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Roku explores taking over HDMI feeds with ads (www.lowpass.cc)

submitted 6 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

62 comments fedilink hide all child comments

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/13903698

Roku is exploring ways to show consumers ads on its TVs even when they are not using its streaming platform: The company has been looking into injecting ads into the video feeds of third-party devices connected to its TVs, according to a recent patent filing.

This way, when an owner of a Roku TV takes a short break from playing a game on their Xbox, or streaming something on an Apple TV device connected to the TV set, Roku would use that break to show ads. Roku engineers have even explored ways to figure out what the consumer is doing with their TV-connected device in order to display relevant advertising.

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[–] [email protected] 55 points 6 months ago (2 children)

This is an interesting tidbit.

However, the fact that Roku even explored this points to a major underlying issue: These days, TV makers hardly make any money with their physical products. Roku’s FY 2023 earnings report shows that the company lost $44 million on the sale of smart TVs, streaming players and other devices in 2023. What brings in the bacon are ads and services; Roku generated a gross profit of nearly $1.6 billion with this business segment.

The only purpose of the TV is to show you ads indefinitely. Even when the sale, which is a loss leader, is recouped by ads you'd think, "Hmm. Maybe that's enough of that." But no, for these companies and their insatiable greed it will never be enough.

[+] [email protected] 41 points 6 months ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

[removed by mod]

[–] [email protected] 32 points 6 months ago (3 children)

Pro sports in the US are really doing everything they can to cram ads in. They’ve maxed out on commercial breaks so they’re going in another direction: playing surfaces and uniforms are getting more ads on them. If you want to watch the game, you have to see the ads. If you don’t watch sports much I’d encourage you to just watch a game for a few minutes (the NHL especially) and see how bad it’s gotten.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Prior to going to an NFL game because my mom won tickets while renting a vhs back in the day, I'd never watched a football game on TV.

My cousin offered to take me to the game so we went. I was blown away that after every couple minutes the players just kinda stood around on the field while TV commercials were run. I couldn't believe that was how the game went. I always assumed they filmed the whole thing and then broke it up for commercials when it aired on TV. I had no idea it was live and that's just how it was. Even now it blows my mind when I think back to that.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I can appreciate NFL athletes wanting to just stand around and catch their breath, because of the intensity of the sport.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago

we ran a hell of a lot more than that in middle school and high school sports without any breaks... these guys are getting millions upon millions of dollars to basically stand around for several minutes after a couple of plays

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 months ago (1 children)

It's so aggressive. When I was young I could watch the players on the court. Now they have the tracking technology (which... as someone into 3d graphics programming I have to admit, that kind of technology is cool) to project ads into the space dynamically. So the court just has more and more virtual real estate sold off for viewers at home. I'm sure it's all perfectly focus and user tested to ensure the exact right balance between unwatchable garbage and, "Ok, I can notice it and maybe I don't like it but I can barely ignore it."

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:

[–] [email protected] 13 points 6 months ago

They keep adding more and more shit to the main screen too. I can't even turn off all the bullshit fake channels that are really just ads now. I used to have a muscle-memory pattern of hitting 3 buttons to turn my tv off when we finish watching a show or movie, and now half the time it opens some goddamned ad and the other half of the time it turns the tv off.

They force me to look at the damned screen to see what i'm doing and then i see these little shitty channels of whatever garbage they're trying to hawk now.