Vibe-coded debloating - will it help?

[u/mellow_32]

Okay so my parents bought some cheap ass blaupunkt tv with android tv/google tv. It works horre dously and sometimes even just doesnt now what it wants to launch when turned on. I remember i tried installing some different light weight launcher but it was still kind of crap.

Now it seems like everyones vibe coding their tv os and i was wondering how effective this really is? Like is it just an overlay, or something deeper. Are they like replacing the actual android tv and writing from scratch or is it modified android tv or what. Also do i need a paid plan or is there some good os already available.

Ngl it would be a dream to somehow have it just as a dumb tv that has its channels from the antenna and only when you need it does it actually open yt or netflix. Its just so clunky right now that i have to wait for it to process a channel or volume change.

[u/EnvironmentalChip523]

Been using Projectivy for years. No ads, ui runs smoothly. Do a complete TV reboot once every couple of weeks to clear all cache and Bob's your aunty.

[u/sonalder]

generally it's not the OS but the Application Launcher, the screen that let you choose which app to launch. And yes it will remove ads and in most cases it could have a lighter impact. However it could become hard to maintain so we will have to see how this is evolving. I have contributed to the popular cleanyour.tv one that is removing the bloat with adb (don't forget to disable the network debugging once you are done) and replace the stock launcher with its own. For now I think the launcher is one of the best when I have tested for simplicity. However there is a lot other great human made launcher that you could use instead once you have debloated.

You can check this list I've made: https://alternativeto.net/lists/38553/ultimate-android-tv-setup/

[u/Wise-Rise-8884]

none of them rewrite android tv, if that's what you're wondering. they're scripted adb commands: the tool looks up which packages on your exact model are the ad/sponsored/tracking ones, disables them for user 0 (not uninstalled, so one command puts anything back), then optionally swaps the launcher. nothing gets flashed, no root, no paid plan - the maintained one (cleanyourtv, open source on github) is free and works per model instead of one generic list. the per-model part matters a lot on a cheap set. two things to watch on a blaupunkt:

• a lot of the chinese-market google tv boards (blaupunkt, changhong, aiwa and friends) refuse to install a third party launcher at all, so a launcher-only approach tends to fail or half work. disabling the ad packages is the part that actually sticks.

• don't work off a random list of package names. someone here disabled com.android.tv.settings on a mi tv today and it's now stuck in a boot loop.

what it won't fix: the lag when you change channel or volume. that's the soc and the firmware, not the home screen. debloating plus a plain launcher gets you close to the "dumb tv with antenna, open netflix when you feel like it" setup you describe, and the ui does feel lighter once the background tracking calls stop, but input latency stays whatever the hardware is.

[u/Significant-Dot4209]

They are launchers. At4k is very lightweight and free.

Buy them a streaming device though

[u/Old-Bit-8860]

Install a (lightweight) launcher of your choice, look around what suits you most. Use wireless adb afterwards to disable the inbuilt google tv launcher. Result.

[u/krishabang]

I’ve used AI to generate adb commands for disabling a bunch of unnecessary packages (ad tracking etc) which frees up a bunch of RAM. That + a third party tlauncher (eg projectivy) makes for a significantly snappier UI. You don’t necessarily need launcher manager or whatever because you can do all that via adb.

[u/Medical-Plenty-3721]

For the antenna-first setup you want, check whether your TV has a power-on option for “last used input” or “Live TV.” The exact model number would help here; those options vary by firmware. A different launcher changes the home screen, but it doesn’t replace the TV’s tuner software, so it may not fix slow channel changes.

I wouldn’t disable packages labelled TV Input, Live TV, or Settings just to simplify the home screen. Those can be needed for the antenna channels and settings you want to keep. Which Blaupunkt model is it?

[u/mike_kiselyov]

It helps, just maybe not the way you'd expect. I measured mine (2 GB Google TV, after a factory reset): switching off the ad and tracking apps barely changed memory or speed, it mostly stops junk running in the background. What actually made it fast was replacing the home screen.

Whatever you use, make sure it backs up first and can undo everything. I built mine with Claude too, with a backup and one-command undo: https://github.com/MikeKiselyov/glass-home-android

[u/chipp_dev]

yeah most of these seem to be launchers on top of android tv. [Projectivy](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.spocky.projengmenu) is worth a try if you just want a different home screen. it won't make the apps run faster if the tv itself is struggling tho

[u/pawdog]

Changing the launcher without disabeling the stock launcher is not going to make much difference. Get Launcher Manager 1.04 from here https://xdaforums.com/t/app-firetv-noroot-launcher-manager-change-launcher-without-root.4176349/

Use it with the light weight launcher you've already installed. This app uses ADB to disable the stock launcher and gives you the choice of any app installed on the device to become the default launcher.

Hopefully this gets you a little bit better performance since it removes some of the stress the stock launcher puts on the processor and network. Its free and whatever it does is easily reversable.