"There are a few guides on the web to minimize these intrusions, which include not only digging into the Samsung Tizen UX to chase checkboxes and mess around with settings, but also having to go into your broadband router's configuration and block lists of ad serving domains.

You can also use Cisco's free consumer OpenDNS service to do this and override the DNS settings within the TV without messing with your router, which is what I ended up doing. But that requires the ability to update your dynamic IP from your router, so you may need to refresh OpenDNS's settings on occasion."

Or you can put your own router, a computer you control with an open source OS of your choosing, in front of or in place of the ISP's router. Then you can, through various means, control the TV's access to DNS or other servers.

Maybe the OP is stopping some ads by using OpenDNS, but he is not stopping data collection, commercial surveillance and data sharing with third parties for commercial purposes. Under OpenDNS's extremely permissive "privacy" policy, anyone, including TV manufacturers like Samsung, can potentially get the DNS lookup data from Cisco.^1

"It's ridiculous that you can spend this kind of money on a product, cut cords, and pay extra not to have ads on certain services, and then have them forced down your throat in the TV UX."

You may pay extra to stop ads, but it will not stop the surveillance, data collection and sharing and use of the data for commercial purposes.

1. Some highlights from Cisco/OpenDNS "privacy" policy (https://web.archive.org/web/20220928020026if_/https://www.ci...)

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Financial Information (e.g., bank account details, etc.);

Details of an individual's business and other interests and opinions (e.g., where information is held in a Customer Relationship Management database); and

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