UE40ES5700 - crapware removal?

[darklajid]

Hi.

-- Jump to "My question" to skip the rant..

I ended up here after having fun with my tv for a while and then connecting it to the network.
The "Smart" (..) Hub was next to unusable, dog slow. I installed a couple of apps, 3-4 maximum. Those worked fine: One example is the TED app.

Now, meanwhile I connected a 'Samsung account' with my box and for reasons I cannot understand the thing updated the smart hub, updated the smart hub, updated the smart hub (yes, three times) and during this last update it started saying 'installing application 1/26'. What??

So, I bought a decent tv, the first connection to the network loaded it with crap, dung, bull... - with no way to remove it. Samsung Support? "Unfortunately you cannot remove these applications". I wanted to lynch the guy on the phone or return the tv. A temporary solution existed though: Disable the 'Samsung account' and reset Smart Hub. Now I have not a single app installed, but at least the garbage is gone as well.

-- "My question"

Is there a way, any way to modify my tv to use the smart hub thingy for apps I want, while being able to remove every piece of junk these braindead people throw at me? A 'delete protected app' feature? A 'don't install stuff I didn't ask for and would throw that tv out of the window for in the first place' setting?

If this is totally impossible that's cool to know as well. I've bought the set not even a week ago and would return it as defective to the store in that case. I just cannot wait a lot longer before I've to decide.

Can you help? Any insight?

Thanks

[Denny]

hmm, well known problem,
i think Samsung Developers should add posibility(like agrrement "accept/not accept auto install") for user to alow auto instaling of "forced nstall apps", as ES serie have well low flash memory, i think alredy these 26 apps take u 80% or more of free flash space.


So maybee an email to samsung suport should help.


Also i saw in last SmatHub update, that if newer update is present , it ask me do i want to update it or continue execute it, this was in early version not present.

At the moment , you can delete autoinstalled apps and replace them by other filling flash up max. then these apps will be not installed anymore coz of missing space, no other way.

[darklajid]

At the moment , you can delete autoinstalled apps and replace them by other filling flash up max. then these apps will be not installed anymore coz of missing space, no other way.

Yeah, the thing is: I cannot. And Samsung confirmed on the phone that this is by design: I _cannot_ remove a good bunch of these apps.
The most offending apps. The apps that laugh in my face. I'm insulted. It's borderline 'We auto-installed a big swastika ladden thing, you cannot remove it, but you don't need to use it either'.

So that's no option. IF I'd be able to get root on the device, would I be able to mess with the relevant parts of the system (the smarthub - I cringe everytime I have to type 'smart' - dashboard, the top row of applications between the PIP tv screen in the top left and the smart tv ad or whatever that is in the top right)?
Would I be able to destroy them from a console? Change permissions so that they don't show up again?

Thanks again.

[dec0ding]

Yes, problem here is system design.
Unfortunately nowadays it becomes common practice for embedded vendors have total track and control of apps installed on devices.
With vendor's wish any app can be installed/uninstalled on TV without consent of the user. User also cannot decline updates.
I hate this system but its what we have on TV.

Possible proper reaction from the community would be to write their own infolink emulator to replace infolink.pavv.co.kr.
I did something in this direction for myself and got some success. Its definitely possible.
Emulator should keep database of installed widgets per device id.
Also we need to provide proper way of getting apps to the tv and get in sync with alternate infolink server.

[arris69]

...
Also we need to provide proper way of getting apps to the tv and get in sync with alternate infolink server.

it's all done, but what you think what traffic then you get on your server?

[dec0ding]

...
it's all done, but what you think what traffic then you get on your server?

If you are about what I mean by emulating infolink, I mean

Initial model bind sequence :
GET /openapi/device/model/bind?timestamp=372792 HTTP/1.1
GET /openapi/device/lookup?timestamp=373639 HTTP/1.1
GET /openapi/device/auth/seedkey?timestamp=373965 HTTP/1.1
GET /openapi/conf/date?timestamp=374370 HTTP/1.1
GET /openapi/conf/log?service=widget&timestamp=1357715720746 HTTP/1.1
GET /openapi/conf/log?service=tv&timestamp=1357715721063 HTTP/1.1


Normal (signed) widget query :
GET /openapi/service/widget/signed/121199000395?timestamp=1357717691474 HTTP/1.1

Widget list query:
GET /openapi/service/widget/list?lang=ru&timestamp=1357717684646 HTTP/1.1

Crapware gallery query (5 little icons on the top, updated every week or so) :
GET /openapi/service/widget/gallery?featured=partners&lang=ru&timestamp=1357717685599 HTTP/1.1

More crapware query (These are big ones - samsung apps, fitness, family store):
GET /openapi/service/widget/gallery?featured=signature&lang=ru&timestamp=1357717686022 HTTP/1.1



If we implement
Widget list query + Normal (signed) widget query

+

return empty Crapware gallery query + More crapware query

we have our goal.

[juusso]

all okey, but dns server should be transparent for any other internet requests like vod services and so on.. and at same time filter infolink crap. this is hard task. Don't you think? Or every user should have its own infolink server?

Arris, hosts file just only for exceptionally infolink request, leaving all other traffic untouched...

[dec0ding]

Its not so hard. Hardest part is to make it use http instead of https because SSL certs are checked.
Need to have root access then its very simple to change https to http by editing widget manager code.
(I tested this)

Then we have two apporaches.
in both we create own http server and redirect DNS of infolink.pavv.co.kr to it

1) Act as proxy for all requests except widget gallery.
gallery?featured=partners - return empty xml
gallery?featured=signature - return only samsung apps, everthing else is removed
Its quite easy to write proxing in PHP. Just take input headers/body and pass it to real infolink, then get and return output headers/body to tv.

2) Reimplement whole infolink.
Its also not too hard. Hardest part here to maintain synchonized list of widgets installed on tv.
Bind and other initial requests are very simple.

[arris69]

...
Arris, hosts file just only for exceptionally infolink request, leaving all other traffic untouched...

you can set ip addresses what you want in host file not just infolink.pavv.co.kr
but i told you allready, problem is then you can get any widget from samsung server also ones where authors like to get money for it...

[arris69]

Its not so hard. Hardest part is to make it use http instead of https because SSL certs are checked.
Need to have root access then its very simple to change https to http by editing widget manager code.
(I tested this)

if you have rooted the device to change https to http requests then you can also put your own root CA onto the device...

...