I let Claude Code debloat my Smart TV, and it exposed a bigger problem

When using a modern smart TV, many users experience noticeable lag when booting up or navigating apps such as Netflix and YouTube. This lag is often attributed to the hardware, which typically features outdated processors and limited RAM. In an experiment conducted using Claude Code, a smart TV running Google TV was modified to see if performance could be improved.

Claude Code was given instructions to identify and uninstall unnecessary apps, but only three were removed – Sony's promotional app, Sony Select, and a retail demonstration app. Despite these changes, the main issue of lag when turning on the TV remained unchanged. Claude Code also discovered that YouTube loading times were significantly longer immediately after a reboot compared to after the TV had settled for a while, and the TV's CPU was nearly fully occupied during the initial tests, with considerable memory swapping and reclamation occurring in the background.

While removing unused apps can help, the bigger problem stems from the launcher, which often features ads and distractions. To address this, users could either code their own launcher using Claude Code or opt for a pre-existing launcher available on the Play Store, such as AT4K Launcher. However, the fundamental issue remains: underpowered hardware limits the potential for software improvements.

Despite the experiment's limitations, it provided valuable insights into the TV's performance issues.