c/technology · by Ludicrous0251@piefed.zip · 214d

Telly has only delivered 35,000 of its free televisions with always-on ads

https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/telly-has-only-delivered-35000-of-its-free-televisions-with-always-on-ads-215033698.html?src=rss

196 points · 59 comments · view on lemmy.world

59 Comments

hydrashok@sh.itjust.works · 77 pts · 214d (4 replies)

Surprised it’s that high of a number.

Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works · 45 pts · 214d (3 replies)

It’s free though. As in you can “buy” it to try and hack it or just not use it to make the company lose money.

BanMe@lemmy.world · 32 pts · 214d (2 replies)

There's a contract, modifying it or using it as not intended (or not using it at all) can make them request the unit back, if you don't comply they could take you to court. I doubt that happens but the threat is there.

snooggums@piefed.world · 26 pts · 214d

I see no way for them to know if I covered the lower screen with something to block it. Maybe even
mount a soundbar to something firm over top of the lower screen.

Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works · 14 pts · 214d

If there is a contract then that’s not a thing you own, it’s more like you leasing your living room.

I can leave everything I own in a storage space, if I can’t then I don’t own it.

Manjushri@piefed.social · 68 pts · 214d (3 replies)

10 percent of Telly's shipments through FedEx arrived broken

No big surprise there. Shipments I get through FedEx are always beat to hell.

unphazed@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 214d (2 replies)

Or the fuckers claim they couldn't deliver, or it goes on the truck, off the truck, repeat 2x, lost, then found 1 month later, or they back up over your pavers off a driveway that's 7 cars wide, or leave your shit at side of said driveway instead of walking it to the porch 20ft away (one of these happens with every one of my FedEx deliveries) UPS usually does great, except the one moron that left my daughter's $3k medicine by the trashcans down my hill.

Joelk111@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 214d

USPS > UPS > Amazon/DHL/etc > FedEx

If Amazon is doing better than you at serving the customer, you need to look deep inwards.

neclimdul@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 213d

I cut the drivers (not the company) slack for some of this sort of stuff. I had a friends dad that delivered for UPS apparently the expectations are impossible. You don't leave till deliveries are done but it's not possible to do in a normal day. Marking things delivered that weren't was apparently the only way to see his family sometimes.

FauxLiving@lemmy.world · 40 pts · 214d

leftascenter@jlai.lu · 39 pts · 214d (4 replies)

Does it have a proximity sensor on the power screen? If it is only a second screen, I can see an easy curtain hack.

fistac0rpse@fedia.io · 67 pts · 214d (2 replies)

db2@lemmy.world · 19 pts · 214d

Ready Player One if it were written as a hard sci fi

madjo@piefed.social · 12 pts · 214d

How to make people hate your brand 101.

BanMe@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 214d

IIRC yes it does want to be unobstructed, it won't necessarily stop working but they collect data on it and could cancel your contract if you do it.

Deceptichum@quokk.au · 28 pts · 214d (12 replies)

[ removed ]

kadu@scribe.disroot.org · 41 pts · 214d (11 replies)

That's the neat part, the USA, being known for moronic decisions, made it so circumventing DRM measures on hardware you own is a federal crime. Telly detects you attempted to do that, Telly can send you to prison.

sorghum@sh.itjust.works · 25 pts · 214d (2 replies)

You can do it yourself, but the actual crime is if you tell someone how to circumvent it.

modus@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 214d (1 reply)

I know I've seen this before but don't remember what it is.

pivot_root@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 214d

The decryption key for DVDs.

surewhynotlem@lemmy.world · 23 pts · 214d

Never connect your monitors to the internet.

Then hack them.

Deceptichum@quokk.au · 18 pts · 214d (1 reply)

[ removed ]

in_my_honest_opinion@piefed.social · 8 pts · 214d

We all do.

Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works · 15 pts · 214d (1 reply)

My television sending me to prison wasn't exactly the dystopic future I had imagined but it will do.

k0e3@lemmy.ca · 15 pts · 214d

Literally 1984 shit.

dan1101@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 214d (1 reply)

Don't connect the "smart" bits to the internet and just use the screen. No one would know. I expect it is small and/or crappy though.

ripcord@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 214d

It won't work without internet connection.

deltaspawn0040@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 214d

DRM is for restricting access, not guaranteeing constant mandatory access. I think it would be a gray area if someone disabled the ads.

