d have to switch apps, but it’s possible (in the UK at least) to watch everything through Apple TV without having to go back to the TV’s input, although you’d still get ads from the non-BBC apps.

[–] Grimy@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

An old computer, phone, tablet or a raspb pi connected to your tv directly.

[–] NOT_RICK@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

I use an Xbox which admittedly does have some ads on the Home Screen but isn’t as intrusive as something like the fire tv full screen autoplay ads. If Microsoft makes it any worse I would probably switch to an Apple TV. Open to other suggestions from others though.

[–] knightly@pawb.social 1 points 1 year ago

We don't.

[–] Boinkage@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Another reason for pi-hole! The spot where my tv shows ads is just an empty box. Very satisfying.

[–] Benjaben@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

How often do you find you need to mess with it? I've wanted to dabble but I'm super wary of introducing yet one more thing I need to tinker with to keep happy (especially if it's gonna block the whole house's internet if it breaks).

[–] tyler@programming.dev 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I have a pi.hole and the only time I literally ever touch the interface is if my wife thinks something is broken because of it. Usually it’s not the problem. I literally never touch it otherwise.

[–] Benjaben@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Sweet, thanks.

[–] Boinkage@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I almost never have to mess with it once I got it running. Very occasionally I have to turn off blocking for a minute to access a website that is being served by an ad server, but this is easy. There is a web interface that you can use on your phone web browser with an option to pause blocking for 30 seconds or 5 minutes.

It has never broken or had a bad update or something and blocked my whole Internet. Good reliable set up and forget software. Been running it for years.

[–] Benjaben@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Great to hear, thanks!

[–] tyler@programming.dev 1 points 1 year ago

AppleTV doesn’t show ads. TV set to automatically turn on to Apple TV source and then never see an ad unless the app you’re using has them.