this post was submitted on 04 Apr 2024
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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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[–] mp3@lemmy.ca 599 points 7 months ago (7 children)

Any company trying to use the HDMI-CEC protocol in such a subversive manner should lose their license to the HDMI standard IMO.

[–] I_like_cats@lemmy.one 226 points 7 months ago (1 children)

The HDMI forum is run by big companies so that is not happening, sorry

[–] kevincox@lemmy.ml 153 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Death to HDMI. DisplayPort is the superior port.

[–] tal@lemmy.today 43 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I'm sure that a DisplayPort device in a chain can also inject video, but I have to admit that I would kind of like to not have two competing video standards, and my impression is that DisplayPort tends to lead HDMI technically, so...

[–] pivot_root@lemmy.world 86 points 7 months ago (3 children)

DisplayPort: We have

  • Higher maximum resolution.
  • Better support for higher refresh rates.
  • Multi-stream transport so you can use a single display cable for multiple monitors.

HDMI: Oh yeah? Well, we have

  • Royalties.
  • Specifications hidden behind contracts.
  • An emphasis on implementing DRM technology that makes it hard to use a capture card.

Fuck HDMI.

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[–] wreckedcarzz@lemmy.world 104 points 7 months ago (1 children)

The bastards that control the hdmi standard: yeah!

Roku: 💰

Bastards: actually no

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[–] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 36 points 7 months ago (1 children)

It's not like they ever properly implemented it in the first place.

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[–] RunningInRVA@lemmy.world 271 points 7 months ago (12 children)

Imagine being the guy working on this and how much you hate yourself anytime somebody asks you what you are working on.

[–] frostysauce@lemmy.world 152 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Even worse: Imagine being the guy working on this and being proud of yourself.

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[–] jg1i@lemmy.world 46 points 7 months ago

Unfortunately, I bet these guys don't care. I used to work at a company you might have products from and I would constantly hear "Hey, we're a business" as an excuse to degrade the user experience. :(

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[–] baronvonj@lemmy.world 200 points 7 months ago (4 children)

The shittiest of enshitifications.

[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 55 points 7 months ago (1 children)

We need an anti-awards show for shit like this.

[–] PumpkinEscobar@lemmy.world 37 points 7 months ago (4 children)

I like that. If there was a site that did like The Razzies for movies but for technology enshitification, I would definitely watch, and probably follow a blog if it was done well

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[–] Ultragigagigantic@lemmy.world 158 points 7 months ago (2 children)

"People are taking the piss out of you everyday. They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disappear. They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small. They make flippant comments from buses that imply you’re not sexy enough and that all the fun is happening somewhere else. They are on TV making your girlfriend feel inadequate. They have access to the most sophisticated technology the world has ever seen and they bully you with it. They are The Advertisers and they are laughing at you.

You, however, are forbidden to touch them. Trademarks, intellectual property rights and copyright law mean advertisers can say what they like wherever they like with total impunity.

Fuck that. Any advert in a public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It’s yours to take, re-arrange and re-use. You can do whatever you like with it. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head.

You owe the companies nothing. Less than nothing, you especially don’t owe them any courtesy. They owe you. They have re-arranged the world to put themselves in front of you. They never asked for your permission, don’t even start asking for theirs."

– Banksy

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[–] qwertyqwertyqwerty@lemmy.one 147 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (25 children)

Is there an anti-ad community on Lemmy? Or another non-Lemmy place to work through blocking/avoiding this bullshit? I'm so fed up with the advertisement industry. I don't want ads on my devices. I don't want ads in my operating systems. I don't want ads in my content. I don't want ads in the sky. I don't want ads in the ocean. I don't want to be forced to see or hear ads while putting gas in my car.

I really can't emphasize how much I am willing to go through to rid my life completely of advertisements.

[–] yuriy@lemmy.world 63 points 7 months ago (18 children)

If the gas pumps have those unlabeled buttons around a screen, try pressing all of em. The pumps around here (nebraska) will mute the audio when you press one of the buttons, it just isn’t labeled. I’ve taken to writing “mute” on the magic-button with a sharpie whenever I pump my gas.

[–] HerrVorragend@lemmy.world 42 points 7 months ago (3 children)

Wait, the thing about ads while fueling your car is real?

WTF?!

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[–] smileyhead@discuss.tchncs.de 133 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (6 children)

Man... My personal list of banned companies not to buy from is getting scary long.

[–] melpomenesclevage@lemm.ee 53 points 7 months ago

At this point just start using a white list.

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[–] Moose@moose.best 103 points 7 months ago (4 children)

If a consumer watches something on their Apple TV and then presses the pause button, a Roku TV set could use either audio or video-based content recognition technologies (known in the industry as ACR) to identify what’s being watched, match the current scene to a database and extract relevant information to pair an ad with it.

Wow somehow their idea is even worse than I imagined, glad I don't own a Roku now.

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[–] Got_Bent@lemmy.world 101 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (8 children)

How the fuck can an economy that's almost nothing but advertisements sustain itself for any period of time? It feels like forcing more and more ads is the only thing anybody does for money anymore.

[–] aesthelete@lemmy.world 39 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

Brought to you by Carl's Jr.

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[–] AgentGrimstone@lemmy.world 93 points 7 months ago

Don't buy Roku TVs. Got it.

[–] andyburke@fedia.io 83 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (6 children)

Used to recommend Roku to others. I will never buy anything from them or recommend them to anyone again.