FelixCress@lemmy.world · 23 pts · 214d (4 replies)

Orwellian.

bossito@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 214d (3 replies)

There's a Black Mirror episode with TVs just like these

FelixCress@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 214d (2 replies)

I don't remember this one? I remember one where a woman with an implant is forced to "play" commercials.

rob_t_firefly@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 214d (1 reply)

Maybe they're talking about the TV walls in "Fifteen Million Merits."

bossito@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 214d

Yeah I think that's the one

artyom@piefed.social · 19 pts · 214d (9 replies)

I wonder how much money consumers will spend on products that are advertised to them when they won't even buy a TV...

Also I wonder what the quality is like on a "free" TV...

cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com · -6 pts · 214d (8 replies)

When I heard about it before, they were repurposing old 720p panels.

With how cheap 4K sets are these days, these free TVs are for people who can't even afford that. I'd say they're useful as a secondary use for the heat they generate, in that case.

That said, I'd be fine with always on ads if ads and sponsorships never interrupt my content. Like if I'm watching a YouTube video and it's 4:3, I'm perfectly fine with YouTube filling the sides with ads, as long as they don't make noise, and as long as I can watch the content uninterrupted. If the video is 16:9 and fills my TV (or monitor), I'm fine propping my iPhone up. They can even use Face ID to pause the content if I look away, as long as I don't have to look right at the ad (I'll be watching the content).

Advertising pays for stuff, and if it doesn't get in the way of stuff, I don't hate it. They should try working with people rather than straight up exploiting everyone. That just leads to people turning off the ads using a third-party method (e.g. Firefox with uBlock Origin and SponsorBlock). Or I'll just download the video with jdownloader2.

artyom@piefed.social · 3 pts · 214d (6 replies)

Like if I’m watching a YouTube video and it’s 4:3, I’m perfectly fine with YouTube filling the sides with ads

Look at the photo in the OP. The ads are on a completely separate (attached) display.

MaggiWuerze@feddit.org · 3 pts · 214d (4 replies)

What's keeping me from just putting drapes over it?

artyom@piefed.social · 2 pts · 214d

Haha, probably nothing

Scrollone@feddit.it · 1 pts · 214d (2 replies)

There's a proximity sensor to detect if the screen is covered.

artyom@piefed.social · 2 pts · 214d

Unless the sensor is built into the display that's be pretty easy just to cut a hole for it.

MaggiWuerze@feddit.org · 2 pts · 214d

Got it! Used ghost costume it is!

cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com · -2 pts · 214d

Oh, my bad. I heard about this before, I knew it was 720, but I completely missed the part where it has an attached display not to mention can't see the picture. /s

Come on now.

I meant in general, like on other devices.

EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com · 1 pts · 213d

That said, I’d be fine with always on ads if ads and sponsorships never interrupt my content. Like if I’m watching a YouTube video and it’s 4:3, I’m perfectly fine with YouTube filling the sides with ads, as long as they don’t make noise, and as long as I can watch the content uninterrupted.

Similarly, but not quite same (because it is in the actual content rather than off to the side): I'm not bothered by ads on sports uniforms or on the field. When something exciting is actually going on, I don't notice them at all. I notice when there is a stoppage of play, but I don't consider this to be intrusive.

Spesknight@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 214d (1 reply)

This mean that they are not interesting for ad providers -> the might go out of business soon -> free TV with no ads -> now I want one

baguettefish@discuss.tchncs.de · 9 pts · 214d

they're probably gonna remotely disable them or reclaim them before they ever end up in your hands

brooke592@sh.itjust.works · 12 pts · 214d (2 replies)

Personally, I don't think I'd want a free TV that perpetually pelts me with ads

Uhh, surely there must be a way to disable this once the TVs are in our hands.

Armok_the_bunny@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 214d (1 reply)

IIRC they contractually get to charge you the price of the TV if the ads are blocked or disabled.

fyrilsol@kbin.melroy.org · 2 pts · 213d

[ removed ]

Steve@startrek.website · 10 pts · 214d

Ow! My Balls!

wiltrvls@lemmy.zip · 10 pts · 214d (2 replies)

TVs are so cheap. I don't understand the business model.

IronBird@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 214d

line must go up, when all other avenues of generating revenue have been cornered the only path left to make line go up is ever more intrusive ads and similar rent-seeking/inshittification.

Ludicrous0251@piefed.zip · 2 pts · 214d

Cheap TVs make for a good business model - more ad revenue for the manufacturers of these pieces of junk. If TVs were more expensive they'd never recover their losses.

FreddiesLantern@leminal.space · 10 pts · 214d

“Honey I’m home!

sits down

Work was great today sweety, we made some great ads, and not just any old boring ad. Genuine addiction inciting, mouthwatering, shake-em-down kind of ads!

Yeah we do great things at the ad factory.”

Strider@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 214d

I have so many ideas how to circumvent or exploit that on multiple levels.

Gsus4@mander.xyz · 7 pts · 214d