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Developer Uses Claude Code to Debloat Xiaomi TV and Open-Sources CleanYourTV

A developer used Claude Code to debloat a Xiaomi TV and open-sourced the fix, as AI-assisted firmware mods spread to cameras.

AI News Feed · 2026-10-24 20:13

According to the report, the Xiaomi TV showed a sponsored ad before opening Netflix. After the modification, the home screen became cleaner, and users in a Reddit discussion asked whether their own TV models could be adapted and posted screenshots of their modified minimalist home screens.

The method relies on ADB, or Android Debug Bridge, a tool long used in the Android ecosystem. With the TV and computer on the same local network and debugging permission enabled, the AI assistant can inspect hundreds of running app components, identify boot ads and telemetry programs that report viewing data, and issue commands to freeze them. A clean open-source launcher is then installed. HDMI and external input sources, normally buried in second-level menus, can also be placed on the home screen.

YouTuber Ansub Khan documented a similar process in an open-source project called TV Detox. His TV previously played noisy carousel content by default; after modification, the new home screen showed only a clock, frequently used video apps and input sources. In his video, usable memory rose from about 370 MB to 600–650 MB. A TCL Beyond user who followed the prompt said the TV felt lighter and more responsive after removing heavy background processes, though the user did not provide precise measurements.

The report said users' preferences vary. Some want to keep the factory interface but remove ads and extra recommendations and remap remote-control shortcuts; a Sony KD-55A8H user changed the clock to 24-hour format, removed greetings, the date and decorative lines, and switched the system font to IBM Plex Sans. The report described AI as giving ordinary users a route to highly individualized customization that commercial standardization had limited.

The commercial context is that TV hardware is sold at low margins while advertising and platform services carry higher returns. Roku's 2025 results showed an $82.02 million gross loss in device hardware and $2.156 billion in gross profit from its platform business, which includes digital advertising, subscriptions and content distribution. TCL Electronics disclosed 2025 internet business revenue of HK$3.11 billion with a 56.4% gross margin, compared with a 16.8% gross margin for its large-size display business.

In China, the National Radio and Television Administration has said 93% of mainstream TV models support one-click or permanent closure of boot ads. The report said such measures do not remove ads inside streaming apps, including long pre-roll spots, full-screen pause promotions and "large-screen exclusive VIP" pop-ups. CleanYourTV can clean only the TV system's preinstalled packages and official launcher, not the rules inside individual apps.

The report also described similar modifications in cameras. The open-source Recipe Lab project uses Sony's old PlayMemories Camera Apps entry to load custom color recipes on A6000 and A6300 models; research into A7 IV firmware version 6.02 found shutter-angle and LUT implementations that were officially blocked, though only icons could be adjusted so far. Nikon's Wonder Lantern project added 900-second long exposure, an on-screen histogram and custom shutter sounds to the Z30, and a Chinese reverse-engineering community unpacked and repackaged Nikon firmware to add new menu options. Ricoh GR Mod fits users' .cube LUT presets into in-camera style slots and adds a 65:24 aspect ratio. Developer justice-jake is trying to port new-model film simulations, snapshot focus and a recipe editor to the older Fujifilm X70 using AI-assisted USB debugging and firmware emulation. Hasselblad X Unleashed targets some medium-format cameras running a customized Android system and has unlocked wireless microphone, external monitoring and pixel shift; a community member ran Doom on an X2D 100C.

The report said such work once required months or years of assembly-code analysis and reverse-engineering, while AI-assisted code auditing is making it accessible to more people. It framed the TV and camera projects as attempts by owners to decide how hardware they bought should be used, against manufacturers' commercial controls.