Someday maybe boards will figure out that "business" people have no idea what they are doing.

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 55 points 7 months ago (4 children)

Boards only understand "line go up" or "line go down." If something turns off a few weirdos like us but it lets them sell access to millions of eyeballs they'll do it.

They'd step over their own dying mother to make a buck.

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[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 77 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Late Stage Capitalism: Using a microscopic laser, we are able to burn our advertiser logos directly into our customer's retinas, so they will see them even as they sleep.

Shareholders: 👏 👏 👏

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[–] freebee@sh.itjust.works 76 points 7 months ago (9 children)

Imagine a world where talented engineers would put their minds to work for solving big problems instead of ... I'm not sure wtf this is.

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[–] InvaderDJ@lemmy.world 76 points 7 months ago (11 children)

If Roku actually does this I would definitely never use them again. Completely asinine behavior. Especially because most people aren't even using stand alone boxes with their smart TVs.

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[–] flop_leash_973@lemmy.world 70 points 7 months ago (9 children)

It seems like so long that Roku was not a horrible company. Simple little box for a good price with a small static ad on the home screen to make money.

Seems like a lifetime ago.

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[–] FartsWithAnAccent@fedia.io 68 points 7 months ago

Guess I'll never buy a Roku TV then: Get all the way fucked!

[–] Clbull@lemmy.world 65 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Is this why they made people waive their right to sue them?

Yeah... Fuck Roku.

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[–] skozzii@lemmy.ca 63 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (6 children)

"Wow, this Roku TV is so cheap!"

Your selling your privacy and basically leasing the disposable tv.

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[–] Hootz@lemmy.ca 62 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I wish a pox on these capitalist pigs.

Every day I get a step closer to dropping all this trash, going back to piracy.

[–] WeirdGoesPro@lemmy.dbzer0.com 36 points 7 months ago (15 children)
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[–] EmperorHenry@discuss.tchncs.de 58 points 7 months ago (1 children)

yarr harr fiddle dee dee, do what you want 'cause a pirate is free!

Sorry, I love that song. What are we talking about?

[–] BradleyUffner@lemmy.world 40 points 7 months ago (8 children)

This sounds like it could display ads over your pirated content.

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[–] Kalysta@lemm.ee 58 points 7 months ago (7 children)

This is gross. I cut my cable because of ads. Have about 3 types of adblockers on my computer to stop them. This hyper marketing is why so many have turned away from traditional entertainment to begin with.

I am more than the ability to spend money and it’s goddamn time everyone say this and boycott companies that do shady garbage like this

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[–] monk@lemmy.unboiled.info 57 points 7 months ago (2 children)

A TV is a device that shows you what you want. This is no TV.

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[–] yamanii@lemmy.world 55 points 7 months ago (1 children)
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[–] Seraph@kbin.social 49 points 7 months ago (7 children)

Just because they patented it doesn't mean it will happen. Sony patented this evil idea.

[–] __init__@programming.dev 39 points 7 months ago (1 children)

We are not far from “please drink verification can”

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[–] mortrek@lemmy.ml 47 points 7 months ago (8 children)

Never connect your smart TV to the internet. Just don't do it. Get a third party device or ideally use an old PC with an appropriate HTPC Linux distro or something.

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[–] Draegur@lemm.ee 42 points 7 months ago

so glad i never bought into roku

and i never fucking will

good riddance.

[–] KinglyWeevil@lemmy.dbzer0.com 41 points 7 months ago (1 children)

This is how you get people to start rooting their TVs

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[–] Andromxda@lemmy.dbzer0.com 39 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Great, so Smart TVs won't even function as basic displays anymore.

[–] Sgt_choke_n_stroke@lemmy.world 37 points 7 months ago (5 children)

I swear I'm like going backwards with tech, I found an old ipod to use at the gym, I'm pirating shows, and I don't bother with blu tooth keyboards and mice for work.

Tech didn't get better or hassle free. Getting a haircut needs an "app" ffs.

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[–] FritzGman@lemmy.world 37 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Oh please don't misunderstand my post. I'm in total agreement that this bullshit can't go unchallenged and that posting about it is necessary and good. It's just that, like public comment town halls, all the complaining in the world does not affect change.

Instead, I meant to imply that more needs to be done and in a way that people who have already paid can use to fight against them.

Like encouraging all Roku TV owners (and eventually all Smart TV owners) to contact their local, state and federal representatives to demand they enact consumer protection laws against post purchase forced software changes to functionality of the product (aside from security patches) or forced acceptance of 'terms of service' that essentially take away your right to your preferred method of recourse.

I mean, the idea that we buy something for the features and capabilities it gives us just to have it changed at the whim of a corporate moneymaking scheme is insane. Even moreso when policy changes mean you accept something you don't want to or lose what you paid for (i.e. Roku's forced arbitration acceptance that would otherwise brick the TV).

It's fine to vent frustrations but in the long run, jailbreaking and looking to buy something different doesn't resolve the root problem. Greed overcoming consumer protection in the name of shareholder interest (most of which are corporate C level douches).

Sorry if I wasn't clear with my opinion but my posts usually are already too long before they even start. lol

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[–] normalexit@lemmy.world 37 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I'm done with Roku. I have one in every room, but they all need to go.

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[–] jabjoe@feddit.uk 35 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (5 children)

Enshitification gold rush continues. It's like now there is a word for it, all these companies are exploring how they can do it.

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