Why I want I hadn’t purchased my Samsung OLED TV

In June 2024, in a dusty TV store empty of consumers save myself, my spouse, and my children, I stared deep into the LG C3 and Samsung S90C. I went backwards and forwards between the 2 OLED screens for simply 20 minutes, fortunately paralyzed by the selection in entrance of me. The Video Solely salesperson tried to clarify that there was no fallacious determination.

A 12 months and a half later, I disagree: I remorse selecting the Samsung over the LG. I remorse it each time I alter the amount on my TV, each time I plug in a brand new system, and particularly ever for the reason that Logitech Concord Amazon Alexa integration shit the mattress and I’ve to fumble a Samsung distant to modify inputs.

Samsung’s QD-OLED panel itself is phenomenal, if nothing special in 2026. The issue is the software program. I might pay Samsung $100, proper now, for this “sensible” TV to be as dumb as those I grew up with.

Heck, I’d give Samsung 50 bucks simply to allow us to disable the amount indicator. Failing that, let’s see if disgrace works.

Let me be clear: One of many ultimate deciding causes I selected the Samsung S90C over the LG C3 was that LG had failed me earlier than. My LG E7 OLED, bought from a not-long-for-this-world Fry’s Electronics in 2018, finally developed a big warmth blemish (not your typical burn-in) that generally discolored the image. Earlier than that, my earlier Sony TV developed a line of darkish pixels shortly after the guarantee expired.

However each Sony and LG had unobtrusive onscreen quantity indicators, simply little icons close to the sting of the display. Samsung believes that anybody who ever wants issues a bit louder or quieter is keen to tolerate this aberration:

This eyesore stretches almost a 3rd of the best way throughout the display, vertically and horizontally, obscuring the unimaginable shifting artwork I’m attempting to look at beneath. And when you’re utilizing a receiver, it consumes all this display house to convey principally zero data. Not the present quantity stage, until you’re utilizing the TV’s built-in audio system, and never whether or not I’m getting a stereo or encompass or Dolby Atmos sign.

It’s the Samsung equal of Microsoft Clippy, however worse: “Seems to be such as you’re attempting to regulate the amount!”

We watch loads of films that comprise each too-loud motion and too-quiet dialogue, at an hour when children are presupposed to be in mattress, so we’re adjusting that quantity on a regular basis.

In 2023, person “1544CT” on the Samsung Group boards complained that “as an individual that watches a number of Motion pictures and reveals I can not suggest Samsung till this annoyance is mounted.” However they didn’t appear optimistic. In spite of everything, the corporate hadn’t but acted on a 26-page thread concerning the annoyance from 2020, one which now has over 130,000 views.

There are quite a few Reddit threads and even a Change.org petition to fix it. Although a Samsung moderator promised to ship the grievance to the corporate’s engineers, it’s been three extra years and almost 50,000 extra views with no decision. Some customers reported getting a v2203 replace that lowered the scale of the overlay, not less than, however it seems that replace may have been paused in December because of points. Will we ever get it?

Downside quantity two: Samsung has no correct idea of an HDMI enter, so I’m fumbling with a distant each time I plug a brand new gadget in.

Right here is how my Samsung TV works in 2026:

I think not everybody’s all the time plugging in new gaming handhelds and Analogue 3Ds and mini-SNESes over HDMI like me. However on my LG TV set, and each HDMI-capable set I’ve ever owned earlier than, I may simply press a button to cycle by HDMI inputs till the appropriate image confirmed up.

Fortunately, my PS5 and Swap 2 have fairly respectable implementations of HDMI-CEC, the communications protocol that lets them ship instructions to my TV. When the youngsters need to watch Netflix or fireplace up Astro Bot, the ability button on the DualSense pad or Swap 2 Pleasure-Con will do it. However weirdly, they received’t flip my TV and receiver off.

I used to get round most of this by setting up complicated Logitech Harmony Hub routines that’d fireplace once I stated “Alexa, flip off the TV” or “Alexa, activate the Nintendo Swap.” However since that infrared Wi-Fi distant stopped syncing to Amazon and Logitech’s servers correctly this 12 months, I’ve had to make use of Samsung’s software program and distant greater than ever.

At some point, I had the thought to strive Dwelling Assistant, when the Samsung TV and Samsung’s SmartThings confirmed up in a listing of potential integrations. Possibly I may swap HDMI units from my telephone? However Samsung doesn’t expose particular person HDMI ports there, both; I may solely inform my display to modify to “TV” or “HDMI,” no different sources or channels.

These different HDMI sources do exist in Samsung’s API, as a result of a homebrew third-party integration made my different Linked Units like “PlayStation 5” and “AV Receiver” seem in Dwelling Assistant — however solely after connecting my TV to Samsung’s cloud and producing a customized API key. Sure, I’ve to achieve out over the web by Samsung’s cloud and again into my house to vary HDMI inputs. And it’s nonetheless not dependable, as a result of Samsung’s cloud generally tells me I’ve made too many requests, and generally wants an entire new token earlier than it’ll settle for instructions once more.

I’m about able to go in search of an old-school infrared common distant at this price and educate my children some pointing abilities. However hey, Samsung, how about $50 for a repair? I’ve PayPal, Venmo, hell, I’ll sort my card quantity into the TV itself when you’ll let me.

I requested Samsung a pair days in the past about potential updates, however it didn’t have a solution by publish time.