TV software is getting loaded with ads, changing what it means to own a TV set.

“The TV business isn’t just about selling TVs anymore. Companies are increasingly seeing viewers, not TV sets, as their most lucrative asset…”

  • chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    2·
    1 month ago

    “each new connected TV platform user generates around $5 per quarter in data and advertising revenue.”

    Sounds like a pathetic amount of money for betraying your customers with a shitty ad infested smart tv

          • chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com
            0·
            1 month ago

            The profit they get from the sale of the television should be enough that they don’t have to make the television shit to get slightly more profit, why do people even buy these

            • Sneezycat@sopuli.xyz
              2·
              1 month ago

              The profit they get from a tv is a single sale. The way they want to make money nowadays is as passive income, that’s why they’re pushing all the subscription services everywhere. It’s a lot more money for them.

              Think of it like this: a $500 tv can earn them $50 profit, but $5/quarter for the same tv means they get double that profit in 2 and a half years. And they’ll probably make triple or quadruple that, so they get 4 times as much money for the same tv sale.

  • LazaroFilm@lemmy.worldEnglish
    21·
    1 month ago

    I miss dumb TV. I would pay more for a dumb OLED TV. Then add the media box of your choice, be it an Apple TV, a Raspberry Pi or whatever…

  • teagrrl@lemmy.ml
    0·
    1 month ago

    Recently had to buy a new TV due to a lightning strike (surge protector did nothing) and I never let my new “smart” TV communicate with the internet and it becomes a “dumb” TV and I feel pretty good about that.

    • Manalith@midwest.social
      1·
      1 month ago

      The annoying thing is that even without it connected to the internet, it’s still slowed down by the OS. I did the same and it’s still not as responsive to things like switching inputs as the projector I was using before it.

  • MerchantsOfMisery@lemmy.ml
    01·
    1 month ago

    Pfft, speak for yourself 😏I’m too poor to afford a TV.

    In all seriousness, I can’t afford a TV but wouldn’t buy one if I could because the dual monitor setup I have + a mini projector > modern TV nonsense. My projector isn’t anything fancy-- just a 720p bulb projector but I’m convinced that 4K, maybe/probably 8K laser projectors will be the endgame for many people, simply because at that point the resolution to screen size ratio for most people will be where the law of diminishing returns really starts to kick in.

    In 2024, nearly 60% of Steam users are still using 1080p monitors-- myself included. The shift for the average person from 1080p to 4K is taking considerably longer than the shift from 720p to 1080p. 1080p came out in 2007, 4K came out in 2012. Only a 5 year difference but 1080p remains king for the time being specifically because 4K is too expensive for the average person and harder to justify, particularly for computer monitors.

    For TVs, I think there’s always going to be the core chunk of people who just mindlessly buy smart TVs without putting any thought into privacy but I really do think that long term, we’re going to see a shift towards laser projectors that just accept video inputs from whatever source a person’s using, i.e. a Kodi box, PC, etc. Part of why I think this is because laser projection even during daytime is amazing.

    I’m rambling away but yeah, I think at a certain point between the ads and the fact that most people don’t care that much about 4K over 1080p (especially considering the enormous price difference), people are going to tap out soon.