[Apreche]

Do not use the Smart TV, Roku, Chromecast, Fire stick, cable box, or any other nonsense. Get a real computer, aka an HTPC (home theater PC). If gaming interests you, get a Windows PC, otherwise Mac is fine. Connect it to the TV with an HDMI cable.

Congratulations. Now by using both legal and illegal methods you can watch pretty much every TV show or movie ever, probably with no ads. And if you choose illegal methods, it will usually be free. You can also play just about every video game ever.

And what's great is you only have one box under the TV. That's it. A very clean setup. Throw every other box in the trash. You won't need them. A real computer can do everything they do, and more.

An AppleTV can be an acceptable choice because you can use a Mac and Airplay, which is sort of effectively the same thing as having the Mac directly connected to the TV.

I've lived with this setup for almost 20 years now, and it still can't be beat. I really don't understand why anyone with the technical knowledge to set this up would choose anything else.

[xk_id]

Exactly. If you are bothered by the type of things mentioned by OP, then you are not in the target market for that product. And also, you are probably capable of building your own, custom setup. So simply don't buy the product. This actually extends for all consumer products, not only TV, or even electronics (recently I've been making custom cosmetic products).

[fyrn_]

For legal methods you're also likely limited to 1080p streaming at best though sadly